Remodeling a house, looking for..

Conversely, I could say that you haven’t seen plaster done correctly, but there’s no point in us arguing. Some people prefer drywall, and they are entitled to that.

The old style “swirl” coat on plaster makes it look old, but they can do other textures or smooth.

You can make drywall look as good as some plaster. But in between the joints, you can’t make it any smoother than the board itself. Since plasterers coat the whole thing, they can make it smoother. I was working out at the place Ganassi built in Fox chapel, no joke the finish felt like glass. To touch it blindfolded, you would be hard pressed to tell a difference. That was Merola job, and they used 5/8" board in the entire house. That’s an extreme example, but there is a major difference between the way the 2 are finished.