Collection: Tropical Matting - Walls & Ceilings

Tropical Matting for Sale
Sunset Bamboo sources the highest quality tropical mats for enhancing both indoor and outdoor spaces. This includes our selection of lauhala matting, bamboo matting rolls, bacbac matting and grass matt wall covering products. Our natural matting is sourced directly from the South Pacific region, where the ancient art of harvesting, preparing and weaving natural leaves into a useful material began. This art has continued for centuries, supporting local economies and maintaining great cultural significance. For those who prefer the predictability and longevity of synthetic tiki mat and tiki wall covering products, we also have artificial bamboo matting for sale.

Types of Tropical Matting
At our Southern California location, we have many types of tropical mats on sale with free shipping. We ship our products to customers nationwide, and pride ourselves on our wide selection. Choose from the following tropical matting materials.

Lauhala Matting
Lauhala mats can be made from one of two highly renewable resources:
Hala leaves – Lauhala is a word that translates from Hawaiian as "leaf of the hala tree.”
Pandanus leaves – Lauhala may also be sourced from the pandanus trees that grow throughout the Hawaiian islands.

The local artisans responsible for creating lauhala mats have woven the leaves from both trees into braided “plaits” for centuries, passing down the skill through generations to keep the tradition alive and thriving. After the leaves are hand harvested from the source, they are prepared in an intricate process that involves drying and curing them in the tropical sun, carefully removing the thorns, cleansing each individual leaf in the ocean, and softening them with a proprietary technique.

Lauhala matting is an exquisite example of a sustainable resource. Because the entire process of preparing hala or pandanus leaves and turning them into lauhala mats requires tremendous skill and patience, we consider it our privilege to make lauhala matting available to consumers throughout the United States. Our lauhala matting is available in many sizes; our most popular size is our 4'x8' roll (four feet high by eight feet long), with a ¼” diameter weave. If you are interested in additional sizes of lauhala matting, we also have 3'x6, 3'x50' 4'x50' rolls available for sale.

Fine Weaving Matting
Fine weaving matting is another type of lauhala matting that can be made from the leaves of the hala tree or the pandanus tree. The preparation process of fine weaving matting is identical to lauhala matting in terms of harvesting, drying and curing, followed by thorn removal, washing in the ocean and softening with special technique. The primary difference between these two types of tropical matting is in the weaving pattern, which creates much smaller, finer diamond checks. Our lauhala fine weaving matting is available in many sizes; our most popular size is our 4'x8' roll (four feet high by eight feet long), with a ¼” diameter weave. If you are interested in additional sizes of lauhala fine weaving matting, we also have 3'x6, 3'x50' 4'x50' rolls available for sale.

Bacbac Matting
Also known as bac bac matting, bacbac is sourced from the banana plant (also known as the banana tree). Unlike banana leaves, which are also used in some tropical matting products, bacbac matting comes from the bark portion (also known as the “skin”) of the banana tree. Bac bac matting rolls are easily recognized by their diamond checker patterns with contrasting dark and light shades of brown. The color contrast is made possible by the artisan technique of alternating the front and back of the banana tree bark. Our bac bac matting is available in many sizes; our most popular size is our 4'x8' roll (four feet high by eight feet long), with a 1” diameter weave. If you are interested in additional sizes of bac bac matting, we also have 3'x6, 3'x50' 4'x50' rolls available for sale.

Bamboo Matting
Bamboo matting rolls are instantly recognized by their familiar, intodiagonal zigzag patterns, in addition to their light brown hue. At Sunset Bamboo, we sell bamboo matting rolls that are handwoven from fresh, young bamboo skin harvested at the source in rain-dense locations. When they are shipped to your door, our rolled sheets of woven bamboo mats can provide the organic texture you want for walls, ceilings and other surfaces. We have found them to be durable enough for outdoor projects as well.

Synthetic Bamboo Matting
Although natural bamboo mats are popular, some customers prefer synthetic bamboo matting because of its more predictable quality. If you would prefer synthetic bamboo wall covering for this reason, our wholesale artificial bamboo matting is comprised of quality materials that can provide the ease of installation you’re looking for. Our bamboo matting is available in many sizes; our most popular size is our 4'x8' rolls 4'x8' roll (four feet high by eight feet long). If you are interested in additional sizes of bamboo matting, we also have 3'x6, 3'x50' 4'x50' rolls available for sale.

Tropical Matting as a Wall Covering or Ceiling Cover
As stated, one of the most popular uses for tropical mats made from rolls of natural lauhala, bac bac or bamboo is applying them as a tiki wall covering or ceiling cover. Fortunately, projects using this leaf and grass mat wall covering and ceiling involve an easy installation process that, typically, does not require professional experience.

Tools for Tropical Matting Installation
When using bamboo matting for walls or installing bamboo ceiling coverings, the only tools and supplies that are required are a properly working staple gun, a box of 9/16" staples, and a strong pair of scissors to cut the rolls to the size you need. Unless you insist on using glue or adhesive, none is required in order to adhere your bamboo wall covering in place. The staples from your staple gun should securely fix your tiki mat to the wall or ceiling.

How to Install Tropical Matting Wall and Tropical Ceiling Cover
Like any project involving tropical matting, installation of tiki wall covering starts with unrolling the woven mats and cutting them to size. To ensure you are cutting accurately and preserving your investment in the material, be sure to take careful measurement of your project area in advance and note the measurements.

Whether you’re installing tropical matting on the wall or ceiling, always start in a corner. Begin by attaching your tiki mat roll with staples in the corner. Next, roll out the mat and make sure it is in alignment with your wall or ceiling. As you staple the mat to the surface, be sure to staple in areas that do not lay flush with ceiling; typically, this is about every 12 inches.

Because our lauhala mats and woven bamboo wall covering are products made from natural materials, there may be some minor inconsistencies in the rolls. Likewise, the rolls may not always line up next to each other precisely. In addition, you could notice small gaps between the rolls. To mitigate these space and alignment issues with this natural product, we advise slightly overlapping rolls by one or two inches when installing. The information here is a rough guideline; if you need additional tips how to install our lauhala mats or bamboo woven mats as a Hawaiian wall covering or tropical ceiling cover, don’t hesitate to contact us with your questions.

Other Uses for Tropical Matting
All of the tropical matting products listed here are highly versatile materials that can be used in a variety of practical and eco-friendly applications at homes and businesses. Here are some of the most common uses for lauhala mats, bacbac matting and bamboo mats, both in residential and commercial settings.

Tablescape Items
If your tropical environment includes a tropical table setting, then woven bamboo mats and lauhala weaving matting rolls can be the ideal material to create the placemats and coasters you want for your tablescape. Overlap them with tropical flower arrangements and other décor to make your place settings more impressive. Add bamboo-inspired utensils to complete the look.

Upcycled Furniture
The activity of upcycling furniture isn’t limited to coating it with paint or wood stain. This time, consider going a different route by covering a headboard, dresser, buffet, side table or nightstand with woven bamboo veneer. Bamboo matting can give a piece of furniture a second life and turn it into a true statement piece in your home or business.

Epoxy Countertop
Epoxy tabletops and countertops have skyrocketed in popularity in recent years. As one of the most durable tropical matting materials, bacbac matting (bac bac matting) specifically can be set in a clear epoxy resin on a tabletop or countertop.

Visual Art
If desired, lauhala weaving matting rolls can be used in visual art presentations. The durable fibers can be painted, and the material can look stunning when displayed in a frame. Use lauhala mats in mixed media art, or make it function as a matte for framed photos, graphic art or other artistic creations.

Fashion Accessories
For many centuries, lauhala matting has been a common material for creating traditional hula and Polynesian costuming pieces, including headdresses, headpiece bands, armpieces and hip heis. For highly skilled creators of wearable fashion items and accessories, it can be used for handbag, purse and belt material as well.

Fire Resistant Woven Matting
The most common objections to using natural tropical matting products are concerns about flammability. Since both natural and synthetic products can be flammable, Sunset Bamboo has fire resistant bamboo matting and fire retardant woven matting for sale. When you make your purchase, please select “Add Fire Retardant” at checkout ($39.99). Please note: Some customers also wish to apply sealer; because the chemicals used in sealer and fire retardant should not be mixed, Sunset Bamboo will not apply both products. If you have questions, please ask us for more information.

Where to Buy Tropical Matting from Sunset Bamboo
To buy natural lauhala matting, bac bac matting, bamboo mats or artificial bamboo matting wholesale (priced cheap, but made of the highest quality), order online from Sunset Bamboo now. We offer free shipping to those who buy now. For those in Southern California, we offer tropical matting near me – and for those in the contiguous United States, we ship our tropical matting products nationwide.