Sherwin Williams White Flour is being made very popular thanks to a few different home decor reality shows. Is it all it’s cracked up to be?
Here I will show you White Flour on walls, exteriors, and cabinets, as well as make some comparisons to other popular white paint colors.
I will also show you a color palette and tell you the color matches for White Flour in other brands. Let’s take a look at whether or not White Flour is the perfect country white for your home!
What Color is Sherwin Williams White Flour? (7102)
White Flour is one of my favorite creamy white paint colors because it is one of the lightest whites that Sherwin Williams offers, but it is very determined in its softness. White Flour is also uniquely “clean.” It doesn’t rely on gray to keep it neutral.
While it can look like a true white, White Flour never looks especially crisp or in-your-face, and it never looks stark or cool. On the other side of the coin, it also doesn’t look yellow.
I would describe White Flour as a soft white, rather than a true cream. It is probably exteriors that show off the “not white” properties the most. Indoors White Flour typically looks like a beautiful whipped cream color.
LRV of Sherwin Williams White Flour
Let’s talk LRV!
The LRV (Light Reflectance Value) of a color indicates on a scale of 0 – 100 how much light a color reflects (or doesn’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 – 93 because no paint color is purely black or completely white.
True white paint colors tend to have an LRV of around 82 or higher.
The LRV of Sherwin Williams White Flour is 87, so it is still a white, and not an off-white. It’s actually lighter and brighter than all of the popular Sherwin Williams creamy whites, which might push it ahead in your rankings.
Is White Flour Warm or Cool?
White Flour is absolutely a warm white. It is warm all day, every day.
Even when it looks truly white, there is a little something about it that tells your brain it is a cozy white. It may sometimes look neutral, but never ever cool.
What Are the Undertones of White Flour?
White Flour is in the orange color family (like most popular cream colors).
Orange whites are great, because they are warm and creamy but they tend to have a soft beige undertone, and not yellow. While White Flour most of the time has that beige undertone, you may also find that it looks a little peach or pink.
The undertone is very subtle. Can you spot it?
If you look at the walls near the top of the photo, you can catch just a glimpse of pink/peach. I will point out the undertones of White Flour more when we get to real homes.
The Sherwin Williams White Flour Color Strip
Like many of their white colors, Sherwin Williams does not place White Flour into a tidy little light to dark color strip. That would just be too easy! Instead it is in this white and off-white collection:
It’s interesting that none of these colors are super popular.
Sherwin Williams White Flour in a Coordinating Color Palette
White Flour Coordinating Colors:
Sherwin Williams Greenblack
Greenblack most often appears as a true black with just the tiniest hint of green. I think it could be an up and coming challenger to Tricorn Black, because there is something special about it.
The main reason I chose it, is because I have a gorgeous house to show you that used White Flour and Greenblack on their whole exterior!
(I will get there in just a moment.)
See head-to-toe Greenblack looks in my post: Color Drenching Will Make Any Space Luxurious (And It’s Easy!)
Sherwin Williams Naturel
I haven’t seen Sherwin Williams Naturel being used a whole lot, but I think it’s a really nice “natural” color. (Surprise, surprise.)
It would probably be classified as a greige, because it is close to beige but maintains a bit of gray. I might classify it as a sand color.
Benjamin Moore Enchanted Forest
There are so many amazing green colors out right now, and most of them would look really nice with White Flour.
I chose this Benjamin Moore’s muted mid-green Enchanted Forest, because I thought it paired particularly well with this creamy white.
I also have a boatload more gray green paint colors that you can browse!
Benjamin Moore Steep Cliff Gray
Steep Cliff Gray is a delightful warmer-toned smokey blue color that looks excellent with White Flour and most other neutrals.
Sherwin Williams Urbane Bronze
Urbane Bronze should probably scare us a little, because it is so trendy, but it’s very unique compared to most other paint colors that have come and gone.
For some reason, I really don’t think Urbane Bronze will have us feeling like fashion victims anytime soon. This rich dark brown looks amazing on exterior trim and accents.
White Flour is the perfect contrast with Urbane Bronze, particularly if you don’t want to go quite as harsh as black.
Sherwin Williams White Flour Complementary Colors
Complementary colors are those that sit across the color wheel from each other. For White Flour, that would be a pale blue color.
Here are a couple of popular soft blues that would complement Sherwin Williams White Flour:
Sherwin Williams Snowdrop
Snowdrop is a soft pale blue that is pretty close to the perfect complement for White Flour (from a technical perspective).
It looks a little purpley in this little swatch, but it’s really a true pale blue.
Sherwin Williams Krypton
Krypton is a powder blue that has some chameleon-like qualities. It can look warm and ambiguous, but it can also look icy blue.
I think Krypton and White Flour together make a historical looking pair! If you like these two blues, you will also like Sherwin Williams Upward and Benjamin Moore Blue Heather.
More White Flour Color Palettes
Many of us will choose a white that coordinates with the colors that we really want to use, and Sherwin Williams White Flour is incredibly versatile.
I have already used it in a number of other palettes, so I though I might as well share!
From my terracotta paint colors post:
This palette is from my warm blue gray paint colors post:
Finally, in my post about two-color combinations for bedrooms, a LOT of the best combos involved a creamy white similar to White Flour.
Here I have it with Kind Green, but any of the color schemes that involved a cream color would work well with White Flour.
What White Paint Goes With Sherwin Williams White Flour?
Because White Flour is so white, I would probably stick with it for the trim too. (Which if you’re a DIY painter will be music to your ears!)
If you want a subtle contrast, pick up White Flour in satin or semi-gloss. It’s amazing what a sheen difference will do!
If you want more contrast, try Sherwin Williams High Reflective White, or Behr Ultra Pure White.
For more white-on-white combos, check out this post: White Walls with White Trim? (Alabaster with Pure White & More!)
Just remember that if you gain contrast by choosing a whiter trim color, you will be making White Flour look much creamier.
Sherwin Williams White Flour on Kitchen Cabinets
I didn’t find a ton of people using White Flour on their cabinets, which to me is always a good thing. Why not be a little different?
Here is a kitchen by Jen Dulac Design with White Flour perimeter cabinets and a green island painted in Sherwin Williams Rosemary:
Beautiful combo! Jen recommends White Flour in place of creamy whites that have a yellow undertone. She used Whitetail in her own home, but suggests that most people might prefer White Flour.
White Flour was also the color of choice for cabinets in the kitchen at the.moose.haus, where they used the same color on the walls as well.
In this next photo, White Flour looks a little creamier. You should expect that when you use a higher sheen, and I also think it is reflecting the floors a little bit:
If you are thinking about using White Flour anywhere inside your home, you will want to check out the home of Rachael from @firsthouseonfinn. She used White Flour throughout their interior, and it looks beautiful!
Is Sherwin Williams White Flour a Good Color for Your Walls?
White Flour makes for a great cabinet color, but what about using it as a whole home color?
White Flour works great here as well! It’s not nearly as popular as Sherwin Williams Alabaster, but it should definitely be on your list!
Here it is in Rachael’s living room:
Rachael used Tricorn Black as accents throughout her home to create a classic black and white color scheme.
Moving on to the dining room:
Yep! Looks amazing here too. White Flour looks really great with greenery, so if you are a plant lover, you might also be a White Flour lover!
I also love that Rachael has used warm white lights in her house. I detest “daylight” bulbs.
In the foyer back at The Moose Haus, the walls are also White Flour:
White Flour is also having a moment in these cozy bedrooms:
I have one more living room to show you, this one is by Headwaters Painting (@headwaters_painting_llc):
If I had to guess, the white on the trim is probably Sherwin Williams Extra White. You can see that the trim is a bit more white than the walls, and it does give a pinkish/peach hue to White Flour.
Here is that same combo in the dining room:
Sherwin Williams White Flour in the Bathroom
Here in Rachael’s bathroom the shiplap has also been painted in White Flour:
Powder room chandelier? Yes please!
Sherwin Williams White Flour for Your Home Exterior
Okay, now for the exterior that I promised!
I would like to take you to the home of the Nottinghams (@nottinghome). They have been hard at work renovating their fixer upper in Michigan, and the transformation is amazing!
They ended up using Sherwin Williams White Flour on their exterior and Sherwin Williams Greenblack on their trim and front door.
They painted their shutters and downspouts in copper, which was just about the best idea of the century:
Here you can see from a distance that Greenblack does look quite black with White Flour:
If you live where there is snow, that might make a difference when it comes to choosing a white paint color. Some can look very off-white and creamy when the snow falls.
White Flour stays pretty white even in the winter:
(Sherwin Williams Greek Villa is another nice creamy white, but it definitely looks very creamy in the winter.)
White Flour on an Exterior and Trim
Depending on how your windows look, you may be wanting to keep the trim white. Before the Nottinghome trim was painted in Greenblack, it still looked great in all-white:
We actually painted the exterior of our own house white this summer, and intended to paint the trim black. The narrow trim ended up looking really awkward in black with the bulky white vinyl windows, so we painted it back!
Using White Flour on Exterior Brick
Here is one more exterior for inspiration!
This_brick_house was repainted in Sherwin Williams White Flour and it turned out great! :
They ended up keeping the window trim in White Flour as well.
Here on this overcast snowy day, I’m willing to bet that this is the creamiest that White Flour will look:
You can see that even though it isn’t a “bright” cool white, it is creamy without being yellow, which gets a big thumbs up from me!
If you are looking to paint brick, you will love these Stunning White Paint Colors for Classic Brick Exteriors.
Sherwin Williams White Flour Compared to Other Popular White Paint Colors
The best way to choose a white paint color, is by comparing it to others! Here is how White Flour stacks up against many other popular shades.
Sherwin Williams White Flour vs Alabaster 7008
First up for comparing has to be Alabaster – Sherwin Williams lights out most popular white.
There are three major differences between Alabaster and White Flour.
- Alabaster is darker. (LRV 82 vs White Flour 87)
- Alabaster is more gray. (You can see how White Flour looks a little cleaner and brighter)
- Alabaster is a touch more yellow. (Less obvious here, but in real life Alabaster can look a little yellowy and I don’t think White Flour does.)
Sherwin Williams White Flour vs Creamy 7012
Sherwin Williams Creamy is also darker and a hair more yellow than White Flour, but not much more gray.
The major difference between these two, is that Creamy is very overtly creamy and it doesn’t look like a true white. The undertones of these two are pretty similar, but White Flour has much less of one.
Creamy has an LRV of 81, so it would be classed as an off-white and not a true white.
Sherwin Williams White Flour vs Pure White 7005
If I was to describe Sherwn Williams Pure White, I would say it’s a warm gray white. Here against White Flour you can really see that.
Pure White does tend to look “pure white” on walls and doesn’t have an obvious undertone, but it isn’t a bright white either. Technically Pure White is more yellow than White Flour, but it is so desaturated that it never looks yellow.
Pure White is also a touch darker than White Flour, it has an LRV of 84.
Sherwin Williams White Flour vs Greek Villa 7551
Definitely getting more subtle with the differences now, here is Sherwin Williams Greek Villa compared to White Flour:
Greek Villa has all the same differences as Alabaster, but to a lesser extent:
- More yellow (but not as yellow as Alabaster)
- Slightly more gray
- Tiny bit darker (LRV 84)
I really like Greek Villa, especially inside. I find it does more often look off-white on exteriors.
Sherwin Williams White Flour vs Whitetail 7103
Whitetail and White Flour are both Sherwin Williams true white paint colors that have warm undertones and don’t get a lot of love!
You can see that White Flour and Whitetail are very similar. In real life, Whitetail is a little more obvious in its creaminess than White Flour is. It also tends to have a yellow undertone rather than peach or pink.
Not long ago, I took a long hard look at Sherwin Williams Whitetail because I hadn’t seen many people talking about it. Since then it seems to be gaining a little popularity, so if you want to choose an up-and-coming white, put Whitetail on your list!
Whitetail is a hair darker than White Flour, with an LRV of 86.
Sherwin Williams White Flour vs Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee OC-45
I just wanted to toss in this comparison because the Benjamin Moore version of Swiss Coffee is one of the most popular creamy whites on the market.
Swiss Coffee is significantly more yellow than White Flour and just a little more gray. (You can see that side by side it almost looks a little green in comparison.)
The LRV of Swiss Coffee is 84, so it is a little darker than White Flour as well.
See some Sherwin Williams Swiss Coffee inspired paint colors here.
Sherwin Williams White Flour and Other Popular Whites
I already had this graphic from my Valspar Cream in my Coffee post, but White Flour is here amongst the other whites, so I thought it would be helpful to add here:
Remember that the white of the background isn’t possible in paint, so none of these colors are as dark or creamy as they look here!
Dupes for Sherwin Williams White Flour
Finally time to get some dupes for this color! Here are the best options that I came across, to get the White Flour look in other brands:
I found some near perfect dupes for Sherwin Williams White Flour, so let’s take a look!
White Flour Benjamin Moore Version
The Benjamin Moore equivalent of White Flour is Pink Damask.
White Flour vs Benjamin Moore Pink Damask 890
Don’t let the name scare you! I think they named it “pink” because it is on the more red side of orange, just like White Flour is.
(Thus why all of the other whites we compared are a bit more yellow than White Flour.)
The LRV of Pink Damask is 87.28, which is the same as White Flour’s 87. Benjamin Moore does not round their LRV numbers but Sherwin Williams does, so I don’t think they are truly different.
Valspar Equivalent to White Flour (Lowe’s)
Valspar Pale Bloom 7002-8 is their version of Sherwin Williams White Flour.
Pale Bloom has an LRV of 85.118, so it is just the tiniest bit darker than White Flour.
Valspar Pale Bloom is still a little more yellow than White Flour, but it is incredibly subtle.
White Flour Behr Equivalent (Home Depot)
I have two “equivalents” from Behr, only because they actually have their own color named “white flour” so I wanted to check it out!
Sherwin Williams White Flour vs Behr White Flour OR-W10
Behr’s version of White Flour is actually pretty similar to the Sherwin Williams version.
Behr White Flour is a tiny bit more orange and less gray than White Flour. It also has an LRV of 86, so it is just a hair darker than the Sherwin shade.
Sherwin Williams White Flour vs Behr White Veil OR-W14
Although Behr White Flour is pretty close, I found a near perfect double of Sherwin Williams White Flour in Behr White Veil.
If you look closely you can see that Behr White Veil is a tiny bit more yellow than White Flour.
The LRV for both is the same: 87.
Final Thoughts on White Flour
Sherwin Williams White Flour has really grown on me! When I saw it as a swatch, I thought it would be quite yellow and too creamy for my liking, but it really isn’t at all.
White Flour is a great bright-but-cozy white and you should definitely put it on your shortlist if you are looking for the perfect warm white.
Don’t forget that the easiest way to choose a paint color is by comparing it to others and checking it out in your home.
I have covered quite a lot of white paint colors, so here are some other choices for you to browse:
