June 4, 2022
What Is The Best White Ceiling Paint?
One of the most common questions that I am regularly asked by my Online Interior Design and Color Consulting clients is, ‘What are the best white ceiling paint colors’?
Considering the client’s interior design style and color palette – I tend to recommend one. However, the story doesn’t end here.
It goes on and on until I realize that it’s time to write an article on this topic indeed.
Well, there could be endless ceiling paint color ideas for your home – blue, gray, teal, mustard, sage green, and much more. (And trust me, they all look fabulous)
However, one of the most popular, versatile, and timeless is white!
And choosing this best white ceiling paint could be quite intimidating and challenging.
After all, there’s no single kind of white paint on the swatch, right?
So, what do you consider when choosing the best ceiling paint colors for your home?
Let’s see…
What is the BEST Color to PAINT a Ceiling?
White!
Yes, white is the best color to paint a ceiling in!
And let me tell you why!
Generally, ceiling paint colors must be a lighter color that is neutral to its hues. (no dominant undertones)
Think of the whitest white you can.
As a rule of thumb, the lighter colors on the ceiling will tend to draw attention and create an airy, lively, and spacious experience in the room.
The color white for the ceiling will also create an illusion of a larger space – with higher ceilings than it actually is.
It must make your space feel larger and enhanced – and there’s no better way to do that, if not a white paint color.
Secondly, this best white paint color for ceilings will tend to disappear – thus, adding focal attention to the wall decor and other furnishings.
And lastly, painting your ceilings white will give you ample freedom to change the color of the wall anytime. You can alter your color palette and interior decoration style whenever you feel like it – without having to repaint the walls!
Well, there are a few tips and tricks regarding how to paint your ceiling in this latest article – WHAT COLOR SHOULD I PAINT MY CEILING?
In this above-mentioned article, I have enlisted various real-time conditions and how to best paint a ceiling in coordination with walls, trims, and special architectural features.
Furthermore, before you choose the best paint for ceilings – here are a few other considerations to have an eye on.
6 Elements to Consider When Choosing the Best Paint Colors for Ceiling
Your white ceiling color has the potential to pick up hues from the surrounding landscape and existing architectural conditions.
So, before you choose a ceiling color white, don’t forget to consider the following 6 elements!
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Compass Directions
Compass directions have a major call here! In the north-facing rooms, the white ceiling paint color may appear cooler and crisper. On the other hand, in the south and west-facing rooms, the ceiling white color may feel warmer and cozier. (Yes, it’s directly proportionate to undertones and reflections)
Here are my latest articles on the best paint colors for various compass directions!
TITLE : WHAT ARE THE BEST PAINT COLORS FOR WEST FACING ROOMS?
GUIDELINE: WHAT ARE THE BEST PAINT COLORS FOR SOUTH FACING ROOMS?
TITLE: WHAT ARE THE BEST PAINT COLORS FOR NORTH FACING ROOMS?
GUIDELINE: WHAT ARE THE BEST PAINT COLORS FOR EAST FACING ROOMS?
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Interior Design Style
When designing a color palette for my client, the first and foremost aspect that I consider is the interior design style. Based on the style is the color palette determined – warm or cool. And believe me, based on this color palette do I further pick the best white paint color for the ceiling that could either be neutral, cool, or slightly warm!
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Views From the Window
Do you have a lawn-facing window? Or does it face the nearby accessible road? Well, the view from your window has a major role to play in how the wall and ceiling color will come out to be! Generally, the white paint colors tend to appear slightly green with a window facing the front or back lawn!
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Existing Architectural Elements
Your room might have a fireplace or any other special architectural or structural features that can contradict the white ceiling paint color. So, it’s important that you consider the color of those cabinets, built-ins, floating shelves, and exposed beams before choosing the white paint color for the ceiling. The warm wood tones must not be ignored!
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Saturation of Artificial Light
The saturation of your light bulbs could be warm white, neutral white, warm yellow, or cool white! This aspect can tend to alter the undertones of your white ceiling paint color and draw more attention upwards! And that’s why, choosing a neutral white color for the ceiling will always create a win-win situation.
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Colored Furniture and Drapes
If you have dominant colors playing in the room through furniture and accessories, it’s quite likely that the wall and ceiling color would equally alter the undertones. For instance, with strong blue color on the drapes and curtains – your room is bound to showcase a dominant touch of blue. (However, this comes much later after picking the ceiling paint colors)
6 Best WHITE Ceiling PAINT Colors
Sherwin Williams Pure White
Sherwin Williams Pure White is my absolute favorite and go-to white paint color for the ceiling.
It’s not a very clean and crisp stark white paint color – but rather has a tinge of warmth to play versatile with any color palette. Yes, this best white ceiling paint is a never-fail option!
Even though SW Pure White falls on the warmer end of the scale, it doesn’t necessarily have any yellow or pink undertone.
So, always consider it a safe ceiling color option for the warmer and neutral color palettes. This is also one of the most popular ceiling colors that will blend with the warm wood tones, shades of beiges, taupes, warm grays, greiges, and yellows!
Don’t forget to check out my latest PREPACKAGED Paint Color Palette for the WHOLE HOUSE – Sherwin Williams Pure White
Sherwin Williams Pure White paint color will look phenomenal on the ceilings as well as trims and moldings.
Consider painting them all in this paint color with different sheens. And if you’re wondering which sheen is best for the ceiling? Well, I’ll discuss it later in the article. When observed in a bigger picture, this color will look flat on the ceilings – but definitely not icy or cool!
Let’s see how SW Pure White differs in different compass directions.
In the north-facing rooms, this white paint ceiling color will lose the warmth and appear more neutral. On the other hand, in the west-facing rooms, this white paint will have a tinge of warmth to it!
Sherwin Williams Extra White
Sherwin Williams Extra White is a go-to white ceiling paint color for the cool-toned palettes.
Unlike SW Pure White, this cool white paint has a tinge of blue and gray to it – thus, the perfect cooler-looking white paint for the ceiling.
When viewed at a smaller scale, this color will showcase a deep cool and icy blue touch to it – however, on a bigger picture, this best white ceiling paint will appear slightly flat with just a hint of gray.
You can best choose this white ceiling color with deep icy blues, grays, cool greens, and any other cool-toned paint on the walls.
Note that it might reflect a deep gray touch – so, good enough to make your space feel cool, calm, crisp, and icy! Hence, I recommend this ceiling paint color in the warmer and humid climatic conditions where you want the room to feel cooler.
A Pro Tip: Avoid this white ceiling paint in a room with warm wood tones!
Don’t forget to check out my latest PREPACKAGED Paint Color Palette for the WHOLE HOUSE – Sherwin Williams EXTRA WHITE
Lastly, let’s discuss how this crisp Sherwin Williams white paint color can appear differently in different compass directions.
In the north-facing rooms, SW Extra White can truly appear too cool and crisp! So, unless you’re going for that ‘cool’ look – it’s going to be quite dull and cold visually and aesthetically!
In the south and west-facing rooms, this cool-toned white ceiling color will neutralize with the warm incoming rays to level out and balance a sense of proportion in the room.
If you have warm white artificial lighting, this color will always feel balanced and not too cool!
Sherwin Williams High Reflective White
Sherwin Williams High Reflective White is the ‘whitest-white’ that’s pure, clean, crisp, and brightest white.
If you ask me, this is my number one choice for any color palette – whether cool or warm. Unlike the SW Pure White paint which works best for the warmer palette and SW Extra White which works the best for cool-toned color palettes – SW High Reflective White is the versatile of them all and complements any color palette.
It doesn’t have any notable cool or warm undertones – hence, an easy best white for ceilings.
When you look through a bigger picture, this Sherwin Williams best white ceiling color will look quite clean, crisp, and pretty much ‘white’!
SW High Reflective White is the brightest white with an LRV of 93 – thus, the lightest and brightest of all the other Sherwin Williams white paint colors.
Moreover, this color feels quite cool in the north-facing rooms and slightly neutral (not warm) in the south and west-facing rooms. The closest is Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace! Don’t worry – I am going to discuss that as well!
Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace
Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace is a clean and bright white paint color that makes your ceiling look too white and crisp. It’s the Benjamin Moore whitest-white paint color for the ceiling that makes a great option for any color palette.
However, according to me, I feel that this color has a tinge of cool blue to it – which can be observed if you compare it against a swatch of Sherwin Williams High Reflective White.
Hence, for the cool-toned color palettes, this is one of the best white ceiling paint colors to choose from. Moreover, you must know that this paint has a major say depending on the existing architectural elements in the room.
To start with, this white color for the ceiling would majorly depend upon the interior finishes, furnishings, and even views from the windows.
Natural light has a major role to play here! In the north-facing rooms, BM Chantilly Lace will appear quite cool and crisp – with a tinge of cool gray or blue to it.
On the other hand, in the south or west-facing rooms, this color will appear slightly warmer! And this is all possible because this white ceiling paint has a dominant neutral undertone.
Benjamin Moore Decorator’s White
Benjamin Moore Decorator’s White is a cool-toned white ceiling paint color that has a tinge of gray to it.
This cool and calm paint can absolutely be considered for the cool-toned palettes with majorly blue, gray, and greens reigning. Indeed, if you want to make your space look brighter, cooler, and larger – this is the best white paint color for ceilings. Especially for coastal interior design style, this ceiling color would work the best!
However, before choosing this ceiling paint color for your home, try examining the swatch in various lighting conditions. For instance, in the north-facing rooms, this ceiling paint color can appear too cool and cold with a major hint of gray!
I wouldn’t recommend this unless you truly want to go that way. Moreover, in the south and west-facing rooms, this gray-toned white paint color can balance with the incoming warm rays to foster a sense of balance.
This white ceiling color has an LRV of 82.68 – which is somewhere darker than Sherwin Williams High Reflective White and Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace!
Benjamin Moore Simply White
Benjamin Moore Simply White is a warmer-toned white paint color for the ceiling that makes a great equivalent to Sherwin Williams Pure White.
This color can be used on the trims, cabinets, as well as the ceilings to add a touch of warmth and can sometimes reflect a deep yellow undertone. With an LRV of 91.7 – this color is too bright and clean-looking as compared to BM Decorator’s White!
Generally, BM Simply White can be best paired with warm wood tones, creamy paint colors, and ample softer linens. In the north-facing rooms, this color can majorly look neutral and subtle due to the cool incoming rays.
On the other hand, in the south and west-facing rooms, this white paint will look quite warm with a yellow undertone sticking out!
So, be extra careful when choosing BM Simply White for the ceilings! Yes, it can tend to alter the appearance of the wall paint color. You could choose Benjamin Moore White Dove for a cleaner experience on the ceiling!
What Paint Finish Should I Use On My Ceiling?
It’s ideal to choose the flat or matte finish for the ceilings of your home.
And that’s because ceilings are quite prone to imperfections and they’re comparatively difficult to paint and repaint as compared to the walls. The flat or matte finish will hide these imperfections and create a less-reflective surface.
Summing It Up
Choosing the best white ceiling paint color can be challenging depending upon your interior design style, color preferences, views from the windows, and the compass directions. So, all you must ensure is to primarily analyze what you want and classify these above-mentioned white ceiling paints accordingly.
To make it easier for you – if you have a cool-toned palette and want a cool-toned ceiling color to complement, choose either SW Extra White (blue undertone), SW Ceiling Bright White/BM Decorator’s White (gray undertone), or SW High Reflective White/BM Chantilly Lace for a neutral look.
On the other hand, for a warmer palette and a warmer ceiling color, choose SW Pure White, BM Simply White, or BM White Dove!
So, if you’re too looking for a session of paint color consultation – click on the services and let me know if you need help.
So, are you looking to choose the best white ceiling paint color for your home? Well, if you need help, do reach out to me here and I will get to you as soon as possible.
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[…] the highest quality of white that Sherwin Williams produces. Benjamin Moore’s White is a cool-toned white ceiling paint color with a hint of gray to it. BM Chantilly lace will appear to be too cold and gray in the […]