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walls for warming up grey floors

29 days ago

we bought a house a year ago that was an obvious flip. the location, price, and potential all won us over, but the flip was so generic and boring and for some stupid reason they went with grey on grey on grey with white cabinets/ furnishings and gold or black trim (see photos from staging) anyways we've been prioritizing outdoor work for the last year and now I've finally convinced my husband we must pain the walls and bring some splash of color and life/character to the house. I did our bathroom and love it, so does my husband which served as a great push for painting the house. for the main areas of the house I want to go with I think a warm white/cream to bring out warmth in the floor, but there is so little info out there. our house is mostly east west facing with two bedrooms south facing but with small windows so they don't get amazing light. I'm wondering if anyone else had this issue and has some recommendations. the main whites I am looking at is BM white dove, BM Swiss coffee, SW alabaster, cold foam, creamy or behr Swiss coffee. I'm not in love with any of them though. and the I was planing on some accent/color splash with the bathrooms and kitchen backsplash that we plan on putting in as well as possibly an accent wall, but wanting to find the base/neutral to start with that will make it feel warmer and brighter (note my previous house was original maple wood floors with lots of natural light, original 18th and I went with Greek villa which looked absolutely amazing). close ups if the floors, and some test area around the house. thoughts and advise appreciated !

Comments (23)

  • 29 days ago

    natural light is always the issue when choosing the right color.

    I personally love SW Alabaster in any light. For me, the size of the room matters. A small space looks best with minimal contrasts, the furniture plays a big role.

    Painting accent walls is something I would wait to decide once you have painted everything, arranged furniture and only then decide if you need an accent wall.

    Regardless of the color of your floor, is it consistent throught the home?

    I see you have painted trim. A small house will benefit from painting the trim the same white shade you choose for the walls, again minimizing the contrast, especially if the trim is simple, like a clam shell moulding. Photos of the actual rooms would help getting suggestions.

  • 29 days ago

    it's not a super small house, about 2100 sqft . attached are photos from the staging when we bought it (not our current furniture) at least of the living room/kitchen, dinning room. but floor is the same throughout the house

  • 29 days ago
    last modified: 29 days ago

    I do think you are right about warming it up, the gray really makes it look cold.

    SW Egret White would be nice with the floors.

    Is Greek Villa part of your options? with a LRV of 84 Greek Villa is pretty light.

    SW Egret White is 70


  • 29 days ago

    Agree with these taupier options -- if you get too much yellow in the paint, the walls will look sunny, but the floor will look even more blue (and thus more chilly) by contrast. Try to pick up a warmer undertone from the flooring itself.

  • 29 days ago

    any suggestions for that undertone, definalty.struggling with that ;)

  • 29 days ago

    I would stay away from those yellow/warm "whites".

    I would look at SW Snowbound, BM Classic Gray, SW Drift of Mist



  • 29 days ago



  • 29 days ago

    I was also looking at SW sanctuary as an option, any thoughts on that?

  • 29 days ago

    I’m an outlier but I would add colour in other ways. Your plants, window dressing, furniture, decorative items. I see grey as the base. What does your stuff look like in the home?

  • PRO
    29 days ago

    It's a safe choice


  • 29 days ago

    I'd focus the effort on changing the floor rather than the paint, if your pocketbook can afford the hit.

  • 29 days ago

    You are lucky. A lot of grey floors don't have as much brown as yours. At least you have that going for you. Yes, SW alabaster is a safe, good bet.


    The staged pics have the added benefit of large area rugs for the floors. The colors of them are not great, but they hide a lot of the floor. Do you have rugs in your spaces?

  • 28 days ago

    Agree with Kendra. Rugs are your friends. I also agree that the floors are bad; not as bad as some, but not good either.

  • 28 days ago

    RUGS! And more rugs. My house has mahogany floors that are too red for me. My wood trim is similar but with a more brown tone. I covered most of the floors with green and blue rugs to counter the “redness” .

    Geometric, oriental or Persian rugs will take everyone’s eyes off the gray floors (especially yours).

  • 28 days ago

    Prime the walls with white primer. Or prime just two walls in different rooms. Then you will not get reflections of the gray walls on your samples.


    Please post an update when you are ready.

  • PRO
    28 days ago

    I would go with richer colors. The lighter colors don't seem to work. I would also explore blues and greens.


    Also - I don't recommend putting all the colors together like that on the wall. Pick 2 or 3 that are your favorites and get a sample jar that you can paint onto a poster board and hang them on different walls during differnt times of the day. But one color at a time so you can appreciate that color for what it is and not compare it to something else that won't be in the space.

    Good luck!

  • 28 days ago
    last modified: 28 days ago

    Wanted to address a few other things but was busy and am just now getting back.

    When you have the gray or weathered floor colors it means that you have purple undertones.

    Violet Grays and taupes will be beautiful with these floors. The whites you have chosen all have either green or yellow undertones. You need something with more taupe (Pink/purple) undertones.

    I would start by looking at these 4 colors - two on the beige end of taupe and two a bit more muted or gray, but still taupe.

    I used Natural Linen with flooring almost identical to yours and it worked beautifully.




    Test the colors in your home with your furniture and lighting and see if one of them works and if not let us know why - do you want something grayer, or less gray.



    Here is a video on Shoji White that will help you see how subtle the pink undertones are, but it is often enough to work with the gray flooring.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVGim1CNulo


    This is a nice article on paint colors with gray flooring/finishes - pay attention - make sure you are looking at colors that work with the purple undertones and not the ones catering to other grays.

    https://www.kylieminteriors.ca/the-best-neutral-paint-colors-with-gray-floors/

  • 28 days ago
    last modified: 28 days ago

    Following Jennifer Hogan's suggestion of purple undertones. You, also could go darker on walls, and lighter of furniture.






  • 28 days ago

    Per usual, Jennifer Hogan gave excellent advice. Heed what she says, if you're not going to change the floor.

  • 27 days ago

    Well let me ask about your actual furnishings and rugs? Do you own nothing? As you can see by all the varied responses you actually have a lot of leeway with neutrals and colors - so the best paint has less to do with your floors as it has to do with your furnishings. If your sofa is a color vs a neutral that will play a huge roll in a paint direction. If you can post photos of your actual furniture you will get better suggestions - and ones that won’t create the domino effect of a new paint throughout that makes you want all new furnishings and rugs. If you are starting from scratch with furniture my advice would be the same - pick a paint only after knowing your furnishings and rugs.

  • PRO
    27 days ago
    last modified: 27 days ago

    You seem to be looking at neutrals, of the 3 below, my favourite is BM Edgecomb Gray. However you must look at large samples that you can walk around with in your room(s).




  • 23 days ago
    last modified: 23 days ago

    I like the sample to the left of the light switch. The last photo in the first set of photos. It lookss closest to the floors.