Faux Grasscloth – A Handsome Choice

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Digital Image

Digital Image

Digital Image

Digital Image

Digital Image

This young couple had had a faux-finisher do a textured strié pattern on their powder room and master bathroom walls, but they were not pleased with the look. They were considering grasscloth, but I discouraged that idea, because, in a bathroom, and in a home with young children, grasscloth will stain and even bleed if it is splashed with water or touched by little hands. Because it has no pattern that can be matched from strip to strip, you see all the seams. Toss in the color variations, shading, and paneling (do a Search here), and I pretty much discourage homeowners from using grasscloth.

A wonderful option is this faux grasscloth product. It’s made from vinyl and is backed with a woven fabric material (scrim), and is resistant to water, stains, and dings. In fact, it’s practically indestructible – it’s the same sort used in hotels and hospital hallways, where it will be banged into and abused, and still hold up. Furthermore, this product is thick and textured, so it delivers the tactile surface the clients were searching for. And, best of all, the color is uniform, so there are no issues with eye-jarring color differences between strips of wallpaper.

The finished look is tailored, serene, crisp, warm, masculine yet soft, and a good backdrop to just about any room or accessory.

Another big plus for this paper is that it is bonded to a woven fabric backing, and does not have a paper backing. The woven fabric adds even more strength, and allows for some flexibility if the walls move or shift (this is Houston, built on Gumbo Soil, after all). And they should not have any problems with lifting or curling seams in the future, even in humid conditions. Vinyl papers that are bonded to paper backings, on the other hand, do tend to absorb moisture from humidity and then expand, curling backwards, which means that the seams can open up and be impossible to glue back down. See previous post.

This wallpaper pattern is called Bankun Raffia and is by Thibaut Designs, and was bought at a discounted price from Dorota Hartwig at Southwestern Paint on Bissonnet near Kirby. (713) 520-6262 or dorotasouthwestern@hotmail.com. Discuss your project and make an appointment before heading over to see her.

Tags: bankun raffia, bathroom, color variations, curling seams, dorota, faux, faux-finisher, grasscloth, indestrctible, paneling, paper backing, powder room, shading, stains, tactile, textured, Thibaut, vinyl, wallpaper, water