Paint a Rainbow Shiplap Wall

Read the sequence from the top before cutting, painting, or moving pieces.

Add color, texture, and style to a bedroom wall with this straightforward painted rainbow shiplap wall. This colorful accent wall is well fitted for a kids’ bedroom or a playroom.

You’ll also like 100 Ways to Paint a Wall and 25+ more accent wall options.

Diy Painted Ombre Rainbow Shiplap Accent Wall In A Girl's Room With A Twin House Bed, @home Kimprovements On Bekob

Girls’ Bedroom with Handmade Rainbow Shiplap Wall

We love seeing photos of what readers have built using our woodworking plans. When Kimberly from @Home_Kimprovements tagged #imaBekob on this build of her daughter’s house bed frame from our plans, we were in LOVE!

House Bed Frame For Girl's Room With Painted Rainbow Shiplap Accent Wall, @home Kimprovements On Bekob — *Handmade House Bed Frame Plans Here*

But the star of this room isn’t the bed — as much as we love it!

That rainbow shiplap wall is perfection — what little girl wouldn’t love an ombre rainbow backdrop for all of her playtime adventures!

Kimberly was so kind to send us the information and paint colors so you can create a rainbow accent wall in your home, too. Be sure to look at all of her vivid home projects over on Instagram!

This post contains affiliate links. Learn more and read our full disclosure policy here.

How to Install and Paint a Rainbow Shiplap Wall

by Kimberly from @Home_Kimprovements

This walkthrough shows how to install a full floor-to-ceiling shiplap wall using plywood. You can also install the shiplap planks on the lower part of the wall for a plank wall with hooks like this. -OR fake a shiplap wall like this

Tools and Materials

1/4″ sheets of plywood (8 slats per sheet at 5.5″ thick) — see Step 1 to calculate how many sheets you need
Paint (colors below)
Paint Roller
Pencil
Nail Gun
Finishing Nails
Table Saw or Circular Saw with Edge Guide (or many stores will rip the plywood for you)
Level
Tape Measure
Stud Finder
Drop Cloth
2-3 Nails (used as a spacer between rows)
Miter Saw

How To Paint A Rainbow Accent Wall With Shiplap Boards For A Kids Bedroom, Ombre Paint Colors, Home Kimprovements For Bekob

Ombre Rainbow Wall Paint Colors

We just bought Behr sample sizes in satin/eggshell coating from Home Depot. I also got the swatches so I could see the colors on the wall before we did anything. If you need another color, maybe orange would work.

Rainbow paint colors (BEHR color names)

Beloved Pink #S130-1
Shy Smile #S130-2
Ballet Rose #S130-3
Coral Fountain #MQ4-3
Frittata #M290-2
Corn Stalk #M290-3
Jackfruit #PPU6-07
Healing Aloe #S400-3
Azalea Leaf #S400-4
Gallery Green #S400-5
Misty Isle #MQ3-19
Ocean Boulevard #PPU13-10
Voyage #PPU13-07
Spring Bouquet #S100
Romantic Poetry #S100-2
Ancestry Violet #S100-4

Paint Colors List For Handmade Rainbow Shiplap Accent Wall For Kids Bedroom Wall, Home Kimprovements For Bekob

Plan, Paint, and Install the Rainbow Shiplap Wall

Step 1: Measure

Measure the square footage of your wall to determine how many sheets of plywood you will need.

One sheet of plywood is 8 ft x 4ft, which equals 32 sq ft. Our wall is 12 ft x 8 ft (96 sq ft) so we used 3 sheets of plywood.

Step 2: Find the Studs

Find the studs using your stud finder (typically 16″ apart) and draw a line vertically with a pencil and level. This is where you are going to nail the studs into place.

This is Sara marking the stud locations to install her laundry room pegboard — same option on any wall

Step 3: Cut Shiplap Planks

Use your table saw to cut down your sheet of plywood. Cut the sheet horizontally 5.5″ thick. You will be able to get 8 pieces out of each sheet.

Don’t have a table saw? No worries, Home Depot or Lowe’s can cut it down for you at most stores. You can also use a circular saw with an edge guide like this.

Step 4: Prep for Painting

Lay down a drop cloth and place the boards in rows the length of the wall to make sure you paint each row the correct color.

How To Prep A Shiplap Boards For An Accent Wall, Home Kimprovements For Bekob (1)

Step 5: Paint Shiplap Planks

We poured the paint directly onto the wood and used a paint roller to roll it on. We did have to do three coats for the best coverage.

Let the paint dry between coats. You should be able to start with the first color once you finish the last color.

How To Paint Shiplap For A Colorful Rainbow Accent Wall In A Kids Bedroom, Home Kimprovements For Bekob

Want a single color ombre wall? Use this walkthrough to mix paint colors.

Step 6: Cut Shiplap Planks to Length

You want to stagger the ends of the boards. Using your miter saw, cut the pieces vertically in random spots to make it look like an actual shiplap wall and not a straight line down the wall.

Step 7: Install the Painted Shiplap Boards

Once the last coat of paint has dried, you are ready to start adding the painted boards to the wall.

If you are using spacers, the wall color will show through a bit, so now is the time to paint that wall if needed.

We started at the bottom of the wall, but if we were to do it again, we would have started at the top. This will ensure if you have a space left over, and have to rip a piece down, it will be at the bottom instead of the top.

Start on one side and use a nail gun and finishing nails to secure the boards along the line where you identified the studs.

Once you get to the end, you will likely have to cut your last piece down to fit in the remaining space. Just use your miter saw to cut that last piece.

Step 8: Space Between Boards

OPTIONAL: Once you get the first row down, start the next row but you will use the regular nails as spacers between the two rows. This will make it look more like shiplap. Continue all the way down the wall.

Bekob Note: You can also use popsicle stick spacers like this faux fireplace facade or nickels as spacers like this shiplap wall used.