How to Pick the Perfect White Wall Paint Color

Who knew how hard it would be to pick the perfect white wall paint color?! When I decided to change from the builder white to a different tone white I found out real quick. So, I thought this would be the perfect post to share with y’all what process I went through to pick what I think, is the PERFECT WHITE wall paint color!!

Also…..am I the only one that says y’all and not from the south? 🤪

Ok, let’s get to it the first thing I did was head over to Google, and search what the best white color is. I was able to narrow it down to 10ish colors. From there, I had to start researching what the underline tone was in each color. I knew I didn’t want a warm white or too cool, I wanted something right in the middle.

How to find the undertone in your white paint color

Step 1.

In my opinion, the first thing to do is decide if you want a warm, or cool tone. From there you’ll be able to do a process of elimination and narrow down your colors.

Going with a warm-toned white you’ll want undertones of pink, orange, red, and or yellow.

If you would like a cool-toned white you’ll want your undertones to have blue, purple, and or green.

In my search, I found that Super White by Benjamin Moore has no undertones. This could be an option if you’re looking for no undertones. The same goes for Sherwin-Williams Extra White it’s a true white without any warm or cool undertones.

Step 2

The next step once you have your potential choices is easy, you’re going to Google each color individually and you’ll find the undertone of the color. Some other important information you’ll find is a small description and the LRV number. We’ll talk about what LRV is in a little bit, and why it’s important.

Once I had done these first few steps I was able to narrow it down to 6 white colors that I thought could be the one!

The 6 white color samples I chose

• Sherwin Williams- Extra White
• Sherwin Wiliams- Ultra Pure White
• PPG- Delicate White
• Sherwin Williams- Snow Bound
• Benjamin Moore- White Dove
• Sherwin Williams- Pure White

I painted samples in 3 different areas of my house. Lighting can change how a color looks drastically, so I wanted to make sure I was able to view it in different lighting. Lighting includes actual lights and natural light that comes into the room through windows.

This picture is in my master bathroom and I was surprised how different the colors looked in here compared to my bedroom. I’m glad I did though because it helped me narrow it down even more. I was left with the three colors below to decide on.

• Pure White
• Extra White
• Delicate White

What is LRV – Light Reflectance Value

The easiest explanation to understand what Light Reflectance Value is is how light or dark a paint color will look on a scale of 0 (black) to 100 (white). So, the higher the number the lighter the color is. Knowing this along with how much light the room gets can affect how the color will look, and reflect.

Have you ever painted a room and once you’re done the color looks much darker? Knowing these things will help you in the picking process.

To learn a little more about LRV head over here.

Tips for picking the perfect white color

• Decide if you want cool, or warm undertones
• What kind of lighting comes into the room, take this into account
• Pick high quality paint (I recommend Sherwin Williams or Behr) (Eggshell is my go to finish)
• Pick at least 4-6 different samples
• Paint samples in diffent areas of the home for different lighting sampling
• Narrow down to 2 colors and paint a larger area of both to make your final choice

The perfect white color I ended up choosing

Before we get to the color I picked I have a few more things I need to mention. I’m very picky over the paint I use I love Behr for a few reasons.

1. The quality is great
2. It applys really well
3. The price is mid range

Once I had decided on the color Pure White I went to Homedepot to have a sample made. During my research, I read that all paint colors will be slightly different in different paint brands.

I don’t have pictures and I’m sad that I don’t to show you what the difference was 😭. I sampled a large area in my living room with both colors side by side. Pure White by Sherwin Williams and Pure White color matched in Behr paint. There was a clear difference in how the two looked. The Sherwin Williams color appeared much cooler than the Behr sample.

Ultimately I liked the Behr sample better, go figure, which worked out for me because that’s the paint I always use. Sherwin Williams paint is great and quality, but in my opinion, it can be very expensive and I feel Behrs quality is comparable for quite a bit less.

We would be repainting the entire house including ceilings so, the price was a factor. Regardless I would have still gone with Behr. Here is a picture of the color we used. Just in case you’d like to use it!

OMG, can you say yellow

It’s crazy how yellow the builder white looked once we started painting the new color!! 😳 Overall the original color didn’t look yellow just on the warmer side, so seeing it against the white we chose was shocking.

It’s painting day!!

I’m the painter in the house, but I wasn’t tackling this height or the ceilings. Lol, so we hired a neighbor who has his own painting business to do the job for us. This was an exciting day, and he did an AMAZING job!!

I hope this was helpful to you if you’re struggling to find the perfect color. I’d love for you to share below what your favorite white color is if you have one!!