Quick Guide to The Best Sherwin Williams White Paint Colors in 2023
Looking for the perfect Sherwin Williams white paint color of 2023 for your home? I’ve got the details on each famous white paint and how to choose the right color.
Often times I get asked, “What is the best white paint color for my house?” And the short answer is, it depends on many factors including the direction the room faces, natural light, how and when you use the room, and what the other elements of the room are.
But, we’re going to address all of that and leave you with a list of great Sherwin Williams white paint colors to try out in your space. And it will be based on whether you like cool or warm colors and which undertones best work with what element’s you already have.
Sherwin Williams White paint cheat sheet
Here are the best white paint colors to use as a starting point for your white paint selection:
- Pure White
- Snowbound
- Eider White
- Alabaster
- Greek Villa
- White Flour
- Shoji White
- Ceiling White (ceilings only)
If you want to see examples and really learn how to choose the best color white for your space, keep reading.
QUICK GUIDE STEPS TO CHOOSING THE RIGHT WHITE
- Understand Undertones
- Create a room plan
- Narrow it down
- Test samples
- Consider the paint in it’s lighting
1. UNDERTONES
Firstly, undertones will play a huge role in this. So what is an undertone?
Mass tone vs. undertone. Whenever a color is made by mixing two or more colors together, that color will have both a mass tone and an undertone. The mass tone is what you see first; it’s what tells you the color is red, blue, green. The closer the undertone is to the mass tone, the truer the color. So a true red will have a mass tone and undertone that are very similar, but magenta will have a blue undertone, while poppy will have an orange undertone.
– via Sherwin-Williams.com
UNDERTONES & COMPARISON
We use undertones to talk about color in comparison to other colors. Either it is cooler/warmer than or cleaner/muddier then the item of comparison. And it will lean towards the undertone color.
Let me give you an example of the undertones and three white paints in comparison to one another.
- SW Ice Cube is cooler (blue undertone) and cleaner (purer/closer to mass tone of white) than SW Pearly White (see above).
- SW Pearly White is warmer than Ice Cube and has pink/peachy undertone.
- SW Dover White has a warm, creamy yellow undertone and is also dirtier than SW Ice Cube.
- If you were to paint Ice Cube and Pearly White walls side by side in a room (perhaps trim and wall color), the room would look off because the undertones do not mix well.
- i.e. the blue gray and pink peach undertones don’t play well together.
HOW TO IDENTIFY THE UNDERTONE
The easiest way to identify a color’s undertone is to compare it to a true white and also compare it to a primary color.
Once it is paired with a blue, red, or yellow, you will likely be able to pick out the color towards which it leans.
So, before you start painting an entire room with a color from this list, you’ll want to consider a few things about your existing elements.
This will prevent you from having a mismatched undertone problem. You should also ALWAYS paint large sample boards before committing to a color.
2. ROOM PLAN
Before you start painting, you should have a basic room plan together that includes any fabric, wallpaper, flooring or tile that you need to consider when choosing a paint color.
CABINETS– when choosing a cabinet paint color, you really need to have all of the samples: countertop, floor, hardware, tile all together to be able to choose the best white paint for the space.
- Create a room plan
- Take note of existing elements
- Assess the tones of furniture/fabric
- Consider lighting
Identify EXISTING ELEMENT UNDERTONES
Once you have a room plan in place, you should note the things that you cannot change. This list should include hard elements that will not be removed from the room, that you have to work around.
Some examples are the fireplace, floors, cabinets, trim, countertops, window sashes.
For each of these things you should identify the element’s undertone. Make a list of each item and write the undertone beside it.
The list should looks something like this:
- stone fireplace – green gray undertone
- built in cabinets – beige undertone
- wood flooring – orange undertone
- trim – beige undertone
UNDERTONE RECAP
- Avoid pink undertones paired with yellow or orange. A pink undertone should be paired with green, gray or blue undertones
- Avoid orange undertones with pink. Pair orange undertones with yellow, gold, taupe or green-gray undertones
- Yellow undertone- avoid a pink undertone pairing. Pair with gold, orange, green-gray
- Green, blue and purple beige or gray undertones- work well with most neutral colors
- The big takeaway is if you have a pink undertone in a fixed element (counter, trim, floor), work carefully with the colors you choose to pair with it.
- Pink does not play well with other warm undertones.
ASSESS FURNITURE & LIGHTING
Along the same lines consider what furniture you already have and will be using- rugs, drapery, sofa fabrics etc.
Lighting sources will affect how we see the color of paint on the wall.
Your lights should be part of your overall plan, as well as the lightbulbs you use in them. Aim for LED temperature 2700 – 3000K for a soft, natural looking light.
3. NARROW IT DOWN
Now you should take a look back at the fixed elements list and furnishings tones.
If you have primarily warm undertones in those fixed elements, you should choose a warm white.
A cool white would look cleaner and make the fixtures look “muddy” or not as crisp.
What if you have both? If you have both cool and warm undertones in the fixed elements you should mask them.
Is the floor an orange undertone? Cover it with a large natural rug. And if you have a brick fireplace or built in bookcases, consider painting those the same as the trim or wall color as well.
The less variance in competing undertones the better, the colors will work together rather than making the one color stand out as wrong.
4. test PAINT SAMPLES
Most importantly, before deciding on a color, you paint sample boards or use Samplize like I do.
Hang them on the wall and observe them throughout the day. Place the boards in a corner or next to a door frame to see the shadows cast on the color.
Look at those colors in different light throughout the day and evening, with no lights on, with lamps, with recessed to determine if the colors are still pleasing.
2023 GUIDE TO SHERWIN WILLIAMS WHITE PAINT
You’ve made it to the color selection process! Give yourself a pat on the back. So I want to give you the best Sherwin Williams white paint colors to start working with.
Here are the best white paint colors to use as a starting point for your white paint selection:
- Pure White
- Snowbound
- Eider White
- Alabaster
- Greek Villa
- White Flour
- Shoji White
- Ceiling White (ceilings only)
Are you ready to talk about the specific undertones and some color properties of each of these SW white paints that made the list? Let’s get to white paint talk.
SHERWIN WILLIAMS PURE WHITE
Is a great neutral that isn’t too warm or cool. It has the slightest bit of color to it so that it is a good stark white, but not a strong blue, yellow or beige undertone. It looks great on trim & built-ins in a semi or high gloss finish.
SHERWIN WILLIAMS GREEK VILLA
I am adding Sherwin William Greek Villa to the list of Best White Paint Colors. I recently used this color in a my latest projects and I have to say it is hands down a winner.
If you love that other brand (BM) famous white paint color, this a close comparison. Greek Villa is slightly warm. It doesn’t look cold, even in hallways and shady corners.
You can feel the warm of this white paint color, like a hug of warm white flooding all around you. I will note that depending on the ceiling color and natural lighting it can look yellower that the ceiling white. But that is to be expected.
To avoid any yellow tones, paint the ceiling the same color or a slightly warmer color than ceiling white.
SHERWIN WILLIAMS WHITE FLOUR
Sherwin Williams White Flour is taking the world be storm. It’s slightly warm and doesn’t have a strong yellow or blue undertone. You could say it has the slightest pink undertone.
So if your hard fixtures have pink undertones, it may pull pink. That means it will look pinkish on the wall, but that could work to your advantage with those warm fixtures of the room.
If you are looking for a subtle white paint with depth and warmth, try White Flour. You won’t be disappointed.
SHERWIN WILLIAMS CEILING WHITE
I’ve included Ceiling White in the list because if you are going to paint the walls white, you should probably also paint the ceiling a bright white.
But, I will put a huge caveat on this, if you are painting the walls a saturated color, you should also paint the ceiling the same color, not white. So make your ceilings bright with white walls, but paint them as the 5th wall if you plan to wallpaper or paint the walls another color.
SHERWIN WILLIAMS SNOWBOUND WHITE
Snowbound on its own looks slightly gray, but when compared to warm whites, it shows its cool color. Once it’s on the wall, there is hardly an undertone, but you can feel the crispness of the color.
If you have a very open room, without much wall decor, it can feel sterile, so use this color carefully. I used Snowbound in a hallway and it looks cool, but not blue.
SHERWIN WILLIAMS ALABASTER
You have probably heard the name Alabaster by now. If I had to guess, it is the number one selling SW paint other than ceiling white.
It has trended quickly for a modern white for trim and wall paint alike. It works wonderfully in rooms lit with natural light, giving them a sun filled feel.
**While it looks warm on the swatch, I found it to be too white for our living room. So test out a sample and make sure it doesn’t read cold. If you are looking for a warmer white, opt for SW Greek Villa.
SHERWIN WILLIAMS DOVER WHITE
Dover White has a definite yellow undertone. It is much warmer when compared to Snowbound or Alabaster. If you are looking for a warm white, without going full on yellow, this is your color.
It’s going to be alright for walls in rooms with great lighting, but don’t use it on trim. It will look “dirtier” and yellower compared to bright white ceilings and doors.
SHERWIN WILLIAMS WHITE DUCK
Staying with the warm whites, White Duck has a slight beige to it. It looks great with wood tone floors and natural stone elements.
That’s the roundup for the top 12 Sherwin Williams white paints. In the end it’s going to come down to personal preference for favorite white in your space. While there are sometimes colors that look “wrong”, there is also more than one color that will look right.
SAMPLE Paint colors to WIN
TEST PAINT COLORS
I ALWAYS recommend testing large swatches of your paint colors before committing to the entire house. It’s an expensive mistake that you don’t want to make, so I recommend using Samplize peel and stick swatches to test out your favorites.
Spending $25 on paint samples is always cheaper that a kitchen full of cabinets you hate and a heartache you can’t afford to fix.
- Delivered overnight so you can make those pressing decisions in a crunch
- Crazy accurate color from my favorite paint vendors like BM, SW & Farrow & Ball
- No painting, no mess, no clean up!
- Peel and stick (and come off clean)
- Or don’t peel off the back and use over and over again!
So, don’t forget to test your paint colors!!
The colors you see in other people’s homes won’t look the same in your home. Often times, photos are edited, lightened or color corrected.
Don’t rely solely on photos to make your decision- trust the process and sample the paint.
*Expert Advice*
White Paint FAQ’s
Two words. Sample Boards. The best way to figure out what your favorite paint color is will be to paint a huge poster board and hang it on the wall. Monitor it in different light until you find your favorite.
Semi gloss & high gloss is great for trim and built-ins. Painting the baseboards and cabinetry the same sheen will give the room a high style look.
Ceilings should be painted flat.
For walls you can opt for a premium flat if you don’t want any sheen or a satin for a scrubbable- high durability wall paint.
Cabinets- Satin or high gloss depending on the room.
RECAP OF BEST Sherwin Williams white paint colors
These are the best White Paint Colors from Sherwin Williams for 2023 As always, make sure you sample the color in different lighting conditions throughout the day so that you pick the color that works best in your home.
- Greek Villa
- Pure White
- Extra White
- Ceiling White
- Snowbound
- Ice Cube
- Pearly White
- Alabaster
- White Flour
- Dover White
- Toque White
- White Duck
- Oyster White
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I love the sherwin williams white paint colors in 2023! They are so fresh and modern.