How to Install Herringbone Shiplap

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Specialty Skill Level: Advanced (Level 3) · Estimated Time: 4-6 Hours per Wall

Introduction #

Herringbone is an orientation of shiplap, not a different product. Boards run at 45° in two directions, perpendicular to each other, interlocking against the side of the next board to build a woven zigzag field. It is the most custom-looking version of shiplap you can put on a wall, and it earns that look the hard way. The repetitive cutting and nailing add up fast on a full wall, so the OSHA guidance on ergonomics is worth a look before you start.

This is a reference variant guide - read the core guide first if shiplap is new to you. The boards go together the same as horizontal or vertical: tongue-and-groove, or square-edge with a consistent gap, not a rabbeted board. What changes for herringbone is the geometry, not the joint. Every board is cut at 45° on both ends, and the field only reads correctly when struck from a true centerline. Horizontal and vertical forgive a little drift; herringbone does not.

One more thing before you start: we do not use a plywood backer on herringbone, or any shiplap orientation, ever. Some crews build a plywood field first since angled boards will not land on studs consistently. We do not - we glue instead, construction adhesive on the back of every board, face nailed on top. It skips the 1/2″ of extra depth you would otherwise account for at outlets. Call it out to the customer or GC up front.

Before You Begin #

Make sure these are ready, and read what you need to know below - herringbone punishes shortcuts here more than any other orientation.

Prerequisites #

• Wall surface sound and clean - drywall in good repair, or the occasional GC-installed OSB
• Wall width and height measured at both edges - walls are rarely square
• Material on site, acclimated to room humidity for 48 hours, stacked flat with spacers between layers
• Extra material ordered - herringbone is cut-heavy and waste-heavy; plan on roughly 30% over the wall’s square footage
• Species and finish decided - wood for stain or clear finish, MDF if painted (will not split on the cuts, and sands easily at the joints)
• Outlet and switch locations marked on the wall

What You Need To Know #

• Boards today are tongue-and-groove, or square-edge run with a consistent gap - not a rabbeted board. Herringbone changes the geometry, not the joint
• We never install a plywood backer or furring strips ourselves, so plan the job for drywall: glue every board to the wall, then face nail. If the customer has sheeted the wall in OSB or plywood, take the win and fasten straight to it, no glue needed
• Every board is cut at 45° on both ends - no square-cut piece except the wall-edge fills
• The pattern is struck from a true, plumb centerline, not off the wall’s corners, a seam, or the floor
• Waste is high - expect to cut every board at least once
• We almost always face nail. Watch the nail angle - a crooked brad catches light, and that is hard to hide on prefinished material

Tools Required #

Power Tools #

• Miter saw with an accurate, positive 45° stop
• 18-gauge brad nailer, for face nailing the field
• 15-gauge finish nailer, for edge trim and casing
• Table saw, for ripping edge boards and last-piece fits
• Stud finder
• Jigsaw or oscillating multi-tool, for outlet and switch cutouts

Hand Tools #

• Tape measure
• Pencil
• 6-foot level or chalk line, for the centerline (also keep a 4-foot, 2-foot, or 8-foot level on hand for shorter checks)
• Speed square, for checking every 45° angle before it goes to the saw
• Combination square or T-bevel, for odd wall angles

Supplies #

• 18-gauge brad nails, sized for the board thickness you are running
• Construction adhesive - holds the field to the wall, not the nails; full bead on the back of every board
• Wood glue, for the wood-to-wood joints - puttied and sanded, that part is ours
• Spacers (nickels or 1/8″ shims), for square-edge boards held by hand

Materials #

• Shiplap boards - tongue-and-groove or square-edge; wood for stain or clear finish, MDF if the wall will be painted
• Construction adhesive and wood glue
• Edge trim or casing stock, for the boundary where the field meets the ceiling, floor, and side walls

How to Install Herringbone Shiplap #

Herringbone comes together in four stages: find true center, lock in the first two courses, run the field, then close out the edges. The first two stages are where the job is won or lost - slow down there.

Step 1: Find True Center and Strike the Layout Line #

Measure the wall width at several heights - walls move. Find the true center at both the top and bottom of the field, not the visual center of a seam, outlet, or opening. Strike a plumb vertical line between those points with a chalk line, or a 6-foot level extended by hand on a taller wall. Confirm the line is plumb, not just straight - a straight line that leans drifts the whole field as you build out from it.

Pro Tip: Do not trust a wall’s seam, outlet, or window opening to mark center. Measure the actual wall and find the real midpoint. A pattern centered on a doorway instead of the wall reads as a mistake, even when every cut is perfect.

Step 2: Dry-Fit and Lock In the First Two Courses #

Cut your first two boards, one angled up and away from the centerline in each direction, both ends at 45°. Dry-fit them against the line, no glue or nails yet, and confirm they meet the centerline cleanly and the angle running out from them lands where your layout math said it would. This is the point to catch a bad number, not ten boards later. Once they check out, glue and face nail them, then work outward and upward, alternating direction the same way.

Pro Tip: Chalk the full pattern onto the wall before cutting past the first two boards. Seeing the whole layout drawn out catches math errors now, while you can still shift the centerline an inch and fix it for free.

Step 3: Cut, Glue, and Face Nail the Field #

Cut both ends at 45° off the miter saw’s positive stop, dry-fit the board, run a bead of construction adhesive on the back, set it, and face nail. Check the speed square against a few boards every course or two - a saw that has crept off 45° will not show on one board, it shows up several boards later as a gap. Keep the reveal consistent, and watch your nail angle; a crooked brad catches light differently, with no repaint coming later to fix it.

Step 4: Fit the Edges, Outlets, and Last Pieces #

Where the field meets the ceiling, floor, and side walls, let boards run long, then snap a line at the boundary and cut the overrun flush once the field is set - do this trim pass last, not board by board. Take more than one measurement along tight gaps; they are rarely square. Where a piece must drop straight into a groove instead of angling in, rip the back lip off the groove side so it sets straight down, then back-bevel the cut face about 10° so the joint closes tight despite a hair of relief behind it. For outlets, mark from the board below, cut from the back, and plan on box extenders since the field sits proud of the wall. Turn off power at the breaker before you cut or nail anywhere near a box.

Close-Out After You Install Herringbone Shiplap #

Close out the same way you would any shiplap wall, with two things to watch that are specific to herringbone.

• Set every nail below the surface, and check the angle, not just the depth - a proud or crooked head catches light on a woven pattern more than on a flat horizontal run.
• Wipe glue squeeze-out while it is still wet, at the centerline and every board-to-board joint.
• Putty and sand the wood-to-wood joints - that part is ours to finish clean, same as any trim joint.
• Sweep up - cutoffs collected, floor and sills dusted off. This is a cut-heavy install; plan on more sweeping than a horizontal wall.
• Install edge trim at the ceiling, floor, and side walls to cover the boundary cut.
• Flag the finish for the painter before they start. Most herringbone goes up prefinished, so nail holes are not simply filled and painted over like a field-painted wall. Confirm the filler and touch-up color match first - there is no full repaint coming to blend a bad match.

Quality Check After You Install Herringbone Shiplap #

• Centerline confirmed plumb top to bottom before the field was built out
• All 45° angles consistent across the field, no visible variation board to board
• Boards fully glued to the wall, no hollow spots when you press on a corner
• Reveals or gaps consistent throughout
• Every nail set below the surface and driven straight, nothing proud or catching light
• Wood-to-wood joints puttied and sanded clean
• Edge trim covers all raw cut ends at the ceiling, floor, and side walls
• Pattern reads as intentional and centered on the wall, not shifted toward one side

Troubleshooting #

Most herringbone problems trace back to the centerline. Catch these early.

Pattern is drifting off center #

A board somewhere lost a fraction of a degree, or the starting line was straight but not truly plumb. Stop as soon as you notice it - every added board makes the fix bigger. Re-check the centerline with a level or plumb bob, and pull boards back to where the drift started.

Gaps at the joints where boards meet #

Usually a saw that has crept off 45°. Check the miter saw’s stop with a test cut on scrap before touching good material again. Half a degree is invisible on one cut and obvious once it repeats across a wall.

Boards feel hollow or will not sit tight to the wall #

Not enough adhesive coverage, or the wall was not clean or flat under that board. Pull it, clean both surfaces, and re-glue with full coverage rather than a few dabs. Face nails alone will not hold a board flat without the adhesive doing the real work.

Last piece will not sit flush at the edge #

Almost always a tongue-and-groove piece asked to drop straight into a spot with no room to angle it in. Rip the back lip off the groove side so it sets straight down, and back-bevel the face edge back about 10° so the seam closes tight even with a sliver of relief behind it. Take a second measurement before you cut - the gap is rarely square.

Related Guides #

Herringbone is one orientation of shiplap. For the full method, including horizontal and vertical, start with the core guide.

• How to Install Shiplap, 0′ to 7′ - the core guide; horizontal, vertical, and the material basics this guide builds on
• How to Trim a House, Start to Finish
• Essential Carpenter Hand Tools
• How to Install Vertical Shiplap
• How to Install Diagonal Shiplap
• How to Install Chevron Shiplap