Cannot find a Sherwin Williams gray that looks gray.

9 years ago

I am trying to paint my home a light gray and have a lot of natural blue light in my home. Every paint sample I get has a strong undertone. I've tried the following colors:
Amazing Gray (looks like puddy)
Alpaca (periwinkle)
Useful Gray (green)
Light French gray (light blue)

I have a limited budget and can't keep buying samples. Please help!!!

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PRO

The Reflective Designer

9 years ago

Here's what you should know about grays...all grays are a compilation of many colors. Primary colors (red,yellow,blue) are single hues...the more you mix colors together, the grayer and grayer they become. So what a gray is, is a very complex compilation of hues. All grays have undertones which reveal themselves as the compliment of the object they are next to. Put a gray next to a green and rosy tones will emerge, next to a blue and warm tones come forward. Plus, the quality of the light will exert its influence greatly upon a gray. This is why designers love grays so much, because they are chameleons. Used in the right hands and directed properly a gray is your BFF. Used without the knowledge of how they work and they are an uncontrollable nightmare.
BTW, you cannot judge paint colors against a phone or computer screen...pixels are not paint. You must get paint color chips to adequately assess your grays. And as an aside, the color undertone of your trim will also affect the gray. Color is relative, none of it stands alone in a room.

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Comments (252)

candlefly
8 years ago
Master bath reno 2015 · More Info

This is SW Mindful Grey. As you can see, I had to work with oak. The bright white ceiling made the walls really POP! Good luck, picking the color is truly the hard part.
Judith Strauss
8 years ago
She rain Williams

Perfect Greige
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Judith Strauss
8 years ago
Arldley grey is great!! SW
100387
8 years ago
BIG CHILL! MY FAVORITE!
Jennifer Street
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
I know this is an old post, but Passive by Sherwin Williams is just gray. A really pretty gray.
lsemartha
7 years ago
There is no more difficult a color to 'get right' than grey ( except yellow!). I would suggest that you go to Home Depot and look at the Ralph Lauren greys. They are a real 'organic' grey.... No pink or blue undertones. Then take the color sample to your favorite paint company and have duplicated if you wish. Good luck!
Ford Santa Maria
7 years ago
Crushed Ice is a perfect gray.
eaw 513
7 years ago
Sherwin Williams Agreeable Gray, gorgeous color!
jojokg
7 years ago
Owl gray by bare or fog hat by miller u can get at Home Depot
cruisin Webb
7 years ago
I like Glidden Fossil Gray - it is a putty looking Gr-eige... and picks up gray or beige
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7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
Proper Gray,Sherwin-William, Every Color looks different in different lighting. Current wall color influences the color. Make sure you have the right primer.

Working with Interior Designers saves money.
joviboys
7 years ago
I'm in the process of trying most of the paints above....going crazy!
Judith Strauss
7 years ago
I have found the perfect color for me. I painted my bedroom and bathroom SW Perfect GreigeHGSW2475. I also liked Adley Grey 2476. I painted an accent wall Garret Gray SW6075. Will color match at Home Depot and I think the samples are free.
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Southern Yellow Pine Direct
7 years ago
These work well
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Southern Yellow Pine Direct
7 years ago
vaitekunas1
7 years ago
Knitting kneedles SW
D L
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
We just painted oyr dining room in SW Popular Gray. Love it. Warm but not too yellow or green. Looks wonderful with dark wood.
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coleyyxo
7 years ago
Anyone that would like to give me some advice I would appreciate it !

http://houzz.com/s/m=7/u=L2Rpc2N1c3Npb25zLzQ1MzQwNzAvbmVlZC1hLXRydWUtbGlnaHQtZ3JleS1mcm9tLXNoZXJ3aW4td2lsbGlhbXM
denagerb
7 years ago
We painted our whole house "agreeable grey" I LOVED it. Was warm but did not look blue or green. Looks a bit brown when painted beside white but once the whole house was done it was perfect!
Kathy
6 years ago
Grey is very tough looks different in every house depending on lighting furniture etc .. I used SW Light French Grey . I love it perfect .. when it was first going on it looked a bit blue I was nervous but once it dried and everything went back in the room it was perfect!
User
6 years ago
Another vote for bm nimbus (NOT nimbus gray)

no undertones at all
divapaula
6 years ago
After expensive (sadly) tries I came upon Lazy Gray. My house has lots of light so it reads true gray. Good luck...I did the white sheet trick and colored five drawers on an old dresser in the garage ...with all the grays on the drawers next to each other and a white sheet hanging over, Lazy Gray won. Hope the pics help...we are in the middle of a new build.
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Southern Yellow Pine Direct
6 years ago
Lisa Bankins
6 years ago
I was exactly in the same situation. I have purchased so many samples from SW. All I want is a true grey color. First, what helped me was buying the SW color fan. Then you can ascertain what is a true grey as opposed to a greenish grey or brown grey. My recommendation is SW Essential Gray for a true gray color.
PRO
Southern Yellow Pine Direct
6 years ago
Molly
6 years ago
I love Mindful Gray for a true gray color. I use Mindful Gray here for an example. I compared it with Repose Gray and Passive:

https://desiderataandmirth.blogspot.com/2018/02/giving-our-dark-hallway-face-lift.html
Mark Earhart
6 years ago
We are in the process of building a new house and were between Evening Shadow (reads slightly in blueish zone) and Argos (more of a greenish/brownish grey). We went with Evening Shadow and our accent color was Daphne.
flshelley
5 years ago
Sherwin Williams “On the Rocks” is a straight light gray. I used “Reflection” and looked nice but looked like baby blue in some lights. On the Rocks is what I used before that was perfect.
ahess
5 years ago
You need to paint areas with different light with paint/primer first then try all the colors you already tried once again on the white areas. You will be shocked how your paint samples that showed too blue or green will change. So you may find something that works with what you already have. The color on your wall are making the undertones in the samples come through.
Denise Johnson
5 years ago
Try big chill! It’s in the offwhite collection but it is not an off white by any means. Probably the closest thing to a true gray. I painted it in my daughters room and it is the perfect gray. It doesn’t go blue or green or purple.
debpacitti
5 years ago
Repose gray is very
sbp59
5 years ago
Grayish and Sea Salt are beautiful combinations for rooms and flow
csacker
4 years ago
It's amazing how different the actual paint on the wall looks compared to the chip. I'm up to sample #6 and just about to lose my mind. I LOVE Useful Gray by SW, but in my open LR/kitchen with northern & southern exposures, it looks different on each wall. My fear is that it's going to look too juvenile - I really love the watery gray, green, blue tones, but the grown up versions! Any advice will be welcomed!
kel_kat5
4 years ago
What did you decide? Pictures? I am debating Light French Grey, but with increased pigment. I find it very light.
Kelly White
4 years ago
Light French grey is great. I used in kids rooms. Not to light looks wonderful and a true grey.
gene nagel
4 years ago
I had good luck with Sherwin-Williams Anew Gray.
kel_kat5
4 years ago
We just had a nightmare with choosing grey. Chose Light French Grey and the first batch was darker and more blue than sample pot. Rep came to see and store adjusted. We have since lightened it again and fingers crossed. Grey is soooo tricky.
kel_kat5
4 years ago
We used SW Snowbound on the trim.
kel_kat5
4 years ago
Accent wall looks great.
kel_kat5
4 years ago
I made these. This is our kitchen- natural light.
kel_kat5
4 years ago
Another
kel_kat5
4 years ago
Love
csacker
4 years ago
kel-kat -- I ended up going with SW Useful Gray. Boring name, but nice soft gray that is very soothing to the eye with no strong undertones.
Nancy Armstrong Sloop
4 years ago
We used SW Big Chill in our living room, foyer, and hallway, and SW Monorail Silver in all 3 bedrooms. Big Chill is a nice light gray without undertones at all, so it goes well with all colors of decor. Monorail Silver has bluish-purple undertones, which is very soothing in bedrooms. We've received compliments on these colors. Oh, also our MBT is SW Watery, which I absolutely love.
kel_kat5
4 years ago
@divapaula Is it a greige?
Beverly B
4 years ago
We used sw repose gray in our home. It’s a light grey and it’s beautiful
jbtanyderi
4 years ago
FARROW AND BALL have good greys.
flshelley
4 years ago
On the rocks is a nice sraight light gray
kel_kat5
4 years ago
We did light French Grey, but then played around with it and lightened to suit.
mssinanis
2 years ago
Did you it anyone end up painting their exterior Big Chill? Would love to see a pic. Thinking if doing our exterior in Big Chill.

Cannot find a Sherwin Williams gray that looks gray.

Comments (252)

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