# Painting Grasscloth Wallpaper



## DrakeB (Jun 6, 2011)

So I had a customer come in today and ask about painting grasscloth wallpaper. I know it's been done, but wallpaper hasn't really been in style at any point in my professional career, and grasscloth was never _that_ common anyways.

Thoughts on how to do it?

I told her my base recommendation would be to prime it with a good quality latex primer and go over it with a decent waterborne paint. I'm worried about how much primer it'll drink (and how much of a PITA it will be to apply). I figure water based on both for the flexibility.

Anyone actually done this before?


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## PaintersUnite (May 11, 2014)

Any type of wallpaper should be primed with oil based primer, if painting over.* Grasscloth* would bubble beyond belief, if primed with latex primer.


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## DrakeB (Jun 6, 2011)

Gough asked a question this week, so I figured it was my turn, too. I'm going to go home now, have lots of great info for me by tomorrow PT!


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## SemiproJohn (Jul 29, 2013)

I can't believe someone would actually want that painted over.


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## daArch (Mar 15, 2008)

DrakeB said:


> So I had a customer come in today and ask about painting grasscloth wallpaper. I know it's been done, but wallpaper hasn't really been in style at any point in my professional career, and grasscloth was never _that_ common anyways.
> 
> Thoughts on how to do it?
> 
> ...


Grasscloth never common anyway? Where are you? Iowa ? :whistling2:

Yes I done it ONCE, back in the 70's before I knew better and prolly smoking mother nature

Waterbornes have the greatest chance of retwetting the paste and creating bubbles. Prime with oil or BIN so the paste don't rewet. Then top coat with whateva. 

It actually looks quite nice, as much as it is a sin against mankind.


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## thinkpainting/nick (Dec 25, 2012)

daArch said:


> Grasscloth never common anyway? Where are you? Iowa ? :whistling2:
> 
> Yes I done it ONCE, back in the 70's before I knew better and prolly smoking mother nature
> 
> ...


Sadly we have done itseveral times and have couple coming up. Always we prime with BIN and more than once :yes:


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## chrisn (Jul 15, 2007)

daArch said:


> Grasscloth never common anyway? Where are you? Iowa ? :whistling2:
> 
> Yes I done it ONCE, back in the 70's before I knew better and prolly smoking mother nature
> 
> ...


I am going controversial and would prime with Gardz.
I bet Tim knows best?
The only time I ever painted it( a long time ago), I just painted it and had no problems.


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## slinger58 (Feb 11, 2013)

It'll probably take 2 or 3 times as much primer as you anticipate .


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## daArch (Mar 15, 2008)

slinger58 said:


> It'll probably take 2 or 3 times as much primer as you anticipate .


Thanks Dennis, I forgot about that aspect. It also takes more finish paint than flat smooth walls. I think it was circa 1978 when I did it, so I have no clue as to how much more it takes.

NO, I do NOT still have those job notes . . . . I don't think


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## daArch (Mar 15, 2008)

chrisn said:


> I am going controversial and would prime with Gardz.
> I bet Tim knows best?
> The only time I ever painted it( a long time ago), I just painted it and had no problems.


Gardz being waterborne, MIGHT cause issues. It's an interesting and creative thought but one I would test before committing to.


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## radio11 (Aug 14, 2015)

I've painted it twice , but it's been 15-20 years ago? I remember it looking quite nice (at least at the time). Once as an accent wall with a contrasting color from the rest of the walls. Once painted the same color just for texture. Can't remember for sure, but seems like it was simply 3 or more coats of flat--no primer. Don't think I'd skip a primer coat now, but work fine then. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Damon T (Nov 22, 2008)

chrisn said:


> I am going controversial and would prime with Gardz.
> I bet Tim knows best?
> The only time I ever painted it( a long time ago), I just painted it and had no problems.



We just did this recently with Gardz. Topcoated Aura in bright green. Worked fine. No problems.


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## Underdog (Mar 9, 2013)

One good thing about painting it,
it re-enforces the texture for when you want to remove it.
Makes it much easier.
In other words, you could can't mess up by painting it.


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## chrisn (Jul 15, 2007)

Underdog said:


> One good thing about painting it,
> it re-enforces the texture for when you want to remove it.
> Makes it much easier.
> In other words, you could can't mess up by painting it.


Except that the remover solution will not get to the backing and you have to manually scrape it off. Personally, I find this much more difficult, but that's just me.


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## chrisn (Jul 15, 2007)

Damon T said:


> We just did this recently with Gardz. Topcoated Aura in bright green. Worked fine. No problems.


See? :thumbsup::notworthy:


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## soperfect paint (Aug 25, 2015)

you can use oil based premier because it is best suitable for any grass cloth wallpaper.


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## daArch (Mar 15, 2008)

chrisn said:


> See? :thumbsup::notworthy:



is the "nyah, nyah" implied ?


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## DrakeB (Jun 6, 2011)

Hmmm, sounds like my best bet is to go with BIN, then. I should have figured a water primer would bubble- I just figured oil primer would crack.

I'm not sure which "style" grasscloth it is, but I'm thinking a pretty heavy roller nap to try to get the primer in all the nooks and crannies.

Customer also wants to do a metallic glaze. She thought she was just going to be able to do that right over the grasscloth. She also thought the glaze would cost next to nothing and do a full color change over the wallpaper by itself. I just kept getting shocked faces out of her- when I told her she'd need to prime, when I told her she'd need to paint to change the color completely, when I told her the price of the glaze, when I told her how the glaze application was....

She thought she'd just buy a gallon of glaze off the shelf and slap it on there. She'll probably go somewhere where the clerks will tell her that's fine and ruin her house. You know where I'm talking about.


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## Damon T (Nov 22, 2008)

daArch said:


> is the "nyah, nyah" implied ?



Of course. I'm throwing in mine too. Lol.


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## Underdog (Mar 9, 2013)

chrisn said:


> Except that the remover solution will not get to the backing and you have to manually scrape it off. Personally, I find this much more difficult, but that's just me.


 I keep forgetting you people don't use joint compound regularly to remove wallpaper.
In 44 years I think I've used DIF five times and hated the result every time.
It's either water or joint compound for me.
On painted grasscloth, the condensation from the mud releases it from the wall and the stiffness of the paint keeps it in large pieces.


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## chrisn (Jul 15, 2007)

Underdog said:


> I keep forgetting you people don't use joint compound regularly to remove wallpaper.
> In 44 years I think I've used DIF five times and hated the result every time.
> It's either water or joint compound for me.
> On painted grasscloth, the condensation from the mud releases it from the wall and the stiffness of the paint keeps it in large pieces.


huh:blink: not sure how to respond to that


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## Underdog (Mar 9, 2013)

chrisn said:


> huh:blink: not sure how to respond to that


 By that I assume you've never removed wallpaper using joint compound?


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## daArch (Mar 15, 2008)

Underdog said:


> By that I assume you've never removed wallpaper using joint compound?


 almost wish I was still in the game so I might have an opportunity to try the Underdog Method.


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## chrisn (Jul 15, 2007)

Underdog said:


> By that I assume you've never removed wallpaper using joint compound?


nope:no:, but it seems expensive and messy, where as spraying some safe and simple works for me, hey, what ever works:thumbsup:


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## daArch (Mar 15, 2008)

chrisn said:


> nope:no:, but it seems expensive and messy, where as spraying some safe and simple works for me, hey, what ever works:thumbsup:


But it might be better in some instances when conventional methods do not work. From what I understand when the subject was first discussed, it's reported to be easier when stripping off the finish paper from a liner . . . and leaving the liner intact.

Just another tool in the old tool box.


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## chrisn (Jul 15, 2007)

daArch said:


> But it might be better in some instances when conventional methods do not work. From what I understand when the subject was first discussed, it's reported to be easier when stripping off the finish paper from a liner . . . and leaving the liner intact.
> 
> Just another tool in the old tool box.


If I was going to slap on JC, why not just skim out the wall and be done with it?


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## daArch (Mar 15, 2008)

chrisn said:


> If I was going to slap on JC, why not just skim out the wall and be done with it?



because you want to STRIP not skim coat.

Do you remember when UD first mentioned this method? It musta been threeish years ago (I'll bet more like early 2013).

If you don't remember or missed it, it's an interesting approach, worthy of reading and understanding.


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## I paint paint (May 4, 2014)

The UD wallpaper stripping method IIRC, was something like:

Skim a section. Then two things will happen. The moisture and weight of JC will loosen wall paper and it will all easily come off.

Or it won't. At all. In which case the wallpaper ain't coming off. And now you are well on your way to skimming entire wall so that you can paint over it.

But as I say, IIRC.


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## chrisn (Jul 15, 2007)

daArch said:


> because you want to STRIP not skim coat.
> 
> Do you remember when UD first mentioned this method? It musta been threeish years ago (I'll bet more like early 2013).
> 
> If you don't remember or missed it, it's an interesting approach, worthy of reading and understanding.


OK, I get it. Am I gonna try it? No way:no:


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## DrakeB (Jun 6, 2011)

So this is what it feels like to have a thread derailed!

(I don't make many threads or I'd already know)


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## daArch (Mar 15, 2008)

DrakeB said:


> So this is what it feels like to have a thread derailed!
> 
> (I don't make many threads or I'd already know)


C'mon, this ain't even CLOSE to a derailment. It's still on the subject of wallpaper.

You wanna see derailment?

http://www.painttalk.com/f2/19-doors-counting-exterior-behr-covers-48081/


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## DrakeB (Jun 6, 2011)

You know I'm already there


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