Best White Paint Colors for Any Home

Considering painting your house white? Whether for trim, cabinets, walls, or ceilings, these are the best white paint colors to consider for your home… or at least our favorites.

Choosing paint colors can be so tricky. Choosing the best white paint colors can be even more so.

Undertones, LRVs, north or south-facing rooms, and SO MANY options… How’s a girl to choose? Scroll on down if you just want the list of the best white paint colors, or continue reading for some background and guidance for choosing the right color for your space.

HOW TO CHOOSE A WHITE PAINT First things first: white paint colors are not actually true white. To understand that, you’ll need to understand LRV.

LIGHT REFLECTIVE VALUE The Light Reflective Value or LRV of any paint is a number assigned based on how much light the color reflects, with 0 being absolute black and 100 being pure white. The higher the number, the more light is reflected.

No white paint actually has an LRV of 100, though. Sherwin Williams High Reflective White (which is one of the brightest paint whites you can get) is 93. Pretty much anything 80 or above is considered white, and “off whites” can hover from ~70-80. So you have to ask yourself how bright (LRV closer to 90) or soft (LRV closer to 80) you want your white to be.