I did it many years ago and it looked great. We used a flat paint so it certainly didn't look like vinyl. i'd definitely not want to be the one who'd have to remove it after that however.

Thanks for the comment. Realistically we probably won't own this place for more than ten years, and it will be my only redecorating. I know I'd be leaving a mess for future owners but might get what I want now if I do this.

I did it in a home I owned many years ago. Big mistake. BIG mistake.

There are plenty of folks selling very expensive hand painted patterned grasscloth. So why not give it a try? Do a small area. If it works,yippee. If not, well you are changing it no matter what,right? I suppose you could do a test on a sample piece of grasscloth but that seems overly prudent :-)

I do think you should vacuum the walls before painting.

sounds 1970s hideous to the point of cool if you didn't have to live w/it. dying to see a photo.

I did it and it was just fine. I liked the texture.

My parents painted their grass cloth wallpaper lining a hallway 40 years ago. From what I remember it was a long precise process but it looked good after and held up well. Like everything it’s all in the planning and it’s not a task to skimp on or rush through

Once painted, it will be impossible to remove and the only way to get a smooth wall will be to hang new drywall. I would first spray some DIF on a section and see how easy it comes off.

If you decide to paint it you have to prime with oil or shellac primer. If you use latex the water in the paint will melt the glue and cause it to peel off the walls. It looks great painted, don’t plan for future owners. This is not the circle of hell reserved for painting over regular wallpaper.

IMO remove it.But in lots of places in the US textured walls are in so maybe it will just look like a textured wall. I would agree that using water based paint could cause some issues and some bleed form 40 yrs of dirt, in fact probably all the walls are filthy as this is not something you can easily wash. It is not easy to remove for sure .

I hadn't thought about the need to clean and vacuum the grasscloth I intend to keep. We plan to do some remodeling and will be generating even more dust. So, I guess that's something to think about as work progresses.

We are on the gulf coast in Florida, and I have no idea if this is in style here. Our place has a contemporary vibe that I am trying to accentuate. I am not going for beachy.

If a professional installed it, then likely it was installed correctly and might be reasonable to remove.

I agree with @BeverlyFLADeziner, if a professional installed it, you may find it comes off very easily. I'd try to remove a section, if it comes off easily, I'd remove it rather than paint it. Painting over it should be the last resort but sometimes the last resort is all you have. ;-(

Is there any argument to be made for painting over it because it would make for an interesting textured wall?

Another concern with removal is that walls are sheetrock, and we all know the damage that can sometimes occur when taking wallpaper off Sheetrock walls. In our other home we took grasscloth wallpaper off of plaster walls, and that was no big deal.

I think it would look great painted as a textured wall. Would love to see a pic.

@Juliest Perdue, if the sheetrock was prepared properly before hanging the grasscloth, then it should remove without tearing up the sheetrock. Not sure if steaming wall paper is still a thing, but in a house we once had that had every room wallpapered, we found that steaming it off was the easiest way to go. But as i said above, I have also painted grasscloth, so we do with whatever works best at the time. I'd definitely test trying to remove it.