Vendor Spotlight: Prestige Coatings & Color

Quick Answer: Prestige Coatings & Color is a husband-and-wife plastering company based in Durant, Iowa, run by Andrew and Melodie Thornton. Andrew learned the trade in England, where he studied plastering and fibrous plastering for three years at college in Doncaster, and he founded Prestige in 2019. They specialize in traditional lime plaster and historic plaster restoration, and they also handle interior plaster, ornamental work, Venetian plaster, stucco and EIFS. On the Brigham and Mary Ann Young Home in Nauvoo, Illinois, they installed the lime mortar and lime plaster finishes over the masonry we restored and the wings we rebuilt.

Most of what we do happens on the outside of a building. But on a lot of the old buildings we work on, the job isn't done when the masonry is. Somebody has to put the inside back together, and on a historic building, that somebody needs to know old plaster. For us, that's Andrew and Melodie.

Trained the Traditional Way

Andrew started plastering at 17 in England. He spent three years at college in Doncaster studying plastering and fibrous plastering, the cast and ornamental side of the trade, and finished with both written exams and practical assessments. That training covered the whole trade, from traditional historic methods and ornamental plasterwork to modern plaster systems.

In 2019 he started Prestige here in the Midwest and brought those traditional skills with him. Melodie began learning the trade from Andrew in 2020, and six years later she's a journeyman plasterer. The two of them are the core of the company, with one experienced plasterer who helps out when a job needs more hands. They work mostly in the Midwest, but Andrew says when a building has real historic or architectural value, they'll travel for it.

A small crew is part of the story. "Finding skilled tradespeople with genuine plastering knowledge is increasingly difficult, particularly when it comes to historical restoration," Andrew told us. "Traditional plastering requires an understanding of materials, specialized tools, and techniques that simply aren't widely taught anymore." We see the same thing in historic masonry, and it's a big reason we value the people who still do it right.

On the Brigham and Mary Ann Young Home

Over 2025 and 2026, TNT restored the original main house and rebuilt both wings of the Brigham and Mary Ann Young Home in Nauvoo, Illinois, for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, working with Westland Construction. Westland brought Prestige onto the project too.

Prestige installed traditional lime mortar and lime plaster finishes over that masonry. They also installed traditional wood lath on the ceilings, using the same methods craftsmen would have used when the house was first built. Andrew calls it one of their most rewarding recent projects.

"The work was physically demanding and required a considerable amount of care, patience, and craftsmanship," he said. "For us, it wasn't simply about completing another plastering project. It was about respecting the building's history and helping return it to its original architectural character."

Lime or Gypsum? It Starts With the Wall

When Andrew walks up to an old wall, he isn't thinking about the finish first. He's looking at the wall's structural condition, what the plaster is attached to, and what materials were used when it was built.

On historic masonry, that usually points to lime. Lime plaster is breathable, it lets moisture move through the wall, and it's compatible with the original materials. Gypsum plaster has its place too, but the right choice depends on the existing construction and what the restoration calls for. "It's all in the preparation," Andrew said. "Understanding how to approach each individual wall makes the entire plastering process more effective and produces a far better, longer-lasting result."

That's the same way we think about mortar. The new material has to work with the old building, not fight it.

Don't Tear Out Your Plaster Yet

We asked Andrew what he wishes every owner knew before they call about cracking or flaking plaster. His answer: you don't necessarily need to remove all of it.

"Original plaster is often far more valuable than people realize," he said. "It carries the craftsmanship, character, and history of the building, and in many cases, it can be successfully repaired and preserved."

He added: "Too often, historic plaster is removed and replaced with drywall when proper restoration could have saved it. Once original plasterwork is lost, a piece of the building's history goes with it."

There's one more piece to that. If your plaster is stained, bubbling or flaking, water is usually getting into the wall from outside. Fix the masonry, roof or windows first, give the wall time to dry, and then bring in a plasterer. We walk through that order in Water-Damaged Church Plaster? Fix the Outside First.

Where Masonry Meets Plaster, Stucco and EIFS

Masonry is rarely the only wall system on a building. Plaster, stucco and EIFS often sit right next to the brick and stone we work on, and when one needs attention, the other usually does too. That's where having a partner like Prestige matters.

• Plaster in old churches and historic buildings. Many older churches and historic buildings have plaster on the inside of their masonry walls. When water gets through the masonry, the plaster is usually where the damage shows up first. We fix the masonry, and Prestige restores the plaster.
• EIFS on more modern buildings. EIFS, short for exterior insulation and finish system, is a stucco-look cladding we run into mostly on newer buildings, often right alongside brick. Where the two meet, the sealant joints and flashing have to work together to keep water out. Prestige is Dryvit certified and handles EIFS installation and repair.
• Stucco from just about any era. We see stucco on buildings from almost every period. Repairing it well means matching both the material and the texture, so the patch disappears into the wall around it. Prestige does traditional Portland cement stucco along with its plaster work.

When a building has more than one of these, it helps to have trades who already know how to work together, and who understand that the outside and the inside of a wall are part of the same system.

Why We Like Working With Prestige

Our work and Prestige's often meet at the same wall. When we finish the masonry, we want a plasterer who respects the building as much as we do, and who will tell an owner the truth about what can be saved. That's Andrew and Melodie.

"Andrew is a great person to partner with," said Josh Smyser, owner of TNT. "On a lot of historic projects, masonry and lime plastering go hand in hand, so it's a real asset to have such a skilled plastering company right here in our area. We partnered with Prestige on EIFS repairs at West Marshall Elementary School, and we worked alongside them on the Brigham and Mary Ann Young Home, where we were both subcontractors under Westland Construction."

"Andrew has real skill in historic lime plastering, and he runs his business the right way," Josh said. "He puts quality first, and he treats people right. Those are the same values we hold at TNT, and that matters to us."

The respect goes both ways. "Their crews work together as a unit, and that same cooperative attitude extends to everyone involved on-site," Andrew said of TNT.

If your building has plaster, stucco or EIFS that needs attention, call Prestige. And if water is the problem, start with the outside. You can learn more about their work at prestigecoatingsandcolorllc.com.