Installing Grass Turf Rugs on Your Walls: A DIY Guide to Going Green
Have you ever thought of putting an artificial grass rug in your home? A common sight in football stadiums and miniature golf courses, grass turf rugs are making their way into homes and offices. But their use isn’t limited to just the floor – one of the emerging trends in both home and office décor involves creating green walls with fake grass. So, if you want to be ahead of the curve and make artificial grass walls a staple of your interior design, how can you get started? This guide will tell you all you need to know to do it yourself and make a splash with a bright green, three-dimensional grass wall.
Why Grass Rug Walls?
The idea of hanging fake grass rugs on a wall may seem a bit unusual for some; however, it can be the perfect accessory for many. Maybe you’re a sports fan who wants to create a stadium-like feel to your basement, man (or woman) cave, or wherever you watch your favorite sports. Perhaps you’re a nature lover who wants to bring a piece of the outside in, without having to do all the maintenance that a live green wall requires. Or, you may be someone with an eclectic sense of style, looking to make your home stand out with something unexpected.
Whatever the reason, there are plenty of ways to incorporate this feature. But the use of grass turf walls is hardly limited to the home; they also fit right in at the office or any business. Tired of looking at plain white walls? An artificial grass wall adds a splash of bright green at the workplace to shake things up.
Still not convinced? Then consider the health benefits of having a life-like panel of fake grass on the walls. For one, the color green has a calming effect and can bring a sense of renewal. When presented through a realistic grass-like form, it can provide the restorative sense of being in nature. As such, it is the perfect way to create a relaxing room in your home or to foster a more productive workplace.
Where to Use Them
If you’re intrigued and open to the idea, the next step is to determine where and how a grass rug wall can be installed in your home or business. While the ideas are limited only to the imagination, here are some concepts to get you started.
Kids’ Rooms
Whether in their bedrooms or playrooms, a grass wall will add a fun, three-dimensional feature to any kids’ space. If you have little sports enthusiasts, a grass wall is an obvious way to bring their favorite sport into the home. Take it a step further by using white paint to make the lines for a soccer or football field and accessorize with posters of their favorite players or team pennants. Alternately, a grass wall can be the perfect complement to a jungle, nature or animal-themed room. Decorate with wall hangings of animals and plants, and you can create a perfect play space for your little explorers while feeding their imagination.
Game Rooms
It’s not just children who will appreciate the addition of a fake grass wall in the home; adults will appreciate it as well. For example, a grass wall can be a natural fit in a basement or game room. Whether you enjoy ping pong, billiards, foosball, or anything else, a grass wall will set the tone for fun and friendly competition. For grownup sports fans, a grass wall behind a TV can enhance the game-watching experience, make you feel like you’re on the field and turn your home into the gathering place to cheer on your favorite teams.
Elevated Style
Beyond fun and games, placing grass turf rugs on the walls can provide a surprising touch of style to any room in the home, whether adding another dimension to a room with a green color scheme or coordinating with existing décor (such as a floral or equestrian themed room). A grass accent wall in the bedroom or home office can make a bold statement, especially when framing a window looking out on real trees or grass. And don’t think you need to cover an entire wall; rugs can be cut to any size to create a series of panels or geometric designs.
Office Space
Aside from the home, grass rug walls can be an effective design element in the workplace. You can install a grass turf rug on the wall in the reception area and affix the company logo to create a bold and memorable welcome for customers. Alternately, it can be the perfect addition to the break room, providing employees with a fun atmosphere when away from their desks. As the color green is conducive to stress release and good health, grass rugs can be an essential part of the décor throughout the office to maintain a healthy and productive team.
At Bars and Restaurants
Grass rugs can also be effective in a bar or restaurant, especially those with gaming areas. Not only will grass-covered walls add to the décor, but they can also protect walls from errant darts and cue sticks. Additionally, a grass wall can be a fun feature at a family eatery, or bring a more authentic feel to a restaurant with an organic, vegetarian or farm-to-table menu.
Back to School
Grass walls can be a good idea in schools to enhance the classroom experience. They provide a tactile surface for curious hands, and the color green has also been shown to be conducive to learning. A grass rug wall can also provide a fun background to display all kinds of arts and crafts projects.
A Step-by-Step Installation Guide
Now that you have an idea of how grass rugs can be incorporated on the walls of your home or place of work, the big question is how to move from concept to completion. Fortunately, it’s simple enough to do it yourself; follow these steps and you can enjoy your grass wall before you know it.
Step 1: Measure
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Determine how much grass turf you will need for your area.
The first step is to know how much rug you’ll need. Measure the dimensions of the wall or walls that you want to cover with the understanding that you will likely need to fit multiple pieces together.
- If the walls are square, you can add the lengths of the wall together, then multiply this number by the height of the walls to calculate the total area.
- At the store, read the total area each roll of wallpaper covers and divide the area of your room by this number to estimate how many rolls to purchase. When hanging wallpaper, you will use more than the actual area of the room because you need to match the patterns on the wall, so buy extra.
Step 2: Gather the Materials
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Go out and get your grass turf.
Once you have done your measurements, you can begin shopping around for the rugs. Search in person or online at reputable rug suppliers or home improvement stores, making sure the type of rug you select is durable and has the color and pile thickness you’re looking for, while meeting your budget.
Other materials needed for this DIY are:
- Tape Measure
- Staple Gun or Hand Stapler and Staples
- Scissors or Carpet Knife
- Chalk
- Safety Glasses
Step 3: Plan the Layout
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Take your newly bought grass turf and see how they fit.
Before affixing the rugs to the wall, it is important to plan how the pieces will fit on the wall. It may take some trial and error to make sure everything will align how you want it, but doing this will help you avoid any mistakes during the installation. Be sure to use your chalk to create lines on the wall to help align your cut pieces later on.
Step 4: Cut the Rugs
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Measure out the rug and cut where necessary.
Based on how those pieces came together in the previous step, you may need to cut them down a bit so they will fit on the wall properly. Using your tape measure and chalk, create lines on the grass turf to know where you will cut. After doing so, use a carpet knife or a sharp pair of scissors to cut the rug where you created your measurements and markings.
Step 5: Installation
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Attach the grass turf to the wall.
Using the staple gun or hand stapler, affix the rug directly to the wall, putting staples along the perimeter of each piece. Having a coworker, friend, or family member around may come in handy to insure the perfect alignment. The staples should be placed in the spaces between the rows of pile, so as not to tamp down any of the grass blades. The same process should be followed for each additional piece, making sure the rows of pile are lined up to give a nice, tidy appearance.
Step 6: Make it Your Own
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Take a step back and look at your new grass wall.
After a long process of cutting and stapling your grass turf to the wall, you can now see what you worked hard on for the past couple of hours. To insure the wall always looks good, be sure to fluff the pile from time to time to allow for the grass to stand up so it does not look flat. Now you can add to the mood! Make the area unique with your own personal touch. Accessorize the grass wall area to make it fit into your chosen theme – whether adding fake plants or insects for a garden feel, sports paraphernalia or any other ideas you may have.
Cleaning, Maintenance and Removal
Once you have completed the installation, you’ll be able to enjoy your new grass-covered walls. While they are relatively low maintenance and especially durable compared to other fabric wall coverings or a painted wall, they may still require some maintenance. As the rug can collect dust or other debris, you’ll want to clean it occasionally. This can be done easily with the extension hose of a vacuum cleaner. Should the rugs ever come loose at the edges, you can easily re-staple the covering back into place.
There may come a time when you want to remove the grass rugs from the wall. Doing so is as easy as using a staple remover to pull the staples off the wall. The rugs can then be repurposed for other uses, and a simple spackle and paint job will cover up the staple holes.
It’s Easy Going Green
As you can see, putting grass turf rugs on the wall is an easy and affordable way to breathe new life into any room, whether in the home or place of business. Not only will they make quite a statement, but the installation will be a fun project with little chance of messing up, as long as you follow the advice provided here. Once complete, you’ll have transformed your space into a bright, energizing and three-dimensional piece of décor – all thanks to grass turf rugs.