This is a grasscloth wallcovering. Normally it
comes 3' wide x 24' long. Be sure of the dimensions before ordering.
I once arrived at a job site to find a very expensive grasscloth
that measured 3' wide x 19.5' long.
Remember there is no standard for what a manufacturer can call a
roll or bolt of wallpaper. There are "common" sizes but
a paperhanger is not responsible for the occasional oddball size.
Luckily this grasscloth was the normal size bolt.
This bolt is 72 sq ft - An "American Double Roll".
Virtually all wallpaper instruction sheets are
incomplete at best. These are the instructions that came with
the grasscloth for this installation.
Most instruction sheets advise the installer to trim off 1.5"
- 2" from each edge for better seaming.
Since we're going to trim both edges off each
sheet let's engineer each wall to give us the best look possible.
Most people think this will waste a lot of material. This photo
not only proves it will look better, it will also SAVE paper!
The blue engineering marks show how the DIY may be inclined to
hang this wall. It actually requires one more long sheet to finish
the wall & will look bad with panel #4 too narrow.
After pasting allow the sheet to "book"
in a large plastic bag for 5 minutes. Then trim the edges so each
sheet is the width you need for your engineering plan on each wall.
I elected to start on this wall and work my
way around the room right to left. To the left of the light switch
is an entry way larger than the doorway two photos above.
Pro Tip: Do not paste several sheets at once! Grasscloth can
delaminate and/or freeze up if over booked. Don't risk it. One
sheet at a time prevents expensive mistakes.
Three panels are up and the fourth is booking.
ProTip: Resist the temptation to trim a panel smaller than 27"
wide! Don't be short sighted & trim four panels 26.25"
to fit perfectly between the door casing & inside corner. Consider
the entire wall in your engineering. Remember the wide entry to
the left of the light switch. Even if I could make the header over
that entry a full 36" wide it still wouldn't be wide enough.
Taking this into account and the two full length panels that will
come after the header, I was able to make all six long sheets on
this first wall approximately the same width.
*The light diagonal area is the camera flash reflecting off the
pasting machine lid. Most eye catching on the middle panel, a closer
look shows it extends to the inside corner diagonally then continues
onto the unpapered wall below the repaired area.
Starting the second wall. This wall has two display
shelves with windowed doors on both sides of the bay windows below
my elbow. I've already cut off the excess of this long sheet and
will use it for the left side of this wall where I'll need another
3.5" wide strip.
This is the area between the shelves & bay
windows where my level was in the previous photo. It's too narrow
to use a 5" taping knife as a guide for trimming above the
chair rail. So a putty knife is the better trim guide.
Here's the first header installed above the
bay windows. It's width is equal to the previous long sheet.
These are the tools needed to trim the edges off
each sheet of grasscloth:
pasting table, ruler, paperhanger's straight edge, .009" Extra
Keen single edge razor blades.
All three headers are now installed over the
bay windows. Notice the narrow strip to the left of the bay windows
is already installed. I used the excess cut away from the previous
long sheet. This saved another long sheet of material.
A header was spliced into
the narrow strip.
About to start the third wall. You can see my plumb line drawn in
pencil bisecting the light fixture junction.
Pro Tip: Use blue tape to make your initial engineering marks
and avoid many confusing marks. Once you've got it dialed in use
pencil marks.
The second long sheet will wrap the outside corner
& end at the upper right corner of the bay window's casing.
Pro Tip: Measure the panel width you'll need all the way down
the casing & use the widest measurement.
The first step in wrapping an outside corner
is to use your hand. Don't use a wet sponge. The water will stain
the grasscloth.
The next step is using a plastic smoother to
make a nice crisp outside corner. This corner like most was not
perfect. Luckily it was more narrow at the bottom. So we have
more overlap at the bottom of the sheet. The overlap tapers off
to nothing at the top of the bay window casing.
Creasing the material where it meets the bay window
casing before trimming off the excess.
This is the first header piece over the second
set of bay windows in the room. It wraps the first inside corner
above the windows. It must be plumbed and creased into the corner
before trimming this section's top & bottom.
Pro Tip: After priming, paste any 135° inside corners
that you'll be wrapping with slightly thinned heavy duty clear
strippable adhesive. This procedure is called "Double Pasting"
because you're pasting the wall & the grasscloth. Installers
across the nation may call this "Velcroing" or "Sizing"
& may opt for full strength heavy duty clear or even use heavy
duty clay adhesive.
The second header piece. All three headers will
be the same width.
The following photos show the engineering of the
completed installation. This is wall #1 where I started.
Pro Tip: Before hanging the last panel on wall #4, use masking
tape/paper on first panel you installed on wall #1. This will keep
the paste off.
The rest of wall #1.
Pro Tip: Try to engineer your seams to bisect any light fixtures
if at all possible.
Wall #2.
Beginning of wall #3.
End of wall #3. The two long sheets left of
the windows were cut sequentially off the same bolt. This is the
normal shading inherent to grasscloth. This is not a defect. Rather
this is what you should expect a grasscloth installation to look
like. This is the "paneled" effect which makes it easy
to see the seams of grasscloth.
Wall #4.
*The light spot next to the left engineering mark is the camera
flash reflecting off the pasting machine lid's exposed left edge.
No worries mate. Another beautiful installation!
