The influence of base paper fibrous composition on surface properties of coated papers has been investigated. Prepared papers of different softwood to hardwood fiber ratio were coated using К bars of different wounded wire diameter, which enabled to obtain coatings of various thickness. The coatings were dried under infrared heaters. The absorbency of coated papers was determined based on dynamics of water penetration into a coating. Additional surface properties, such as gloss and roughness were also measured. The lowest water absorption was found for coatings applied on paper from softwood pulp, and increasing the content of hardwood pulp in the base paper caused increase in absorbency of coated papers. Moreover, higher content of hardwood pulp in the base paper resulted in increased gloss and decreased roughness. Observed changes in surface properties were attributed to differences in softwood and hardwood fibers characteristics.