Tips for testing white paint colors
It’s best to test a new color before painting an entire room (or house!) with it. No amount of expert advice can guarantee that a particular white color will look good in YOUR space based on YOUR lighting and YOUR taste. Here’s how we recommend testing any color:
Collect LOTS of samples from the paint store. Collect more swatches than just the 12 colors listed here. Bring home alternatives that are darker, lighter, gray, yellow, etc. from you think you want. This will give you more tones to compare and ultimately choose your favorite.
Order sample removable stickers. Once you’ve narrowed down your options, use a website like Samples order large pre-painted samples. The price is comparable to mixing the colors of the sample size, but the removable stickers save you the mess. We’ve linked each color in this list below. You can also get most of them (plus some extras) by ordering Warm white or Cool White packages.
See samples on different walls, in different lighting scenarios. Take your time with your samples. Look at them in the morning, afternoon, evening and in artificial light to judge brightness and undertone. Try them on different walls in the room as well. They can also be stuck to cabinets, trim, or other surfaces you might want to paint.
If this is not enough to choose the final color, you can paint a large sample directly on the wall, but we assume that you will not need this step.