Tricks for Choosing the Perfect White Paint Color

 How to Choose the Right White Paint Color

White Dove    Benjamin Moore

 

Hi there Remodelaholics,  It’s Cyndy from The Creativity Exchange, back with this month’s paint color palette.

Today I wanted to share my tricks for easily choosing white paint colors.  Choosing whites are the hardest colors to choose for trim, walls and cabinets because of the sneaky undertones that always pop up in different lighting situations.  What looks like a safe bright white on a paint chip card can look dirty white or even cream in artificial lighting.  I have a really easy trick to safely and quickly zone in on just the right shade of white instantly.

**today’s post has the name and brand of the paint color directly below each image. The featured images are  colors from today’s color palette **

Atrium White by Benjamin Moore

 

As you look at today’s color palette above, while they may not look like they are true whites, they are.  What you are seeing are the pure undertones because the white part fades into the background.  All of these colors on a wall would look white but when we look at the colors this way, we seen those dangerous undertones crystal clear!

For example, if you look at this room below, the white walls look pure white:

Paper White by Benjamin Moore

 

But as you look back at today’s palette, where you can see even the slightest undertones, you’ll see that the actual color “Paper White”, is one of the darkest and grayest of the whites in today’s palette (bottom row-center):

 

For this reason, I only choose whites online rather than looking at fan decks.  Whites are the only color where looking online is so much better than looking at a paint card.  You can instantly spot the undertone so much quicker and see even the slightest variations in color better.

Both Benjamin Moore and Sherwin-Williams have their websites set up where you can explore specific colors (like whites) together.  As you can see below, you can instantly spot and zone in on undertones this way:

Here is Benjamin Moore’s page on all their white colors.  Look at how quickly you can zone right in on a specific undertone in a white:

 

Here is Sherwin-Williams’ page of whites:

 

These online color cards are the greatest of resources when you are looking for a white with a certain undertone but as you look at these colors all at one time like this, you can see just how dangerous whites can be!  You don’t see these slight undertone variations on paint color cards as much as you do online.  If you’re not careful, you can unknowingly choose a white with a strong undertone that you won’t see until you get it up on a wall or worse, when you paint all your kitchen cabinets in that color!

How you choose what white undertone you want in your white is purely subjective.  My little trick is that I always play it safe and lean to whites with the most subtle gray/green undertones because of the way these whites look at night.  For example, the Benjamin Moore white color called “Frostine”, has a very subtle gray green undertone and I found a night shot of a space painted in Frostine to show you how it looks dark with artificial light:

Frostine by Benjamin Moore

Notice how this white still looks white in these bad lighting conditions.  If you have an undertone of subtle yellow, this space would look cream at night instead of white.  Or worse, pink subtle undertones would look peachy at night.

Here is another example of Frostine in bad bathroom lighting conditions at night.  Notice how the color still looks like the perfect white:

Frostine by Benjamin Moore

 

If you want to play it as safe as possible, choose a white that has basically no subtle undertone at all.  There are very few of these whites and while all colors have an undertone, whites like Decorator White by Benjamin Moore have the subtlest of undertones.  This is why Decorator White is one of the most popular whites consistently used by builders and designers

Decorator White by Benjamin Moore

 

Extra White by Sherwin Williams is another popular white with very little subtle undertones as used in this space below on the trim:

Extra White by Sherwin Williams

 

If you’re looking for a transitional white (balance of warm and cool tones), Simply White by Benjamin Moore is one of the best:

Cabinets and Trim are Simply White by Benjamin Moore (Wall color is Revere Pewter)

So as you can see, it’s so much easier and faster choosing whites online rather than on a paint color chip/card because you can see the undertones instantly.  As with any paint color you’re considering, it’s so important to paint a sample board of your prospective white color! The bigger, the better and consider painting a poster board and keep your eye on it throughout the day and especially in the evening when you turn on your lights!

For more paint color inspiration, you can check out all of my color palettes on my blog at The Creativity Exchange.  If you are looking for more examples of rooms painted in specific colors, you can check out my Pick a Paint Color Board on Pinterest here, where I have more than 400 paint colors pinned.

 

Cheers!

Cyndy

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Don’t forget to check out the other color palettes that Cyndy has put together for us:

Best-Selling Paint Colors

Best Bathroom Paint Colors

Cabinet Paint Color Trends

Tips for Choosing Bold and Bright Paint Colors

An Easy Paint Color Strategy for the Whole Home

Transitional Paint Colors for Balanced Warm/Cool

2014 Paint Color Trends