How do I install Lauhala Matting on a wall?

I have just purchased several sheets of lauhala matting for wall coverings in my tikinesian room. One question... What is the preferred method for attaching it to my wall? I have seen home improvement shows using a tack/brad gun and pumping the wall full of holes but I don't necessarily want to spend a whole day spackling one wall should I ever decide to sell my house one day. Any tips?

Thanks

Da Monkeyman

I don't know about using it for wall installation, but for the front of my bar, I used carpet adhesive. It worked perfectly.

Monkeyman wrote:
...I have seen home improvement shows using a tack/brad gun and pumping the wall full of holes but I don't necessarily want to spend a whole day spackling one wall should I ever decide to sell my house one day.

Well, that would be the way I would (and will) go MonkeyMan. IF you sell your house, you might just want to factor in the time/money in doing any wall repair. You may not want to "spend the whole day spackling one wall", but you'd probably be pretty pissed off if you tried a shortcut and had the whole thing fall with any mugs, plaques or other tiki items around.

Just my 2 coconuts worth, but let's wait to hear what the "Rev" has to say.....

da matting is good for bars and stuff. I wouldnt put it straight onto the wall. It has to be glued to wat'eva you gon put it on. other wise the middle and other spots of the mat will lift away from the wall. You can get some quarter inch plywood the size of the wall and cover each piece of plywood with the matting then just mount the plywood corners to the wall with screw or nails depending on what kinda walls you get. you have to glue that stuff.

Unless some one has a mo'betta trick fo put em on da wall wit'out glue.

I think I get it. Perhaps if I glued it up to 1/4" plywood and then attached the ply to the wall I could use fewer fasteners and get the screws directly into the stud on the wall. Am I making this more difficult than it should be? Should I use contact cement to glue the Matting to the board or is there a different preferred adhesive?

Thanks

Da Monkeyman

I would do what Gecko is suggesting. Luan, or masonite and use some spray contact adhesive like 3M 77. That way when you pull it off, you only have small holes to spackle. Try paneling nails, they are painted brown/tan and have ribs.

I would do what Gecko is suggesting. Luan, or masonite and use some spray contact adhesive like 3M 77. That way when you pull it off, you only have small holes to spackle. Try paneling nails, they are painted brown/tan and have ribs.

I have used contact cement (it comes in 1 gallon cans like paint) when I have worked with luhaula matting and the results have always turned out great.

If you want a removable wall covering I would agree with posters who say stick the matting to thin plywood and attach them to the wall with screws. This would also cut down on the fumes from the contact cement, because the matting could be attached to board in a well ventalated area and then put up later.

Man I'm glad somebody asked that, doing a big unfinished room in the house right now and gotta put in sum tiki freakiness.
Great info!

Sneak

Simply butress it up to the wall at the top, center, and middle with 1 or 2 inch bamboo poles and staple every 12 inches at the center point between the poles. If you have decent studs you should be able to still tightly screw any kind of shelving you want right through it.

I have put up matting at my house, many have seen it.
The best, least messy, least smelly, and still be able to use it in your next house method is;
Do what Gecko said, BUT, put the 1/4" ply on the wall first (some soft wood ply)
Then just staple the matting with a T-50 spring loaded stapler with 1/4" or 5/16" staples.
Hide the staples the best you can but don't worry to much, as Bamboo Ben'S told me a long time ago "there are no mistakes in Hawaiiana"
One of the things that got me was how out of square the sheets were. We would pick one of the long sides and square the top off of it. Putting a strip of duct tape on the back where you are going to cut can save some reweave time. It ended up being easier to cut the matting with some big sheet metal shears, like plasterers use to cut metal lathe.
Now as far as reuse; when you are done with that house just use a screwdriver and some snips to pull the staples, roll up the matting and on to the next hut.

Good luck Y'ALL

PS. I hate contact cement and spray adhesive, they are so final.
And with drinks and about 5' of distance you will never see the staples!

MONDO BONDO!

You might also try Liquid Nails. It comes in a caulking tube and is easier to use than contact cement, but stronger. It also doesn't smell so bad...

Ahhh... good staples work perfectly for pegboard cover up.

Now other question about this is does the fireproof version give off a lot of chemicals?

On 2004-06-03 08:29, susane wrote:
Ahhh... good staples work perfectly for pegboard cover up.

Now other question about this is does the fireproof version give off a lot of chemicals?

hey susane,

most building materials should have an MSDS, a materials safety data sheet. is there any indication of that type of info from where you got it etc? once you have that info you could research the chemicals used via google etc. and see if there is any public realm info. as far ab buildign materials toxisity, once anything that off-gasses has been installed for a couple days/weeks, i belive that there is a pretty sharp drop-off of latent toxisity.. the best bet is to make sure the area is well ventilated, at least initially.

On 2004-06-03 10:21, Johnny Dollar wrote:
most building materials should have an MSDS, a materials safety data sheet. is there any indication of that type of info from where you got it etc? once you have that info you could research the chemicals used via google etc. and see if there is any public realm info. as far ab buildign materials toxisity, once anything that off-gasses has been installed for a couple days/weeks, i belive that there is a pretty sharp drop-off of latent toxisity.. the best bet is to make sure the area is well ventilated, at least initially.

I haven't bought any yet. I noticed at Oceanic Arts that it comes fireproofed or plain. Was just curious about the chemicals in the fireproofing. I'm supersensitive to chemicals. Those dryer sheets give me migraines if I walk by a house and someone is doing laundry with them!
My studio is not exactly a well ventilated area. I'm about ready to pass out from paint fumes at the moment.
:)
thanks!

Susane - Wow - If you're that super-sensitive I would recommend getting the non fire-proofed matting and sticking with staples to hang it! Why risk it? The last thing you want is for your decor to aggravate your allergies or make you sick!

It has been quite some time since I wrote the original post. My expertise in this area has improved substantially.

The best way to keep it modular and FLAT (no sagging lauhala) is to glue it (contact cement) and staple it to 1/4" plywood and THEN mount the plywood to the wall with only a few screws. The last thing you want is 100-200 staple holes in your wall. In addition, I recommend putting a small square of duct tape on the lauhala where you intend to staple it that way the staple does not simply shoot straight through the lauhala. Then take a remnant piece of lauhala (in single strips) and insert the scrap over the staple by tucking the edges under the nearby overlap.

If you use this technique, then the matting stays flat and the staples are not visible at all.

Thanks!

Ah, what's a couple hundred staple holes....it was definitely quickest to staple it up. The other problem will be to rip the plywood to fit around windows, outlets, etc.. Much easier to put duct tape on the lahula matting and cut with a utility knife.

Matt

someone might try using foam core (typically at art stores). the thicker stuff can be pretty rigid and cuts with an Xacto or utility knife. not super cheap though.

I think you'll find that if you do a good job and you want to sell, 9 out of 10 buyers will want to keep it as is. We sold our house a year and half ago and the tiki theme was a big plus for the buyers. Most people would love to have a tiki room and they are hard to find.
I would go for it and do it right. Good old fashioned smelly contact cement is the best - there won't be any smell after it's put up and dry. Don't bother with that waterbased contact cement. The stuff will keep falling over time.