The construction of Cliff Palace was a herculean effort, most of which occurred in the 20 years between 1260–1280 CE. The basic raw materials —pieces of Cliff House Sandstone and the mortar ingredients—were abundant and available. Many of the building stones were shaped by hand, using harder quartzite hammer stones. Water had to be hauled in and mixed with sand, clay, and ash to make mortar. Gaps in the mortar were chinked with smaller stones. A thin coating of plaster, requiring more water, was then spread over many of the rock walls, inside and out. Although much has eroded away, some original plaster is still visible, with finger impressions where it was carefully smoothed on by hand. Sometimes plasters were colored: red, yellow, and white.