Horizontal vs. Vertical Grasscloth Wallpaper

Raffia Cloth

Madagascar cloth raffia, rush cloth, rough weed and sisal are woven-grass wallpapers with three-dimensional texture created from broad-leaf plants. Madagascar cloth is woven in a basket weave pattern that may be placed horizontally or vertically. Its natural color range is light beige to dark brown but is often dyed pink, green or blue. Other rough-woven grasscloths are shades of creamy white, ivory, beige and dark brown.

Rush Cloth

Grasscloth made from rushes is often designed in basket weaves. Its cross-weaving provides extra strength. Basket weaves are used in high-traffic areas of the house because they do not fray as easily as one-way weaves. The natural fibers in one-way weaves may shred slightly over time. Grasscloth is never uniform in design or color. It is not designed to be matched exactly.

Application Techniques

Many grasscloth wallpapers have a thin, absorbent, rice-paper backing that shows old paint or glue spots from the wall underneath. The wall should be cleaned well and painted with primer before wallpaper is applied. Light, thin, grasscloth papers need a thin sizing material such as potato or wheat starch. Grass fibers are best cut with very sharp scissors to achieve a clean edge. Sharp scissors also help the fine detailed cutting needed around crown molding and banister edges.

Horizontal Grain

Grasscloth wallpapers bend easily along their horizontal grains. To bend the paper around a wall corner, spray it lightly and allow the misted water to soak in briefly. Do not allow grasscloth to be wetted for longer than a minute or two because it will separate from its backing. Coarser grained reeds and grasses do not bend. Dry grass may snap off easily in an attempt to bend it.