How To Hang Grasscloth Wallpaper

Grasscloth wallpaper is the most decoratively rich natural-fiber wallcovering, made by bonding woven jute, sisal, sea grass, or paper twine to a paper backing. The format demands more care to hang than standard non-woven wallpaper. Each strip shows natural color variation, the seams are always visible, and the surface marks easily during install. The William Morris Wallpaper collection does not carry grasscloth, but the format remains a popular choice for living rooms, libraries, and bedrooms where you want tactile texture rather than printed pattern. Most professional grasscloth installations cost $5 to $15 per square foot for the wallpaper itself, plus labor for install.

This guide covers whether grasscloth wallpaper is difficult to hang, whether the strips go horizontal or vertical, the cons of grasscloth wallpaper, the best adhesive for grasscloth, how to prepare your walls, how to cut and trim the wallpaper, how to handle the seams, how to install around corners, how to repair damaged grasscloth, and a few tips that make the install go smoothly.

Is grasscloth wallpaper difficult to hang?

Grasscloth is harder to hang than standard non-woven or vinyl wallpaper. The natural fiber face marks easily during install. Paste that touches the face leaves permanent stains. The seams are always visible because the woven fibers do not line up across strips. The wallpaper does not hide wall imperfections the way printed wallpaper can.

That said, grasscloth is not impossible for a careful DIY installer. The basic technique is the same as paste-the-paper traditional wallpaper. You apply paste to the back of each strip, let the strip rest briefly, and hang it on the wall. The difference is in how much care you take at every step.

For first-time grasscloth installers, start with a small accent wall rather than a full room. The smaller surface lets you learn the format without committing to a large project. A single feature wall behind a bed or sofa takes one afternoon for a careful beginner.

For large grasscloth installations, consider hiring a professional installer. The labor cost ($300 to $800 per room) buys you results that are hard to match without experience. Most professional installers specialize in either standard wallpaper or grasscloth; pick one with documented grasscloth experience.

Does grasscloth go horizontal or vertical?

Grasscloth installs vertically, the same as standard wallpaper. The strips run from floor to ceiling. The fibers in the grasscloth weave can run either horizontally or vertically within each strip, but the strip itself hangs vertically on the wall.

Some installers experiment with horizontal grasscloth installation for design effect. The horizontal orientation works on accent walls and feature spaces but is harder to install correctly. The seams become more visible and the cutting at the ceiling and floor takes more care. Reserve horizontal grasscloth for installers with vertical experience.

Check the wallpaper manufacturer's pattern direction before you cut. Most grasscloth has a "up" direction marked on the back. Hanging strips upside-down or alternating direction can create visible color shifts at the seams.

What are the cons of grasscloth wallpaper?

Grasscloth costs more than standard wallpaper. Most grasscloth runs $5 to $15 per square foot for the wallpaper alone, compared to $2 to $5 per square foot for printed non-woven. A typical residential room can cost $500 to $2,000 in materials.

The seams are always visible. The natural fibers do not align across strips, so the joint between each strip shows as a visible line. Most installers position the strips so the seams fall at the room's least visible corners or behind furniture.

Grasscloth shows natural color variation between rolls and within rolls. Strips from different batches can look noticeably different. Strips even from the same roll can vary slightly. Order all the wallpaper you need at once, from the same dye lot, to minimize variation.

Grasscloth is not washable. The natural fibers stain and warp with water. Spot-cleaning is limited to a clean dry cloth. Grease, food, and fingerprints can leave permanent marks. The format is a poor fit for kitchens, bathrooms, and kids' rooms.

Grasscloth fades in sunlight. Direct sun exposure changes the color of the natural fibers over time. Rooms with strong sun on one wall can develop visible color differences between sunlit and shaded areas. UV-protective window film helps, but some fading is unavoidable.

What is the best adhesive for grasscloth wallpaper?

Use a clear-drying premium wallpaper paste rated for natural-fiber wallcoverings. Roman Pro-880, Shur-Stik 350, and similar premium pastes work well. The paste should be heavier-bodied than standard wallpaper paste because grasscloth is heavier than printed wallpaper.

Avoid pastes that yellow as they dry. Any paste residue that reaches the grasscloth face must dry clear, because cleaning grasscloth is not an option. Premium clear-drying pastes give you a margin of safety against accidental contact.

Avoid fungicide-treated pastes for grasscloth installations in dry rooms. The fungicide adds chemical residue that can stain the natural fibers over time. For dry-room grasscloth (living rooms, libraries, bedrooms), use standard premium paste without fungicide.

For grasscloth in any wet room, do not install. Grasscloth fails in bathrooms and kitchens regardless of paste choice. The natural fibers stain with moisture and lose their structural integrity over time. Choose a different wallpaper format for any room with significant moisture.

How do you prepare walls for grasscloth wallpaper?

Wall prep matters more for grasscloth than for any other wallpaper format. Strip any existing wallpaper completely. Repair wall damage with joint compound. Sand the patches smooth. The How to Remove Wallpaper guide covers stripping in detail.

Paint the wall in a color that matches the grasscloth ground tone. The seams between grasscloth strips can show the wall color underneath. A matching wall color makes the seam lines disappear into the wallpaper pattern. Most installers paint the wall in a tan, taupe, or natural color that matches the grasscloth background.

Prime the wall with a wallpaper-specific primer. The primer creates an even bondable surface and seals the underlying drywall against the moisture in the paste. Choose a primer in a color that matches the grasscloth ground (most primer manufacturers offer tinted options).

Let the primer dry fully (overnight or longer) before hanging grasscloth. The wallpaper is too expensive to risk on a partly dry primer coat.

How do you cut and trim grasscloth wallpaper?

Measure the height of the wall at multiple points along its length. Use the longest measurement as your strip length, plus four inches for trimming (two at the top, two at the bottom).

Cut grasscloth on a clean flat surface with a sharp utility knife and a long metal straightedge. Use a fresh blade for every few cuts; dull blades tear the natural fibers instead of cutting cleanly. Cut from the back of the wallpaper, not the front, to avoid damaging the fiber face.

Cut all your strips from the same roll in sequence. Wallpaper rolls have natural color variation, and same-roll strips give the most consistent color across the wall. Number each strip on the back as you cut so you hang them in sequence.

For pattern alignment, grasscloth typically does not have a strict pattern repeat. The natural fiber weave creates visual texture rather than a defined pattern. This means you do not need to add extra length for pattern matching, which saves wallpaper compared to printed pattern installations.

Trim excess wallpaper at the ceiling and floor with the same sharp utility knife. Hold a wide putty knife against the ceiling or floor line, press the wallpaper into the corner, and cut along the putty knife edge. Change blades frequently.

How do you handle grasscloth seams?

Grasscloth seams are always visible because the natural fibers do not line up across strips. The goal is to make the seams as clean as possible, not to make them invisible. Plan your strip layout so the most visible seams fall in low-visibility locations (behind furniture, in dark corners, next to door frames).

Butt the seams against each other without overlap. Overlapping creates a thick ridge that becomes permanent once the paste dries. The strips should align exactly edge to edge.

To position seams correctly, hang each new strip a half inch away from the previous strip first. Smooth the strip onto the wall, then slide it sideways with your hands or a wallpaper smoothing brush until the edges meet. Press the seam flat with a wallpaper seam roller.

Some installers reverse-roll every other strip. This means you hang one strip in its natural direction, then flip the next strip upside-down before hanging. The reverse-rolling can help balance color variation across strips, but it can also create more visible seams if the fibers do not line up cleanly. Test on a hidden section first.

If a seam shows a visible color shift, the strips came from different dye lots. The fix is hard once the strips are hung. Prevention is easier: order all your grasscloth at once from the same dye lot, and check each roll's batch number before cutting.

How do you install grasscloth wallpaper around corners?

For inside corners, do not try to hang one continuous strip around the corner. Walls are rarely perfectly square, and a corner-wrapping grasscloth strip will pull out of plumb. Cut the strip about a half inch past the corner, smooth it onto both walls, then start the next wall with a fresh strip that overlaps the first by that half inch.

For outside corners, hang one continuous strip around the corner when possible. The strip wraps cleanly around the convex angle if the grasscloth is the right weight for the wall.

For severely out-of-square corners, the half-inch overlap method works for both inside and outside corners. The overlap is more visible in grasscloth than in printed wallpaper, but it hides better at corners than at flat-wall seams.

For windows and doors, hang the wallpaper strip over the obstacle and cut around the frame after the strip is in place. Use a sharp utility knife and a wide putty knife to guide the cut. Trim slightly oversize, then make a final clean cut once the strip is positioned correctly.

How do you repair damaged grasscloth wallpaper?

Small marks and stains often cannot be cleaned. Grasscloth fibers absorb stains permanently. For minor surface dust, a soft-bristled paintbrush or vacuum brush attachment removes loose dust without damaging the fibers.

For grease and water marks, blot immediately with a clean dry cloth. Do not rub the stain; rubbing pushes the stain deeper into the fibers. If the mark does not lift, the damage is usually permanent.

For tears, cuts, and damaged sections, the best repair is a patch from leftover wallpaper. Cut a patch slightly larger than the damaged area. Position the patch over the damage with the natural fiber direction matching the surrounding wallpaper. Apply paste and smooth the patch into position.

For larger damage (full-strip damage from a leak or impact), replace the entire affected strip. The repair will be visible because the new strip's color will differ from the older surrounding strips. This is why most installers order extra wallpaper at install and store it for future repairs.

For wallpaper that has faded from sun exposure, no repair restores the original color. The faded wallpaper has to be replaced. UV-protective window film helps prevent the original fading.

What are some tips for hanging grasscloth wallpaper?

Order all the wallpaper you need at once. Same dye lot matters. Grasscloth rolls from different batches can vary noticeably in color and texture. Order 15 percent more than your calculated need to allow for waste, repairs, and future patches.

Buy premium clear-drying wallpaper paste. The extra cost ($30 to $50 per gallon instead of $15 to $25) buys you significant safety against accidental paste contact with the grasscloth face.

Work clean. Wash your hands frequently. Keep separate clean tools for grasscloth installation. Any dirt or paste residue that reaches the wallpaper face is permanent.

Hire a professional for large installations. The labor cost is reasonable compared to the risk of ruining hundreds of dollars of wallpaper through inexperienced installation.

The What Is Grasscloth Wallpaper guide covers the grasscloth format in more detail.

Hang grasscloth wallpaper questions

Is grasscloth wallpaper hard to hang?

Harder than standard wallpaper. The natural fibers mark easily, the seams are always visible, paste contact with the face is permanent, and color variation between strips requires careful planning. First-time installers should start with a small accent wall rather than a full room.

Does grasscloth go horizontal or vertical?

Grasscloth installs vertically, the same as standard wallpaper. The strips run floor to ceiling. The fibers within each strip can run either direction depending on the weave, but the strip itself hangs vertically.

What are the disadvantages of grasscloth?

Higher cost ($5 to $15 per square foot vs $2 to $5 for printed non-woven), visible seams between strips, color variation between batches, no washability, and fading in direct sunlight. The format is a poor fit for kitchens, bathrooms, and high-traffic family rooms.

What adhesive should I use for grasscloth?

A clear-drying premium wallpaper paste rated for natural-fiber wallcoverings (Roman Pro-880, Shur-Stik 350, or similar). The paste should be heavier-bodied than standard wallpaper paste. Avoid pastes that yellow as they dry; any paste residue on grasscloth must dry clear because cleaning is not possible.

How do I prep my wall for grasscloth?

Strip old wallpaper, repair damage with joint compound, paint the wall in a color matching the grasscloth ground tone (so seams blend), and prime with a wallpaper-specific primer. The colored wall under the grasscloth hides the seam lines where the wallpaper does not align cleanly.

Can I install grasscloth in a bathroom?

No. Grasscloth fails in any wet room. The natural fibers stain with moisture and lose structural integrity over time. Choose vinyl-on-non-woven or a moisture-rated specialty format for bathroom wallpaper. The Can You Wallpaper a Bathroom guide covers bathroom-appropriate formats.

How do you fix damaged grasscloth?

Small damage: cut a patch from leftover wallpaper, match the fiber direction, paste, and smooth into position. Larger damage: replace the entire affected strip. Faded wallpaper: replace the affected area. Most installers order extra wallpaper at install for future repairs.

Where can I buy heritage non-woven wallpaper instead?

The William Morris Wallpaper collection at williammorriswallpaper.co carries the full Morris heritage range in paste-the-wall non-woven format. The non-woven format gives you the heritage look without the install challenges of grasscloth.