Why Does My White Paint Look Dirty?
I was at a client’s home the other day who was in the midst of remodeling her 90s, Tuscan-style home. Every wall was painted a yellowy-ochre color. Every. Wall. The wood floors had a strong yellow undertone and many of the lights had a deep amber glow.
To make matters worse, there was little very natural light due to sparse, recessed windows. She felt like she was living in a cave. What could we do to freshen the place up?
This client wanted to repaint the whole house white. It’s the obvious choice for freshening and brightening up a space, right? Well, yes, but it’s more complicated than that.
White paint comes with risks:
Unintended undertones can pop out as light shifts throughout the day
White can look dirty when it is outside of a direct light source
White paint reflects other colors in the space
Because white is so sensitive to lighting, the same paint color can look wildly different from room to room
The particular challenge with this house was the existing yellow paint was influencing our perception of the new colors. Everything looked yellow because yellow was so pervasive in the house!
Assess colors in different light sources
The existing yellow paint, and poor quality of interior light, made it tempting to go outside to assess the colors. But that wouldn’t tell us how the new paint colors would look in the house, which is where they’re going to be applied after all. In this situation, we made an exception. We went outside to make sure our whites didn’t have any hidden undertones. Viewing the color samples in different light sources guards against risk.
We also walked our samples around to every room of the house. How did they look with shutters open? How did they look in shadow?
In the end, we settled on two of the cleanest whites Sherwin William produces. A slightly darker one will go on the walls and ceilings. The extra pigment in this white will hold up better in corners and the lowest-light rooms. We picked a satin sheen to reflect more light than a matte or eggshell finish. The brighter white will go on all the trim and cabinetry.
Consider New Light Sources
Lastly, I recommended 2700K-3000K bulbs to neutralize the yellow in the hard wood floor and decrease the risk of any yellow reflecting off the white walls.
Remember, white is more influenced by its surroundings than other colors. You can also choose a harder, shinier paint sheen to reflect more light. In homes with low light, you can neutralize any unwanted yellow undertones with slightly cooler light bulbs.