Why does my gray paint look blue?

8 years ago

That is the question I typed into Houzz when I walked into my newly painted house excited to see Colonnade Gray and was met instead with this:

A light blue/purple that while not hideous was not what we were going for. What I failed to realize though is that while the trim in this photo looks white, it is actually not even close. It is Valspar Heavy Cream (just what it sounds like) from the previous owner.

Here's what happened after the baseboards were painted SW Pure White:

Just like magic, we have the beautiful greige that we were hoping for!

For a fun comparison, here is Pure White next to Heavy Cream before the doors were done:

So, if your gray/greige is a little more baby blue than anticipated, check to make sure that your trim is actually white. We were amazed the difference it made!

Hopefully the next person who feels like they wasted money on a paint job that looks nothing like anticipated will find this thread and realize that all is not lost. I've gotten a lot of good advice from this website and hope I can help someone else!

Featured Answer

Sarah
Original Author

8 years ago

According to my iPhone photo data, the ‘before’ was taken at 1:54 and the ‘after’ at 1:06 so pretty darn close! Natural light only and the same overcast conditions. Not a single light bulb was on in the house. The goal was to replicate the photos so I specifically did not take the ‘after’ shot on a sunny day.

My husband originally argued against changing the trim to save money. The previous owner painted the walls the same color as the trim so it was hard to tell what it would look like with the greige we picked out.

I was unhappy with the way it looked and read every topic discussion on here about why it looked blue. In my searching here and on google I found someone else who had cream trim that gray looked blue next to. She changed hers to white and it appeared more gray. We gave it a shot and were blown away.

I just posted this to try to help someone in the same situation.

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Comments (12)

User
8 years ago
A lot of it has to do with your lighting. When we paint, we mix an oz of black to the white primer and when it goes on the wall, it has a blue tint. :c)
Bev
8 years ago
Not only does the lighting effect how a paint color will look but also the undertones in the paint, along with what other colors you are pairing it with.
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Beth H. :
8 years ago
Were these pictures taken at the exact same time of day w/the exact same lighting? Changing the baseboard color isn't going to magically make the wall paint look more 'griege'. cooler light bulbs will make it appear 'bluer', as will light coming in at diff times or direction. putting in warmer light bulbs will also take out the blue.

glad you changed the baseboards to the brighter white though. that looks a lot better.
Claire Buoyant
8 years ago
I LOVE that you posted these pictures and kept consistent lighting conditions when you took the photos. The difference is AMAZING and a great lesson in how undertones can affect wall color. The warmth of the Heavy Cream really emphasized any coolness in your gray paint.
Beth H. :
8 years ago
Sarah,,,that's great then. changing the baseboard not only looks better, but it made your wall paint better looking too.
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Lori A. Sawaya
8 years ago
@Sarah, would it be okay if I shared your pictures in a webinar I'm doing on May 25th for a color group? It's such a great example of color and context, I would love to share.
Juliet Docherty
8 years ago
Surely one photo was taken when it was sunny and one when it was less so?
Michelle
8 years ago
I have Colonnade Gray in a powder room. Here is how it looks with no natural light. Subway tiles are white. Artwork was painted by my gramma in high school (1940s).
Sarah
Original Author
8 years ago
@lori: sure thing! I tried to edit my original post but couldn’t figure it out. I failed to mention that the color is actually 50% Colonnade Gray and that wall is directly opposite a 108” window with no covering. But the photos were taken with a phone and I’m sure the weather conditions were probably not 100% identical. It was less a scientific study and more just a cool before and after.
User
8 years ago
Excellent demonstration of how colors are RELATIVE to neighbouring colors.
zealart
8 years ago
undertones. Grays and whites are all about the undertones, which can't always be seen properly on a chip.