Lauhala Matting

Looking for advice with regards to hanging Lauhala Matting. Specifically, How do you deal with the irregular sides of the mats which are not straight or square. I have walls that I need to use 3-4 mats each. Even with using bamboo slats to trim the panels I am concerned it may not cover the gaps between the mats. For those who have done this do you cut the finished edge to make it straight so they abutt more cleanly?

I have a roll of lauhala I plan to start mounting later this month. I've yet to unroll it to see how irregular it may be. My plan is to carve and torch 3"wide pine boards to act as borders/trim and cover any gaps the irregularities of the matting leave. Even if the mats were straight, like the woven bamboo panels I used outside, I'd still use those trim pieces to hide the seams. Just think of it as an opportunity to add more art/detail to the decor.

Having put up several rolls, they are not square for sure. they do have a bit of stretch when it comes to squaring them up. but it seems one side is always off. mine are together but the lines are nowhere straight, BUT if you're covering them, you're going to have to use something in the 1-3" range. I have enough stuff on the walls and low lighting, so it really doesn't show all that much. I did have to do some cuts, and this is where you can true up abit.

The matting I mentioned above can best be described as undulating. For one small section I used a T-square and builder's square, measured everything three times and marked the lines to cut so the size would be perfect. I ended up with a rhombus anyway. Lauhala's natural state is different from whatever you need it to be!

Definitely not square. The Philippine people weaving it by hand laugh at us haole’s everyday trying to find an easy way to use this material. I’ve been using it for many moons and it still has a mind of its own.

Get some thick bamboo or wood trim to cover the edges. I used construction cement to attach it to an exterior wall (stucco), and braced plywood over it to hold until it dried. Fortunately you want it to look a bit homespun so as long as you don’t see white wall peeking through you should be OK.