A Fan Deck is a physical color reference tool — the Earthaus Fan Deck contains swatches of all 54 Earthaus mineral pigment colors, and it's the recommended starting point for color selection. You can order it directly from the Earthaus website.
Why Use a Fan Deck?
Digital screens — phones, tablets, monitors — use backlit RGB pixels that cannot reproduce how mineral pigments look in a lime finish. The colors you see online will always differ from the real thing. The Fan Deck gives you an accurate, physical reference you can hold up in your space, view under different lighting, and compare against surrounding materials.
What's in the Fan Deck?
The Fan Deck is a standard fan deck — the same format a paint company uses, with printed paper swatches of all 54 colors in the Earthaus palette fanned out for easy browsing and comparison. The printed swatches are color-matched to actual Stone Finish plaster samples, so Stone is the baseline the swatches represent. (The swatches are printed on paper, not made of plaster — to see and feel a real plaster finish, order a Sample Board.)
How to Use the Fan Deck for Each Finish
Because the Fan Deck swatches are matched to Stone Finish, how closely they represent your final color depends on which finish you're using:
Stone Finish: The Fan Deck closely represents Stone Finish colors, since the swatches are matched to Stone. This is the most accurate match. If you burnish your Stone Finish, expect slightly deeper color.
Sand Finish, Base, Lime Slurry & Lime Stucco: Colors closely match the Fan Deck. These finishes are unsealed and matte by default. Applying a sealer will bring the color slightly closer to the Fan Deck representation.
Tadelakt Finish: Mid-range and darker colors will be slightly darker than the Fan Deck. Tadelakt is burnished with Olive Oil Soap Sealer, which deepens color saturation. Lighter whites and off-whites are less affected.
Marble Finish: Mid-range and darker colors will be slightly darker than the Fan Deck, with more movement and tonal variation. Marble is burnished like Tadelakt, and the multi-coat application creates more pronounced visual variation.
Limewash Finish: Colors will be brighter and more pastel than the Fan Deck. Limewash is pure lime without pumice, making the base brighter and more light-refractive. Lighter hues may appear washed out in bright lighting. See the Limewash Palette for available colors.
For the full breakdown, see "Do Colors Look the Same Across Different Finishes?"
How to Order a Fan Deck
Order the Fan Deck directly from the Earthaus Fan Deck product page. Fan Decks ship from Duluth, Minnesota.
Fan Deck vs. Samples
The Fan Deck and Handmade Sample Boards serve different purposes:
Fan Deck: Best for browsing the full palette, narrowing down to 2–4 colors, and getting a general sense of hue and tone. One purchase covers all 54 colors.
Sample Boards: Best for evaluating a specific color in your chosen finish. Shows the actual texture, sheen, and depth of the finished plaster. Essential for finishes that differ from the Fan Deck (especially Tadelakt, Marble, and Limewash).
Recommended approach: Start with the Fan Deck to narrow your selection, then order Sample Boards in your chosen finish for your top 2–4 colors. See "How Do I Choose the Right Color for My Project?" for the full process.
Important Notes
The Fan Deck is a color reference tool, not a representation of finish texture. To see and feel the actual finish, order a Sample Board or Sample Kit.
Fan Deck swatches are small. Large wall areas of the same color may appear more saturated than the swatch due to the way our eyes perceive color at different scales.
Store your Fan Deck away from direct sunlight to preserve swatch accuracy over time.
For Fan Deck questions, email [email protected] or text 1-800-917-2414.