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How to Hang Fabric From Gridwall

Gridwall tents are often provided at small community events and fairs where local artists pay a fee to rent a space for a day or a weekend. Gridwall is commercial wire grid that may have feet to hold it upright. For the artist the gridwall presents a problem, since the grid is open wire mesh and will not provide a backdrop for art. Most artists elect to cover gridwall in paper or fabric for the show. These covers need to be inexpensive, easy to hang and easy to remove when the show is complete.

Things You'll Need

  • Gridwall
  • Fabric on the bolt
  • Medium paper clamps
  • Scissors
  • Awl
  • S hooks
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Instructions

    • 1

      Unroll your fabric over the top of the gridwall so that the fabric drapes over both sides of the gridwall with 8 inches extra. You may also need to cut your fabric to fit the width of the gridwall provided with the tent. Gridwalls range in size from 1 foot by 5 feet to 4 feet by 8 feet. Upholstery bolt fabric is usually wider than 4 feet (the widest gridwall panel), so it is usually the best choice for wide gridwall panels.

    • 2

      Standing inside the tent, slide the bottom 6 inches of the fabric under the grid wall. Adjust the side of the fabric so that it is even with the front edge of the grid wall. Bring the back of the fabric down to the ground (there will be 2 inches extra on the back side).

    • 3

      Clamp the fabric to the grid wall using a paper clamp at 1 to 2 inches from the bottom of the grid wall first. Once you clamp the front edge, straighten the fabric and clamp the back edge, then move up the sides of the fabric every 6 inches with clamps. Add 3 to 4 extra support clamps at the top and bottom of the wall to hold the fabric in place.

    • 4

      Trim off any ragged edge along the bottom outside of the fabric using scissors. Your customers are, or should be, more focused inside your tent on your displays and shouldn't see the outside edge.

    • 5

      Poke holes through your fabric with an awl and use S-type hooks to hang art on your grid walls for your displays.

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