I'm planning to hire someone to come in and texture my kitchen,

Ask them.

I thought about doing that, but since I don't have a trusted, reputable person in mind to hire, I thought I'd check with people who might know on this forum so I can plan ahead.

I've had good luck on a similar project covering the wall surface with 36" wide self adhering fiberglass mesh,(similar to the mesh used to reinforce drywall seams).After covering with the mesh, you skim coat the surface giving you a clean slate to texture.

Thank you sierraeast. The walls are coming out pretty good, even leaving the backing from the first paper, in place. I am also considering applying an embossed wallpaper which is good to use over slightly uneven walls, and painting it.

They have wall paper out there that resembles an old world or skip troweled finish.It's a heavy ,but flat type of texture.I saw it in an inn and had to look close to see that it was wall paper.

You can achieve the same look by actually doing a skip trowel on your project, even with the imperfections, but it's time consuming dealing with the bumps and bruises on the wall when your blade knife hits them. It just takes patience and a little practice and experimenting with the thicknesses of the mud. Best of luck on your project!

That's a good idea too. I'm looking for the easiest way to rid myself of this tacky wallpaper and end up either with the same type of texturing I've got in the rest of the house or perhaps a paintable wallpaper. Seems like printed wallpapers are mostly a thing of the past except for those that you have to look closely at to see whether it's papered or painted. Thanks.