Sherwin Williams Extra White is a popular bright white paint color for trim, cabinets, and walls. Read this paint color review to find out why its one of SW’s most popular white colors and whether it’s a good choice for your home.
What Color is Extra White?
As the name suggests, Extra White (SW 7006) is one of Sherwin Williams’ brightest whites.
Sherwin Williams claims Extra White is their “truest white”, which is not technically true. They do, in fact, have a whiter-white – Sherwin Williams Highly Reflective White.
On interior walls, Extra White looks like a crisp white paint color with just enough softening thanks to its slight gray undertone.
What is The LRV of Extra White?
With an LRV of 86, it’s pretty white, with only one other color, High Reflective White, being brighter (it has an LRV of 93). If you’re looking for a slightly less bright white, then Pure White may be a good choice.
What’s LRV? LRV, or Light Reflectance Value, is the number that refers to how light or dark a color is on a scale of 0-100. The closer the number is to 100, the lighter it is (white being the lightest). The closer the number is to 0, the darker it is (black).
What are the Undertones of Extra White?
Like all white paint colors, Extra White has its own unique undertones. Extra White is a very bright white with a slight gray undertone. It looks great alongside a color palette of other cool colors like grays and blues.
Despite what the RGB values (238 / 239 / 234) suggest, in real life there is no apparent yellow undertone. It will always reads as a cool white with a slight gray or even slight blue undertone.
Is Sherwin Williams Extra White Cool or Warm?
Extra White is a slightly cool paint color.
Where to Use Extra White
Extra White is most commonly used for trim and ceilings, but I have seen it used on interior walls, too. If you favor a cool-toned color palette, you can use Extra White for the walls in different rooms of your home such as the living room, kitchen, dining room, bathrooms and bedrooms.
Is Extra White a Good Exterior Paint Color?
Extra White is also a great exterior paint color. While our siding came in a factory-finish white, Extra White is a perfect match (I know because I painted the trim around the front door and it matches perfectly!).
What is the Difference Between Sherwin Williams Pure White and Extra white?
Extra White is only a bit brighter than Pure White, with an LRV of (86), although it comes across as brighter because it’s a purer white, with slight blue undertones.
Pure White, is another popular Sherwin Williams color. It has an LRV of 84. It does not come across as a really bright, stark white. It has just enough softness to it (thanks to that little drop of gray and yellow) to stop it from being an in-your-face white.
Pure White is a better choice if you have a mixture of warm and cool finishes. If you prefer only cool-toned finishes (grays, blues) then Extra White is a good choice. I would not pair Extra White with warmer wall colors like creams or beiges.
Is Sherwin Williams Extra White Better than Chantilly Lace?
Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace is a more neutral white, with barely any discernible undertone. Extra White on the other hand, it a cool white. Chantilly Lace is a more versatile white that will work in most rooms to give you a bright white look.
While Extra White is beautiful, in north-facing rooms or ones that get cool morning or afternoon light, you may see that blue undertone creep in, especially if you’ve used the color on walls or cabinets.
SW Extra White vs Benjamin Moore Decorator’s White
BM Decorator’s White has a violet/gray undertone keeping it on the cool side similar to Extra White. However, with an LRV of 82.64 it’s darker than Extra White. Similarly to Extra White, it’s a limiting choice if you ever want to paint your walls a warmer color.
SW Extra White vs Sherwin Williams Alabaster
SW Alabaster is not a traditional bright white, and actually almost verges into off-white territory. It is a warm white with a soft gray undertone. If you’re looking for a traditional white trim, Alabaster is not what you’re looking for. And if you’re thinking of painting your walls Alabaster and your trim Extra White, they will not look good together.
How Light Affects Extra White
How much light your room gets its very important when it comes to cooler colors.
Anyone who tells you that Extra White is not a cool white and instead has a slightly warm undertone, clearly has this paint color in a south facing room, and doesn’t understand how light can completely change how a color looks.
A bright white color like Extra White will take on colors from both its surroundings and the light. So with sunny south-facing exposure, the coolness of Extra White will be imperceivable and it will come across as a beautiful neutral white.
Of course, it may also reflect the green out your window, the color of the furniture, the bright red throw you have draped over your couch. So keep that in mind.
Pairing Extra White with other paint colors that are overly warm, will bring out its blue undertone. If you keep the other paint colors cooler (grays, blues, greens), the blue undertone will be neutralized.
Coordinating Colors
Looking for a color scheme to go with Extra White? These colors will pair well:
- SW Smoky Azurite
- SW Ice Cube
- SW Charcoal Blue
- SW Rock Candy
- SW Evergreen Fog
- SW Serious Gray
- SW Agreeable Gray
What White Trim Color Can I Use With Extra White Walls?
You have two options when dealing with already white walls – keep the trim the same shade of white in a different sheen, or paint them a brighter white with similar undertones.
For Extra White, the most popular option will be to also paint the trim Extra White, but do so in a satin or semi-gloss finish, versus the matte or eggshell on the walls. The extra sheen on the trim will make the color look lighter and offer just enough contrast between the wall and trim.
Another option is to use SW High Reflective White, which is considerably brighter and relatively neutral when it comes to undertones.
How To Know If SW Extra White Is Right For Your Home
As with any paint color, it’s always important to sample them in your home first. The light coming into your room as well as the other colors in the space can greatly impact how a shade of white looks, in particular.
If you’re only using Extra White as a trim color, I wouldn’t stress too much. It’s a beautiful trim color that works everywhere if you want a bright white look. It’s when you start using it on cabinets or as a wall color, then you need to more carefully consider the light your room gets so that you can avoid the possibility of it looking a bit gray or blue.
If you’ve realized the cool undertones of SW Extra White won’t be a good fit for your home, maybe warm whites would be a better option.
To Summarize:
- Extra White (SW 7006) is among the brightest whites by Sherwin Williams; however, their “Highly Reflective White” is even brighter.
- Extra White has a slight gray undertone, making it look like a soft bright white on interior walls.
- The LRV (Light Reflectance Value) of Extra White is 86, indicating it’s quite a bright white. LRV measures the lightness or darkness of a color on a 0-100 scale.
- Common applications for Extra White are on trim, ceilings, and interior walls, especially in rooms like the living room, kitchen, and bathrooms.
- Extra White is also suitable for exteriors, matching well with factory-finished white sidings.
- Light affects Extra White’s appearance. In south-facing rooms, it appears as a neutral white, but the color can change depending on light and surroundings. Pairing it with overly warm colors will enhance its blue undertone.
- The best trim color to use with Extra White is also Extra White (in a different sheen) or High Reflective White.
- For homeowners considering Extra White, it’s essential to test samples in the intended space due to its sensitivity to light and surroundings. It’s especially crucial if using it on cabinets or walls.
Don’t Forget…
Don’t forget – no matter what you’ve read or photos you’ve seen online, it’s really important to sample paint colors in your home before committing!
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Final Thoughts
If you are looking for a bright and modern white, then Sherwin Williams Extra White delivers that. It doesn’t look stark, but definitely has a slight gray or blue undertone. It’s not a flexible color that will work with warmer tones, so it’s best suited to a cool color palette. If you think you might want to switch up your colors in the future, there are safer whites to choose.
I want to paint my house and ceiling SW Repose Gray @ 50% Flat and use Pure White Semi Gloss Trim/Cabinets. Do you think I should use Pure White or Extra White?
Either will work, but Extra White is a cool white while Pure White is warmer. Depends on which you want.
If you choose extra white for walls in an egg shell finish, it would not look chalky right?
No, not at all! Even the matte doesn’t look chalky…it looks soft and silky.
Hi, I am using extra white as well for trim and doors. What sheen do you use on your interior doors? thanks, Diane
Hi! Always at least one sheen up. So if walls are matte or eggshell then trim and doors would be satin or semi gloss.
I’m having Classic Calacatta Quartz installed in my kitchen and I wanted a white paint color that would work for walls, cabinets, ceiling, and trim – is pure white or extra white too light for the quartz? I have had designers recommend alabaster but it seems to wash out the quartz to me and looks a tad yellow.
Alabaster could work depending on the light in your kitchen. Pure White is probably a safer choice, but get samples and see how it looks!
Hi Jenna I was wondering if extra white is a good choice for an exterior color we are purchasing a 1930’s bungalow and I want the outside paint to be a bright crisp clean white for entire body and trim will have a new black roof and natural wood tone shutters the interior is also going white we have chosen Pure White for walls and trim just unsure of the exterior color white is so hard for me lol tried and failed before so just trying to avoid another creamy yellow undertone white home thanks
Search for Chrissy Marie Blog on IG, her exterior was painted Extra White and it was beautiful! It will never look creamy thats for sure
I didn’t see this mentioned but we are about to have our interior walls painted and the trim in currently Extra White and I was wanting to paint our walls Pure White. Could I leave the Extra White trim or should I paint trim Pure White also? I can’t find the answer to this anywhere, so any help would be so appreciated!
You *probably* won’t notice too much of a difference since the sheens will be different anyway. To be safe, test a swatch of pure white close to where the wall meets the trim to see how it looks in the light in your home.
Hi, this articles addresses the exact two SW whites I’ve been offered. (Choosing one of these over Swiss Coffee). I am unable to get into the home to test it. The main living space room will face East, the BR will face South. The office North.. I love a clean, crisp, bright white but want to avoid a chalky white. My favorite white would look soft and fluffy. haha How do I choose between Pure White and Extra White…….? Will Extra be too stark and harsh? I got some chips from SW but still hard to tell. Thanks for the article!
pure white is a safer choice as extra white will look dull in northern light. Paint chips are not an accurate representation, you’ll want to order samples from Samplize or test the paint in the space. Either way, pure white is a safer option.
Can I paint the walls, trim, ceilings & kitchen cabinets
SW Extra White ?
Absolutely!Flat for ceilings, satin or semi gloss for trim/cabinets and then matte or eggshell on walls.
Yes, extra white semi gloss for cabinets and trim, flat finish for ceilings.
Hi Linda! I am doing the same but tricorn black on the bottom cabinets. I would love to hear how it worked out.
Anne
We started painting our house Extra White and it looks crisp and pretty on one part of the back and gray and dull (yuck) on the other. We are getting really nervous on how the front of our house will look. We are in panic mode and our painter said we can switch to Pure White if we want to (this was the other color we were considering). Do you think this is a safer bet? I was concerned it would look to warm with the sun but I would take warm over gray at this point. The front of our house faces the South. We are using Black Tricorn for trim and will be installing black gutters. Help as we need to decide asap. Thank you!
Extra White can look slightly cool/gray when compared to a brighter white, but shouldn’t when standing alone. The side that’s looking gray is in shadow I’m assuming? Pure White is slightly warmer and softer and doesn’t have as much of that coolness to it. You could also go with a brighter white like SW High Reflective White which is whiter than Extra White but has a smidge of warmth to it to stop it looking cool/gray/blue.
Hello Jenna,
What is the interior wall color next to you front door? Thank you!
It’s SW Repose Gray
My home builder has selected Extra White for all of the walls in our home and Pure White for the trim. What do you think of them together like this? I would have switched them around and used the brighter one for trim. Or I’m tempted to use Pure White for trim and walls. Thanks for your expert opinion!
I definitely would not pair them together like that. Either switch them like you suggested or use one for both wall and trim.
Oh I can’t thank you enough for responding so quickly!! Apparently our cabinets will be pure white as well (this cannot be changed). Do you still think the best option for this big open concept space is pure white cabinets, walls, and trim but in different sheens? That’s a lot of PW! But I think better than dingy looking trim & cabinets next to EW walls. Thanks again for your time!
In the kitchen what is the color of the wall on the side of the refrigerator
It’s SW Repose Gray lightened by 50%
Hi! So when you buy the paint you can request repost gray at 50% lighter? Would you say this is a good paint for all walls in a home if trim and ceilings (and cabinets in kitchen) are extra white? How much does the 50% effect the LRV-looks perfect and have been searching for a very very light gray Any undertone concerns? (I initially considered ice cube but seems it could look too blue)Thanks!
Yes it looks great with Extra White! Lightening it changes the LRV to approximately 70ish, so a (barely) off-white color. Another great choice for a light gray is BM Paper White which has an LRV of 74.
What is the color blue that you used in the back of the built ins?
SW Serious Gray
Is there a big difference between SW Extra White and BM Decorators White? Is it easy to see where you have two different trim colors if you’re switching colors?
Yes – decorators white will look gray and dingy (almost dirty) next to extra white
Hi Jenna!
I’m painting my kitchen cabinets Sherman Williams extra white I was going to do the trim the same. My question is, do you think
Gossamer Veil would be a good Choice for an accent wall?
Hi there,
I’m looking to paint the interior of my home white. Will SW pure white walls go with SW Extra White ceilings? I’m trying to avoid painting the ceilings if necessary but also don’t want the colors to contrast too much. Is there another white paint color you suggest?
yes, you won’t even notice the difference on the ceiling! if they are already painted, don’t think twice about having to repaint them..it’s not necessary
I’m making a board and batten wall with extra white. Do you think eggshell on the board and semigloss in the batten will look nice or should I do the whole wall eggshell? Also do you think spalding gray wood look nice on another wall in the same room? Thanks
I would do the board and batten the same sheen as trim – so if you have semi gloss trim, stick with that and then keep the wall part eggshell. I’m not familiar with Spalding Gray offhand, but most grays work well with extra white.
I am doing extra white on my cabinets in a kitchen with rift oak island could you please share what countertops you used on your extra white cabinets. thank you
Hi Carla! They are just cheap Wilsonart laminate – I can’t remember the name of the color. We chose laminate since we knew we would be gutting our kitchen in a few years
Hi! I’m looking to paint my built-ins around my fireplace. My mantel is painted Extra White semi-gloss. Do you recommend I stick with EW for my buil-ins or should I go Pure White? Thanks!
Yes, stick to the same color. Pure White will look dingy next to EW!
What color is the blue on your door? It is so pretty!
It’s actually a factory finish color and I need to find a color match because I get asked so often! We previously had Sherwin Williams Serious Gray, which is similar in tone but not as blue
Do u think extra white and pure white can be used together. Extra white on trim and pure on wall? Or do you think extra white in an eggshell on wall would take the brightness down a bit?
I never recommend using two shades of white together. Pure white will look dingy next to extra white. Using one with different sheens is definitely enough to give you contrast. If you have matte or eggshell on the walls and semi gloss on the trim, they will look like different colors even where they are not!
I have extra white for trim in my bedroom but not sure I want it for the rest of the house. Its EW high gloss. I definitely dont want high gloss for the rest of the house. I was wanting semi-gloss. Could I use a slightly less bright white for other trim work? I’m also wanting white cabinets for kitchen in the near future.
The semi-gloss won’t look as bright, since it reflects much less light