How to Begin Your EXTERIOR WHITE PAINT Selection

Considering painting your home white? What makes the white paint color right for me hinges on my individual preferences, exposure, and even geographic region. Consequently, the same white may be all wrong for your home. Advice below helps you choose a few whites to sample to discover the winning exterior white.

@the.old.barn - SW Pure White 7005 on a beautiful house exterior. #swpurewhite #whitehouseexterior #whitefarmhouses — @the.old.barn – Modern farmhouse board and batten porch – paint color is **SW Pure White**

How to Begin Your Exterior White Paint Selection

While choosing wall paint colors for interiors is a challenge, it isn’t the end of the world when the color is off and you end up repainting. But when it comes to the exterior of your home? You want to nail it. It’s a more daunting task to select the perfect white for your house exterior!

Which white paint color for your house exterior? Come explore the best options on Hello Lovely Studio. #whitehouseexteriorcolors #whiteexteriorpaint #housecolorideas — PIN me, pretty please…lots of folks need help choosing the best white exterior paint colors!

Before you decide on the perfect color, you’ll need to sample multiple white paint colors. When you view these possibilities together side by side, you’ll fully understand just why. You’ll begin to see the rainbow of whites as you note undertones and temperature (coolness or warmth). One is too yellow, another looks dirty.

Wythe Blue (Benjamin Moore) on a front door of a beautiful white brick house (SW Alabaster) by Ladisic Fine Homes. #wytheblue #swalabaster — Ladisic Fine Homes – **SW Alabaster** & **BM Wythe Blue** (door) – White Exterior Paint Colors…in case you need ideas.

How to Begin Your WHITE PAINT Selection

You may know there are a million choices for white.

Breathtaking front door and entry to traditional style white stucco mansion in Buckhead. The 2020 Southeastern Designer Showhouse 'Villa Flora' is painted Benjamin Moore Seapearl and trim is Benjamin Moore Pashmina. #paintcolors #seapearl #benjaminmooreseapearl #pashmina #benjaminmoorepashmina #houseexteriors #housecolors — Villa Flora’s exterior is painted **BENJAMIN MOORE Seapearl** – trim is **Pashmina**

First, begin the process by taking time to browse online photos of white house exteriors where the name of the color is provided. Start with my archives.

Benjamin Moore Balboa Mist painted brick house exterior - Ladisic Fine Homes & Sherry Hart. #balboamist #paintcolors #houseexteriors — BM Balboa Mist 1549 on a brick house exterior – Ladisic Fine Homes via Sherry Hart

Second, DO NOT FALL FOR the NAME of a particular color. Keep an open mind and don’t be emotionally swayed by a pretty name.

Sherwin Williams Extra White paint color on a gorgeous modern farmhouse exterior - @virginia.farmhouse.project #extrawhite #whitepaintcolors #modernfarmhouse #houseexteriors — **Sherwin-Williams Extra White** – @virginia.farmhouse.project…in case you need photos to help decide on white exterior paint colors.

Third, resist the temptation to make your decision based on a single photo.

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Be Sure to Understand Undertones

Like all paint colors, white paint has undertones which are not always easy to detect. Typically you’ll be able to identify undertones when the white is viewed next to a bright stark white or alongside an assortment of whites. Undertones affect the coolness or warmth of the white and influence how the color interacts with natural sunlight.

House Exterior White Paint Ideas - Hello Lovely Studio. #paintcolors #houseexteriors #bestwhitepaint #whitepaintcolors — PIN ME in case you need warm white exterior paint colors too.

How Light Should the White Be?

You’re going to see LRV mentioned below, and no need to sweat it. The letters stand for “Light Reflectance Value,” and the number is the percentage of light a paint color reflects (a higher number equals more light reflected). There’s no need to worry bout LRV or be versed in color theory as long as you sample multiple whites.

Simply White Benjamin Moore on a beautiful traditional exterior with F&B Dropcloth paint color on shutters - @covermeinivy. #bmsimplywhite #farrowandballdropcloth — @covermeinivy – **BM Simply White** & **F&B Dropcloth**

How Many Whites Should You Sample?

START WITH AT LEAST 3 WHITE PAINT COLOR SAMPLES YOU LIKE AND TRY THEM DIRECTLY ON THE HOUSE. SCRUTINIZE THE COLORS AT DIFFERENT TIMES OF DAY. MAYBE A CLEAR FRONTRUNNER WILL EMERGE. IF NOT, CHOOSE MORE OPTIONS UNTIL YOU ARRIVE AT THE WINNER.

Benjamin Moore Balboa Mist painted brick house exterior - Ladisic Fine Homes & Sherry Hart. #balboamist #intellectualgray #paintcolors #houseexteriors — **Balboa Mist** painted home with **SW Intellectual Gray** painted trim.

Bonus Tip: Sometimes you’ll feel stuck because you fancy two samples and can’t decide. Flip a coin if you like. You could also mix those two colors 50/50 for a completely unique custom color. I have had great success personally with this method.

SW Pure White paint color on a beautiful new house exterior by 2kDevelopment. #swpurewhite #whitehousecolors #whitehousepaintcolors — @2kDevelopment – **SW Pure White** painted brick house exterior

1. PURE WHITE 7005 by Sherwin-Williams

Pure White 7005 is lovely and soft. I have heard color experts say what makes Pure White soft is its LRV.

Sherwin-Williams SW Pure White 7005 paint color swatch. #perfectwhitepaints #swpurewhite — **SW Pure White 7005**

This is one of those bright yet not too bright, modern feeling whites that so many folks are choosing for modern farmhouse style homes.

@jettsetfarmhouse - SW Pure White 7005 on a beautiful house exterior. #swpurewhite #whitehouseexterior #whitefarmhouses — @jettsetfarmhouse – **Sherwin-Williams 7005** Pure White on a white farmhouse

Since the LRV is 84 for Pure White, it’s not as crisp as those whites that fall within the 90-94 range. You could say it’s more subdued that those super bright whites.

@adhouseplans - SW Pure White 7005 on a beautiful modern farmhouse house exterior. #swpurewhite #whitehouseexterior #whitefarmhouses — @adhouseplans – **SW 7005** on farmhouse exterior

Pure White also has some warmth, though it’s not nearly as warm as say, SW Alabaster or Benjamin Moore White Dove.

@trailsendfarmhouse - SW Pure White 7005 on a beautiful house exterior. #swpurewhite #whitehouseexterior #whitefarmhouses — @trailsendfarmhouse – Pure White 7005 on house exterior…in case you need ideas for house paint colors!

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Why Sample Multiple Whites?

You can truly only call a white subdued or passive when you compare it to other whites. For example, Pure White seems pretty darn clean and bright to my eyes from these images.

@trailsendfarmhouse - SW Pure White 7005 on a beautiful house exterior with SW Topsaid on porch ceiling.. #swpurewhite #whitehouseexterior #whitefarmhouses — **SW Pure White** and also SW Topsaid (porch ceiling) – @trailsendfarmhouse

That’s why it is so important to view photos to get an idea of a color but always sample them in case your own setting and light interact with the color in a wholly different way.

SW Pure White paint color on beautiful brick house with natural wood door and porch ceiling - @2kdevelopment. #swpurewhite #whitehousecolors #exteriorpaintcolors — Exterior paint color on brick: **Pure White (Sherwin-Williams)** – @2kdevelopment

Pure White looks calm and soft in certain photographs…

SW Pure White paint color on beautiful brick new house with black trim by 2kdevelopment. #swpurewhite #whitepaintcolors #houseexteriorcolors — **SW Pure White** – 2KDevelopment…in case you need photos to help choose the best white exterior paint.

but rather stark in others!

SW Pure White paint color on new brick house with black railings on porch with wood ceiling - @2kdevelopment. #swpurewhite #housecolors — **SW Pure White** – @2kdevelopment…in case you need a photo gallery of white homes to choose the best exterior white paint.

You can see that homes painted SW Pure White in this collection prove that natural light will definitely have its way and cause the same color to be perceived quite differently.

SW Pure White paint color on a beautiful farmhouse with black doors and topiaries on porch - @balance_and_bison. #swpurewhite #whitepaintcolors #houseexteriorpaint — Paint color: SW Pure White – @balance_and_bison

Pure White can read clean and crisp on siding yet it can also glow with more warmth at a different time of day or in a different region of the country.

SW Pure White paint color on farmhouse exterior with dormers and wood supports on wrap around porch - @gregoryfarmhouse. #swpurewhite #whitepaintcolors #whitehousecolors — **SW Pure White** – @gregoryfarmhouse…in case white siding or white brick appeals to you.

Psst. Easiest way to see if a paint color will work? Order samples with Samplize and have them delivered straight to your door.

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2. Benjamin Moore SIMPLY WHITE 2143-70

Still so wildly popular, though not as commonly used as BM White Dove, Simply White is beautiful.

Benjamin Moore Simply White 2143-70 paint color swatch. #bmsimplywhite #bestwhitepaintcolors — BM Simply White 2143-70

It is one of those highly reflective whites. With an LRV of 89.52, BM Simply White will appear clean and creamy in most situations.

@avalonconstructiondesign - Benjamin Moore BM Simply White house exterior. #bmsimplywhite #whitehouseexteriors — @avalonconstructiondesign – **BM Simply White**…names of paint colors and also ideas to choose the perfect shade.

But you still must sample several since there are no fail-proof whites!

@bhg - Benjamin Moore BM Simply White house exterior. #bmsimplywhite #whitehouseexteriors — **Benjamin Moore Simply White** – Better Homes & Gardens

The slightest hint of warmth makes this hue a favorite to use both inside and outside of the home.

@our_urban_krustead - Benjamin Moore BM Simply White house exterior. #bmsimplywhite #whitehouseexteriors — @our_urban_krustead – **BM Simply White**

So lovely!

What a fabulous tiny house shop (below) Monika Hibbs constructed and painted Simply White! The color on the door reminds me of the color I painted the shutters and trim of our own tiny house in 2020…BM Boothbay Gray.)

Tiny house exterior painted BM Simply White and trimmed with board and batten - Monika Hibbs. #simplywhite #whitehousecolors #paintcolors — **BM Simply White** – Monika Hibbs

I love Monika Hibbs’ aesthetic…

and I also learned the following grey colors are her favorites:

5 lovely grey paint colors - Hello Lovely Studio. #greypaintcolors #bestgraypaint

If you are considering painting a brick exterior, you’ll find plenty of encouragement and confirmation online! Look at what’s possible:

Simply White paint color on beautiful house exterior - via Prodsec. #simplywhite #whitehousecolors #paintcolors — **Simply White** via Prodsec

Before you are completely sold on BM Simply White, consider a few more tried and true favs in the design world.

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Do visit my board with white exterior inspiration! Find bright white paint color options for exteriors in THIS. Hang out a little longer if you have a moment and explore more paint colors HERE.

I independently selected products in this post—if you buy from one of my links, I may earn a commission.

Peace to you right where you are.

-michele

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