Looking for small weave Lauhala type stuff...

I have a piece of matte board covered with a very small weave lauhala looking kind of material. I'd like to find a bunch of the material to cover a bookshelf. I've been looking at wallpaper suppliers, frame supply stores, art supply stores, and have come up empty. I don't want to spend big bucks and I don't need the real thing (cause it's expensive). It really looks like it would come in a roll or something. I see it covering little nick nack boxes at stores so it must be available somewhere. Any ideas? thanks.

People got hip to how hard it is to get rid of that grass wallpaper
stuff.
And it's not really in style.
But did you try,
http://www.franksupply.com
These are great people!!!
And they are in Huntington beach CA.
Good luck!!

This stuff?
http://www.franksupply.com/pressincaning.html#webbingsheets

are you kidding?? theres plenty of grass cloth wallpaper available in the world. Its a high end product and usually runs about $80 a roll. Its very much in stlye right now and can be seen in many designer decorating magazines. It comes in several shades of natural as well as blues and greens. I have seen it in small skeets like 2 ft square in the art supply store. more reasonably priced than the roll. I have also seen the rolls at decorating store on sale for as much as 40% off. I found about 7 rolls of vintage at goodwill for just a couple of $ per roll.

https://tikicentral.com/uploads/3734/44e0b79e.jpg

[ Edited by: Sophista-tiki 2008-07-29 21:35 ]

I guess it just not in the Ohio part of the world.
Have looked many places.
We got country style out the a$@.

O.K. guys. Thanks for the ideas. Here are a couple of pics of the matte.

...and here's the stuff on the back which makes me think it's wall paper. this whole thing is stuck to a thin cheap piece of wood.

Now, I/ve started working of the really crappy, banged up wood part of the frame which had to be taken off so as not to ruin the lovely matte board, (It had an outer frame and an inner frame - wish I'd taken a picture . I've stripped and sanded the old finish off and started staining (walnut to start with because that's what I had, but it isn't quite dark enough.
However...the wood putty in the nail holes that is supposed to take stain...doesn't. What can I do about that?

Oh, and I still want to find the wallpaper or whatever it is!

[ Edited by: spy-tiki 2008-07-30 19:50 ]

The pattern looks similar to some heavily textured vinyl wallpaper I've seen used in commercial applications (hotels, restaurants).

A vinyl covering would be good on a bookshelf as it'd handle wear better than a natural fiber covering. That particular pattern might be difficult to find. I've seen vinyl versions of grass cloth and other natural fibers. You may want to check out wallcovering sources that sell materials for commercial purposes. Phillip Jeffries Ltd. has a good selection.

"...The wood putty in the nail holes that is supposed to take stain...doesn't. What can I do about that? "

If it's just a few small spots here and there I've used a Sharpie™ to cover putty that won't stain or silver nail heads. Even though it leaves a blacks spot on most medium to dark surfaces this is far less noticeable than mismatched putty or nails. Use a new pen so the point is sharp and it leaves a smaller mark.

Certain paints can work as well and used in tiny amounts are less noticeable than a poorly stained putty.

For larger fills I've actually dug out the offending putty and matched it with one that is made to look like the wood it's filling. Or found a material that will take the stain or paint better.

In some cases a combination of paint with a coat of stain over the paint can make a perfect match. This can work well if you need to replace a large chip or gouge. Use a paintable wood filler then match the surrounding wood. Practice and a good eye are key.

If the walnut stain you've used isn't giving you the dark wood tone you'd like you may need to change stain colors. Woods vary as to how they take stain and often don't yield exact match results to the example on the label.

Sometimes several coats of stain will do the trick. Other times you may need to go over one color with another to get the results you want.

I've also had good results with combinations of paint and stain, either with a wipe of paint underneath (apply the paint and then remove it immediately), or a coat of stain on top of paint. (This gives a sort of aged quality. It was called "antiquing" in the late 60s-early 70s when it was very popular, usually done poorly, and responsible for screwing up genuine antiques.) If you're handy with a paint brush you can even get a convincing wood grain laid down then stain over the top.

In situations where I am trying to sort of conceal the wood (either to look older or hide mismatched grain) I've used the stain more like paint and not wiped them down per the directions on the can but built up layers. You can get some grain showing through but at the same time cover up the not so great areas.