Written by: Stan Otto July/Aug 1997

Grasscloth becomes directional when color has been applied to it, it is important to shade the beginning of each roll examining the overall appearance of the first two or three feet of each bolt before you cut anything. Any bolts you find that do not look the same as the rest should be put in a separate pile until all bolts in the order have been examined.

Then even if they are half the order, reroll each of these bolts until you can see the other end and chances are all of these will then match with all the rest. Dried bolts open on a long table with a man at each end of the table rolling them up destined for the same carton, which is why some bolts are reverse rolled from others.

Count the number of strips for the longest wall and take as many bolts from the order as are strips for this wall. Cut all the first strips of each of these bolts and hang them together on the longest wall. Then hang all second strips from the same bolts on the opposite wall, always penciling the UP position on all bolts and strips you have cut from the bolts. Believe it or not, all first strips will match each other but will not match the second strips and the third strips from these bolts will not match the second nor the first strips and so these third strips should be hung on the third wall. For the fourth wall, count the number of strips for this wall, and take from new bolts, if they are 24 ft. double rolls. If they are all triple rolls, then for eight or nine foot ceilings, these triples will yield fourth strips to complete the last wall of the room. In all cases it is important to use all the first or second or third strips from the same bolts, but never to work from one bolt at a time until it is used up before working with a second bolt as you could do with American machined color. Please check with the manufacturer or distributor of it before proceeding. In all cases this procedure just described will work whether the item has been dyed here in the U.S. or not and difficulty reaching the source of its manufacturer often warrants this new epoch making hanging procedure. Headers over doors and headers and footers over and under windows often require the same position within the roll bolts as well. In triples there is usually enough extra to include this there. This is called PARALLEL SEQUENCING.

PLEASE understand that before you tackle the job that you fully understand the above procedure and also that a lining paper is a MUST, and will cover you if something is faulty. Most wallcovering manufacturers of complaints who discover that lining isn't used, which includes the maker of this product too. Most grasscloth seams should be double cut on the wall for super results because it is not a smooth but textured (rough) surface for professional results. Be certain to remove all back-printed color, for it shadows out on the front when dry.