Smooth Is the Word for Inside Wall Surfaces

Home buyers prefer smooth walls over textured ones, but they’re having trouble finding them in new homes, according to a new survey.

In a poll conducted for the Western Wallcovering Distributors Assn., nearly 70% of 200 visitors to Southland housing tracts said they prefer a smooth interior wall finish over a textured surface. The most common reason cited for their preference: Textured surfaces can’t be wallpapered and present too many other decorating problems.

Most homes in new tracts don’t have smooth walls, in part because applying texture is cheaper than lining up the seams evenly to create a smooth surface, the survey said. However, the majority of buyers said they’d be willing to spend a bit more for homes with flat surfaces.