Indianapolis, IN · Member since 2014 · 68 posts · 28 votes
We bought our first home this past summer and didn't realize how bad of condition the walls are. We knew we had a few issues, but now realize almost every wall in the home needs work to look decent.
We had planned to skimcoat the imperfections, but now realizing how much is needed it seems that texturing the walls would be a much faster, less frustrating, and maybe even cheaper option.
Has anyone textured walls before? What are the pros and cons? Any tips, suggestions or websites for me?
Investor · Fernandina Beach, FL · Member since 2014 · 557 posts · 374 votes
11y
Smooooooothhhhh! Just my opinion. Btw, if a messed up wall needs to be fixed, I almost never do it myself. The pros are so much faster and better than I'll ever be.
Investor · Fernandina Beach, FL · Member since 2014 · 557 posts · 374 votes
11y
Smooooooothhhhh! Just my opinion. Btw, if a messed up wall needs to be fixed, I almost never do it myself. The pros are so much faster and better than I'll ever be.
It will depend on your area. Way up here, textured walls & ceilings are dated and to be avoided in most rentals / flips. Maybe if you were doing a "retro" rehab in an appropriate period home, but your clientele demographic would be small.
If this is your personal residence, go with what you prefer.
Investor · Fernandina Beach, FL · Member since 2014 · 557 posts · 374 votes
11y
It does depend on if we are talking about something turn of the 20th century, or a much newer place. Super smooth walls might look odd in a victorian. In those homes, that multi-layered irregular but classic look often works.
Indianapolis, IN · Member since 2014 · 68 posts · 28 votes
11y
I'm in the Midwest in a 1980s town home. It is our personal residence, but the goal is to rent it out when we are done living here.
There are quite a few new apartment complexes in my area, would it be a good idea to go look at them? It seems that would give me an idea of the finishes in my area.
Architect · Tacoma, WA · Member since 2015 · 68 posts · 28 votes
11y
@Amy Van Ollefen Agreed on the painting but I did figure out (quite by accident) that a bead of caulk in the corners allows for a beautiful straight line. Wish I had figured that out before painting the very last wall.
@Kat W. If you're looking for personal opinions, I would try to get it flat. As @Dana Whicker said, context is important but beyond that, texture seems cheap to me. Likely because it IS cheaper. Getting a smooth beautiful wall takes skill. I'd take the time and skim coat it or google a bit and see if there's a decent way to remove some texture to make the job easier.
Principal · Charlotte, NC · Member since 2010 · 200 posts · 89 votes
11y
I personally like the look of texture on the walls. When i invested in Portland, Oregon most houses out there i worked on all had texture so a smooth wall was never a consideration.
I now live and invest in Charlotte, NC and when i did texture on my first rehab in charlotte i had prospects walking in asking me "what that crap is on the wall" .... needless to say most of the houses in the price point i was dealing in in Charlotte had smooth walls..
I still prefer the look of texture but do smooth walls for all my properties... a chef cooks what is ordered not what he likes to eat :)
Rental Property Investor · Manteno, IL · Member since 2009 · 2k+ posts · 2k+ votes
11y
Here by me, texture is not dated. But we had a contractor that we used during year 2 or 3 of my investing that talked me into texturing. Said how much better it hid tenant damage and how much easier it would be for me to fix drywall damage.
And it does do that to some degree. But holy cow is the painting a nightmare.
So I would definitely not look to texture an entire house. Not if you plan on keeping it as a rental like you suggest. You'll be doing lots of painting in the future and will be hating every bit of that decision should you choose to texture.
Best to just to get someone out there to make it right.
One thing I'd add. Maybe its the only cost effective solution you have so you have no choice. If so, I might consider picking a couple of the absolute worst rooms and texturing those and leaving as many of them smooth as possible.
Obviously, its going to depend on the flow of the house as to when you can start/stop texturing once you do it. But the more you can leave smooth, the better off you're going to be in the end.
Well said, Sky! I'm trying to figure out what I need to be cooking for the prospective renters in my area. I'm trying to get some quotes for skim coating. I'm hoping I'm wrong, but the ballpark figures I have found are about $5k.
Well said, Sky! I'm trying to figure out what I need to be cooking for the prospective renters in my area. I'm trying to get some quotes for skim coating. I'm hoping I'm wrong, but the ballpark figures I have found are about $5k.
How big is the house/unit? I just gutted an 1100 ft^2 unit and the costs for the new drywall installation and crack-filling was less than that.
Real Estate Broker · Indianapolis, IN · Member since 2014 · 3k+ posts · 2k+ votes
11y
Keep in mind with a rental I doubt that you will have someone not rent over textured walls. If you were flipping that's different. In a rental we normally go for clean/efficient.
Indianapolis, IN · Member since 2014 · 68 posts · 28 votes
11y
@Mike H. Future painting does worry me some. My husband has suggested the idea of texturing the basement and paying to have the main and upstairs smoothed.
@Roy N. It's a 1500 square foot townhome. Hopefully my guesstimate is way off. This is the first property I've owned, so I'm just trying to assume the worst, hope for the best, and try to end up in the right place without too many costly mistakes.
@Ryan Dossey Our plan has been to rent it out when we are done living here. Unfortunately we made the mistake of an 18 year mortgage, and unless we can refinance, we have lost all our cash flow in the mortgage payment. If refinancing is not a cost effective option, then selling is our backup plan. Looking back, I wish we had tried to negotiate a lower price than we did here. Newbie mistake, but it was our third property in the neighborhood that we offered on. One was $15k more and needed more work, so we thoughts this was a good price. I just realize now, it could have been better.
Rental Property Investor · Tucson, AZ · Member since 2014 · 63 posts · 37 votes
11y
Pretty sure this depends on your market. Up here in NY and CT you don't see textured walls in rental properties, nor do you see it in an investment or even a spec house. I have seen it before but it's usually a personal touch someone puts on their own house around here.
If I were you, and it was acceptable practice in the area to texture a wall then I don't see the harm, but otherwise for resale value purpose I'd smooth it out. If the walls are a really major problem I'd really consider just getting it redone professionally.
Real Estate Investor · Cabot, AR · Member since 2014 · 70 posts · 38 votes
11y
5K for a skimcoat job is a pretty penny! A paint job for a 1500sf town home would be roughly $1.25-2.00 per square foot and that's a lot more work than doing a simple skimcoat job....but I don't know the market in Indiana. I've done both skimcoats and applied knockdown textured walls, I think both are great and both can look great. A seasoned veteran with skimcoat tools and some hi-build primer can work wonders....or a Graco texture sprayer can make walls look brand new in no time!
Realtor, General Contractor, and Developer · Redding, CA · Member since 2009 · 7k+ posts · 4k+ votes
11y
Truly smooth walls are much more expensive, and are highly desirable in luxury homes here in southern California. However; I'm thinking your rental isn't in that market. You can probably have the drywallers spray on a fine texture (not quite orange peel) and cover the imperfections.
If you post some pics, we would be able to give you better advice. Please @mention me if you do.
Rental Property Investor · Douglas County, MO · Member since 2014 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
11y
My goodness you guys complaining about painting textured walls must be paint wimps! I've done both, and I'd much rather paint textured than smooth! You don't have to go for a stucco look, just a light knockdown will do the trick. When it's time to paint, read the labels [novel idea, I know!] and don't buy roller covers made for smooth walls. It's no big deal.
Investor · San Diego, CA · Member since 2013 · 64 posts · 25 votes
11y
Good day,
I would have to agree that it really is market dependent, and style of texture. You can go from really subtle to rather heavy.
I have textured walls at my current place 1980's rental: (Orange peel)
Patching holes:
Painting: I have an airless sprayer and can cover a 1600sqft place in 1-3 days, depending on color scheme. It covers all those dimples easy, but as @Sylvia B. mentioned, proper nap on your roller.
In your dilemma trying to get a wall clean that has issues can be really tough.
As @Karen Margrave said some customers like clean walls. Places in expensive areas, like the OC and SF, and a museum or art gallery need a level 5 drywall finish.
So, go to your market, for what the goal is. A good suggestion I heard was go to model homes for a flip, or apartments/other rentals for ideas on rentals.
Indianapolis, IN · Member since 2014 · 68 posts · 28 votes
11y
I appreciate everyone stopping in to share their thoughts!
We had a contractor come out to give us a quote and I was way high on my estimate. Even better though, he felt we could do it on our own with a roller and squeegee, and to call him if we had questions. We're about a 1/3 done. Once we sand, we'll know how well we did.
Real Estate Investor · Williamson County, TX · Member since 2011 · 1k+ posts · 961 votes
11y
My husband bought a 89$ hopper at Home Depot and did a pretty good match of the existing texture. Light orange peel. I can't remember if we used drywall compound or wall texture but they both can be washed off with a drywall sponge if you hate it (but just practice on a garage wall until you get it down..tor a sheet of drywall..the materials are cheap). You can also lightly go over the whole house. You can lightly go over the house and knock it down. It may or may not look good depending on what is underneath. Wash your walls, if you have a drywall sander on a pole, sand and wash. Actually, I would fix any bad areas and then coat the whole house to blend the repairs in. Cover the windows and trim and tape the ceiling off with tape and 6"paper. or it will be a mess. Do an entire room at a time and start with the kid bedrooms so you get better as you go. One person loads the hopper so the other stays in the zone because for the walls to match they have to be done the same way. I loaded because I am not as strong and not as methodical. Don't spend much money on a future rental unless you'd enjoy it while living there. Renters notice cleanliness and shabbiness, light, wall colors, flooring, countertops, appliances, closets and maybe an ugly light fixture or a nice ceiling fan.
Also, there is a magic trowel that is basically a big sqweegie at sherwin williams. They want you to roll on texture or mud with a paint roller and smooth it with the trowel. I did it on ceilings and it was laborious as the roller doesn't hold much mud and mud is heavy. you could try one room. If you leave ridges just let it dry and shave it off with a putty knife.
Real Estate Investor · Fargo, ND · Member since 2015 · 20 posts · 7 votes
11y
Up here in Fargo, ND it seem every home, even the new ones going up just have to have orange peel on the walls. Shoot even the ceilings. I could see in apartments or home rentals to hide the nail holes in the walls when the tenants change.
I personally like the look of knock down on ceilings; give it character.
I have just finished working on an old home that had issues with the plaster coming off the walls and cracking in places. I own a remodel business and I recommend this;
If budget allowed, tear out/re-rock.
Rocking over with 1/4" can at times be a clean fix that may or may not last. Depending on the damage.
What I have found that works out, is to scrape what is loose, use a 45 or 90 minute set powder/water mix mud to fill in those areas smooth, and get the sheets of sticky back mesh (just like the mesh dry wall tape). Comes in 3' rolls. Put that over surface, skim coat with a smooth mixed dust control pre-mix (The Home Depot and most big box stores carry it).
You can either go smooth, go smooth and texture, or texture with a knife as you put over the mesh. Forgot to mention, in fine to 1/8" cracks I like to caulk with a paintable laytex/silicone caulk.
I hope this helps out. Good luck. If doing it yourself, have fun doing it and it will amaze you.
I would recommend smooth surfaces! If I were a renter I would avoid textured walls at all cost! I have declined renting here in the competitive housing market in the Bay Area to avoid textured walls and ceilings like popcorn. I even went as far as paying $4200 a month on a 1 bedroom one time because housing is scare here and I couldn’t find a place without it. Hope this helps!