Jun 12, 2019
1. INTRO
There was a time when all we sourced were bold paint colors for
walls using various shades of white for trim and ceilings.
That has truly changed, although sometimes we’ll specify an accent
color and, if our clients will let us, wallpaper on ceilings. The
trend for white walls has been strong and for being “color” girls,
we have really embraced this.
A. Why White Walls
i. A great canvas
or backdrop for art (this is why art gallery walls are always
white)
ii. It highlights
the architecture of the home.
iii. It makes a
space look bigger.
iv. It’s the
cheapest way to make over a room.
v. Helps for
resale.
B. Sheens for White Paint
i. Walls – Eggshell
or “washable flat” (a great one is Sherwin Williams Emerald
Interior Acrylic Latex)
a. Excellent coverage
b. Resistance to water streaking and
spotting
c. Hides and covers dark colors
d. Excellent washability
e. Hides imperfections
ii. Trim Options
– High Gloss, Semi Gloss
a. High Gloss
i. Must have a good base (very smooth
finishes)
ii. Highly reflective (the paint job
needs to be REALLY good)
iii. Adds drama
iv. Excellent washability
b. Semi-Gloss
i. Standard
ii. Easy to clean
iii. Masks imperfections
iv. Good washability
2. Ceilings - Flat
a. Hides imperfections
b. No reflection
C. Our Top 7 Favorite White Paint
Colors
i. White Dove –
OC-17 – Benjamin Moore
ii. Alabaster -
SW7008– Sherwin Williams (2016 Color of the Year) and Sue Wadden
(Director of Color Marketing for Sherwin Williams) favorite
color
iii. Simply
White - OC-117 – Benjamin Moore – (2016 Color of the
Year)
iv. Westhighland
White – SW7566 – Sherwin Williams
v. Greek Villa –
SW7551 – Sherwin Williams
vi. Ivory White –
925 – Benjamin Moore
vii. High
Reflective White – SW7757 – Sherwin Williams
D. The Top White Paint Colors from Designers
all over the country
i. Nate Berkus -
Dunn-Edwards “Precious Pearls” - “It immediately makes a room
feel calm and will pair beautifully with whatever furniture objects
you choose to live with”
ii. Joanna Gaines –
Sherwin Williams Alabaster – the paint color in her home.
iii. Susan Serra –
Wimborne White by Farrow & Ball – “It’s not yellow, blue or
gray. It’s a drop of cream mixed with the barest touch of
peach to create a white that is warm and soft, yet fresh”
iv. Timothy
Corrigan – Decorator’s White OC-149 Benjamin Moore “It’s crisp but
has depth”.
v. Laurel Bern –
Benjamin Moore 904 White Blush – The color looks ever so slightly
pink on the chip (and the name implies pink) but when it goes up,
it’s very lovely and soft and creamy and generally not at all
pink. This is a wonderful white with taupes and grays.
It does not look good with yellow, however.
2. SOME INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT WHITE PAINT
A. The entire White House exterior (trim
and body) is painted in 570 gallons of Whisper White by Duron Paint
(Sherwin Williams purchased Duron in May of 2004).
i. The White House
is white because of the original lime-based whitewash used to
protect its stone surface. It gets painted every year.
B. The Hollywood Sign got a “face lift”
from Sherwin Williams and The Hollywood Sign Trust.
i. The Hollywood
sign is 450’ wide. Each letter stands 45’ high and ranges
between 31’ and 39’ wide
ii. The sign’s nine
letters had all existing coatings removed before being primed and
painted.
iii. The sign’s
color is Sherwin Williams High Reflective White (SW7757)
iv. The sign was
painted with 225 gallons of Emerald Exterior Acrylic Latex Paint in
Satin.
v. The sign was
primed with 105 gallons of Pro-Industrial Pro-Cryl Universal
Acrylic primer
vi. The
refurbishment took nine weeks to complete