Tips For Picking White Paint Colors

If you’ve ever found yourself standing in the middle of the paint store staring at the paint samples, you understand the daunting task of picking out white paint. You think you want white walls but then you realize there are approximately 923 shades of white! It’s so overwhelming and trying to pick just the right shade can be an exercise in trial & error. But here are a few tips that might make the task a little easier next time!

Tips For Picking White Paint Colors

This post is sponsored by Spectrum Paint. This chain of paint stores is your one-stop shop for paint supplies and several paint & stain brands. All thoughts & images are my own. As always, I’m grateful for companies that support this blog.

Warm or Cool Whites

One of the biggest struggles with white paint is how it looks when it’s dry in various lights. Rarely does it accurately match the paint swatch. One of the reasons for variations is that some whites are “warm whites” while other white paints are “cool whites.”

Warm Whites

What determines if a white paint color is warm or cool are its undertones. Warm whites often have yellow undertones often making the paint color appear more beige than white.

Cool Whites

I tend to lean more towards cool whites because they offer a crisp, white finish. Cool whites often have blue undertones and give a pure white effect usually.

Know Your Accent Colors

Knowing what colors you plan to pair with the white paint colors will help you to determine if you should pick a warm or cool white. For example, I knew I wanted white walls in the Garage Airbnb and accent with natural woods and black. I needed to find a white that would pair with warm wood colors and black. Since the white would also be in the bathroom near the subway tile, I didn’t want a warm white as it would clash with the bright white tile.

I chose Benjamin Moore’s Chantilly Lace. One of the cool features on Benjamin Moore’s website is to see what colors are already designed to pair well with that shade. Black, specifically Wrought Iron, is one of the colors that will enhance the pure white of Chantilly Lace. You may remember that I chose Chantilly Lace as the cabinet color in Flip 5’s kitchen too! It’s one of my favorites!

Search By Color Family

Both PPG & Benjamin Moore’s website have specific searchable color families. You can select any color and search by warm or cool colors. For example, the whites are arranged from warm white to cool white.

Use A Color Visualizer

Thanks to the digital age, you don’t have to commit to a gallon of paint and hope it’s the right shade. Instead, many paint brands, including PPG & Benjamin Moore, have color visualizers. These allow you to virtually paint a room or cabinets in the desired paint color to see the effect before committing to a paint color.

When you’re ready to commit to the right paint color, visit Spectrum Paint. Your local Spectrum has experienced & knowledgeable employees that only do paint…and they know it well!