A Peek At The Entryway Grasscloth Accent Progress (Plus, How To Hang Grasscloth Very Easily)

Yesterday, I finally got started on my grasscloth entryway accent wall using the Phillip Jeffries Juicy Jute grasscloth wallpaper in Tantalizing Teal. (I bought mine here.)

I considered several options for the entryway wall. One idea was to do a chair rail and wainscoting on the bottom, and then grasscloth on top. My issue with that option is that the only room in my house that has a chair rail and wainscoting on the bottom is the music room, which is right next to the entryway. It felt to me like that would make the entryway wall an extension of the music room, and almost like they would need the same wall treatment on top. Having them the same on bottom but different on top felt a bit disjointed to me.

So I decided to do one large framed accent panel. I really love the looks of these accent panels…

But instead of several separate framed panels, I wanted just one large panel that would serve as a backdrop for an entryway table, maybe a couple of chairs, a large piece of artwork, etc.

I like this option because it feels the most intentional to me. The wall around the large panel of grasscloth will be painted the same color as the rest of the living room, so it will still feel like a part of the bigger room, while the accent panel sets it apart from the rest of the room just a bit.  (FYI, I decided to go with Benjamin Moore Classic Gray — the same color that’s in the breakfast room — so the blue isn’t staying.)

I’ve only hung grasscloth once before, and let me tell you, it was a nightmare. Grasscloth wallpaper doesn’t come pre-pasted, so you have to use a wallpaper paste to hang it. Last time, I used whatever wallpaper paste they sell at Home Depot, and it didn’t work at all. Not at all. I may as well have been trying to hang that grasscloth with plain yogurt. I ended up actually using spray adhesive to get that wallpaper to stick, and that potent smell (and probably the toxic chemicals that make it smell like that) lingered for days. It was awful.

So this time, I was determined to do better. I skipped that cheap, worthless wallpaper paste from Home Depot, and I got this amazing stuff from Sherwin Williams — Roman Pro-555 Extreme Tack. And it is extremely sticky!

grasscloth accent wall in entryway - how to hang grasscoth - 2

I just poured it into a paint tray and rolled it onto the back of the wallpaper using a paint roller. I placed the wallpaper strip onto a scrap piece of plywood to roll it.

grasscloth accent wall in entryway - how to hang grasscoth

After watching several videos from pro grasscloth hangers on YouTube, I did what they did. I rolled it on, booked the wallpaper (i.e., folded the ends over onto itself to let the wallpaper paste get really tacky), and then hung it.

It worked, but that wallpaper paste is so tacky right out of the container that I realized the whole booking and waiting process wasn’t necessary. So on the third piece, I put the paste on the wallpaper, left it lying flat for about two minutes, and then hung it. That piece went up much easier and smoother.

So as of right now, I have three 36-inch-wide pieces of grasscloth on my large entryway panel, which currently looks like this…

grasscloth accent wall in entryway - 1

Again, remember that there will be trim around the edges to finish off the panel, and the walls are going to be painted Classic Gray. I didn’t paint first because I didn’t want to hang wallpaper on fresh, uncured paint.

I was able to get four 6-foot wallpaper strips off of a single roll, and I wanted one strip centered in the middle of the wall, rather than a seam right in the middle.

grasscloth accent wall in entryway - 2

But I was planning on using all four pieces, which means on the last piece, I’d have to cut it in half lengthwise and hang half on either side. That would look kinda sorta like this awful Photoshop mock up I did…

grasscloth accent wall in entryway - four pieces of wallpaper

But I stopped last night after three pieces because I started thinking that three might be enough, and second-guessing my decision to make it wider. Unfortunately, even if I leave the fourth piece off, it’s not enough to use anywhere else, like the back of the bookshelves in the music room. And as of now, I have no plans to spend another $250 just so I can use about 1/5 of that roll to do the bookcases. So I want to make a decision based solely on what I think will look better on this wall, and not based on what I could potentially do with leftover grasscloth.

I wish I knew what artwork I was going to use on this wall. That would make the decision easier so that I’d know how much room I’d need for it, and how large the panel needs to be to accommodate it. I have six of those white frames from Target (and could get more, of course) that I’ve considered using to do some sort of gallery wall, but I actually bought those for the music room. I’ve envisioned one really large, colorful piece of artwork for the entryway for a very long time now, so that’s probably what I’ll stick with.

I’m hoping I can get this wall done today! And you know what? I’m going to go ahead and add that fourth piece. It’s been the plan all along, so no second-guessing.

 

 

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40 Comments

  1. That grasscloth is gorgeous!

    I like the white frames against the grasscloth, but a colorful piece of art seems more your style. Either way, it will look great!

  2. Probably too late, but please don’t add the fourth strip! The three looks much more balanced with the space on the sides.

    I like the gallery wall idea because you can see more of the grass cloth than you will with one large piece of art, although i guess that depends on how large large is.

  3. Coming along great!

    I think I’d save the gallery wall and do something large and unique for this wall. Something with texture like a sculpture or uniquely-DIY’d item like the sun and spoon mirrors.

  4. I used the same SW paste and it worked great and I did not book it either. It was my only experience with wallpaper, maybe forever, probably because I am a late Boomer/GenXer and have spent too much time removing other people’s paper (but no more because of your great post from 2/1/2013 https://www.addicted2decorating.com/?s=remove+wallpaper ) My grass wall paper went under preexisting chair rails in a 1989 house that was heretofore devoid of natural finishes. It was much cheaper than yours maybe because it was in “natural” dry grass colors. Now I hope the house sells.

  5. I kinda like the three strips, but it’s your decision. Once it’s trimmed out with moulding, I think it will be enough. As for artwork, you should do another landscape in the same vein as the ones for the breakfast room. Turning those frames the other direction (horizontally) with a serene landscape or even an abstract would be awesome. I think a gallery wall is kinda busy for that room. Just my opinion though!
    That paper is so pretty, even if it was pricey! Worth the wait!

    1. I Agee. Three strips. Don’t base your decision on having the paper and no where else to use it. Put it in your stash. You could always use it to cover a lamp base or vase to use in another room. You always have left over with wall paper.

  6. The three strips looks balanced to me. I love that you are extending the gray into the living room. The house has a lot of rooms and nooks and it will be much more cohesive with the same paint color. And that is SUCH an elegant color. I love it.

  7. I actually like it better with the 4th piece added on both ends. It seems to balance the wall out better and once you have the trim up around it, it’ll be gorgeous! IMHO the three panels look unfinished but whatever you decide I’m sure it will be the right decision…..you always know best!

    1. I also like the 4 panels over 3. To me it looks more balanced than the 3 because you’ll have the same amount of painted wall surround it. I’m not trying to be a poop…I really don’t care for the 3 panels because it reminds me too much of a bulletin board to me :(.

      1. Imwas going tomsay the same thing… reminded me of my classroom boards. I like the four strips better also.

      2. I like the idea of using the fourth as well. Kristi will make it work & is fearless when it comes to decorating. She isn’t afaid of making mistakes or redo’s. She has more information than any of us as it’s her house. Can’t hardly wait to see it all come together.

  8. The grass cloth is beautiful, serene and sophisticated. While there isn’t enough of that gorgeous cloth for a book case – what about using the last panel to create matting or accent matting trim bead on artwork? It could be used to accent art both on the grass cloth wall or on other walls in the room to gently coordinate.

  9. NO SECOND GUESSING! Good motto to have, maybe the motto could be incorporated into the entryway artwork. 😀

    The grasscloth is beautiful. Can’t wait to see the wall finished.

  10. I love what you are doing with that wall. Such a neat idea. However, I think it looks better with just the 3 pieces of wallpaper. Less seams and it appears more balanced on the wall. Just my opinion, and I’m no interior designer. Adding the extra pieces makes it appear that you wanted to paper the entire wall, but ran out of product. Looking forward to seeing the end result.

  11. maybe use the leftover as the backdrop/mat in a framed picture on the other side of the room, to tie it together?

    ETA: Just read Luccia’s response — jinx!

  12. Its funny, right now your living room looks exactly like a bare-bones foundation for an exact replica of that Candice Olson living room that you like. I really like the color you currently have but I do understand that it clashes with your kitchen and breakfast room. Oh well ….. That’s life I guess.

  13. Adore the color. So elegant! Can’t wait to see it against the final gray paint color. I’m a fan of the 3 strips, not 4. I liked the size of the bare wall on either side better, especially considering there will be trim around it.

  14. I’m thankful for this post. I have loved grasscloth wallpaper forever, and plan on using some in our new home. Funny thing, that very same color was on our walls at one time( found a patch behind a thermostat).
    As for your wall decor you’ll pick the right thing😀 I needed to fill a wall and used the gallery wall frames just like you have. I chose a poster and cut apart to put a piece in each frame, just an inexpensive, easy way to fill the frames.

    Question for you Kristi?: does the paste smoothed out from the seems stain the wallpaper? Any extra pointers for hanging grasscloth? Any absolute no-no’s. That stuff is expensive and would hate to ruin it while putting it up.

    1. I was very nervous about the paste squeezing out from the edges and getting onto the face of the paper, which can’t be wiped off of grasscloth like it can from vinyl wallpaper. But fortunately, it wasn’t an issue at all. I didn’t have even one little spot of adhesive squish out from the edges. The paste is very thick and not at all runny, unlike the cheap stuff at Home Depot. I can’t think of any extra pointers. The paste does make the paper more pliable and easier to work with, which was a relief, but it doesn’t make it so flimsy that it’s hard to keep straight. It still has quite a bit of body to it, so this go ’round, it was actually much easier to install than any vinyl wallpaper I’ve ever used. The only absolute no-no is that you just cannot get paste on the front of grasscloth. Just be very, very careful about that.

  15. I like the way you came to your decision to put up the fourth strip while typing! lol The mock up is helpful and personally, I look forward to the fourth strip. You can always pull it down and cut down your moldings if you don’t like it.

  16. I really like how it’s coming along. I wouldn’t add the fourth piece- it just makes it too cluttered. You want to leave a little open space on either side. Leave the three pieces as is, and make a white frame to go around it. Frame your three pictures inside, and maybe a white table to balance and complete the accent. Great job!

  17. I think it’s lovely with the three as well! Candice Olson and Sarah Richardson are two of my favorite designers for inspiration so I’m not surprised I love your inspiration photo, lol.

    I bought my frames at Ikea because they were more cost effective and wanted all the frames to be the same in my gallery. I think the 11×14’s were no more than $12 each and 8×10’s were a little less, depending on what size you want.

  18. Have you considered trying an abstract painting using alcohol ink? Something along the lines of the abstract you did for over the fireplace last year.

  19. I like the larger diameter adding the forth piece. It makes a statement. When the room is empty all of the attention is on one thing but with art and furniture the width difference in the strips will be unnoticeable.

  20. This is my first ever blog comment and I can’t believe I’m doing it but PLEASE don’t hang the 4th strip. It looks so much more intentional with only 3. Whew. Glad I got that out. 😂

  21. That really is gorgeous wallpaper. I think the three panels look fine and hope you didn’t put up the split 4th piece. Once it’s framed out will be plenty wide enough. With the split pieces on either side, I think the framing may be a little too close to the front wall and especially the millwork of the music room door.

    Really think about your artwork before hanging it since as you know, with grasscloth there’s no going back. I personally think a gallery wall is too busy and will detract from the wallpaper and that you shouldn’t hang anything until the final, final entry table and chairs are in place. Being impetuous would cost you $250+ that could have gone towards buying a nice piece of art for the entry.

  22. How about using a “Kristi Original Tryptic” on that wall, using long canvas (or wood), or blowing up your favorite photograph and applying to canvas. Gallery walls can really get messy looking.

  23. If you plan to place a console flanked by a pair of chairs on this wall (as demonstrated in one of your previous posts) you probably will need the fourth strip to provide a solid backdrop for your chairs. So wouldn’t that be the deciding factor? Love your blog. Have followed you for a long time but first time commenting.

  24. I personally like the 3 panels. It leaves a little more of the wall color on each side making the grass cloth stand out as an accent. I think it “pops” more that way. I also love Justin’s idea of a 3D type artwork on the grass cloth!

  25. I also like the 3 panel version. Maybe sconces on the sides like in your breakfast room. Of course, when the trim is on and the artwork hung, one won’t even notice the smaller panels! Love the grasscloth, especially the color!

  26. I think the 3 or 4 strip question isn’t really relevant without considering what’s going on the floor below it. If you are doing a buffet and chairs, you’d want enough grasscloth to proportionately frame it (or to be the smaller “frame” hanging above the arrangement). Or, if you don’t have a firm idea of those pieces, then they could be customized to be proportional. Visually, the 3 seem more appropriate as is, but I absolutely agree with the observation others made – it looks more like a bulletin board. — I LOVE the idea of using the leftover in the backs of the bookcases and am seriously sad you don’t have enough. But someone’s idea to use the extra to matt art is genius!

    1. I’ve just looked again and I think the four panels say “entryROOM” than the three. More presence. – And I’m truly not a snob, but I can’t imagine anything from Target being worthy enough to hang in that paper. – I recently saw GORGEOUS acrylic frames (Etsy) that mount on the wall with beautiful brass (or chrome) bolts. The photo inside floats in the acrylic. Imagine how the grasscloth would still be front and center in that application. Perhaps black and white photos?

  27. Good Night Kristi,
    I came across some grass cloth wallpaper for a reasonable price. I wanted to spruce up those boring entry way door closets and I feel this would do the trick. My question though is, did you need to prep the wall to put up the wallpaper if the glue was so sticky? And do you think, it will stick to the sliding closet doors?