smooth

Thank you, that's what my drywaller said but I didn't believe him.

He was probably talking about himself!

@ASVInteriors LOL! THAT WAS FUNNY! but smooth definitely.

Definitely smooth. There are MANY posts on Houzz with people desperately trying to get rid of their textured walls and ceilings.

I'm curious -- why do walls seem to get textured a lot, particularly in the US? I've never seen it here in Canada (new construction). Is it less expensive to texture than do a smooth drywall finish on walls?

Definitely smooth.

Also in Europe - it apparently hides dirt and imperfections better.

Thanks a lot. You've been very helpful (and quick)

the southern part of the U.S uses textured walls and ceilings alot to cut back on cost of hiding the tape joints but it is also used in the northern states sparingly if you are starting from scratch go smooth or very light orange peel but i like smooth take in mind that it is more expensive to achieve this look by drywallers and in painting it

Thanks, Rockin'. It's not something we see up here so I always wondered what the reason for it was (looks, cost, etc).

Wait, there are some textured finishes that evoke rough plaster and are very attractive. They are not cheap, either to apply or to maintain. They take far more paint.

Level 5 smooth wall is not cheap and you need to hire a pro painter to paint

The typical new house texture finish is done for the cheap price, not the looks.

growing up with my dad , doing remodels ( he does drywall ) i asked about the texture and he said it's difficult and time consuming to get the wall smooth, so therefore it's less labor intensive to create texture.

Good to know, thanks Holly. That's what I figured. Around here, at least in any house I've owned, they always do smooth walls, but they don't skim coat. Regional differences I guess, it's interesting.

Thought I would chime in in the Sheetrock discussion! Here in California it is considered an "upgrade" for an imperfect smooth Sheetrock texture. The "look" we are going for is an old plaster wall. The trick is sanding and smoothing down the texture so theres not too much "movement" when looking across the wall. For my house, my son and I spent the weekend sanding and sanding to get the finish I was going for. It's very subtle but cool when the sunlight plays off the walls! Funny how little things like that thrill me, I must be sick.

I do like the look of a textured wall, it's kind of interesting, especially in the right house. Though, if I'd asked my builder for it, he'd have looked at me as though I sprouted three heads... 'you want what???' Smooth walls are just... standard protocol I guess. They'd do it, I suppose... but it would cost me!

It's a regional thing here in pacific NW all you see is smooth wall or very light orange peel

LOL, Norm!

kimdee, you are referring to a level 4 finish, where the paper is exposed and the voids are filled and sanded. Level 5 is a total putty coat over every square inch...twice. The finish Kevin is talking about sounds like a Santa Fe...mostly smooth with some intentional imperfections..but the imperfections are pretty flat too. Here in California we all vote...it just doesn't seem to do any good!

Two coats! I can see why that would be an upgrade. Bet it looks nice though. We vote in Alberta too, for all it's worth. We can choose between the bad, the worse and the don't even think about it parties.

kimdee, misery always loves company. 8-)

Copy that ironwood! But I still vote, that's the optimist in me! Yes the imperfect smooth look I did was a sanded down Santa Fe!

Oh yes Kevin! I always vote...forever positive and hopeful!

Gotta be in this economy! Keep our eyes on the prize!

In Texas the light orange peel finish is typical, but builders also tweak the finish and offer different but similar types. As long as the paint finish is flat it really is not obvious or offensive, at least to me

Orange peel is common in NorCal and SoCal. Imperfect smooth is common on custom homes in "traditional" styles, perfect smooth on "contemporary" homes! I would love to do a full plaster job some day! Talk about old world!!

Interestingly I worked with an architect who would create super smooth walls, and then embed a large rectangular patch of very loose hessian weave into the walls and paint it over. The pragmatic part of me was "why go to all that effort and then mess it up???!!" but I was assured it was "design" which I translated as $$$

Here's the thing. Have you ever heard anyone say "I really don't like my smooth walls"? And have you ever heard anyone say "I really hate my textured walls and ceilings"? I've heard thousands of people say the latter. I've never heard anyone say the former. Smooth is sleek and neutral.

EVERY wall in my recently purchased 1925 tudor/english cottage is textured. It certainly does provide character - which I love. The windows are original casement windows and look great with the texture. However, if I were building new, I would do smooth.

1925? Must be plaster walls! Unless previous owner stripped it down to studs! Next house I build, plaster all the way!!!

Yes, all plaster. All (or mostly) original. Also repairing (practically rebuilding) the original wood shake roof!

Nice! I can tell plaster from the photo you posted! You mentioned the wood shake, are you doing any other work outside?

The roof is cedar shake, the siding is wood shingle ( I never know the difference.) We're going to paint the outside. Remove the NOT original shutters. We met the daughter-in-law of the original owner/architect. He was an artist, too. She gave us a Christmas card he made by carving a piece of wood and stamping the paper - it's a picture of our house. We would like to make it look like that again! I plan to share before and after pictures when we're done. My painter and I have a whole plan in place. There's a lot of history in this house. Including the original tiles in the vestibule, one of which was the logo for the original owner/architect's business.

Thank you for sharing that! Amazing find, a house with "history"!! Sounds like it wasn't messed-up too badly over the years. That tile design is over the top COOL! Reminds me of my company logo! I lifted it from an old wood-block from the 1920's, my favorite time period for architecture! Sorry didn't mean to ramble, just got excited about your home! BTW , wood shake is "split" with thicker butt ends and shingles are "sawn" for a more refined installation. That's your history lesson for today!

This is my company logo! Now you know why I got excited! Scary how things work like that....

Wow, Kevin ! ... that's almost spooky !!! :-)

I know, right? shakerjaebs wood block Christmas Card is almost the same house I have been using as my logo for 22+ years! They say its a small world, sometimes you just have to wonder at it all.

All very interesting. Thank you. One more question, what paint sheen is used on smooth walls? Flat? Satin?

Flat looks beautiful on flat walls! (ha didn't mean to make a joke/pun)

But if you have kids with messy fingers, eggshell wipes down better. Also good for bathrooms.

Flat or matte and satin in baths

wow999, sorry didnt mean to "highjack" your questions! You are getting great input!

This thread is exactly what I was looking for! I am from Oklahoma. We do light troweled texture here. We are buying a home in Malibu that has orange peel. I spoke to a drywall contractor and he said orange peel is very common in S. Cal. I'm not sure I can live with it though. I would love to have them skim coat over the orange peel and do flat but am concerned with the cost. Please advise Southern California people:)

I'm from SoCal and I have a level 5 smooth finish on all walls in my entire house - it was expensive and took a long time to do. Every imperfection shows (so I was driving my contractor crazy as they were using lamps to shine light on the walls to find errors and achieve perfection ) but it looks awesome. And yes, the texture is used so much in the US because it is cheap, fast and hides everything.

maximista thank you for your comment

Anyone with smooth walls know what a pain Otis with a family--it shows everything! Isn't there ANY texture that hides without looking dated?

What drywall finished is popular now? Any ideas in Ohio?