# Removing Grass Cloth wallpaper



## Pete Martin the Painter (Nov 8, 2012)

I am looking at a wallpaper removal job on Friday. Some of it is Grass Cloth (I hope I am using the right term). I have done a lot of wallpaper removal but not this stuff. Is there anything different about removing it that I need to consider when giving an estimate.


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## Whiskey (Apr 10, 2019)

The Grass Cloth that I have seen is paper-backed material. When you take off the grass cloth the paper is left on wall. Then you soak it like you would wallpaper with hot water and scrap the paper and glue residue off. Hope it goes well for you.


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## Redux (Oct 27, 2018)

Nearly all grasscloths that I’ve encountered have a detachment or carrier layer which allows the weave and outer layer to be dry peeled, leaving just the paper backing which can then be removed by standard wall paper removal means. I think Whiskey noted the same in more or less words.


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## Woodco (Nov 19, 2016)

I have the Jim Parodi DVD set, and he talks about removing certain things.


As far as grasscloth, (and this is probably not what you're doing) you do the same removal as a regular wallpaper UNLESS its dyed with a vegetable dye. If you soak down a vegetable dyed wall, the colors will run down onto the floor, and potentially stain it. If this is the case, instead of soaking the wall with water, you roll a coat of wallpaper paste on the whole wall , and cover it with plastic. This keeps it from running down onto the floor, cuz it keeps it as a gel. But, its most likely just a regular grasscloth and you can treat it like any other wallcovering.


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## Pete Martin the Painter (Nov 8, 2012)

Woodco said:


> I have the Jim Parodi DVD set, and he talks about removing certain things.
> 
> 
> As far as grasscloth, (and this is probably not what you're doing) you do the same removal as a regular wallpaper UNLESS its dyed with a vegetable dye. If you soak down a vegetable dyed wall, the colors will run down onto the floor, and potentially stain it. If this is the case, instead of soaking the wall with water, you roll a coat of wallpaper paste on the whole wall , and cover it with plastic. This keeps it from running down onto the floor, cuz it keeps it as a gel. But, its most likely just a regular grasscloth and you can treat it like any other wallcovering.


This is good to know. Should I assume that if it has color that it is vegtable dye?

Also, I am having a hard time visualizing how you would remove the wallpaper if it is covered with plastic.

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## Holland (Feb 18, 2011)

Pete Martin the Painter said:


> I am looking at a wallpaper removal job on Friday. Some of it is Grass Cloth (I hope I am using the right term). I have done a lot of wallpaper removal but not this stuff. Is there anything different about removing it that I need to consider when giving an estimate.
> 
> 
> Sent from my SM-A600U using Tapatalk


Grass Papers usually 'remove' very well; As far as wallpaper removal goes, one of the easiest papers to remove (generally speaking)!

Usually you can just pull the "face" off in one piece. Just grab a corner (dry, if possible) and pull- the entire front of the paper - should pull off in big pieces. 
Once the face is removed soak the backing and/or glue residue before cleaning. 

Post some Pics!

I like to use a pump sprayer, and just keep the surface wet until glue loosens (DIF). Tile Sponges work well for final cleaning.


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## Pete Martin the Painter (Nov 8, 2012)

This is what I will be dealing with. And, it goes even higher in the foyer than shown in the second picture. It seems to have been put on correctly, which is always my concern. I hate dealing with paper not put on properly.

For some reason pics are not uploading. In the foyer, I am going to need at least a 20ft ladder.

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## DeanV (Apr 18, 2007)

I think grass cloth usually one of the easiest to remove. Pull off the face paper first then soak and remove backing and paste.


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## Pete Martin the Painter (Nov 8, 2012)

Finally able to figure out the photo upload.




















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## Woodco (Nov 19, 2016)

Pete Martin the Painter said:


> This is good to know. Should I assume that if it has color that it is vegtable dye?
> 
> Also, I am having a hard time visualizing how you would remove the wallpaper if it is covered with plastic.
> 
> Sent from my SM-A600U using Tapatalk


If its vegetable dye, its as easy as rubbing a wet paper towel on it to see if it stains. The last time I hung vegetable dyed grasscloth, my hands were stained blue just from handling it.

The plastic is to keep the wall wet while the water soaks. I do this with regular wallpaper removal too if its difficult. Score the wall, soak it down, stick plastic to it to keep it from drying out, wait 20 minutes, pull the plastic down, and start peeling.


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## Woodco (Nov 19, 2016)

If you see grasscloth that looks like this, you do not want to soak it down and let the water run down the wall.


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## Pete Martin the Painter (Nov 8, 2012)

Turns out that it is cloth put directly on the wall. Gonna be a ton of skim coating. Luckily the home owner did not freak out. I did a bit. Using DIf actually made the damage worse.









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## Redux (Oct 27, 2018)

Pete Martin the Painter said:


> Turns out that it is cloth put directly on the wall. Gonna be a ton of skim coating. Luckily the home owner did not freak out. I did a bit. Using DIf actually made the damage worse.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Gee, and I thought I was the only one that hung raw unbacked fabric. 
The removal probably could have be worse though. Below is a pic of walls after a removal of raw unbacked utility grade jute aka landscape grade burlap. The raw jute was installed in a bed of acrylic resin and then skimmed over. What a pita it was getting that stuff off. The resin removal proved to be yet another challenging task.

I had one NYC architect client who often had me install unbacked 12 oz cotton duck, linen, and jute. Try doing double cuts and keeping any of that stuff from fraying or even shrinking at the seams or perimeters. The removals were often horrendous, darn near pulling the drywall off the studs... 

The architect would have been better off providing me with 12 oz dropcloths to install instead of the duck. I finally ended up getting my own backing resource sending the fabrics out to get backed, saving painters like Pete from freaking out when and if the stuff ever needed to be removed.


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## Pete Martin the Painter (Nov 8, 2012)

@Alchemy Redux Makes me feel a little better. There is a lot of this stuff in the house, but the home owner seemed unconcerned about the extra work that will need to be done. She is most concerned with getting it off, which is very easy. But, it does damage the walls a lot.

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## Pete Martin the Painter (Nov 8, 2012)

@Alchemy Redux, what is the reasoning of putting this stuff on?

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## Redux (Oct 27, 2018)

Pete Martin the Painter said:


> @Alchemy Redux, what is the reasoning of putting this stuff on?
> 
> Sent from my SM-A600U using Tapatalk


I’m assuming you are asking about the resin? 

If so, the embedded jute is similar to a Venetian plaster installation over fabric, where the unbacked jute fabric is installed like a wall covering, and is set into a resin rolled out onto the wall rather than installed with a paste. It’s then troweled over with an acrylic VP-like material. The weave photographs through the finish rendering a very interesting look, sort of like those mid-century lacquered linen furnishings. 

The first pic illustrates the raw jute before setting it into the resin. The second pic illustrates the jute after being set into the resin. The third pic illustrates the 1st of 3 troweled coats of resin over the fabric. The forth pic illustrates the final coat of resin before clear coats. It can either be waxed or clear coated depending upon preference. I don’t have any pics readily available of what the actual finished product looks like though. 

The architect had seen the finish in Europe somewhere, sending me a sample of it, and wanting to utilize it on several projects which I’ve since done, the first being close to 20 years ago. I’ve done it in a couple of art galleries, some furnishings which were on display at the D&D building, cabinets, a dozen or so rooms, and so on. 

The installations are intended to be permanent but I’ve had two removal requests for two of my earliest installations, the HO’s wanting to change it up a bit.


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## Pete Martin the Painter (Nov 8, 2012)

Alchemy Redux said:


> I’m assuming you are asking about the resin?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


The stuff that I am taking off kind of looks like the first picture, but without all the extra work that you put into it.

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## Woodco (Nov 19, 2016)

Hell, at least its coming off in solid peices, it looks like.


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## Pete Martin the Painter (Nov 8, 2012)

Woodco said:


> Hell, at least its coming off in solid peices, it looks like.


Yes it is. Twenty foot strips at a time. Very easy to remove.

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