Hi all! If you found this page, it is probably because you have a question about paint!
The comments sections on my paint pages are now closed, but I want to do my best to make sure that your questions are being answered!
First, check out this list of frequently asked questions. You may just find the answer you’re looking for here.
Second, if you have a simple question, check out the Love Remodeled Facebook page. You can ask general questions and get answers from myself and the community.
Third, consider a paint consultation. If you prefer to have a conversation about your space, your lighting, your current colors, and your vision for your space, check out my consultation services. (COMING SOON)
This post may contain affiliate links. If you have any questions, please see my disclaimer page.
White Paint Questions
If my walls are white, what color should I paint my trim?
What are the best paint colors for white cabinets?
What are the best warm off-white paint colors?
What are the best cool off-white paint colors?
What is a good off-white paint color if I don’t like yellowy shades?
If I have white subway tile, what white paint color should I paint my walls?
What white paint color will go with my quartz countertops?
What colors go with Pure White?
What colors go with Alabaster?
What colors go with Snowbound?
Black Paint Questions
What is a good classic black paint color?
What is the best charcoal black paint color?
Gray Paint Questions
What are the best dark gray paint colors?
What are the best light gray paint colors?
Greige Paint Questions
What colors go with Agreeable Gray?
What are the best greige paint colors?
Trim Questions
What are the best trim white colors?
What wall paint color will work with my wood trim?
What are some dark trim paint colors?
Home Exterior Questions
What is a good white paint color for my home’s exterior?
Can you suggest accent colors that will coordinate on my home’s exterior?
General Paint Color Questions
I painted my wall and it looks completely different than what I expected. Why? And is there anything I can do?
I’m selling my home. What color should I paint my walls?
If I am only going to paint my house one color, what color should it be?
Sheen Questions
What sheen should my walls be?
What sheen should my ceiling be?
What sheen should my trim be?
White Paint Questions
If my walls are white, what color should I paint my trim?
If your walls are painted a white or a light off-white, the best color to paint your trim is likely going to be that same color.
White paints all have specific undertones, and those undertones may not play nicely with another white paints undertones. It could end up making your trim or your walls look blue, pink, or yellow, instead of the beautiful white or off-white you chose.
So, the easiest way to make sure your trim and wall color match are to paint them both the same color but vary the sheen. Choose a higher (more shiny) sheen for your trim than for your walls, and the trim will end up looking brighter than the walls due to the way the light reflects off the higher sheen, but will still match perfectly.
Want to see an example of this? Hop on over to my Facebook page, request to join, and then search “Alabaster” to see how one reader painted her walls Alabaster in an eggshell and her cabinets Alabaster in a semi-gloss. The result is gorgeous!
What are the best paint colors for white cabinets?
If you want to paint your cabinets white, some of my top paint colors are Pure White, Alabaster or Extra White.
Pure White is great for a bright, clean white that isn’t stark. It works well with almost any wall color, and works with a lot of backspace and countertop options.
Alabaster is a great warm white for your kitchen cabinets. It has a creamy sort of quality to it without typically looking like a cream colored paint. It is soft and subtle, and very pretty. It will not work well with most quartz or white subway tiles, but is great with most granites and many other warm tones.
Extra White is a great cool white paint color for kitchen cabinets. It is going to go well with most quartz and white subway tile, and gives that stark look that some people want.
Prefer Benjamin Moore Colors? Check out Simply White instead of Pure White, White Dove instead of Alabaster and Super White instead of Extra White.
What are the best warm off-white paint colors?
My favorite warm white paint colors are Alabaster (yellow and gray undertones), Shoji White (beige and gray undertones, Snowbound (pink/purple undertones), and Aesthetic White (greige undertones). Click on the names to check out the full paint color reviews on these colors.
What are the best cool off-white paint colors?
My favorite cool white paint colors are Extra White (blue undertones), Moderne White (green undertones), and First Star (gray and blue undertones). I don’t have full color reviews on all these shades yet, but they’re likely coming!
What is a good off-white paint color if I don’t like yellowy shades?
If you want an off-white paint color but don’t want any yellow in it, check out Snowbound, Pale Oak, Balboa Mist or Aesthetic White. These warm whites don’t lean yellow, but bring a cozy feeling to the space.
If I have white subway tile, what white paint color should I paint my walls?
If you have white subway tile, chances are that it leans cool. Because of this, a warm white, especially one that has yellow undertones, probably won’t work well.
A good white wall color for your white subway tiles may be Pure White, Chantilly Lace, or Ice Cube. Be sure to pick up a Samplize sheet to make sure the color is perfect before you paint!
What white paint color will go with my quartz countertops?
If you have quartz countertops, is it likely that the quartz has a cool undertone to it. Because of this, you will want to paint your walls a cool white, or a light gray. These are your best options for making sure that the paint color coordinates with your quartz countertop.
Some good options may be Chantilly Lace, Super White, White Heron, or Spare White. Be sure to pick up a Samplize sheet to make sure the color is perfect before you paint!
What colors go with Pure White?
Pure White is a great white paint color because it goes with almost any other paint color. It works with true colors, like blues, greens, reds, oranges, yellows, purples, and pinks, and can also work with neutrals like blacks, grays, and greiges.
The only time I hesitate to use Pure White is when the paint color is a very light off-white or a white. For example, Pure White won’t clash with a light color like Alabaster, but it won’t make Alabaster pop either.
In these cases, I recommed painting the trim and the walls the same color and differentiating by sheen.
What colors go with Alabaster?
Alabaster works best with greiges, blue greens, dark grays, blacks, navys, tans, and warm neutrals. It can also work with some blues, some greens, some pinks, and some reds.
Specifically, Alabaster works well with Colonnade Gray, Agreeable Gray, Hale Navy, Shoji White, Mindful Gray, Sea Salt, Rainwashed, or Tidewater.
For more specific color pairings for Alabaster, check out the post and the comments below it. zxc
What colors go with Snowbound?
Snowbound has gray and pink/purple undertones. Because of this, it is a bit less versatile than other white/off-white paint colors.
Snowbound is going to go best with taupe paint colors. Taupe paint colors are similar to greiges, because they have a blend of gray and beige. But, true greiges have green and blue undertones, while taupes have pink and purple undertones.
Some good taupe paint colors to pair with Snowbound may be Pale Oak, Balboa Mist, Toque White or Incredible White. Snowbound also goes well with Colonnade Gray, Autumn Orchard, Hale Navy or Van Deusen Blue.
For more information on Snowbound, check out the post and the comments below it.
Black Paint Questions
What is a good classic black paint color?
A great, fairly undertone free black paint color is Tricorn Black. It can work on trim, cabinets, metal accents, walls or exteriors.
What is the best charcoal black paint color?
My favorite charcoal black paint color is Iron Ore. Iron Ore is a very dark gray, or a soft black paint color that goes well on trim, cabinets, metal accents, walls, or exteriors.
Gray Paint Questions
What are the best dark gray paint colors?
Some popular dark gray paint colors are Peppercorn, Kendall Charcoal, Gauntlet Gray and Dovetail. All of these paint colors are listed on their paint manufacturers’ “most popular” lists, because they are versatile and functional.
What are the best light gray paint colors?
There are so many gorgeous light gray paint colors. In this section, I’m going to only discuss cool gray paint colors. Cool grays are a bit more traditional looking, with blue, purple, or green undertones. Cool grays have a steely or stormy quality to them.
Some popular light, cool gray paint colors are Gray Owl, Passive, Stonington Gray, and Light French Gray.
Warm gray paint colors tend to fall under the greige category, so if you’re looking for a warm gray, check out the next section.
Greige Paint Questions
What colors go with Agreeable Gray?
There are a lot of paint colors that go well with Agreeable Gray. Some good options are Incredible White, Coral Rose, Extra White, Sea Salt, Steamed Milk, Mega Greige, Pure White, Alabaster, Westhighland White, Gauntlet Gray, Naval, and Urbane Bronze.
To learn more, check out my post on Agreeable Gray, and be sure to scroll down to the comments section to see what others have asked!
What are the best greige paint colors?
My favorite greige paint colors are Agreeable Gray, Repose Gray, Classic Gray, Colonnade Gray, and Edgecomb Gray.
Trim Questions
What are the best trim white colors?
My favorite white paint colors for trim are Pure White, High Reflective White and Chantilly Lace.
Pure White is bright and white looking, but has a bit of softness to it. High Reflective White and Chantilly Lace are both very bright white paint colors that have almost no undertones. All of these paint shades go with almost any other paint color – which is why they are my favorites for trim!
If you want a warm, creamy trim, check out Alabaster. Alabaster is good if you are only ever going to be painting your home in warm colors. It won’t work great with cool colors.
If you want a cool, stark trim, check out Extra White. Extra White is good if you are only ever going to be painting your home in cool paint colors. It won’t work great with warm colors.
Pure White, High Reflective White and Chantilly Lace are more versatile, which is why they are my go-to paint colors for trim.
What wall paint color will work with my wood trim?
Wood trim can be gorgeous in some homes, and many people prefer wood trim. It gives a space a classic, elegant look. If you are looking for paint colors that will work with your wood trim, I have a couple of posts just for you.
First, check out this post on wall colors that go with honey oak cabinets. I know that it says “cabinets” but all these wall paint colors will also work for homes with honey colored trim as well.
Second, check out this post on wall colors for wood trim. It has a lot of different paint color options for the walls of homes that have wood trim.
What are some dark trim paint colors?
Dark trim is trending right now. If you are looking to paint your trim or woodwork in a dark paint color, some popular options are Tricorn Black, Iron Ore, Dovetail, or Urbane Bronze.
Home Exterior Questions
What is a good white paint color for my home’s exterior?
A good white paint color for your home exterior is going to depend on your homes accent colors and the direction your home faces. Northern facing light can make a home’s paint color look cooler and more muted. Southern facing light is warmer and will make a paint color look warmer. It will also make the paint color look lighter than it looks on the paint swatch.
Another consideration is that a white paint will look much more white on your home’s exterior. So, unless you want a really bright white exterior, going with a bright white like High Reflective White or Chantilly Lace maybe not be your best option. It can be really beautiful, but you have to want a really bright white look.
But, all that being said, here are some good white paint colors for a home’s exterior: Alabaster, Pure White and Simply White.
Can you suggest accent colors that will coordinate on my home’s exterior?
Yes, I can! But, this is more of a question for my paint consultations. They will give us the time to discuss the color schemes you like, as well as the particular nuances of your home. You can schedule one here!
General Paint Color Questions
I painted my wall and it looks completely different than what I expected. Why? And is there anything I can do?
When your paint color looks completely different than you thought it would, there are a couple of things that might be happening.
First, your lighting plays a big part in how your paint color looks. Does the color look more yellow than you expected? You probably have a lot of warm light in the space. Is it just sort of dingy looking? Maybe you have more northern facing light, or not enough light.
Second, your floor can throw a different tone onto the walls. For example, in a room with honey colored wood floors, your creamy white paint may look almost yellow. The walls will reflect some of that color from the floors back into the room.
Third, your furnishings could be throwing the color as well. Sometimes just the visual impact of seeing two colors next to eachother will make the shades look different.
What can you do about this? My favorite trick is to change the light bulbs in your space. Changing from a warm to a cool light bulb, or a cool to a daylight bulb, etc., will make a big difference in how the paint color looks. Sure, you could also change your flooring, change your furniture, or repaint, but these are much more expensive options.
I’m selling my home. What color should I paint my walls?
The best color to paint your walls when you plan on selling it are neutrals. You may love blues, greens, yellows or reds, but your buyer may not. A neutral allows the buyer to see their own furnishings and design style in the space.
Some great neutral paint colors for selling your house are Agreeable Gray, Alabaster, Pure White, or Gray Owl.
If I am only going to paint my house one color, what color should it be?
If you plan to paint your whole house the same color, a great option is going to be a light neutral. Something with an LRV of around 70 or higher will work in almost all rooms.
Some good whole home paint colors are Agreeable Gray, Alabaster, Gray Owl, Swiss Coffee, Classic Gray, Passive, Shoji White, Repose Gray, or Aesthetic White.
Sheen Questions
What sheen should my walls be?
The standard sheen for walls is eggshell or satin.
In kitchens and bathrooms, sometimes people will use a semi-gloss so it is highly scrubbable, but the most common is still a satin for these areas.
In bedrooms and low traffic areas, matte or flat paint is commonly used by contractors on new home builds, and it looks gorgeous. But, this type of paint does now stand up to much scrubbing, so its not super usable for families or high-traffic areas.
I have a whole post on paint finishes (sheens), so if you are looking for more information, check it out!
What sheen should my ceiling be?
Ceilings are typically painted in flat paint.
What sheen should my trim be?
Trim and woodwork is typically painted in a very high sheen. Usually, this is a semi-gloss, but you will also see some people prefer a gloss paint.
Using a high sheen paint on trim makes it a little more durable and scrubbable.
Final Thoughts on Frequently Asked Paint Questions
Was there a question I missed? If so, feel free to head on over to my Facebook page and ask!
And, if you’re looking for a more detailed conversation about paint colors that will look good in your specific home, book a paint consultation! I look forward to chatting with you! (COMING SOON – STAY TUNED)