Which SWOK DIY Projects Have You Done?

In a surprising bit of awesome news, a recent survey shows that 87% of homeowners in America have done at least one DIY project since the pandemic began last year. That's awesome. In a period of time where the average American opted for others to do their handiwork some 75% of the time, we got back to doing things with our own two hands. I can't think of anything to be more proud of right now. So, even if you rent, which DIY projects have you tackled around the home?

In Southwest Oklahoma, the list of common DIY projects is pretty standard. Call it what you want, but it seems that styles don't exactly fluctuate in this part of the country, everybody tends to do the same trendy stuff they either spot on sits like Pinterest or see on HGTV shows. Let's go detail the most easy and common project SWOK has opted for in the last year or so.

Nothing has been more popular on the DIY'ers list this last year that the time honored tradition of the accent wall. Sometimes it's just a bold color of paint, but if you're in SWOK, odds are you've put up a little shiplap. You know, boards stacked on boards to make a perfectly modern home look a hundred years old. It's trendy, and I'll admit I've done this in my own home too, but what about you?

Given its mounting popularity over the last decade or so, there's never been an easier time to make this look a reality. The big box DIY stores even sell parcels of aged wood specifically meant to recreate the look above. Some people opt for free pallets, which is a royal pain, but there is an easier way.

In a time where lumber is still just too dang high, how can you get "the look" on a shoestring budget? You cheat to win.

My mother started this project a few years ago, and after shopping around for the proper shiplap, she decided she'd find a better and cheaper way to get it done. In her search, she came across flooring underlayment. It's basically really thin plywood that you would normally use underneath another floor, like click-type hardwoods and such. When you look at it, one side is a little rough like old shiplap would be, and you can easily cut it into whatever size strips you want. We shiplapped a few select walls in the family home with a stapler, and even I can't deny it looked way better than it sounds when described to you. Total cost for four massive floor to ceiling walls in shiplap? Under $200.

It's cheap and relatively easy. Spacing can get a little squirrely, so we just used little pieces of the underlayment as a spacing block so it all came out even and level. There's no reason why you couldn't make this happen either. She didn't even paint it. It has an antique white washed look to it already, so it just went straight up on the wall, tire prints and everything. Sure, you could paint it too and I'm confident it would look pretty stellar. Just don't go overboard. One wall per room at a maximum. It's the type of project that looks best done sparingly.