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If you've started looking at limewash or plaster, you've probably seen three California names come up again and again: Meoded, Portola and Vasari. All three make real lime and mineral finishes. All three are made in Southern California. And all three can look beautiful or disappointing depending on who applies them and on what wall.
We apply these finishes every week across Orange County, and our founder is a Meoded certified applicator. Here's how the three brands compare from the trowel side, not the marketing side.
The short version
Meoded
- Made in: Los Angeles
- Known for: Venetian plaster, limewash, metallics
- Limewash: Authentic Lime Wash
- Clay: Moroccan Clay
- Venetian plaster: Stucco Lamundo (polished), Marmorino Tintoretto (matte)
- Metallic and sparkle: Sapphire Metallic, Sahara Effect
- Color matching: Can be tinted to almost any color
- Best for: Polished plaster, metallics, custom colors
Portola
- Made in: Los Angeles
- Known for: Roman clay and limewash colors
- Limewash: Lime Wash, 61 standard colors
- Clay: Roman Clay, 66 standard colors
- Venetian plaster: Not their focus
- Metallic and sparkle: Limited
- Color matching: Standard palette plus matches
- Best for: Designer limewash and clay colors
Vasari
- Made in: Ventura
- Known for: Lime plasters and shower systems
- Limewash: Lime Wash, used as a topcoat over plaster
- Clay: Lime based plasters instead
- Venetian plaster: Veneziano, Marmorino, Carrera
- Metallic and sparkle: Not their focus
- Color matching: 60 colors plus custom
- Best for: Marmorino and plaster in wet areas
Meoded: what we use most
Meoded was founded in 2002 and makes its finishes in Los Angeles. The range covers the full spectrum of decorative finishes: lime wash, Moroccan clay, two Venetian plasters, metallic paints and textured effects.
Why we choose it:
- Depth of finish. In our experience, Meoded limewash and plaster give more movement and depth on the wall than the other two.
- Color freedom. Meoded can be tinted to almost any color, including Benjamin Moore colors. When a designer hands us a paint code, we can match it.
- One system for everything. Limewash in the living room, polished plaster in the powder room and a metallic ceiling can all come from the same family of products.
The Meoded finishes we apply:
- Authentic Lime Wash: brushed in two cross hatched coats for the soft, cloudy look. Works inside and out. See our limewash work.
- Moroccan Clay: a natural clay plaster with a matte, mottled finish. Our go to for a quiet suede wall. See Roman clay and clay finishes.
- Marmorino Tintoretto: a lime and marble dust plaster with a matte to low sheen finish, troweled on.
- Stucco Lamundo: the polished one. Lime and marble, burnished to a glossy, stone like sheen. This is classic Venetian plaster in Orange County.
Read more: Meoded Venetian plaster and lime wash guide.
Portola: designer favorite for color
Portola is a Los Angeles paint company that hand blends its colors in small batches. Designers love its palettes, and its Roman Clay and Lime Wash are among the best known names in the category.
Where it shines:
- A large, curated color library: 66 Roman Clay colors and 61 Lime Wash colors.
- Easy to specify. Designers often already have a Portola fan deck.
What to know:
- Roman Clay is interior only and needs a very smooth wall, ideally Level 5 drywall, to look its best.
- In our hands the limewash runs thinner than Meoded, so it can take more coats to reach the same depth. That's a working preference, not a flaw, and plenty of applicators love it.
If your designer has specified Portola, we're happy to apply it. We'll just tell you upfront if we think a different product will give the wall the depth you're expecting. Read more: Portola Roman Clay and Lime Wash guide.
Vasari: the plaster specialist
Vasari makes its products in its own factory in Ventura. Everything is built on slaked lime and powdered marble.
Where it shines:
- Plaster range. Veneziano for smooth, polishable plaster; Marmorino with crushed marble sand for a thicker, honed or textured finish; and Carrera.
- Showers and wet areas. Vasari has a dedicated shower system that bonds over a waterproof membrane, plus waxes and sealers. It's a strong option for plaster in bathrooms.
- Zero VOC lime products with 60 standard colors and custom matching.
What to know:
- Vasari's limewash is mainly used as a translucent topcoat over its plasters, not as the main brushed finish on drywall.
We use Vasari as our alternative when a project calls for it, especially plaster in a shower. Read more: Vasari plaster guide.
Metallic and sparkle finishes
Not every statement wall has to be matte. Metallic finishes catch the light and change color as you walk past, which makes them perfect for a ceiling, a powder room, a niche or a single wall behind a bar.
Meoded's Sapphire Metallic is a metallic decorative paint in 18 colors, from White Pearl and Crown Gold to Deep Brown and Sea Blue. The shimmer shifts with the light and the viewing angle, and it's sealed with a clear coat to protect it.
For more texture, Meoded's Sahara Effect adds glass beads to Sapphire Metallic. The beads give a fine, sand like texture with sparkle that catches light across the wall. It's bold, so we recommend it for one surface, not a whole room.
Metallics are applied with the same care as our other finishes. Ask about metallic and Venetian plaster finishes.
So which brand should you choose?
Honestly, the applicator matters more than the brand. A great limewash applied over the wrong primer, or a Venetian plaster on an uneven wall, will disappoint no matter whose name is on the bucket.
Our rule is simple:
- Limewash and clay on interior walls: Meoded, unless your designer has a Portola color in mind.
- Polished Venetian plaster and metallics: Meoded.
- Plaster in showers and wet areas: Vasari's shower system.
Work with a Meoded certified applicator in Orange County
Our founder is a Meoded certified applicator and holds France's national credential in decorative finishes. He specifies every finish and inspects the finished wall. Our crew is trained to his method.
Book a walkthrough and we'll help you choose the right finish for your walls.
Related: Venetian plaster in Orange County · Limewash painters in Orange County · Roman clay walls · Limewash vs Venetian plaster
