Warm plaster wall with an arched opening and a pedestal

Decorative plaster and glazes, Tucson

See the wall on a board before it goes on yours.

We make sample boards of limewash, polished plaster and glaze in your colors, leave them with you through a few days of Tucson light, and write the estimate once you have chosen one.

Book a board visit See the finishes

The sample-board consult

Six steps from your wall to a written estimate

Hand finishes look different in every house. So we start with boards you can move around the room, not a chip in a fan deck.

We read the wall
We visit while the room is in use, watch the light, and check what is under the finish: drywall, old plaster, block or stucco.
You see boards, not chips
Finished boards of limewash, polished plaster and glaze, laid against your floor and trim.
Up to three boards stay with you
Remade in your colors. Tape them up, move them, look at them in morning light, at noon and under a lamp.
You choose, we adjust
Pick the board you like. We tune the color, the sheen and the coats until it matches what you saw.
A test patch on your wall
On old or patched plaster we finish a hand-sized patch behind a door or in a closet, to see how your wall takes it.
A written estimate
Finish, coats, prep, days on site and what isn't included, wall by wall.

Finishes

Brushed, troweled and burnished by hand

Pick a kind to see it. Every wall below is sample work.

Peach limewash wall with a vase of dried flowers

Warm limewash in two shades behind a leather chair

Close view of white limewash with soft trowel texture

Bands of red, orange and yellow painted plaster

Living room with a deep green plaster-look wall, a leather sofa and plants

Sample photos.

Choosing a finish

Limewash, polished plaster or a glaze?

None is the best one. Your boards show the difference better than this table, and your estimate names the one we'd use on your wall.

Limewash, polished plaster or a glaze?
What to compare	Limewash	Polished plaster	Glaze (scumble)
The look	LimewashSoft and cloudy; the brushstrokes show	Polished plasterSmooth and deep, with a sheen like stone	Glaze (scumble)A see-through color worked over a base coat, for depth and age
Layers	LimewashTwo to four thin coats of wash	Polished plasterSeveral thin coats, each dried, then burnished	Glaze (scumble)A base coat, then a glaze worked in while it is wet
Best on	LimewashPlaster, block, stucco and adobe-style walls	Polished plasterSmooth, well-prepared walls: baths, fireplaces, feature walls	Glaze (scumble)Walls, doors, mantels and trim
Touch-ups	LimewashBlend over a wider area	Polished plasterRepaired a whole panel at a time	Glaze (scumble)Matched by hand, never exactly
Often right when	LimewashYou want a quiet, old-world wall	Polished plasterYou want a formal, polished wall	Glaze (scumble)You want to warm or age a color you already have

Before any finish

We start with what is under it

A good hand finish is mostly preparation. Old plaster, block, stucco and drywall each take a finish differently, and a crack skimmed badly shows through the best coat.

Cracks opened, filled and skimmed flat
Old paint sanded and primed to hold the finish
Floors, trim and furniture covered and masked
A test patch where the wall is patched or very old

How a board visit works

From clients

What clients say about the boards

“Three boards stayed taped to our hallway for a week. By Thursday we knew which one, and it wasn't the one we would have picked from a chip.”

Anette P.Homeowner, Colonia Solana

“The test patch behind the closet door showed how our old wall would take limewash. We changed the color before a single wall was done.”

Fabricio L.Homeowner, Tubac

“I get a spec sheet and a loan of boards for the client meeting, and the estimate lists every wall on its own line. Easy to hand to a client.”

Kinsley W.Interior designer

“The estimate said what was and wasn't included, down to the hairline cracks in the plaster. No surprises on the invoice.”

Braden C.Homeowner, Catalina

Sample reviews.

The crew

Six people, and you will meet the ones on your wall

Ask for any of them by name. Names and roles are sample content until the owner edits them.

Ariadna Venegas
Owner and lead finisher
Runs every board visit and signs every estimate. Speaks Spanish and English.
Florencio Cortina
Plaster foreman
Mixes and trowels the plaster, and teaches the newer crew how thin a coat should go. Speaks Spanish and English.
Azucena Garay
Glaze and color
Mixes the glazes and makes the sample boards. Speaks Spanish and English.
Estefania Adame
Estimates and designer liaison
Writes the estimates, loans boards to designers and keeps the schedule. Speaks Spanish and English.
Macario Resendez
Prep and repair
Opens cracks, skims, flattens and primes every wall before a finish goes on. Speaks Spanish and English.
Alana Meadows
Finisher, limewash and stencils
Brushes limewash and cuts the stencils. Speaks and writes English.

Around Tucson

Central Tucson and the towns around it

We work from the shop on Stone Avenue. If your street isn't listed, ask and we will tell you.

Ask about your address

Central Tucson historic districts: Barrio Viejo, El Presidio, Colonia Solana, Winterhaven · Old plaster over adobe and brick is most of what we see here.
Foothills and the west side: Skyline, Starr Pass
North of the city: Catalina, Oracle, SaddleBrooke
South of the city: Amado, Tubac, Patagonia, Sonoita · A longer drive, so we group these jobs into the same week.

We don't take jobs in Phoenix or the East Valley, in Sierra Vista, or in Yuma.

ZIP codes: 85701, 85705, 85712, 85716, 85718, 85719, 85745, 85750, 85623, 85739, 85645, 85646, 85624, 85637

Questions we hear most

How long does a plaster or limewash job take?

A room is often several days to a week. Plaster goes on in thin coats that have to dry between passes, so we give a range and a start date, never a promised finish date. Your estimate lists the days on site.

What happens at a sample-board visit?

Ariadna or Estefania comes when the room is in use, looks at the light and the wall, and lays finished boards against your floor and trim. You pick up to three to be remade in your colors and left with you.

What does a written estimate state?

Each wall and its size, the repairs we expect, the finish and the number of coats, the colors, the days on site, the payment schedule and what is not included. The How pricing works page shows a good one next to a vague one.

My house was built before 1978. Does that change anything?

The EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting rule applies to paid work that disturbs paint in homes and child-occupied buildings built before 1978. Old plaster walls often have layers of paint under them. Tell us when your house was built. The firm's certification number is in the footer, and we follow the rule's steps on those homes.

Does the Tucson summer change how you work?

Yes. Plaster and limewash dry fast in dry heat and can cure unevenly, so from June to September the crew starts at 5:30 a.m. and keeps the room cooler. During the monsoon, humid days slow drying and we move the schedule.

Who on the crew speaks Spanish?

Ariadna, Florencio, Azucena, Estefania and Macario speak Spanish and English. Alana writes and speaks English. Tell us your language at the first call.

Book a board visit