Questions about hand finishes and the visit

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.

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.

Your written estimate says whether boards carry a charge and whether it is credited toward the job. Ask at the first call and we will tell you before we make any.

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.

Repairs we find only once a wall is opened, extra colors added after boards are chosen, trim and ceilings that aren't on the list, and moving heavy furniture. We write each of these down so you can ask us about it.

Often, after sanding and a primer made to hold the finish. Limewash needs a surface that can take it, so painted drywall gets a special primer first. The estimate says what your wall needs.

Most clients stay. Prep is dusty, so we mask doorways, cover floors and keep a vacuum running, and we close off the rooms we are in. Wet plaster has a mineral smell; we open windows when the weather lets us.

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.

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.

Usually, but a patch never matches a finished wall exactly. Limewash blends over a wider area; polished plaster is repaired a whole panel at a time. We tell you which at the end of the job.

We do, and the estimate lists the plaster, lime or glaze by type. Ask for the product data sheet for any of them and we will send it before you decide.

Interior finishes rarely do. Exterior limewash or a new color on a stucco wall often needs your HOA's approval, and we can supply a sample board and a photo for the request. Check with your HOA before booking exterior work.

The estimate shows the payment schedule: a deposit to hold the dates and order materials, a payment partway, and the balance when you have walked the finished walls with us.

Terms, limits and exclusions are in your written warranty, which comes with the estimate. Ask us to walk through it before you sign.

We can come close with a board, and we say so honestly: a hand finish changes the color you start from. You see the board in your own light before we begin.

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