Prime your entire wall.

Go to Michaels and buy a pad of heavy watercolor paper 140 lb 11x15 sheets (30 sheets for $16.00 without a coupon).

Tape the paper down to a cookie sheet or other flat surface using painters tape.

Paint 2 coats. The paper should be almost flat. If you have any warping you can use parchment paper and iron the paper flat.

Poster board warps like crazy and foamcore is expensive.

Don't just compare the color to your flooring. Set the sheets next to your sofa, your woodwork, anything that will be staying. The color has to work with the surrounding materials.

Here is a picture of my current project- bought a new home and deciding on the color pallet.

The top neutral is needs just a hair less grayI am working through the formulas to get the "perfect neutral" The top a bit too gray, the bottom a bit too pink.

(Both Custom BM colors)

The lower color is the color I had in my last home, but the flooring has a slightly stronger orange/pink undertone which made the lower paint color appear more gray..

Here are the formulas for the two colors. I think the top of the two neutrals would work very well for you, but you won't know without testing.

The color formula for the less pink neutral is Benjamin Moore Regal Select Eggshell

Base 549-2s (Quart)

Y3 0x 4.2500

S1 0x 5.0000

W1 0s 12.1250

R3 0x 2.5000

For comparison the lower color (more pink) formula is Benjamin Moore Regal Select eggshell

Base 549-2s (Quart)

Y3 0x 4.8750

S1 0x 5.6250

W1 0s 11.0000

R3 0x 2.3750

This is a great demonstration of why custom mixing is difficult. They actually reduced the red oxide in the sample that appears more pink. But they added more yellow oxide and black which can give you the pinky undertones (orange yellow with blue black)

Y3 Oxide Yellow +0.625

S1 Black +0.625

W1 White -1.125

R3 Oxide Red -0.125

When I get two colors that are close but each off just a bit I will custom mix using a syringe until I get the exact shade I want. (1/2 and 1/2 or 1/3 and 2/3 or 1/4 and 3/4)

I feel the OP's pain. I'm trying to force BM Abalone into my 90's house, and am having issues with the pine stained trim (link). The current "cool" colors seem to make the wood colors look more dated to me. Do I just need to get used to this? It really goes go blue in the evening. I'm inclined to redo this with Accessible Beige, or Shiitake. I'll leave the Abalone for the 2nd floor where all the trim is white.

This Zillow pic makes me go "ugh" - trying to force a cool paint into an older home make the house look older to me.

I think your mention of Anew Gray being a safe bet is correct. It looks like a good greige, not too warm and not too cool for your floor. Good luck!

Just to mention Anew can take on a yellow cast in certain light. I'm not sure if that's what you're going for.

I’m starting to think that none of these will work and possibly too dark. L to R on primed section: Twighlight, Versatile Gray, Anew Gray, Agreeable Gray. The large sections are Anew. It is cloudy outside, when the sun comes out I’ll take another photo. This is a south-facing wall directly in front of a huge window.

Please try DE Crisp Muslin. Its a fresh happy neutral very light taupe that should work perfectly with your floors. It ranges from soft tan to slightly warm gray in different light.

Versatile Gray looks pretty good on my monitor. Maybe lighten it? Behr's "Aged Beige" is a nice greige. Ignore the "beige" in its name. :-)

Here is a room painted Crisp Muslin just to give you the idea of how it looks ranging from gray on the window wall to soft taupe on the bed wall. Your flooring has both of these colors.

California Traditional · More Info

MTW - if you throw all these colors up on a wall your brain is getting overwhelmed with the choices.

Paint the wall primer white - paint samples as I instructed above. Never place more than 2 sample up at a time.

Samples always look a bit darker against the white or a contrasting color, but lighten up when you paint the entire room. It is the contrast that is making it feel dark.

Your last color had an LRV of 56.7, Did that feel too dark or too light or is that about the depth of color that you want?

Agreeable gray has an LRV of 60, so it Is just a bit lighter than Crisp Khaki.

Use Benjamin Moore Smokey Taupe, it's warm and will definitely work. Here's a sample of it in a room. You can see well done the taupe is, it blends with the gold warmth of the curtains and no clashing of tones. My sister has it in a room with floors similar to yours, worked like a dream.

This is a room I had painted in BM Smokey Taupe. There’s no guarantee it will look the same in your space.

Call the consultant!

Any reason you don’t try this one!

I would paint a large swatch of that!

Yes that it Agreeable gray and I am painting a swatch on poster board and doing a second coat on a large part of the wall now. I’ll post photos in a couple hours. If this turns too blue then I will know I should try accessible beige next Because it is the same LRV but a little warmer.

Also, can I just take a moment to thank all of you who have made this process easier by chiming in. It is no good working in a vacuum and this is such an important, long-lasting decision that will affect my family’s mood everyday. I know the power of paint color because I painted my bedroom a glorious light blue (Frazee Rushing River) and it feels like I’m walking into a spa when I walk inside.

Stay tuned for more pics!

have you looked at SW Pewter Tankard?

50 shades of grey! Been there, done that... The struggle is real. I actually like the Anew grey. Can you remove a couch cushion? Check to see if Anew works with that and other elements in your space. I have the perfect paint color but now my upholstered bench does not work - it's a blue toned grey with a griege on the wall. I've seen white trim and cream decor, both of which will lighten up a darker space. Especially with grey, you need to have some depth to the color or it is so lifeless.

AG is usually a warm gray but if it reads a tad blue on your wall we now know you like blue;)!

Hi everyone! The saga continues. This is taken at 7am and cloudy outside. Left to right: Accessible Beige, Agreeable Gray, Anew Gray 75%, Anew Gray. The poster boards are the same paint colors In the same order. The picture makes my floors look a lot more saturated then they actually are. I’ve also posted a picture of the tile. I’ll post another photo when the sun comes out.

This

Looking at your wall and your sample I still think agreeable gray is your color. As I suspected your floor is not the only consideration here and agreeable seems to bridge both your floor and your very gray furniture! It is also light which is what you wanted.

Seems you had the right idea from the beginning and countless samples later:0

Let me tell you! I am best friends and on a first-name basis with the saleswoman at Sherwin Williams. She was amazing and so knowledgable and she was shocked that my samples came out so blue. She was right in the beginning that hiring a consultant would have saved me money and now I will urge everyone to do just that. I got 11 samples so that means my garage cabinets are going to get a makeover soon :-) . I also learned that samples are not the same quality as the gallon paint and they do not contain primer as the gallon paint does. That could be why the samples looked so blue.

Having the primer in the paint doesn’t matter to me at all! Personally I think it’s a gimmick! If a quality paint has good coverage there’s no need to have paint & primer in one! What matters is how the color reads in your space and how you perceive it!

I would go with the last color gray. It seems as if it will bring out your room. The rest would be too dark in my opinion.

Here is a better representation of the flooring. Should I go between 2 and 3 dice they are the same color just one is lighter.

I'm liking the 2nd from the left.

I thought you had made up you mind! You realize it is not possible for us to accurately see what you are seeing don’t you? Which one do you like?

Your floor is not the only consideration! We can’t see anything of the rest of your house!!!

Yes, that’s because we are living out of our formal living room because the kitchen is gutted. Not a pretty sight. Tough with kids but I’m so excited to have a new kitchen. This wall is the first thing you see when entering the house.

Go with the lightest color.

I think the color on the far left looks the best. It will provide a nice, neutral backdrop for your furnishings.

How wonderful for you! I’m sure you and your family will enjoy that beautiful new kitchen! Take into consideration all the new elements that will be it that space as well as what you already have. That wall color needs to complement everything and look nice with your floors; not necessarily match your floors!

I'm going to second Open House Home Staging - Far left is my favorite.

What about Benjamin Moore “Windsbreath” or “Cedar Key”.

Or maybe even “Pale Oak”. Here are the samples of WindsBreath, Cedar Key and Pale Oak. They are all lighter colours

Here's another vote for the color on the far left.

I feel the OP's pain. I'm trying to force BM Abalone into my 90's house, and am having issues with the pine stained trim (link). The current "cool" colors seem to make the wood colors look more dated to me. Do I just need to get used to this? It really goes go blue in the evening. I'm inclined to redo this with Accessible Beige, or Shiitake. I'll leave the Abalone for the 2nd floor where all the trim is white.

The problem for you is the wood has an orange tone to it. By painting the walls blue, you wind up making the orange stand out more because you're putting two complementary colors together. Blue is the complement of orange and both enhance one another.

Accessible Beige on the far left looks the best and will work with your gray furnishings too. I have Accessible Beige in my studio and it's the perfect neutral.

I’m very surprised to see no mention of Revere Pewter.

Have you looked at BM Edgecomb Gray? I had a problem with BM Balboa Mist and SW Agreeable Gray going too blue in my house. Edgecomb Gray is a light warm gray. Sometimes it looks light gray, greige, beige or a light mushroom, depending on the room or time of day. It's a neutral that has worked well in all areas for me. Of course, your home may be totally different though.

Apparently none of the colors you have tried are resonating with you, despite the overwhelming response for the first and second. What do you envision?

BM Barren Plain and BM Calm (they are on the same color strip, Calm is lighter than Barren Plain) are warm grays. Cool grays always look blue or purple-blue on walls.

If you're not interested in the Agreeable, I'd say the latest suggestions are great - Revere Pewter, Edgecomb Gray or Barren Plain, all would probably look good with that tile.

Hi, I just read through this entire thread bc I’m in a similar situation. What color did you go with and would you mind sharing your final thoughts and a picture? Thank you!!

I have exact same tile, wondering which Gray or Beige SW wall color you ended up with?

Following. I am trying to determine what color to paint the walls and vanity for a relatively cheap update.

What was the final color? I have the exact tile! I'm

If you haven't decided idea yet, try a soft white and forget the rest. Your gray sofa and accessories will look great and then accessorize with natural wood tones and simple floor shades of beige . Add different textures. White, gray, and beige go great! Add a area rug to tie in the whites and grays. Good luck!