The 5 WHITEST White Paint Colors (TRUE WHITES)
What are the best, WHITEST shades in the top brands? Let’s find out!
When picking the best white paint color, it’s easy to get bogged down in the wrong undertones. While I’ve covered many versions of white (including the kind that fills my glass on a nightly basis), today, we’re chatting about the WHITEST white paint colors!
If you’ve been reading my blog for a while (thank you for drinking the Ginger-flavored Kool-Aid), you’ll know that LRV matters.
WHAT IS LRV?
If you don’t know, you’ll get three slaps with a wet noodle and need to read this blog post ASAP – it’s also good for those who need a refresher!
The WHITEST white paint colors will have the highest LRV numbers. And while LRV goes up to 100, in the ‘real person paint world,’ we only go up to 94-ish, as we’re not slapping scientific white on our walls (it’s not available and only shows up on my bum cheeks in the dead of winter—yes, Mom, I said that).
The WHITEST white paint colors will have the highest LRV numbers.
Sherwin Williams Pure White
It’s also important not to judge a color by its name. For example, Sherwin Williams has a popular shade of white called Pure White (one of my faves), but let me tell you – it ain’t ‘pure white.’
Lastly, it used to be the 6 Whitest Whites, but since Kelly Moore has gone out of business, Whitest White no longer exists and can’t be made in other brands.
THE WHITEST WHITE PAINT COLORS
When it comes to the truest shades of white, there’s a bit of ‘apples to apples’ with some shades, especially those with the highest LRVs. However, I wish each brand (especially Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams) had just a few more high LRV white options to compare.
C’est la vie.
Wait, that’s Canada’s 2nd language. Many of my readers are American, so, Asi es la vida (said by a Ginger with a terrible Spanish accent).
Now, we’re getting this paintin’ party started with Behr. Never ever did I think I’d start anything with Behr, but hot damn, do they make a good white.
1. BEHR ULTRA PURE WHITE: LRV 94.4
Ultra Pure White PR-W15 is the whitest white paint color on the market. And although I’m in long-term relationships with Ben and Sherm, I occasionally refer to this WHITEST WHITE PAINT COLOR as the best shade for a project (when I can’t find a better option).
And don’t ask me why Behr has four different ‘Ultra Pure Whites’ (I’ve sent an email asking); it seems like a great way to complicate things if you ask me. Stick with PR-W15 until I learn otherwise. Seriously, though…
Why doesn’t EVERY brand have a white that’s THIS WHITE?
Good question—you get a gold star and slap on the toosh.
Different brands use different bases to create their paint, and not all white bases are created with the same products.
This is why every brand has a different ‘white,’ and it’s not the same across the board; it’s also why you should never color match between brands.
Ultra Pure White is on the trims and door
Behr’s Best White & Soft-White Paint Colors
2. BENJAMIN MOORE CHANTILLY LACE: LRV 90.04
According to Benjamin Moore, their WHITEST shade is Chantilly Lace OC-65, with an LRV of 90.04. The LRV has changed, as it used to be 92.2, but they’ve improved their color reading technology.
The 13 Best White & Off-White Quartz Countertops
Although Chantilly Lace is beautiful, it’s also well known for its poor coverage, as with many whites, it lacks a significant amount of tint or colorant – Titanium White isn’t enough.
To improve your coverage when using Chantilly Lace…
a) Use quality paint, not contractor grade or even mid-line
b) Ask them to add some extra Titanium White to the can (top up the can), which helps
c) Use two coats of primer to cover your old color, so Chantilly Lace doesn’t have to fight to cover that, too.
And while it looks like a pretty darn white-white it can come off just a WINK warm/soft in comparison to Behr Ultra Pure White (but really, it’s a gorgeous white and one I refer to ALL THE TIME when I don’t want a totally stark white).
Chantilly Lace – third down
Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace: IMAGES, Info, & More
3. VALSPAR ULTRA WHITE: LRV 93.586
I friggin’ love how precise Valspar is with their LRV – thank you, Valspar! Ultra White 7006-24 comes in kickin’ with its super high LRV and clean look.
Now, the funny thing is that (thanks to a reader for the heads-up, wink wink) Valspar is owned by Sherwin Williams. So, one might think you could get this ‘whitest white’ at Sherwin Williams (as SW High Reflective White, which is coming up next, has some controversy). However, they’re still separate brands and use different bases/foundations to create their whites. So, to get Ultra White, you have to go to Valspar.
There, no more nerding out – I’m done for the day.
Next, hitch up those tighty-whities for an intimate visit with….
4. SHERWIN WILLIAMS HIGH REFLECTIVE WHITE LRV 93
High Reflective White 7757 – the bane of my existence. And no, I’m not prone to exaggeration.
Sherwin Williams High Reflective White is a white I used to refer to all the time in my Online Paint Color Consulting. With its LRV of 93, it’s pretty dang white. It looks slightly warm compared to the true white look of Ultra Pure White, but remember, that’s just in comparison.
Why do I say this?
Because on the opposite end of the white spectrum, High Reflective White can look cool compared to a warmer white!
But (massive, BBL, Kardashian-sized but), it’s so darn hard to get it’s hardly worth the effort.
Why include it?
Because it exists: it’s in the fan deck as an option. It’s in the paint sample display at the store. And while some stores say they CAN make it…I’ll believe it when I see it.
How to Get High Reflective White and NOT the Dupe!
High Reflective White is whiter-looking than Chantilly Lace (#3), but not quite as white as Behr’s Ultra Pure White or Valspar’s Ultra White. Compare the three, and you’ll see that shift, with HRW looking a wink softer (but again, it’s a pretty legit white white).
Check out Kylie M’s FAVORITE WHITES FOR MOST HOMES!
Samplize Peel & Stick samples are made with two coats of REAL PAINT and are delivered to your front door in ONE DAY!
5. FARROW & BALL ALL WHITE: LRV ??
In the words of the great Matthew McConaughey – all wight all wight all wight!
However, all is NOT alwhite with All White No.2005, as
a) Farrow & Ball doesn’t like to disclose their color’s LRVs, and
b) All White’s LRV has been stated by other sites as 94, 92, & 91.01. Hmmm.
Here’s a Peel & Stick sample of All White
Regardless of its LRV, All White will look white but can come off a bit softer than the others. While ‘generally speaking,’ the first four colors all do a similar job, All White is just a bit noticeably softer. If Farrow & Ball finally announced their LRVs and said that All White is at 91.01, that would make sense to me based on what I see in front of me.
WHITE PAINT COLORS & EXPOSURE
I’m not talking FULL exposure (one of my favorite pastimes), but the type of exposure coming through your windows – north, east, south, or west.
The quality and color of the natural light coming through your windows will affect how white paint colors appear. This has much to do with their HIGH LRV, as with that high LRV (light reflectance value), they REFLECT more light!
Benjamin Moore White Dove: IMAGES, Info, & More
- north-facing light – cool gray light
- east-facing light – slightly warm, yellow light
- south-facing light – yellow-orange (but white at the height of day)
- west-facing light – yellow-orange, going even more golden and pink at the end of the day
Sherwin Williams Pure White: IMAGES, Info, & More
If you pick one of the above whites but think it looks a bit blue/yellow/etc…it’s not the paint color itself but the light it reflects.
This can also happen if you have a lot of greenery outside, such as trees, landscaping, and grass – nature of the beast!
PEOPLE ALSO ASK…
WHAT IS THE WHITEST WHITE PAINT COLOR?
Scientists have created a white for residential/commercial use with an LRV of 95.5. As you know, I’m not a scientist; I’m a certified color nerd. The idea is that this extremely bright white will help mitigate climate change by being used on exterior roofs and siding to reflect the sun. However, an intense white like this won’t necessarily be liveable for the average homeowner on their walls.
Stuart Semple has also created a beta version of his WHITEST WHITE which is said to reflect 99.6% percent of light – HOLY FREAKIN’ CANNOLI! This could be fantastic for artists, but again, I’m not sure we’ll be seeing it on our walls anytime soon (I’m a big fan of Semple, as he’s a cheeky monkey).
IS ULTRA WHITE THE WHITEST WHITE FOR INTERIOR WALLS?
Yup, Behr Ultra White’s LRV of 94.4 is the whitest shade of white I’m aware of.
So, there you have it. If you’d like to read more, I have tons of blog posts on the best white paint colors, so be sure to check out the links below!
READ MORE
The Ultimate Guide To Choosing White Paint Colors
How to Design With Stock White Cabinets
Benjamin Moore’s 8 Best White Paint Colors
Should I Paint My Wood Cabinets White or Stain Them? A QUESTIONNAIRE
The 3 Whites I Would Never Paint My Trim or Cabinets
How to Pick the Best White Paint Colors for Cabinets and Trim
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Check out my Online Paint Color Consulting Packages
Great article. So under Chantilly Lace you have four
Color samples posted. Can you share what they are please?
Thanks!
Lisa
Ps. i have the same red shirt you have in the picture below it!
I love a great red!
Hi Lisa, thank you! What you’re looking at there are SW High Reflective White, BM Super White, BM Chantilly Lace and then BM Decorators White :). And yes, I love a great red shirt too!
Great article. So under Chantilly Lace you have four
Color samples posted. Can you share what they are please?
Thanks!
Lisa
Ps. i have the same red shirt you have in the picture below it!
I love a great red!
We just painted the living room, dining nook, and halls Behr’s Ultra Pure White, and it looks beautiful. We have a straight on eastern exposure. The white stays white looking all day.
That’s what I love to hear, thank you!
Forget this High Reflective White nonsense – it’s WAY not worth the trouble. Go with the Behr Ultra Pure,. It’s my clean white trim with my SW 7570 Egret White walls, a MODERN off-ish white with mauve/taupe undertone – a surprisingly low LRV 70 that works with my flooring and wall tile. Definitely not a greige – which I’m sick of already! I wanted WHITE walls but my rooms were too dark for the higher LRV and the low 70’s was just perfect so that the paint didn’t look like primer!
hi happy girl, I noticed your bookshelf in your latest white videos. they were great videos! I wondered if the rage over “The home Edit” had made it up there. I’m in Nashville TN. they arrange books by color, ROYBGIV red, orange, yellow, blue, etc. they have a show on Netflix if you want to see it, they do amazing KITCHEN OR BATHROON OR CLOSET ORGANIZATION and it very colorfully. have a happy day.
As usual, so well researched! You ARE the color goddess. One note from a Sherwin alum on High Reflective- If you’re going to use it you really have to add some white tint to it. They created that base mostly in order to achieve the kind of luminescence needed when matching some competitor colors aka Ben Moore. There aren’t actually many SW colors that require this base (which is why the stores don’t stock a lot). That being said, lots of contractors will tell you it doesn’t cover well on its own. Adding tint takes care of that. I’m with you on Pure White, that and BM White Dove are my all time faves for clean but pretty, soft whites.
Thank you Lori! Yup, I threw that note in about the 4 shots of white as you’re right, it can make a big difference! But regardless, Pure White and White Dove are still my long-time loves ;).
We painted our partly-open space with Chantilly Lace (Walls, trim, vaulted popcorn 😩 ceiling) and love it — it makes the space feel fresh and bright but not cold, perhaps because we have both east and west exposures.
Funny enough, rooms with east-west light are my FAVOURITE rooms just because they get that nice balance of light!
Great post! My bedroom does not have a lot of light and I painted the wall behind the bed SW Iron Ore, it looks great..
I am thinking about a white on the other 3, any input on whites that look nice with Iron Ore.. Thanks!
Hi Kylie!
You offer so much helpful information about paint colors!
My question is about painting cabinets white in a kitchen with northern exposure and white appliances. I painted my cabinets a warm white (with taupe undertones, I think) and of course it doesn’t work with the bright white appliances. The kitchen is in the middle of my home and always seems pretty dark, even though some light comes in from the family room to the east in the morning, and from the west-facing living room in the afternoon. Should I just ignore the northern exposure and go for a white white like Chantilly Lace on the cabinets? Or maybe Simply White? One counter is butcher block and one is Formica with some white in it. Thank you.
Hi Judy! I have NO problem painting a kitchen like this white as it will make the space seem that bit brighter and the flow will be smooth from appliances to cabinets! Yes, Check out Chantilly Lace as well as SW High Reflective White. There are COOLER whites that can jibe with appliances as well…but they can be pretty cool (ie: SW Extra White). I would sample the other 2 first and see how they feel :).
Thank you for decoding the “real “white, from simply, to ultra and finally to all white. Very informative, explicit and even pleasant to read.
You’re most welcome Hortense, thank you for commenting!
Thank you for sharing this….. almost every article I’ve accessed, even tho stating the best white wall paint colors, only offer suggestions for Ben Moore and Sher Williams….. really, these articles are just ads for those paint companies. So, I was so grateful when I found this unbiased article. Indeed, it will be Behr Ultra Pure White for my hall which is as halls usu. are dark and I want to brighten it up as much as possible. Thank you.
Jeanie, what a great comment to get, thank you! Sadly, I don’t get paid by any paint company, so I pay myself in wine and Doritos ;). But, it does mean that my content is pretty darn organic and honest, thank you for noticing!
I’ve been reading your blog for a few years and have gotten a ton of inspiration and great ideas from it. In fact, you are the one person I keep coming back to every time I have a color question in my home. So thank you!
Right now I am looking for the whitest white to spruce up some original 1948 kitchen cabinets. I will have white appliances to be more period appropriate, so I need a really white white. Sadly, the Behr Ultra Pure White is not available in their Interior Cabinet, Door, and Trim Enamel. Is there a different paint in the Behr stable that I could use, or is the enamel default White 7520 as white as the Ultra Pure White?
Hi Carol, well, thank you for loving my blog! That’s too bad about the Enamel – what about in the Dynasty or Marquee line? They are faaabulous. Otherwise, can you get Kelly Moore paint? Her Whitest White is PRETTY DARN WHITE!
I have a dark 1957 rancher on the water in Florida. No sample whites would stay coastal
and pure until I found your article and used Behr Ultra Pure White. The whole house is amazing. Wow – brightened and always stays white. Thank you! I now want to do the exterior w the same. It’s a super bright white I know but we are shaded in oak trees, have a low profile, car port, Linai… no sunlight really. Do you think I can do this plan with the same Ultra Pure White? I’m hoping so! My samples on the exterior walls are again so pure and true. I want to do all white (to create a sleek pure look). Please let me know your thoughts as I’ve only found a couple examples of exteriors online (but the home owners say they love it). Thank you!
Hi Kylie,
Thank you for your informative articles. I have had a terrible time trying to find a white that did not take on the green from our grass turning a north facing room in my home green. I am so happy to say that I used Valspar Ultra White and I absolutely love it. It is a beautiful color and no more green on my walls. While the color is a warm white, in my house it does not have any hint of yellow coming through, it is bright and no gray shadows in the corners.
Hi Kylie,
Your posts have been really helpful in my search for the right white for our bathroom – thank you! I know this is an old post, but I love the red top you’re wearing above! Would you share where you found it? I would really appreciate it!
Oh, well thank you! I don’t have it anymore, but i THINK it was Gentle Fawn!
Hi Kylie!! I am in the process of painting my house Natural Linen thanks to your review and I LOVE IT! My ceiling is Behr Ultra White…do I need to do the same color for my trim? I do like a bright white that will contrast well. I was planning on Chantilly Lace but I don’t want my crown molding to look weird against the ceiling!
Thoughts?? 🩷
I’m trying to help my aunt with a trim color. She painted her interior walls Valspar ultra white, but says she wants some dimension lol. is there anything that would make it pop for her trim? is Behr Ultra Pure White an option?
I forgot to ask as well, is it ok to do the trim in the same color as the wall but a different finish?
Absolutely!