Serving Thurston, Pierce & Lewis countiesLicensed · Bonded · Insured · SOLISIL785NT(360) 350-8616

Smooth walls for older Chehalis houses

We do smooth wall finish in Chehalis by preparing textured or uneven walls and skimming them to one flat plane that takes paint evenly.

Washington licensed, bonded and insured, L&I SOLISIL785NT.Check with L&IAngi reviewsGoogle profile

A step ladder and tripod work light stand near a smooth drywall surface; a blue portable dehumidifier sits on the floor.
Work lighting beside a smooth wall on a Solis jobsite.

Bring textured walls through to a smooth finish

Existing texture, old repairs, and uneven areas can remain visible after a paint change. Treating one spot alone can leave a transition where the newly smoothed patch meets the surrounding wall.

Solis prepares and skims the selected wall area for a smooth finish, accounting for existing texture, lighting direction, and paint sheen. Working across the surface keeps the finishing area connected and gives the room a consistent ground for its next coat.

  • A smooth finish carried across the selected wall area.
  • Surface preparation connected to the next paint coat.

Here’s how we get it handled

  1. Text us photos or call

    A close-up, a wider view and your city give us a useful starting point. You can also call and talk through the work.

  2. Agree the scope and schedule

    We review the work with you, arrange a site visit where needed and put the agreed scope and finish in your estimate.

  3. Get the space finished

    Solis completes the agreed work and reviews the finish with you. Include interior painting in the scope for a complete drywall-and-paint handoff.

Have a project in mind? Send us a photo.

Tell us what needs fixing or finishing. We’ll take it from there.

Smooth wall finish in Chehalis homes

When Chehalis's homes were built shapes what is behind the wall and which rules apply to the work.

  1. 29% Before 1940
  2. 16% 1940–1959
  3. 25% 1960–1979
  4. 18% 1980–1999
  5. 12% 2000 or later
Share of Chehalis homes by year built. U.S. Census Bureau, 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates
1965Median year Chehalis homes were built

Half of Chehalis's homes were built before 1965 and half after. The estimate is wide here, about 7 years either way. Send the year your home was built with your photos; it tells us what the walls and earlier patches are likely made of. U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020–2024, median year structure built

70.3%of Chehalis homes were built before 1980

Asbestos was banned from wall patching compounds in 1977, so old patches and joint compound in these homes are tested before they are sanded. U.S. EPA, regulatory history of asbestos bans

1978Washington's lead-safe renovation cutoff

Washington's lead renovation rules cover housing built before 1978, and a firm must be certified to do paid renovation work under them. WAC 365-230-020 and 365-230-360

Choose between a local patch and a full-wall change

A smooth result can come from finishing new board, skimming a sound wall or repairing one spot, and each is priced differently. Existing texture, joints and torn paper decide how much prep the wall needs and whether the skim can stop at a corner or has to carry through a connected room.

Prepare the existing surface before applying compound

Loose or poorly bonded material comes off before any skim goes over it. The median Chehalis home dates from the 1960s, and EPA did not ban asbestos in patching compounds until 1977, so old texture or joint compound in a house that age is worth testing before it's sanded. In Lewis County the Southwest Clean Air Agency requires an AHERA-certified survey of suspect materials when a contractor renovates.

Southwest Clean Air Agency, asbestos renovation flow chart (Form 27)

Carry the smooth finish to a clear paint edge

A newly smooth wall looks different from the textured walls beside it, even after paint, so we end the work at a corner or a change in plane. Side light and high-sheen paint show more, and a sample area helps set the target when it's hard to describe.

Gypsum Association guidance on finish mock-ups

Photos for a smooth-wall quote

Text us photos of the wall straight on and with light raking across it, the wall sizes, which areas should end smooth and where the paint should stop.

Smooth Wall Finish questions in Chehalis

Can an existing textured wall be changed to smooth?

Usually, if the texture and board underneath are sound. Loose material, damaged board or uneven joints change the method and how far the work goes.

Is a smooth-wall conversion the same as Level 5?

No. Level 5 is a finish level for new gypsum panels. Converting a wall you already have also means filling and flattening the old texture or coating.

Request an estimate

For a Chehalis smooth-wall quote, send side-light photos, wall sizes, the area to make smooth and the paint line.

(360) 350-8616

Share the project details

Choose the work you need and tell us how to reach you.

What are you planning?

Smooth Wall Finish

Photos up to 25 MB before prep. Up to 5 files, 40 MB total. Private with your request; photo location metadata is removed.

Add project details or a contact preference

We’ll use these details to respond to your project request.

Text us photos for a quick estimate!