I am in the same boat I can't wait to see the replies you get.

we did this! it was by far the worst and most time consuming part of our reno. if i had it to do over, i would hire someone. i had 3 layers of paper. I don't even want to remember...

But anyway, there is a spray texture in the can. you can get it al lowes, home depot. i was leary about it when i saw it, but i spoke with a building contractor who says that they use it all the time. it worked well enough for me. some of the cans i bought were 'bunk', 'DOA', the nozzle was broken or something. the ones that worked though put a nice texture on my walls.

i see why the guy tried to get away with the shortcut. stripping wall paper is a PIA!

Is there an absolute need to put texture on the walls? I had that in a kitchen once and it was awful: attracted all the dust and grease and was un-scrubbable.

What kind of texture are you going for? There's the granulated stuff (which I just loathed, honestly, but that's just my experience) and other kinds that you smear on with drywall mud and a trowel. These are probably more interesting?

Check out the great DIY site with instructions for each of the textures linked below:

Here is a link that might be useful: drywall textures: how to

Whoops, my apologies, the site linked above wants you to buy the instructions (!). But there are good inspiration pictures there, at any rate.

I also stripped wallpaper from my kitchen walls. The wallpaper was applied directly over drywall, so no texture whatsoever. I bought the drywall mud and put on 3 coats, knocking down ridges between coats. Now my walls kind of look like old, old walls with lots of coats of plaster. It really was not difficult to do. I had never done it before and if I can do it, you can do it.

5 years ago during our "guestroom/entry remodel", I wanted an accent wall of wallpaper removed and textured and painted. The guy (in his 70's and been doing this forEVER) studied the wallpaper, attempted to remove some of it and said he could go over it. "WHAT?" He convinced me it would be fine if the paper is stuck really good. He smoothed it out in some places (I think) and went right over it. That was just over 5 years ago and it absolutely looks just like the other 3 walls! If I hadn't seen it for myself, I too wouldn't believe it :)
Monica

Go smooth.

Textures are considered dated (and I concur). Even if they come back, I would not texture unless it was part of some exotic covering such as jute, grass, bamboo etc.

Regional differences dictate if texture is dated or not.

Although some types are more attractive than others, the main purpose of texture is to hide imperfections in framing and drywall. While I agree it is better to have a really high quality drywall job, most of us don't get one. I fail to see how texture in general can be considered "dated", unless something better has come along to do its job.

Thank you folks, for all the input. I guess my concern about putting up texture was mainly for the reason most of you have suggested - to hide imperfections! I too love smooth walls painted the perfect color, but since we did the stripping ourselves, and repaired some holes from nails and such, the surface is certainly not smooth! That is why I am trying to put up a coat of textue- the kind that you put up with a trowel and make it look like plaster walls. If anyone has done this or knows how to achieve this look, please advice. Pictures would really help.
Thanks a bunch!
mrao77

Get a bucket of drywall mud (you don't need 'texture paint') & a cement trowel and practice applying texture to a sheet of cardboard or a large scrap of drywall.

A couple of tips: When you get ready to do the walls, you'll want a hawk to load the mud onto. I use the mud straight out of the bucket (no thinning), but use the trowel to mix the mud to a creamy consistency after I've loaded it onto the hawk.

For the most consistent look to the texture, only one person should do the texturing & it's best to try to do the entire room on a given day.

Texturing is really easy to do; I even think that it's almost a fun job!

jstell2008 and ci_laintro, thanks for the advice. Could you please upload pictures of your projects so I can get some ideas. If you prefer, you can email them to me. I am especially looking for patterns of what could be done. I am going for a modern look, so simple clean lines/patterns is what I think I want on my walls.
Thanks in advance,
mrao77

Sorry - my texture doesn't show up in photos. It took me several days to do all 3 coats. It is not rough at all because I smoothed all the ridges on my final coat. I used the scrub side of a sponge to do it. Then I primed and painted with flat (yes flat in a kitchen). I have no trouble keeping it clean. Dirt or dust does not stick to it. My walls have a subtle texture that certainly hides all imperfections.

Aren't regional differences interesting! When we lived in Houston, our house, plus most every other one I visited had textured walls. I had never seen them before. Now that I'm back living in my hometown, textured walls would be the kiss of death regarding resale. Textured ceilings are fairly popular, especially in mass-built tracts, and among low-skilled contractors, but walls? Never!

mrao77, did you look at the pictures at the site I linked earlier? They have great detailed examples of various wall textures.

cooksnews, it must indeed be a regional thing. Folks here in the East almost never do a textured wall unless it's a textured paper.

You can use spray texture in cans if you have a small area to finish (just above cabinets?) or are trying to match/patch. For heavier/larger applications you will need to apply the mud either with a trowel/then knocking down ridges ''knockdown'' or rent a machine to spray on texture on walls - for the ''orange peel'' effect. The second texture will not look like much until after it is primed and painted. I think the ''hawk'' ci lantro is referring to is a flat surface with a handle attached. I helped my husband with the knock down in our last (new) build.

Texture preferences are not only regional, but personal.

Our painter mixed joint compound with water and rolled the texture on with a paint roller. (I prefer smooth but we're in Houston and all walls are textured; we were removing wall paper and it would have looked strange to have only the kitchen smooth.)

Here is a link for the ''orange peel'' http://www.calfinder.com/library/drywall/Drywall-Texture/orange-peel-wall-texture

And one for the knock-down.
http://www.diynetwork.com/how-to/wall-texture/index.html

For knock-down, the thicker the mud - the heavier (more raised) the result.