Give your walls a touch of texture and elegance. You will be surprised to see how many different looks can be achieved with grasscloth wallpaper. Incorporate natural fiber wall covering into your design, and add sensational tactility and depth to any room .

• York Wallcoverings GL0500-GL05004 Abaca Weave wallpaper.

Featuring an Abaca weave known as the most luxurious weave available, this natural wallcovering adds both texture and dimension to the wall .












• York Wallcoverings CP9345  and CP9350 Raw Grasscloth Wallpaper.
  

Strips of natural material, with variations in color and width, are utilized to create a grass cloth with an abundance of character. Two selections feature dried grasses approximately a quarter inch wide and predominant colors of beige or tan.






Grasscloth Wallpaper. Part 1: Origins and Specifics




As far back as the 1970s and 1980s, natural wallpapers made with Asian grass types were incredibly popular, partly due to the incipient Green Movement and the associated desire for a lifestyle in harmony with nature and mindful of the environment. Their natural, pure beauty combined with a gorgeous structure and many positive characteristics benefiting the room climate make grass wallpapers a timeless yet trendy interior design element.

HOW IT’S MADE

Most of the grasscloth in the world is hand-crafted in Asia. The most common materials it's made from are arrowroot, bamboo hemp, jute, raffia, reeds, and sea grass.

    

Images from :https://www.wallpaperfromthe70s.com/

These fibers are hand-woven together in a complex framework typically using lightweight cotton threads and fastened on a thin rice paper backing. Unlike traditional wallcoverings, it is not manufactured on a rolling machine. Each sisal is hand-woven together by an actual person.



Image from : https://www.wallpaperboulevard.com/

DIFFERENCE FROM OTHER WALLPAPERS

1. Smell
   It is not an intense or overpowering smell, but rather a subtle hint of grasscloth goodness. As time goes by, the smell will be less intense but will always be there as long as the material is installed.
2. Grasscloth Is Packaged Differently Than Standard Wallpaper
   Grasscloth has different dimensions that standard wallpaper does because the sheets are wider. A double roll of grasscloth measures 36 inches wide by 24 feet long. Most other wall coverings have standard double roll width sizes of 27 inches and 21 inches respectively.

3. You Cannot Match Grasscloth Wallpaper
   No two strands of grass are the exact same color, therefore, it is impossible to match one piece of grasscloth to another.

4. Grasscloth Wallpaper Is Gentle
   Unlike vinyl products, the raw materials that grasscloth is made from makes it easy to tear or rip. For this reason, we wouldn’t suggest putting this in an area that will get high amounts of wear and tear. 
5. Grasscloth Wallpaper Is Not Prepasted
   You will need to purchase and manually apply specialty wallpaper glue to get it to stick to your walls. 
6. Hanging Grasscloth Requires Different Process From Hanging Standard Wallpaper
   Hanging wallpaper and hanging grasscloth requires two different techniques. It’s for this reason that we tell our customers to always hire an experienced paperhanger to hang their grasscloth if they don’t know what they’re doing.
7. Grasscloth In Bathrooms
   If you have a bathroom that doesn’t remove humidity well, then we wouldn’t advise installing grasscloth in it. The material that grasscloth is made from is extremely absorbent and cannot be cleaned with a regular bathroom cleaner. Stains from late night sicknesses and flying water will be very difficult to get out.  

York Wallcoverings GL0502 Abaca Weave Wallpaper Brown

IMITATION VS REAL

Natural grasscloth is some of the most lovely type of wallcoverings you can hang on your walls. However, we must admit that it’s more expensive to buy, harder to install, and more complicated to maintain. Fortunately, there are vinyl faux patterns on the market for people who want the look of real grasscloth but not the hassle with it.

The real thing is more expensive, harder to hang and more caution is needed to maintain it. However, it brings an authentic look, texture and smell to your walls that faux can try to get close to, but never totally replicate.

On the other side of the coin, the imitation grasscloth patterns are looking more authentic everyday. You will not get the smell of natural sisal, but you will get very close to the same look and texture. This goes without saying, but the more expensive faux grasscloth patterns are- the more they will look realistic.

So, the answer to whether you should go with natural authentic grasscloth or faux grasscloth is determined by your budget, how much additional time are you willing to invest, and what your style preferences are. And if you want to use grasscloth wallpaper, but can’t do it for some reason, we would recommend faux grasscloth (for high traffic areas, homes with small children, or for bathrooms with showers that don’t have exhaust fans).







More Grasscloth wallpapers in our shop.

Read about Grasscloth Installation and Maintenance in our next post.