White is a classic exterior paint color that never goes out of style. It’s clean, crisp, and timeless, and it can make your home look larger and more inviting. There are so many white paint colors with varying hues and undertones to choose from, how do you possibly choose a white paint for the exterior?
Let’s explore my top 15 picks for the best white exterior paints from Sherwin Williams and Benjamin Moore.
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We will get the 15 white paint colors for the exterior in just a minute, but I want to refresh everyone’s memory on LRV. LRV stands for Light Reflectance Value. This has to do with how light or dark a paint color is. It uses a scale of 0-100 (more like 3-93).
The closer to 100, the more pure white the color is and the closer to 0, the more true black the paint color is. Light and Bright colors are found above 50 which is where all of our “white” paint colors live.
The Best White Exterior Paint From Sherwin Williams
- Alabaster-LRV 82
- Shoji White-LRV 74
- Snowbound-LRV 83
- Creamy-LRV 81
- Greek Villa-LRV 84
- Pure White-LRV 84
- Aesthetic White-LRV 73
- Oyster White-LRV 72
- Natural Choice-LRV 73
- White Duck-LRV 74
The Best White Exterior Paint From Benjamin Moore
- Swiss Coffee-LRV 82
- Chantilly Lace-LRV 90
- White Dove-LRV 83
- China White-LRV 76
- Simply White-LRV 90
Alabaster-Sherwin Williams
Sherwin Williams Alabaster is a warm, creamy white that is perfect for homes with a traditional or craftsman style. It is also a good choice for homes with wood accents, as it will help to complement the natural beauty of the wood.
With an LRV of 82, it is nice and bright, but still not our brightest in the lineup. It is more of an off-white with more warm undertones. I really love how soft, but still very bright white this white exterior color looks in the natural light.
Chantilly Lace-Benjamin Moore
Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace is a soft, creamy white that is perfect for homes with a coastal or cottage style. It is also a good choice for homes with brick or stone accents, as it will help to blend in with the natural materials.
We all know this is a cult favorite for interior paints, but it shines bright an an exterior paint as well. Literally, this white paint for the exterior has an LRV of 90! Wow!
Snowbound-Sherwin Williams
Sherwin Williams Snowbound is a bright, clean white that is perfect for homes with traditional or modern architecture. It is also a good choice for homes with dark trim, as it will help to brighten up the overall look.
This is another popular favorite, I love this one as well. It’s another more off white white exterior paint choice with some warmth with its gray undertones. The LRV is 83, so a lot less bright than Chantilly Lace, but still very white in the natural light.
Swiss Coffee-Benjamin Moore
Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee is a soft, creamy white paint color that looks gorgeous in the natural daylight. It has an LRV of 84, a smidge brighter than Snowbound.
This makes it a good choice for homes that want to feel bright and airy. Swiss Coffee is a versatile color that can be paired with a variety of other colors, making it a good choice for homes with any style.
Creamy-Sherwin Williams
Sherwin Williams Creamy is a light, warm white paint color that is perfect for smaller cottages or bungalows. It has an LRV of 77. This makes it quite a bit darker than the previous white we have looked at, but still an excellent choice for a white exterior paint color.
Creamy also has warm undertones, which can give your home a cozy and inviting feel. It has more of a yellow base than other brighter whites, but this is common for creamier colors. In the daylight, the yellow does not appear as much as it may indoors.
White Dove-Benjamin Moore
Benjamin Moore White Dove is a soft, warm white that is perfect for homes that reside in more established neighborhoods with mature trees. It has the ability to stand out with an LRV of 85, yet still be bright among the shadows.
White Dove has undertones of gray which always seem to make a white color simply irresistible. This is another super popular color choice from Benjamin Moore and I certainly understand the hype.
Shoji White-Sherwin Williams
Sherwin Williams Shoji White is a soft, muted off white that is perfect for those that do not want a super bright white. It has an LRV of 74, so a lot less bright white than White Dove.
Shoji White has neutral undertones of beige and gray that can show depending on the time of day and the type of natural light it is under (sunny, cloudy, etc.) This white paint color is a solid choice for the exterior.
China White/Sea Pearl-Benjamin Moore
Benjamin Moore China White is a soft, light light greige/warm off white. It has an LRV of 78. You may also hear this color called Sea Pearl, but it is the exact same color. This white paint for the exterior is an excellent choice.
It is perfect for homes with dark accents and those with stonework. The off white color really feels inviting. I’ve heard that it can look dingy indoors, but outdoors it looks amazing on the exterior.
Oyster White-Sherwin Williams
Sherwin Williams Oyster White is very similar to China White. It has an LRV of 72, so a bit darker but also a very warm white bordering on light greige. This color is perfect with homes that have dark wood accents.
Since it is a little darker than China White, it has similar neutrals undertones that may show up a bit more outside. I call these colors the goldilocks whites: Not too creamy and not too bright, just right.
Natural Choice-Sherwin Williams
Sherwin Williams Natural Choice is a warm, off-white paint color. It has an LRV of 68, our least bright, but you couldn’t tell from the picture. Natural Choice has yellow undertones, which gives it a warm and inviting feel.
This paint color can be paired with a variety of other colors, including other warm whites, earth tones, and blues. It’s not too yellow or too gray, just right and a beautiful, natural choice (see what I did there).
Simply White-Benjamin Moore
Benjamin Moore Simply White is another warm, white paint color with yellow undertones. It has an LRV of 91, the brightest color in the lineup. In the sunlight, the yellow undertones disappear, for a bright and clean look.
It is perfect for homes with modern farmhouse exteriors or painted wood accents. I love it for interiors, but it turns out it is great on exteriors as well.
Pure White-Sherwin Williams
Sherwin Williams Pure White is a soft, warm white paint color. It has an LRV of 84. Pure White has yellow undertones, much like Simply White. This color looks particularly gorgeous with black accents.
White houses with black trim are a super popular trend right now, as are gray greens. I would love to see these too paired together, white house, black trim, and a green front door for a classic look. Stunning.
White Duck-Sherwin Williams
Sherwin Williams White Duck is a warm, off white color. It is as if cream and greige got together to make a baby. In certain lights the greige side will be more prominent, but in others the creamy foundation of the color will come through without bringing out the yellow undertones.
White Duck is another cult favorite for builders and designers when choosing white paint for exterior color choices. I can see why, it’s stunning!
Aesthetic White-Sherwin Williams
Sherwin Williams Aesthetic White is an off-white paint to really light greige color. It has an LRV of 73. Aesthetic White has a subtle violet undertone, which gives it a cool and calming feel. It is a good choice for exteriors, as it will help to make your home look modern and sophisticated.
These chameleon colors that jump between off white and greige really shine in the bright light of the day. This particular color shines really nicely in south facing houses, which is why it is important to take the direction of your home into account.
Greek Villa-Sherwin Williams
Sherwin Williams Greek Villa is a creamy white color. It has an LRV of 84. The undertones of this color are definitely more on the yellowish, green side, but they are subtle. This color is perfect for homeowners that want a warm white color that is not too stark white.
How To Pick A White Exterior Paint Color
When picking a white paint for the exterior of your home, there are a few things to consider. Many factors go into determining the right paint color. Some of those factors one needs to think about before picking an exterior white paint are:
- The direction of your home (north facing, south facing, etc)
- Other homes on the street
- White Paint: Warm or Cool? Which do you prefer?
- Landscaping
- Trim and Accent Colors
- Consider how the paint colors look in natural light
- Narrow Down options to 3 or less
- Ordering Samples
The Best Place To Order Samples
Ordering samples is super easy with Samplize! You can get a mess free actual paint sample to peel and stick to the walls of your home. Test them out in all the different times of day and make your choice easy!
Try Samplize Today!
Final Thoughts On White Paint For The Exterior
Painting houses white is a really big trend that I think will extend for a while into the future. White is such a classic and timeless color, you can’t go wrong with a white paint color for your exterior. The problem is white is an extremely tricky color to choose.
I broke down 15 of the best white exterior paint colors from Sherwin Williams and Benjamin Moore. If you are in the middle of the white paint decision saga, hopefully this post was helpful in making final decisions.
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