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When Benjamin Moore announced that Simply White is the color of the year, you couldn’t blame people for asking “Huh?” White is a color without color, after all. And yet the top-selling interior paint colors are white and off-whites. With dozens to choose from, zeroing in on one—the right white—can be tricky.
Even the Paint Quality Institute is saying good-bye to gray, selecting whites and off-whites with cool undertones of blue or green as the hot colors of the year. "This creates a calming environment that consumers are looking for," says Debbie Zimmer, a PQI spokesperson.
Some retailers such as Home Depot and Lowe’s skip those tiny paint chips and offer much larger ones for their white paints. Home Depot even groups whites together by their undertones, pointing out which have blue, such as Bakery Box, or the purple in Bit of Sugar.
When Consumer Reports tests interior paints we include white paint from each brand, because white is so popular and we need to find out how well it covers dark colors. We asked two color experts for advice on finding the white you want rather than the one you have to live with.
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Gather Paint Chips
Are you drawn to cool or warm whites? White paints that add warmth have undertones of yellow, orange, or red, while cool white paints have blue or green undertones, says Susan Hable, a textile designer in New York City and Athens, Georgia. It helps to hold the paint chips side by side. If you're unsure of the paint's undertones, ask a sales associate what's in the mix.
Consider the existing colors in the room, from floor to furnishings, and colors that can be seen from the room you’re painting. Think about using a different white paint for the ceiling to give depth and character to the room.
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Try Them Out
“Stick the paint chips on the wall and look at them for a few days. Live with them, and then move them to another wall,” says Leslie Harrington, a color strategist in Old Greenwich, Connecticut. “Undertones will emerge. Eliminate ones that aren’t working.” She puts up five or six at a time, stacking them vertically near the trim of the door.
Consider the Light
It makes a big difference. Notice the room’s natural light as it changes throughout the day, and the light cast by bulbs. “People often look at the light in their room on Saturday at noon, but a very busy family that’s out of the house from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. should turn on their lights at 6 p.m. and look at paint colors then,” says Harrington.
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Narrow Your Choices
Pick your favorite whte paints, brush large swatches on your walls, and observe them at different times of the day. Even color pros try and try again. Hable’s favorite standard white paint is Benjamin Moore’s White Dove, a soft white. She used it, with the formula cut in half, to hide much of the yellow in the pine that covers the walls of her studio.
Harrington doesn’t have a favorite white paint but has shades she doesn’t like. “I prefer to stay away from white with a little magenta in them because they go pink very quickly,” she says. “Whites with yellow undertones have been popular for years but can look dated. They don’t work with modern settings, and are better for traditional.”
Factor In the Finish
The paint’s finish absorbs or reflects light. Flat paint absorbs light, giving a softer look, and glossy reflects light so the white paint looks brighter. In between there are eggshell and satin finishes. Many have become much better at standing up to scrubbing, so semi-gloss is no longer a must for trim.
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Top Interior Paint Picks from Our Tests
Our interior paint Ratings also include paints from Benjamin Moore, Farrow & Ball, Glidden, HGTV, Olympic, Sherwin-Williams, True Value, and Walmart (Color Place). Note that because a brand's flat, eggshell, and semi-gloss formulations performed similarly overall in our tests, we combined the scores to make it easier for you to shop. Any questions? Email me at kjaneway@consumer.org.
Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers on this website. Copyright © 2006-2015 Consumers Union of U.S.
