HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT WHITE
brought to you by thREE BIRDS reno school
** Spoiler Alert **
no ‘one white fits all’!
Sorry guys… just when you thought we were about to announce our one-stop, go-to, must-use-everywhere, magic unicorn shade of white… we’ve got to break it to you, it just doesn’t exist!
Unfortunately, when it comes to picking white paint, there’s no ‘one white fits all’ solution so, we’re going to share the tried and true process we go through to choose the white paint for each and every one of our projects. There’s really no shortcut to this process and although we’re big fans of Dulux White on White, we don’t go splashing it everywhere without testing it on the walls of the home we’re going to be painting. You’ll be shocked and amazed at how different white paints can look in different homes and surroundings and we’d far rather you’re amazed at your fabulous end result, rather than shocked by it! #youhavebeenwarned
Let us show you how we choose the white paint for our projects…
First things, first - do you know if a cool white or a warm white will best suit your project? When selecting white paint there’s a fine line between a fresh, relaxing vibe and looking like you’re living in a stark science lab, so you’ll want to work out if it’s likely to be a cool white or a warm white that creates the feel you’re going for.
Cool Whites
Cool whites are great for adding a modern or minimalist edge to a space. They often carry blue or grey undertones and are useful in softening bright light. These colours are softer to the eye and will give you a feeling of a larger space within the room. We’ve used cool whites in the majority of our homes for a fresh, coastal vibe.
Warm Whites
Warm whites often carry subtle peach, pink, or yellow undertones. These variations invite a relaxed warmth into your home and can help soften spaces that don’t get a lot of sun.
We suggest considering both cool and warm shades of white before narrowing down your search. When it comes to sampling, include at least one of each in your search to compare how they go with other elements in your room (timber, other colours) - this is a great way to help eliminate what doesn’t work.
When we’re choosing an exterior white, we tend to look at shades that are chalkier than we’d use internally. you can get away with a crisp white inside, but your exterior is always going to be exposed to the elements. As much as you try to prevent it, it’ll end up dusty and dirty, and you won’t want that to show.
House 6: Dulux Casper White Quarter (cool)
Do not pass go, do not collect $200, do not select your white paint until you’ve sampled a few shades of white in YOUR space! Unfortunately we can’t do this step for you and always recommend you don’t invest until you test. Pinky swear you won’t do that? It’s a common rookie error!
We usually start out by ordering A4 colour swatches from the fab folks at Dulux. They’re easy to stick on your wall (the swatches, not the people!) and can help you eliminate a whole lot of shades quickly. When you’re down to your final few contenders, you’ll want to order sample pots or pick some up from your local hardware store to paint them straight onto your walls for a true colour test.
This is how we test our paints for each and every project - we’re sorry to break the news that there are literally THOUSANDS of whites to choose from and no ‘one white fits all’. Remember, it’s always good to include at least one warm white and one cool white to help eliminate a whole lot of shades and ultimately make your decision!
Make sure you paint really big swatches (at least 30 x 30cm), give it two coats and be sure to have a look at your white swatches in the morning, afternoon and night because there will be subtle changes in the way they look depending on the time of day.
Don’t forget to paint on the names of the colours underneath each swatch because you don’t want to get your White Pointers mixed up with your White Polars or your Chalk Whites with your China Whites – that could be an expensive mistake!
Now it’s time to invite a friend over and ask for their opinion. Then, vote on which colour will be your winner winner chicken dinner. Or, if you’re like Bonnie, leave your swatches up for weeks and ask more judges than an America’s Got Talent panel to vote on them… just to be totally sure!
Watch this video to see how we pick our whites:
Rinse and repeat this process inside and out and you’ll be a paint picking pro in no time!
Once we’ve picked a winner, found “the chosen one”, your numero uno… you’re ready to settle down for lifetime commitment (well, not quite that long!) it’s time to buy your paint. When we’re painting with white, we get ALL our paint tinted in the SAME shade. That’s right, different paints, same colour.
Why? We like to KISS (keep it simple, sista!) Not only does it simplify your paint choices, it looks fab, makes small rooms look bigger and helps avoid the common problem of different whites throwing different undertones when painted next to each other.
If you’re choosing white paint for your walls, our top tip is to tint ALL your interior white paints to the same shade. Yep, ALL. That includes walls, trims, doors AND ceilings too! #samesame #keepitsimple. This helps avoid contrasting whites throwing different undertones and usually the reason people tell us their white paint looks blue or green.
No matter what colour we’re painting, here’s which paint we use for each surface:
+ Interior Walls, including brick - Dulux 1 Step Prep
+ Interior Walls, including brick - Dulux Wash&Wear Low Sheen
+ Interior Woodwork - Dulux Super Enamel Semi Gloss
+ Ceiling - Dulux Ceiling White
+ Exterior Walls, including brick - Dulux Weathershield Low Sheen
+ Exterior Trims - Dulux Aquanamel Semi Gloss OR Dulux Super Enamel Semi Gloss
We use and love Dulux Australia paints. If you’re not in Australia, the same steps apply for choosing your perfect white paint but you may need to choose another paint manufacturer.
If there’s a Dulux colour you love, you can jump on the Dulux website and see the colour values which you can share with your local paint shop to help them find you a similar recommendation.
Hey, Kiwis! 🇳🇿 We see you there across the ditch 👋🏼
Some Dulux colour names are the same in Australia and New Zealand, others are different. We’ve found Dulux to be a great help in translating these via their Facebook messenger or chat function on their websites. Give it a go!
And if you’re a Reno School or Styling School student, feel free to share your findings in our Facebook communities – chances are someone else is looking for the same answer too. #sharingiscaring
