Shiplapped Media Built-Ins Tutorial

Guys, my media cabinet dreams have finally came true! I have been waiting to share this project with you, and I am so excited that I can finally show you the big project reveal! I teamed up with The Home Depot to build shiplapped media built-ins in my living room, and it just might be my favorite project that we have done so far. This project has been on my mind since we first moved into our home 7 years ago. Our living room is large and has a wall perfect for a built-in, but I just needed to figure out a plan that would incorporate the modern farmhouse style of my home. After seeing a few of my favorite bloggers use shiplap on their media cabinet, I was so inspired and knew that would be the perfect fit. I mean, who doesn’t love shiplap?? The Home Depot made refreshing my home easy with everything I needed to complete this shiplap project! Before we get started, let me show you what this space looked like before the transformation.

Let’s begin with what you will need to get this project started. Here is a list of the main materials that we used.

Materials:

• Nickel Gap Shiplap Board-1/2 in. x 7-1/4 in. x 12 ft.
• 10 ft 2×4
• MDF board
• Plywood
• Baseboard
• Crown molding
• Miter Saw
• Table Saw
• Nail Gun/Nails
• Hammer
• Level
• Measuring Tape

Step 1- Measurements

The first step is to get measurements. Although everyone’s space is different, I am going to provide you the measurements of my shiplapped media cabinet throughout this post just incase it can help you when you begin your project. We had to figure out all the measurements and materials beforehand so we would know exactly what and how much product we needed. 

For a visual, we drew our measurements on the wall. We measured the wall to be 181″ with 114″ ceiling height. The total length and height of the cabinet measured 139″L x 114″H.

Step 2- Build Tower Frames

Using 10ft 2×4 boards, we built the towers. Since the towers went from floor to ceiling, they needed to be secured to the studs along with the cross beams in the ceiling. Each tower is 33 1/4″ wide and has a 24″ width opening and is 114″ tall with a 100″ height opening.

Step 3- Build Bottom Boxes

Now it’s time to start from the bottom and build the boxes that will go at the foot of each tower. The bottom of the box is made with plywood that measures 7 1/8″ off the ground, 24″ wide, and 17 1/2″ deep. Next, add your MDF board and wrap it around the bottom towers and the bottom middle space.

Step 4- Add Shiplap

Now the fun begins!! Since I have the larger width planks throughout my house, I decided to go with the 1/2 in. x 7-1/4 in. x 12 ft. Radiata pine nickel gap shiplap. Not only is the nickel gap so easy to use, but the best part about these is that they come already primed which makes the painting process so much easier. Since A LOT of cuts have to be made for this shiplapped cabinet to come together, this part is for sure the most time consuming. The corner cuts are made at a 45 degree angle and nailed into the tower and studs to secure each piece. Continue wrapping the cabinet until you are ready to begin building your top boxes. We ended up with an even amount of 14 rows of shiplap.

Step 5- Build Top Boxes

Next, we repeated step 3 at the top of each tower.

Step 6- Add Crown Molding and Baseboard

Since I wanted this piece to look like it was naturally part of the room, we added the same crown molding to the top and bottom of the piece. Love how this added so much to the built-in and helped give it a finished look.

Step 7- Paint

Time to paint!! I first primed the boards using KILZ® 2. Then, I went to The Home Depot and color matched the door color of my middle media console. I went with the Behr Ultra Stain Blocking Paint & Primer In One in an eggshell finish, and it covered in one coat!! Love this paint!!

Shiplapped Media Cabinet Reveal

I still can’t believe how this shiplapped media cabinet came out! It completely changed the look of my living room, and I’m so obsessed with the end result!

Middle Console Information

The only part that was not built was the middle console. The middle frame is the BESTA unit from IKEA and the doors are from Semihandmade in their White Supermatte Shaker Front. Semihandmade sells doors (in more color/finish/style options) to fit popular IKEA products. The middle console measures 71″ long x 25″ tall x 16 1/2″ deep. We made the middle console a floating shelf, so it floats 6″ off the ground.

Shelf Information

The shelves are from Shelfology and are the raw unfinished Alder color. They are 1 3/4″ thick x 16″ deep x 24″ wide. Look for a blog post all about these Shelfology shelves coming soon!

I finished off the look with some pretty decor pieces that I love! You can see more of my favorite shelf styling pieces HERE.

I hope you enjoyed this shiplapped media built-in tutorial! We had so much fun creating this piece and seeing how it completely transformed our living room! I tried to cover all the details in this post, but I’m sure I left something out. Please feel free to let me know if you have any questions. I can’t wait to see and hear all about your shiplapped project! Thanks so much for stopping by!

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