Whether you can match an existing color on your wall depends on what you're matching and how precise the match needs to be.
Matching a Paint Color
If you're trying to match a Sherwin Williams paint color, Earthaus offers a Custom Color service. Our colorist will formulate a mineral pigment blend to approximate the target color, and you'll receive a 6" × 6" handmade sample board to evaluate before ordering pigment packs for your project.
Custom Colors are available for plaster finishes only — Tadelakt, Marble, Stone, Sand, and Base. Not available for Limewash or Lime Slurry.
See "Can I Get a Custom Color?" for the full process and pricing details.
Matching a Non-Sherwin Williams Color
If your reference color is from Benjamin Moore, Farrow & Ball, or another brand, find the closest Sherwin Williams equivalent using their ColorSnap color tools and submit that color code with your Custom Color order.
Matching an Existing Earthaus Plaster Wall
If you need to match a wall that was previously finished with Earthaus plaster:
If you know the original color name, simply order the same Mineral Pigment Pack and finish. Keep in mind that slight batch-to-batch variation is normal with natural mineral pigments.
If you don't know the original color, email [email protected] with photos of the existing wall (in natural light) and any order history you can provide. We can help identify the color.
Matching an Earthaus Install in Another Room
A common scenario: you finished one room in an Earthaus color and now want a second room (or an adjacent wall) to match. The same principles apply as matching any existing Earthaus wall:
Order the same color and the same finish. Use the same Mineral Pigment Pack color and finish system as the original room. The same pigment in a different finish will not read the same — see "Do Colors Look the Same Across Different Finishes?"
Expect slight batch-to-batch variation. Natural mineral pigments vary slightly between batches — this is normal and part of the handcrafted character of the material.
Expect lighting differences between rooms. The same Earthaus color can read warmer, cooler, lighter, or darker in a different room — north-facing vs. south-facing light, window size, and artificial lighting all shift how the color appears. Two rooms in the identical color may not look identical side by side.
If you don't know what color was used, contact support with photos in natural light and any order history, and we'll help identify it.
Want certainty before committing? Order a Handmade Sample Board in the same color and finish and compare it against your existing wall in your own lighting before ordering materials for the full room.
Why Exact Matches Aren't Guaranteed
There are fundamental reasons why color matching with Earthaus plaster is approximate, not exact:
Mineral pigments are not synthetic colorants. Paint companies use synthetic universal colorants that can be precisely measured by machine to produce identical results every time. Earthaus uses pure mineral pigments — naturally sourced iron oxides, umbers, ochres, and other earth minerals. These create beautiful, organic colors, but they cannot be tuned to match a synthetic color system with pixel-level accuracy.
Lime plaster is not paint. Even if the pigment were identical, lime plaster has depth, texture, and light-refractive properties that flat paint does not. The same color pigment in a matte acrylic paint vs. a burnished Tadelakt surface will look fundamentally different.
Finish affects color. The same pigment appears darker in Tadelakt and Marble (due to burnishing), true-to-Fan-Deck in Stone, and more pastel in Limewash.
Lighting changes everything. Mineral pigments interact with light differently than synthetic paints. The same Earthaus color can look warm in morning light, neutral at midday, and cool under LED lighting in the evening.
What to Expect from a Custom Color Match
The Custom Color process will produce a color that is close in hue and tone to your Sherwin Williams reference, but it will have the natural character of a mineral pigment in a lime finish — including depth, subtle variation, and light responsiveness that flat paint doesn't have.
This is a feature, not a limitation. Most customers who order Custom Colors find that the mineral pigment version has more richness and life than the original paint reference.
The handmade sample board included with every Custom Color order exists specifically so you can evaluate the result in your space before committing.
Matching a Color from a Photo or Physical Object
Earthaus does not currently offer color matching from photos, fabric swatches, or physical objects. The most reliable path is to:
Visit a Sherwin Williams store and find the closest paint chip match to your reference.
Submit that Sherwin Williams color code as a Custom Color order.
Evaluate the handmade sample board before ordering for your project.
Still Not Sure?
Before ordering a Custom Color, check the Earthaus 54-Color Palette — you may find a standard color that works. You can order Handmade Sample Boards of any standard color for $25 each to compare against your reference.
For help with color matching, email [email protected] or text 1-800-917-2414.