Your favourite white paint
Mon, 14 Jan 2008
This post is a request for help. I think I want to paint the main floor of my new house all white (and one day hopefully the icky hardwood floors). Colours I will save for the bedrooms and bathrooms. But the living room, kitchen and office I think I'd like to keep white (and maybe the stairwell and upstairs hallway). My problem is I have never found a white I love. In my last house I used Ultra Pure White or whatever the base is for Behr paints. That was a tad too bright. Then I repainted my living room in Benjamin Moore's Cloud White, and I thought that was a bit too off-white. So if anyone out there has a white paint they swear by, please leave the name and brand in the comments. And if there's anyone who wants to come by and help paint.....
Reader Comments (35)
Good question. I liked Valspar's Atrium white, which was slightly cream colored, but this was in an old house so it looked like whitewashed plaster. I think they've changed the color since. Be interesting to read what everyone suggests.
Valspar? I'm just hoping there are some that are actually available here in good 'ol Canada. Whitewashed plaster sounds cool though!
If you have a Sherwin Williams near by, they can call one of the US stores (I use the one in Trenton, MI) and ask for the mix for Hart Off-White. It isn't bright, nor is it off white either. My builder recommended it - it was a custom mix for one of his clients. We have a new-old fashion house and it turned out just right. We mostly used it as trim and doors, but it really turned out well... Good luck!
I painted a few rooms in our apartment with Powered Snow from Behr, and I really like it. It's a nice clear white - not harsh or too bright/cool, but not a creamy off-white either. I've been very happy with it. It looks fantastic against the other colors in the apartment, and also works with the creamy color of our baseboards. I highly recommend it!
Thanks Sarah and Meghan! I can't remember if there's a Sherwin Williams here - must be.
My wife and I recently moved into a rental house that needed to be repainted badly. We ended up using a clay paint by BioShield. There clay white is great, it isn't stark white but definitely not off white. I think it is the perfect white, plus there are no fumes and the paint does not off gas. Check it out...
I always use Decorator's White from Benjamin Moore because it lacks hue as in there is no 'leaning' towards any color -- it's a very pure white and not a gray/white cream/white blue/white, etc. as so many others are.
:)
xo
Holly
Thanks j. dill, I'll check if Bioshield is available here. Holly, Decorator's White seems to be a popular one mentioned frequently by designers so that might be a good choice. Thanks!
RAL 9010 is a favorite among interior stylists as it is a pure white (but still warm). RAL is a universal color code used for paint and every paint shop should be able to mix this color.
I have used Decorator's White and liked it. Super White is another Benjamin Moore option that's *really* white. I have also used Sugar Cookie to very good effect; it is warm but has no black pigment (unlike, say, Linen White) so it reads whiter than you might think.
I painted most of my new house Benjamin Moore's "white." I painted swatches of several whites in a row and it's the one that seemed to have the fewest undertones of other colors. Plus, since it's pre-mixed, it's cheaper.
I love "Super white" by Benjamin Moore--we just painted our apartment with it-it is super bright and as white as it comes.
Oh, I love Benjamin Moore Moonlight White for walls, with Simply White for woodwork. It took me forever to find a white that looked like sunshine on plaster (I fell in love with that color while we were replastering our house, to the point that I almost didn't want to paint over the plaster!).
Anyway, Moonlight White is a warm white, but definitely NOT off-white. My doors and stairs and painted a cool purple-black, and there's no conflict at all between the colors. Anything seems to look right next to the Moonlight White (including brighter or duller shades of white).
It all depends on the light! I love Benjamin Moore Decorator's White and BM Cotton Balls on the walls but I also like Cloud White on my ceilings.
Thanks everyone for your suggestions!! Now how in the hell am I going to choose one?!?! :)
Behr Moon Rise
painted my whole kitchen and i adore it.
This is my 3rd house/renovation and despite being similar homes in the same city, colours I *loved* from the previous houses *did not work* in the new ones.
My best advice is to buy sample pots and large sheets of paper.
Paint these and blu-tak them up on the wall in large patches. Live with them a little. See them in the morning light, by the late lamp glow.
Recently, Porter's Paints caught up on me with this little idea, and since I no longer work for a paper company ... I will probably employ this system for my next project:
http://www.spec-net.com.au/press/1106/por_151106.htm
Good Luck ! :)
I'll check out that colour dean and sample wallpaper is a great idea h&b. Thx!
We just did our new house in Pittsburgh Paints Pure Performance in Accolade - it's a nice slightly warm white, and has the added bonus of being zero-VOC and low odor.
I swear by Benjamin Moore's China White.. it is a color that 'sits back', just perfectly neutral white. It may look a little gray on a swatch but on the walls it is excellent. We used Eco-spec (no VOC) Ben Moore for our whole 1st floor and a gloss white for the trim. Good Luck!
Thanks Raedia and Peng Peng!!!
Don't be mistaken.
Decorator's white has a slight blue tint to it which picks up the blue in natural daylight and enhances it. It is an OK white for new construction with certain coordinating materials, but looks a little too blue when paired with the traditionally warm materials of a "vintage" remodeled home. I would suggest Pittsburgh Paints "Gypsum". It has a warm grey undertone to it that looks good in the dim light of the evening, but looks like pure white in the daytime.
i'll come paint.
Benjamin Moore’s matte Moonlight White
Thanks Anon x2, but I'm not sure I can get Pittsburgh Paints here. And Drey - you're hired. If only you weren't on the other side of the world.