What Kind of Finish Should I Expect on My Walls and Ceilings?

Published on Aug 27, 2025

Hey folks! This is Kolten from Next Gen Remodels.

Welcome to another Q&A session where I answer questions from y'all on the internet.

Today's question is:

"What Kind of Finish Should I Expect on My Walls and Ceilings?"

 "What Kind of Finish Should I Expect on My Walls and Ceilings?"

Answer from Kolten

Well, that is an excellent question. Drywall finish really depends on the house itself. So for a perfect example, I'm on site here in a house in Queen Anne, which is, you know, historic Seattle homes. This is going to be a smooth wall, which we consider level four finish. It's not quite level five, which is gonna be a perfectly flat wall all the way, but it's going to have a little bit of sanding marks in it.

Just a little bit of what you would call texture, but it's not actual sprayed texture. We call that level four finish, and that's pretty standard for these historic homes. If we're getting into, you know, newer custom-built homes, then we're gonna do orange peel, which we coat the walls to a level four, and then we primer it and then spray it with texture, which is an orange peel finish.

Short Summary

Kolten Redfield detailed that the finish depends on the house type, with historic homes often receiving a Level Four finish, which includes slight sanding marks, while newer custom homes often feature an orange peel texture after a Level Four application.