HomeThe Best Paint ColoursBENJAMIN MOORE & SHERWIN WILLIAMS: Paint Color ReviewsSherwin Williams Sea Salt, Undertones & More: Paint Color Review

Sherwin Williams Sea Salt, Undertones & More: Paint Color Review

Posted on February 28, 2021 by KylieMawdsley

The Best Green, Gray & BLUE Blend Paint Color: SW Sea Salt

Other than gray and greige, Sea Salt and other beachy-themed paint colors seem to be the most popular with today’s homeowners.

Why? Well, like a good gray or greige, they can suit MANY spaces and styles – everything from beach-themed bathrooms to cosy cottages!

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Before we get started…

Not only have I worked with this color on a daily basis with my E-Design clients, but I also painted a BIG OLE sample and strapped it to my body for the day (the non-kinky form of body paint). Paint sample on one hip, wine bottle on the other – I was locked n’ loaded! I looked at it in north and south-facing rooms – morning, noon and night, so I could get a better idea for how it works and then share that info with you.

Sherwin Williams Sea Salt in home office, kids homework room with gallery wall. Kylie M INteriors Edesign, client photo

And let me tell you, I needed that bottle of wine – in a sippy cup. By the time I was done, my brain was swimming with the many ways Sea Salt changed throughout the day. I mean, every color will change on a room-to-room/wall-to-wall basis, but it must be the mix of undertones in this bad boy that makes it the ULTIMATE color ninja.

So, the photos of these rooms are just examples of what you might be able to expect from a color like Sea Salt in a variety of situations – it ain’t gospel, but it might be as close as we’ll get…just call me Saint Kylie.

Ready Betty?

Most popular green, gray, blue paint colour blend. Sherwin Williams Sea Salt. Best paint color reviews by Kylie M Interiors Edesign, online colour consulting services

What’s the LRV of Sea Salt?

Sea Salt has an LRV of 64, which means it can help a room feel lighter and brighter as it will reflect artificial and natural light back into the space, but it’s not SO light that it will save a dark room or OVERLY wash out in a reasonably well-lit one.

Sherwin Williams Sea Salt in dining room, likely north-facing with white wainscoting and dark wood table. Kylie M Interiors CLIENT PHOTO

Read More:  What is LRV and How to Use it to Pick a Paint Color

What are the undertones of Sherwin Williams Sea Salt?

Sea Salt is a mix of water and salt. Hehe. Sea Salt is a mix of green and gray. Now, this is very similar to A LOT of today’s popular paint colors, but it’s all in the proportions when it comes to which color is going to POP and which is going to recede. And that’s not ALL Sea Salt has tucked up its watery sleeves…

Colour review Sherwin Williams Sea Salt and undertones. Kylie M Interiors -edesign, online paint color consulting

Sea Salt is INFAMOUS for looking blue – and not by a little bit, by a LOT. That’s right, the world’s favorite green-gray paint color is actually a flasher – and it flashes blue, leaving green in the dust.

  • Some of the time, Sea Salt is a beautiful blend of green and gray, but it’s a cool green (green-blue), rather than a warm green (green-yellow).
  • Occasionally it will lean CONSIDERABLY into its green side, more often in a south-facing room or a room with warm light bulbs.
  • It is also well known for going green-blue or blue with only a nod towards green, more often in north-facing rooms with diffused light. Part of the ‘recipe’ of this paint color is a blueish black – meaning it can subtly influence the foundation of this color in the right lighting situation.

Sea Salt in a well-balanced, well-lit room

In a well-lit room with a few different exposures (common in open concepts), Sea Salt will likely vary itself on a wall-to-wall basis throughout the day. Sometimes flashing slightly more green, other times a bit bluer, all the while having the gray base to calm it down.

Sherwin Williams Sea Salt in a bathroom with white countertop, vanity, farmhouse bulbs, wood framed mirror. Kylie M E-design, online color consultant

Sherwin Williams Sea Salt with white trim. Kylie M INteriors Edesign colour review

The above photo shows Sea Salt about as blue as it gets!

Let’s take a quick break to talk about paint samples…

Undoubtedly, you’ll be heading out in the near future to grab paint samples – stop right there! I want you to check out SAMPLIZE. Samplize offers peel and stick paint samples that are more AFFORDABLE, EASIER and more ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY than traditional paint pots. Here are just a FEW reasons why I recommend Samplize to my clients…

  • samples arrive ON YOUR DOORSTEP in 1-3 business days, depending on location
  • they’re more affordable than the samples pots/rollers/foam boards that are needed for traditional paint sampling
  • if you keep the samples on their white paper, you can move them around the room

Visit the SAMPLIZE website HERE

Sea Salt in a room with direct hits of natural light

In a room with a lot of direct natural light, you can expect Sea Salt to wash out a bit (due to its slightly higher LRV) without losing itself entirely. Once the direct sunlight goes away, the color will come right on back!

Sea Salt in a room with very little or no natural lighting or in the evening

When there is very little natural light and a lot of shadows, you can expect this color to look a bit more muted. It might also be slightly more inclined to lean into its green roots a bit more.

Sherwin Williams Sea Salt, best green blue paint colour in guest bedroom with wood headboad. Rustic style. Kylie M E-design

Best paint colour dark wood trim and floor. Kylie M Interiors E-design, online colour consultant. Sherwin Williams Sea Salt in dining room with fireplace

The 8 Best Blue and Green Paint Colors: Benjamin and Sherwin

Sea Salt in a south-facing room

The sun’s rays in a south-facing room are yellow and this yellow can play off of the undertones in Sea Salt and cause it to look a bit green vs blue.

Sherwin Williams Sea Salt, best blue green paint colour. Kylie M Interiors Edesign, online paint colour advice

Sea Salt in a north-facing room

I just couldn’t get Sea Salt to completely lose the green, no matter how much those shadows wanted to interfere. No matter what exposure/room I was in, if it leaned a bit to the gray side with a cool blue cast, the green was always winking at me behind the scenes (don’t tell its wife) – but it DEFINITELY becomes passive.

Sea Salt Sherwin Williams in a master bedroom with chocolate brown and cream accents. Kylie M Interiors ONline Colour consulting and e-design

And even when this color DOES pick up a blue cast, it doesn’t look as icy as a traditional ‘light blue’ paint color can as the green adds a certain softness.

If you want a bit more color and a touch more BLUE, check out Sherwin Williams Rainwashed. Want a wink more depth? You might love Sherwin Williams Comfort Gray!

The best blue green paint colours for your room. Benjamin or Sherwin. Online paint color expert Kylie M Interiors Edesign. Diy decorating and ideas blogger.market

Click HERE or on the above image to see available packages!

Sea Salt with marble

Sea Salt will look beautiful with MOST marble, excluding those with overly purple veining (sometimes the gray veins can look a bit purple).

Sherwin Williams Sea Salt in a small bathroomm, white subway tile, marble hexagon floor. Kylie M E-design, colour expert

It’s also a fresh, clean look with white…

Sherwin Williams Sea Salt in bathroom with white countertop, dark wood mirror. Kylie m INteriors Edesign, paint colour review. Client photo

Sea Salt: To sum it all up

Obviously, there’s A LOT to consider when choosing a paint color – LRV, exposure, personal tastes and the needs of your home. Trust me, I learn more and more EVERY DAY about how these factors can affect the appearance of a color. Here’s what I’ve learned from this salty color adventure…

  • I need to not carry a bottle of wine with me throughout the day – I will then not have any left for the evening.
  • Sea Salt prefers to go green than blue, but not all of the time.
  • Once you add interior lighting (as long as it’s not those stark harsh white bulbs) the green may come back and balance things out again.

Phew, we did it!  You can probably tell I’m in one of my OCD phases as I left no stone un-turned with that one!

READ MORE:

The 8 Best Blue and Green Paint Colors: Benjamin and Sherwin

The 7 Best Green Paint Colors

The Best Calm & Stress-Free Paint Colors

Not sure if Sea Salt is right for YOU and YOUR home? 

Check out my Online Color Consulting Services – I’d be happy to help!

The 3 best blue green paint colours for your room. Benjamin or Sherwin. Kylie M Interiors Edesign, online paint color consulting and diy home decor ideas blogger.market

Chat soon,

Kylie M Interiors Edecor and Edesign

ORIGINALLY WRITTEN IN 2018, UPDATED IN 2021



Comments

  1. I love Sea Salt and recommend it often. It’s such a great color and as you say is quite the chameleon. I painted nearly half my home this color and it looks great with my dark floors. It’s a breathe of fresh air in a greige world.

  2. Hi there,
    First off, great info…thanks!
    We have an older home full of douglas fir wood trim in reddish brown tone. Our floors are hardwood with golden tone. Wondering if you think sea salt would work in my kitchen. The cabinets are off white and the room gets a lot of light. Finding it confusing to choose color as we have different colors of wood here.

    Thanks

  3. I have a little mudroom that i have been wanting to paint sw sea salt. But im afraid itll make it look smaller! Not much light. Would you ever recommend getting the color lightened by 50 percent? Or would it not be *sea salt* anymore?

    1. Post
      Author

      Hi Jenny! Well, it wouldn’t be Sea Salt, but it would be a similar IDEA. At 50% lighter you can expect the undertones to shift quite a bit, so you’ll likely see more green (maybe minty?). One thought that I like to keep in mind with small rooms/not much light as that a) can I get a better fixture that takes 3 60w bulbs and b) I’d rather have a small room with personality than a boring one. That doesn’t mean you have to do Sea Salt, but it might make you feel differently about the colour in general! BM has a lighter similar look with Healing Aloe, but again, you’re getting darned close to mint. If you love mint, then you’re set!

    1. Post
      Author

      Oooo, at 50% I wouldn’t be surprised to see more green in it! 50% is a considerable change. 25% is more subtle. You can still see a shift in undertones at 25% sometimes, but you definitely can at 50%!

  4. Hahahaha oh my gosh..thanks for this article. Sea salt is the color that broke my brain.ive been thinking I was crazy all these years… I love it but the room I painted is definitely blue. Bluer than your photos even. I love it to this day but it was certainly not the grey I thought it would be. I painted samples in different spots and it definitely changes color depending on the room.

  5. Hey there Kylie thanks to all of your advice , sample pot and samplize I have basically decided on Sea Salt for the whole house. Any recommendations on keeping the grey out and whether you see this as a fresh 2021 Nuetral?
    I love this color and your opinion!!
    Patti

    1. I continue to deliberate over this color
      I have dark wood, warm tones and a lot of blue green in my accent pieces. What are your thoughts??
      Thanks!!!
      Patti

      1. Post
        Author

        Oh Patti, it’s ALWAYS hit and miss! My first thoughts are that it could be a lovely compliment to your wood and warm tones, but there’s no saying what it will actually do!

  6. I have a west facing bedroom and Sea Salt looks way more blue than I wanted. I still cringe at the extra fees to the builder that I paid to get two colors of paint in my house, then feeling like I want to paint over it because I want the green to show through. I am not a fan of light blues and I still am considering painting that big room over but afraid a similar problem will happen. I need that bottle of wine!

    1. Post
      Author

      OH MAN, I’m sorry to hear this! I know, it’s hard. Sea Salt is well-known for doing this (it’s a bit of a bugger). If you want to see more green, I wonder if you might like Liveable Green? That being said, I haven’t seen your home or exposure, so it’s just a place to start 🙂

  7. I’ve finally decided on Sea salt for a guest bedroom and wondered about trim. I’ve used white dove or alabaster in most of our home but some of your pictures look like trim was more bright white? What’s your recommendation, it’s a south facing room. Thanks Kylie!!

    1. Post
      Author

      Well, Sea Salt is PRETTY flexible. I prefer White Dove over Alabaster, as it’s that bit less yellow, but Chantilly Lace gives a CLEANER more crisp contrast, so it just depends on the look you like!

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