Sherwin Williams Tinsmith: LRV, Undertones and a Little More

Finding your perfect gray paint color can be tough, especially when there are THOUSANDS TO CHOOSE FROM! Which is why I’m honing in on today’s most POPULAR gray paint colors, including Sherwin Williams Tinsmith.

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I love to show RELATEABLE & REAL homes, so ONLY use photos from my Online Color Consulting clients. This means I don’t always have the quality pics I need (hence the ‘QUICK Review’), but DEFINITELY have some SUPER helpful info to help you on your way!

What type of paint color is Sherwin Williams Tinsmith? Is it warm or cool?

Tinsmith is definitely a COOL GRAY paint color – not ICY COLD, but not remotely warm.

If you have north-facing light, you’ll see Tinsmith lean HARD into that cool light, looking even cooler with a bit more undertone popping up. If you have south-facing light or afternoon western sunshine, Tinsmith still looks like a cool gray, but it certainly softens up.

What’s its LRV?

Tinsmith has an LRV of 57, making it a light depth paint color. However, it’s not fresh and bright as it’s on the LOW end of the light range. If you have a super bright room, Tinsmith will hold its color a bit better than some other light gray paint colors which will wash-out a bit more.

Not sure what LRV is? It could save your paint lovin’ life – read all about it HERE.

What are the undertones of Tinsmith? Will it look like a TRUE gray? Will it look blue, purple or green?

As you might’ve learned in my other blog posts, EVERY GRAY HAS UNDERTONES, and Tinsmith definitely commits to BLUE. In some lights, this undertone can flash oooooh so slightly blue-green (usually with warm bulbs or afternoon western sunshine) but is LESS inclined to flash blue-purple.

What’s the best way to sample Tinsmith?

Like with every paint color, I highly recommend using SAMPLIZE. Samplize is a peel & stick paint sample that you can easily move around your room for over HALF THE COST of traditional sample pots – and they deliver right to your front door!

Learn all about Samplize HERE

If I’m painting my walls Tinsmith, what’s the best white paint color for my trim?

If I have Tinsmith on my walls, I’m DEFINITELY going to look at white paint colors like…

Sherwin Williams High Reflective White
Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace
It can even handle a warm white like Sherwin Williams Pure White

Is this a good color for the exterior of a home?

Tinsmith is definitely a good option for the exterior of a home, as long as your roof, brick, stone and other exterior features can SUPPORT a gray with a blue undertone!

What Benjamin Moore paint colors are the same as or similar to Tinsmith?

Every color has its own particular nuances and there will be NO perfect match – you WILL see shifts in undertones, temperature and depths, but you could check out colors with a SIMILAR approach, such as…

Benjamin Moore Stonington Gray

BTW, if you’re thinking of color matching between brands, PLEASE read THIS first.

What type of paint colors look good with Tinsmith?

Tinsmith is actually reasonable flexible, due in part to its more simple undertone and slightly lower value. You can partner it with some colors like…