How to Make a Vibrant Preserved Moss Wall (8 Simple Steps)

Moss is an organic fabric of sorts, full of vibrant color and texture.

Which makes a moss wall one of the best ways to craft a truly natural piece of art to hang in the home.

Moss walls are relatively affordable, easy to construct (even for someone without a craft background), eye-catching, and zero-maintenance.

Come with me as I walk you carefully through all 8 steps to creating your first mossy masterpiece.

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First, let’s just clear something up.

I did indeed write that moss walls are zero maintenance.

How can this be, you ask?

Well, moss walls typically are made using preserved moss rather than live moss (there’s a whole article about preserved moss if you’d like to know more).

Preserved moss was once living but has since had its water content replaced with a preservative – likely glycerol – so that it may retain its fluffy consistency.

You can even do it yourself – here’s how to preserve moss at home.

What About a Living Moss Wall?

Where preserved moss requires zero upkeep, live moss requires  constant humidity to remain healthy.

While this task is challenging at the best of times, the excess water is also likely to cause issues in the home (like mold).

It’s not that living moss walls aren’t possible – but we recommend keeping them outside.

Now that the caveats are out of the way, let’s get into the good stuff.

A Frame or Panel 

To begin, you’ll need to source some sort of backing on which you’ll create your moss art.

It can be any shape and any size and pretty much any material.

Frames tend to be easier, as the moss is neatly held inside, but if you’re up for a challenge, panels can look wonderful, too.

Adhesive

One of the most important components of a solid moss mount is a reliable glue with a good bond.

You can pick whatever you like here. The only thing to consider is compatibility with your chosen frame/panel.

You could use a glue-gun or wood glue (such as Gorilla’s wood glue or even Superglue).

Since I was directly sticking mine onto a glass frame, I chose to use a glue-gun.

If you choose a different type of glue, you may need to tweak the steps a little to accommodate.

Preserved Moss (duh)

Generally, you’ll be choosing between some assortment of preserved cushion/mood moss, sheet moss, and reindeer moss.

That said, many incredible moss frames feature only one type of moss; it’s up to you what you would like.

👉 Shop Preserved Moss on Etsy.

Hardscape or Preserved Plant Extras.

Just as you might in a terrarium, you can select stones and/or woods to create an even more natural design for your frame.

If anything, it’s easier because you don’t need to consider porosity or interactions in the way you would in a terrarium.

Just make sure not to select excessively heavy elements or ones that might snag on someone if they’re walking past.

(Nothing ruins a good moss frame like impaling your roommate).

1 | Visualise Your Design 

Trying to make edits once your moss has already met the glue can get quite messy.

Therefore, to minimize re-dos, I suggest visualizing and mapping out your piece ahead of time.

Design Tips:

• Choose mosses of different sizes and depths. Beauty, as ever, comes from contrast – and nothing achieves contrast like light and shadow.

• When placing your moss, try to find the appropriate marriage between randomness and connection as you try to emulate the blooming nature of flora.
• Consider directionality. Coastal winds shape trees to contour in the same direction, while steady water flows erode rock formations in a pattern-like, geometric fashion.

1.5 | Add Larger Hardscape

If you’re adding hardscape, you might want to consider adding the larger pieces before you start adding the moss (or at least before you’ve finished adding the moss).

Larger branches can really shape the flow of the piece, and you’ll want to make sure you have space to position them correctly.

2 | Arrange Your Moss

Now, in with the moss!

I tried a few different methods here.

1. Gluing the moss and pressing it onto the frame – Messy, slightly reckless with hot glue.
2. Gluing the frame and pressing the moss into it – 10/10, much easier and smoother.

You can build it from one side and add pieces sequentially across the frame, as I have, or you could place your largest moss pieces first and then fill in the smaller spaces in between.

Both can look wonderful.

Just be careful when using preserved moss. It will most likely leak a little dye onto hands or surfaces, so make sure to wear gloves.

3 | Add Finishing Hardscape and Filler Mosses

Now, you’ve placed everything down, right?

Okay great. Now, I want you to get your head real close to that bad boy and do your best Robocop impression; scan that mother from all angles to make sure no gaps remain.

They should be easy to spot, as the frame’s color should shine through and let you know where to plug extra moss.

This is also a perfect time to place in any extra smaller hardscape elements or features.

If any spaces remain, take some moss chunks, apply a little glue to the underside, and squeeze them into said gap.

4 | Hang Up and Hang Out

You made it!

Both literally and figuratively.

It’s probably best to let your new mossy frame sit (facing up) while it dries. It really shouldn’t take long; Superglue and the glue we used both fry pretty quickly.

Then, you can find somewhere to hang up your frame, sit down, and marvel at your masterpiece.

Remember when I said your moss frames are zero-maintenance? 

Well, that’s still true.  

There are, however, two important things that you must NOT do. 

1. DON’T allow your moss frame to be constantly exposed to strong sunlight. Excessive direct light can dry out the preservative and bleach the dye. 
2. DON’T mist or water your moss frame, ever. They should be able to withstand regular levels of humidity, but excessive moisture will cause the dye to leak/run. 

Thank you so much for reading. I would truly love to marvel at your creations if you’d like to share them. 

Thinking about making your first hanging moss frame? Let us know below! 

Check out our guide to Moss Wall Kits if you need some practical help.

Until next time, folks.