Use oil based primer over entire surface before you paint. Primer will seal the glue within the paper and prevent the moisture in the paint penetrate the wall paper.

Before you do anything make sure to prep the wall real good, re-glue loose wall paper, good idea to lightly sand the seams so they're not noticed, etc after that as i said before use primer over the entire surface and after that you can use a low sheen paint.

Good luck

@GN Builders L.L.C would it be possible to use a stain mixed with some sort of bonding medium instead of paint? I think the more coats of paint used the less texture you'd see. It would end up looking like a slightly textured wallpaper rather than real grass cloth I feel.

If you love the texture, remove the paper and begin anew. with a grasscloth in a hue you love. Painting over grasscloth, will mean a huge problem up the road, should you ever want a change. Don't do it, start over.

Keep what you have and add the neutral greys in accessories and furniture. Painting the paper will result in a huge mess.

Also a good idea. A big screen would cover a lot of it, then there's art, and a mirror.

Lol, I meant a folding screen, a decorating trick. Not Big Screen TV, though you could do that, lol.

I have to confess that I would take down the old paper and put up new also. We are in the process of renovating decades of junky walls in our home and it is taking forever. Your room will look much better with fresh grass cloth. Also, consider ditching the light attachment on the ceiling fan. The first thing we did when moving in was to do exactly that In all 5 bedrooms along with the grotesque curly bulbs inside! We had to have lights on the bottom of a fan of two but went with a single flush light, not optimal but much cleaner look. Good luck!

@how2girl, I'm not sure about stain mixtures, I never used it or heard anyone using it over wallpaper... I know they make glaze's for wallpaper and I heard that it can be done, I just wouldn't know the procedure of prep work, etc.

Painting yes, we did a few high end jobs, a few high traffic area job and there wasn't any issues.

I would check with a manufacturer or a local paint store and get some advise from them just to be sure.

Good luck.

I have grass cloth that was painted white in my living area. It looks great and has not needed to be repainted in 10 years. Always looks clean and fresh and - there is no maintenance. Go for the painting. Less mess and saves you $$. Looks fantastic!

Ali, what did you end up doing? I’m considering doing the same in one of our rooms. Do you have a photo to share?

I’m thinking about doing it too! Would love to hear how everything turned out for you both!

Jclscott123

Take the old paper down, or plan at some point to WISH you had taken it down

Bellany ...would love to see a picture of the white painted grass cloth ...up close and at a distance...does the texture still show?

Bellany or Ali, any news with pictures? I too have a dark straw linen wall I would love to lighten. I appreciate any tips or recommendations!

I am in the process of painting my 30 plus year old grass cloth. Primed first with SW ultra bond primer and then painted with SW Super. It’s turning out great but the paper literally sucks the paint. You need 3x more paint than you normally would and you need to use a really nappy roller. It takes FOREVER! But a lower cost option vs covering with Sheetrock which is what we’ll do down the road. I didn’t sand or anything else and only need one coat of primer and one coat of paint. Good luck! The grass cloth texture is really beautiful.

Anna, you could have sprayed a shellac over the grasscloth to 'seal' it. It would prevent the material from sucking up all of the primer/paint. after the shellac dries, then the primer. don't know if you've finished all of it, but this would help

I have painted over my grasscloth several times! No problems and still shows texture!

8 year old post

Ok i know iys an old post but i want to paint my sage green grasscloth so I think I will use the spray and then primer then paint. I’m excited to have the beautiful texture but in a different and solid color. I will post the progress

I am about to paint my green grasscloth a light solid color. I will post progress and any unexpected issues

One really easy and very effective option …is spray paint in a can..the pressure from the spray can covers all the little crannies in the fabric

The paint in a spray an also has a bit of glue in it which makes it cover and stick better,as well as