5 Tips For Choosing White Paint

I want to thank Trimaco for collaborating with me on this “5 Tips For Choosing White Paint” post. All opinions are my own. 

Paint is my favorite DIY tool. It is the one tool that provides the biggest transformation without a ton of cost. But, if you don’t pick the right color, it can cost a lot of money. Believe me. I know. We have lived in this house for about fourteen years and have painted the walls a gazillion times. When we first moved in, I was clueless.

I would pick a color from the paint chips in the store, get the paint mixed and go home and paint an entire room. We would wake up the next day and I would hate it! We wasted so much time and money painting in the past. So MUCH! I have learned a lot through every one of those painting mistakes and I am here today to share a few tips with you. Right now, white interiors are very popular.

We have painted a few rooms in our home white (most recently the back porch) and are working on the home office makeover which I am also painting white. When I was picking out a white paint color for the office, I thought I should share what I have learned through my years of paint mistakes. My 5 Tips For Choosing White Paint will hopefully save you a ton of time, effort and money in your painting adventures. 

5 Tips For Choosing White Paint:

#1: Room Use –

How are you going to use the room your are painting? What activities will be done in the room? Knowing this before you pick a white paint color is very important because it will help guide you to the right shade. For our home office, I knew I would be doing my day to day office work in it, but I also needed the space to function for taking photos and making videos. I needed the white paint to be light and bright. 

#2: Lighting –

This is another huge factor when picking a white paint color. Do you have a lot of natural light coming into the space? Will you be using a lot of artificial light in the space? In the home office, we have a lot of natural light, but I wanted it to be as bright as I could get it. If I didn’t have as much natural light, I would have went with an even brighter white. 

#3: Samples – 

I can’t emphasize this enough. I have learned this tip the hard way. We have painted entire rooms and hated the color the next day because it looked different than when we painted it. Now, any time I paint a room, I always bring home a few samples to try them on the walls.

It is extremely important to do this with white paint because it can look so different throughout the day depending on the way light bounces off of it. Spend a few extra dollars to buy a few samples you like and paint a good size portion on the walls. Paint them close together so you can see their differences throughout the day and night. 

#4: Other Pieces and Colors In The Room – 

Take into account what else will be in the room. Furniture, art and trim color all play with the color on the walls. If everything else in the room is heavy and dark, you might want to get a brighter white color. If you have lighter pieces and trim in the room, you may go with a warmer shade of white. 

#5: Sheen – 

I have painted stripes on a wall in the same color, but different sheens. It is amazing how different the color looks in a different sheen. A flat white and a satin white will look totally different on a wall. You could also buy sample sizes in different sheens to paint on the wall and see which one you like best. 

Choosing white paint does not have to be a scary thing. White rooms are gorgeous and depending on what you want the end goal to be in your space, choosing a color can be quite easy. In the past fourteen years, we have learned so much through every paint project.

Not only have we learned great tips when it comes to choosing the right color, but we also know what supplies you need to make the job run smoothly, more clean and most efficient. When we first started painting rooms, we would use old bed sheets for drop cloths. We learned that is a NO-NO! We would spill paint and it would seep right through the sheets. My biggest pet peeve was that the sheets would move on us all the time! They would never stay put!

We have found the solution for that. We know that a great drop cloth is a necessity when painting any room.

Our favorite is the Stay Put Canvas from Trimaco.com. 

This drop cloth does not move! We put it down and it stayed right where we put it. Other drop cloths we have used move on carpet and we were never confident it would stay in one place to cover the carpet. This drop cloth has a rubber grip on the back that ensures it will stay put when you lay it down. 

We chose “Super White” from Pittsburgh Paints for the office. I started by putting the Stay Put Canvas in the corner of the office and we were able to paint that entire corner of the room without it moving! 

We also used the BlueEdge Painting Tape from Trimaco on the trim. Another supply you have to have when you paint is good painter’s tape. 

Since we painted the home office, I have used this drop cloth for furniture projects as well. It is my “go-to” drop cloth for so many projects for sure. 

The home office is coming together. We still have a lot of things to finish and I am excited to bring you the reveal. We found some great pieces to add to the office and then I had to get rid of some pieces. Every makeover is a process and we start every makeover with paint on the walls. Like I said, it is the cheapest way to make the biggest difference.

We thought the walls in the office we light before, but the white paint we chose really made the room so much brighter. We also gave the ceiling a fresh coat of paint which brightened it up as well. White rooms are beautiful and they are a great excuse to bring in your other favorite colors in things like throw pillows, art, throws and rugs. Choosing white paint can be a daunting task, but I can assure you that if you use these five tips, the process will be so much easier. 

Do you have any white rooms in your home? What is your favorite white paint color?

PIN THIS POST!

If you liked this 5 Tips For Choosing White Paint, you will also like these posts:

 Do It Yourself Kitchen Makeover 

 Back Porch Makeover

Magnolia Paint in 25+ Colors Available At Target