Forget the hammer for a second. Your best friend here is construction adhesive—the same stuff that holds your kitchen counter in place when you’re slicing an overambitious baguette. You’ll also need a nail gun, but hear me out: we’re using it like a sneaky ninja, not a carpenter on espresso. The goal is to fire nails only where they’ll never be seen, like behind baseboards or under the next board.
Start by applying a generous, wavy bead of adhesive to the back of your first shiplap board. Think of it like spreading Nutella on toast—even coverage, but don’t drown it. Press that board against the wall and use a level. If it’s crooked, your entire wall will look like a funhouse mirror, and that’s not the vibe you want.
The Old Man Trick: Nail Hiding 101
Now, here’s where the magic happens. Instead of nailing through the face, drive your nails into the tongue of the shiplap—that little lip that sticks out on the top edge. This is the “hidden nailing” technique, and it feels as clever as folding a fitted sheet. The next board will cover those nails completely, like a magician hiding a coin in plain sight.
I once watched a friend try this and he nailed through the face “just to be sure.” He ended up with a wall that looked like it survived a paintball fight. Trust the process. Use a brad nailer set to the right depth. If you hit a stud, great. If you hit drywall, the adhesive does the heavy lifting.
For the first row, you have to nail into the face because there’s no tongue below it. But that’s at the bottom—your baseboard will cover it. It’s like wearing socks with sandals: ugly but nobody sees it after you put shoes on.
How To Install Shiplap Without Nail Holes at Kiara Whitworth blog
