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Sherwin Williams Pure White vs Extra White (What’s the Difference?)

    If you’re trying to pick the perfect true white, you have likely heard the names “Pure White” and “Extra White” over and over again!

    Pure White and Extra White on a wooden background with dried flowers arranged at the bottom and one neutral paint lid nearby.

    Here we will take a look at Sherwin Williams most popular quintessential white paint colors : Pure White and Extra White.

    We will see each of them in real homes, and talk about the technical differences. Letโ€™s go!

    Is Pure White or Extra White More Popular?

    It doesn’t take long to see that the biggest difference between Pure White and Extra White, is that Pure White is by far more popular for walls.

    Extra White is the top choice for ceilings. Trim is probably a 50/50 split between these two colors.

    Extra White on bedroom walls with three small square windows, above Pure White on walls and trim in an open concept home.
    Top: @thehouse_on2060 Bottom: @bridlewoodacres

    Undertones of Extra White and Pure White

    Before we begin, please don’t mistake the nit-picking here. Both Pure White and Extra White are true whites. When they are the only white in your space, they will look white.

    The major difference between Pure White and Extra White, is that Pure White can look slightly creamy next to cleaner, brighter whites, but Extra White never will.

    Here is a good example where Pure White looks a bit creamy in comparison to the very bright, cool white tiles:

    Sherwin Williams Pure White looks slightly creamy on kitchen cabinets beside a bright blue-white tile.
    Photo credit: @prodigiouspainting

    There are other photos of this very same kitchen where the contrast is a little less obvious. (Thanks so much to @prodigiouspainting for sharing their photos with us! You will see them a lot in this post.)

    Pure White looks a touch creamier and darker than bright white tile walls.
    Photo credit: @prodigiouspainting

    I can’t show you the difference between Extra White and a bright white in this same way, because it doesn’t really exist. It’s possible that Extra White could look slightly darker than a very bright white tile, but unlikely.

    Pure White has a warm undertone, and Extra White has a totally clean white undertone.

    Here is the warmest look of Extra White:

    Sherwin Williams Extra White on an intricate panelled ceiling where it looks slightly warm.
    Photo credit: @prodigiouspainting

    I’m actually pretty sure the slight warmth here is reflections off of the trees outside. Here is a near identical photo where it looks crisp again:

    Sherwin Williams Extra White on an intricate panelled ceiling where it looks crisp and white.
    Photo credit: @prodigiouspainting

    Any undertone-less white may be more susceptible to other influences in the room than one with a little more color to it.

    Just to be fair, here is the warmest look of Pure White:

    Pure White Walls in a living room opening into a foyer with board and batten also in pure White and wall sconces. Ceilings are a neutral oak as are the floors.
    Photo Credit: @our.edith.house

    There is definitely warm light at play, but it does still look warmer than Extra White ever would.

    Technical Differences Between Pure White and Extra White

    Here you can see both of these whites marked on the color wheel:

    Extra White and Pure White each on a paint lid over a graphic of a color wheel where each color is marked with a dot.

    While I would not say that Extra White has a green undertone, that is the color family it is from. If it is going to have any undertone, it might be slightly cool and gray.

    I do think it may be a little more likely to reflect green than other whites. That was my experience with Chantilly Lace which is technically quite similar.

    Pure White and Extra White swatched together on a color card with each hex chart over top.

    Extra White is a hair lighter than Pure White, with an LRV of 86, vs Pure White at 84. Two whole points sounds like a lot, but the difference is usually negligible:

    The LRV of SW Extra White marked at 86 and Pure White marked at 84 on a chart of light neutral and white LRV's. Background is of a white crystal.

    The LRV of a color indicates on a scale of 0 โ€“ 100 how much light a color reflects (or doesnโ€™t reflect). True black has an LRV of 0 and pure white has an LRV of 100.

    In the paint world, we are working in a range of about 3 โ€“ 93 because no paint color is purely black or completely white.

    Here is a look at the two colors side by side. Extra White is on the trim and door and Pure White is on the walls:

    Extra White on bathroom door and trim and Pure White on the walls. A red circle indicates where the shadows show the difference in the colors.
    Photo Credit: @lc.painting.llc

    It’s tricky to see the difference, but if you look in the shadows they tell the full story.

    Here I have turned up the saturation to make it more obvious:

    Extra White on bathroom door and trim and Pure White on the walls with the saturation turned up to show the difference.
    Photo Credit: @lc.painting.llc

    Of course that made the photo look a little weird, but above the door is a less extreme look at the difference.

    In other parts of this home (painted by @lc.painting.llc) it’s nearly impossible to tell the difference from a photo:

    Extra White on the ceiling, trim, and doors in a living room with Pure White walls. Colors are very difficult to tell apart.
    Photo Credit: @lc.painting.llc

    How Pure White and Extra White Compare Inside Real Homes

    It doesn’t matter how many times I’ve seen each of these colors, it’s very difficult to tell Pure White’s brightest look from that of Extra White. On the same wall would be a different story, but when a photo is taken it is hard to compare the exact lighting etc.

    Pure White on one side of a room and Extra White on the other half behind a sofa.

    Sherwin Williams Pure White vs Extra White in the Bathroom

    Marissa from @in_vest_homes routinely uses Pure White in her luxurious flip projects. Here is a bathroom with Pure White on both the walls and trim:

    Pure White walls and trim in a gorgeous oversized bathroom with Cyberspace shiplap wall and beautiful marble walk in shower.
    Photo Credit: @in_vest_homes

    The back wall is Sherwin Williams Cyberspace. You can see that Pure White looks very white. Any actual color is down to the lighting.

    Jessica chose Extra White for all of the walls and trim in her new build @thehouse_on2060. Here it is in the bathroom:

    All Extra White on walls and trim in a bright bathroom with tricorn black cabinets.
    Photo credit: @thehouse_on2060

    The pops of black are Sherwin Williams Tricorn Black. Again, the color looks very white.

    I’ve studied both of the photos, and I don’t think I could confidently pick out either color.

    Pure White Compared to Extra White on Trim and Woodwork

    Extra White on a panelled ceiling above Pure White on a woodwork wall.
    Top: @prodigiouspainting Bottom: @wood_visions

    I mentioned earlier that these colors are both popular for trim, so let’s take a look!

    Lucky for us we have a totally fair comparison! I have good pictures of both Extra White and Pure White on trim with SW Alabaster walls.

    L: Extra White – @slpintingsf R: Pure White – Kristin Macchia

    You can see that the contrast against Alabaster is much stronger because Extra White is that little bit cooler and lighter.

    Sherwin Willams Alabaster in a living room and Extra White on the trim
    Photo Credit: @slpaintingsf

    Pure White is still more white than Alabaster, but it brings out a subtle neutral undertone in the walls rather than a heavy cream look.

    Sherwin Williams Alabaster Walls with Pure White Trim in a dining room with a black glass patio door
    Photo Credit: Kristin Macchia

    You can see more details on these and other white-on-white combos here.

    Comparing Extra White and Pure White on Kitchen Cabinets

    Here is a direct comparison of Extra White on upper cabinets and Pure White on lower cabinets:

    Sherwin Williams Extra White on upper cabinets and Pure White on lower cabinets
    Top: @grcabnetpainting Bottom: @prodigiouspainting

    Extra White isn’t as popular as Pure White and Alabaster for cabinets. Maybe because if you wanted a totally plain white you might choose a factory finish?

    For the first comparison photo I used Pure White with the slightly warmer look, but here is a crisper comparison:

    Extra White upper cabinets with Hale Navy lowers on one half of the photo and Pure White with Naval on the other side.
    Left: @grcabinetpainting Right: piper_thebuildingblonde

    How fun is it that we have both whites with navy lower cabinets?

    Here is Extra White upper cabinets with Benjamin Moore Hale Navy on the lowers:

    Hale Navy lower cabinets and island with white uppers and white countertops
    Photo credit: @grcabinetpainting

    Here is another angle of this kitchen from GR Fine Finishes (@grcabnetpainting):

    Hale Navy lower cabinets and island with white uppers and white countertops
    Photo credit: @grcabinetpainting

    The lighting here is super warm in the whole room, but you can see that the cabinets are a clean white.

    Here is another look at Extra White on cabinets, so you can get the true brightness of it:

    Extra White on cabinets and trim in a small space with Agreeable Gray walls
    Photo by: @prodigiouspainting

    Here is a cool-as-a-cucumber look to Pure White, with the island in SW Naval.

    Sherwin Williams Pure White kitchen walls and upper cabinets with large sw naval island.
    Photo Credit: @piper_thebuildingblonde

    Pure White also looks pretty white here…

    Pure White on upper cabinets and walls in a kitchen with basil lowers
    Photo Credit: @walnutandpinedesign

    …but if you compare to the tile, you can see that it is a little softer. (Lower cabinets are SW Basil.)

    Against this cool light gray, you can definitely see the warmth in Pure White here:

    Pure White kitchen cabinets with light gray walls
    Photo credit: @thefinishingroommke

    Pure White and Extra White on Both Walls and Trim

    Here is an example of all-white looks using both Extra White on the left, and Pure White on the right:

    All Extra White walls and trim in a long hallway on the left side, and all Pure White Walls and trim in a tall stairwell.
    Left: @thehouse_on2060 Right: @bridlewoodacres

    Pure White looks very true to tone in this picture, but the Extra White photo I believe has a filter on it. (The slight pink cast here is not something that you would see with Extra White, and you can see that it carries onto the floor.)

    Here is a clearer example of all-Extra-White-everything in this beautiful office by @johnaskewcustomhomes:

    All Extra White walls and trim in a bright home office
    Photo Credit: @johnaskewcustomhomes

    So beautiful and bright!

    Here is one more of all Extra White:

    All Pure White Walls and trim in an unfinished dining room
    Photo Credit: @thehouse_on2060

    Jake and Candi used Pure White for all of the walls and trim in their remodel:

    Sherwin Williams Pure White on walls of a staircase
    Photo Credit: @bridlewoodacres

    Head over to their IG @bridlewoodacres if you want to see more inspiration, because there is a lot!

    Pure White walls and trim throughout an open plan home
    Photo Credit: @bridlewoodacres

    Is Pure White or Extra White Better for Exteriors?

    Pure White on a house on the top photo and Extra White with black shutters on the lower.
    Top: @clarkkansaslove Bottom: @slpaintingsf

    In my opinion, the extra reflectiveness of Extra White shows up outdoors, and it can make the color look slightly more gray. We see that here on the siding of this home:

    All Extra White siding on the upper half of a two storey brick home with a black roof.

    This particular example is a little extreme, but Extra White will look cool outdoors:

    All white siding in SW Extra White and Tricorn Black on the shutters

    Here is a stucco house in Extra White, which will have less reflection:

    Extra White on a stucco exterior with Urbane Bronze trim
    Photo Credit: @lc.painting.llc

    Pure White also looks very white outside, but with a hint of softness. We see that here at Bailey’s (@clarkansaslove) house:

    Front of a two storey modern farmhouse painted in Pure White with black windows and a dark gray roof.
    Photo Credit: @clarkansaslove
    Pure White board and batten exterior siding around a bar counter passthrough into a kitchen
    Photo Credit: @clarkansaslove

    In the name of fairness, here it is on stucco as well:

    Pure White on a fresh new stucco home
    Photo Credit: @prodigious_painting

    To be honest, I feel like in this case you could easily confuse Pure White for Extra White. It looks quite cool here!

    On this project by Headwaters Painting (@headwaters_painting_llc), Pure White looks about as warm as it ever does outside:

    Pure White freshly painted on the garage of an older farmhouse
    Photo Credit: @headwaters_painting_llc

    So…

    Is Pure White or Extra White the Superior White?

    My personal preference would be to use Pure White over Extra White.

    • Pure White is complementary to a wider range of other colors in terms of trim. I also like the subtle warmth!
    • I would choose Pure White for walls over Extra White because I feel like Extra White lacks depth.
    Extra White paint dot over an extra white office above paint dot of pure White over photo of pure White in a hall
    Top: @johnaskewcustomhomes Bottom: @bridlewoodacres
    • If you want maximum bright white impact, you will prefer Extra White.
    • Extra White would be a better choice for trim with any purple-leaning taupe or gray paint colors, as well as lighter blue paint colors. In those situations you may find that Pure White looks more creamy than you intended.

    Well that was a lot of info! Thank you so much for reading until the end, that really helps my site!

    Not ready to decide? I’ve got you! :

    Paint dots of several white and off white paint colors over a background of Pure White
    Snowbound swatched over a snowbound living room vs pure white swatched over a living room
    Greek Villa vs Alabaster compiled into one exterior photo for comparison