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How can I cancel the green undertone...

7 days ago

I've painted BM Pale Oak in several rooms, foyer and the hallway of our home. Decided to paint the LR the same. In ALL of the other rooms, the color is a gorgeous off white/greige with a hint of "tan".
After two coats of Pale Oak in the living room, painted over SW Ice Cube; I see the palest green tone vs the color creamy off-white/tan in all of the other rooms. During the day it's very close to the adjoining rooms and picks up some of the blue and green from the back yard. The room faces west. I'm fairly happy with the color then. And I LOVE this color in each of the other rooms I've used it, including my kitchen!
The trim is BM White Dove.
Can changing the light bulbs take the green out? Currently using Home Depots EcoSmart LED "daylight" bulbs.
Appreciate any advice. I'm tempted to repaint the room to Ice Cube. 🫤

Comments (17)

  • 7 days ago

    The left doorway is how the color reads in all other rooms. To the right is how the color is going green at night.

    Here's another pic of the other side of the room and the color is the off-white, neutral warm gray!

  • 7 days ago

    And one more showing more tan....

  • 7 days ago

    And how it clashes with the kitchen (same color) .....

  • 7 days ago

    Thanks in advance for any advice!

  • PRO
    6 days ago
    last modified: 6 days ago

    Does it read green all year long, or just in the warmer weather, when leaves are green?

    I have had luck minimizing an undertone using art, layering on additional shades of medium and tones, to help mask an undertone I'm not loving in a room.Something like this where Balboa Mist has a pink undertone and using more pink in the art.






  • 6 days ago

    OnCape. Thank you for replying. In the other rooms it never goes green regardless of the time is year. On occasion it might pull a little pink but ever so slightly. Usually the tan or faintest grey, in the morning sun the east facing rooms the color has a slight gold/tan undertone. The western facing rooms and hall will be so pale grey it's almost white. It's just going green in the family and I just painted it yesterday. In the morning light it was grey, had a very faint blue undertone but that was probably reflection from the pool; but in the western facing afternoon sun.... green undertone kicked in.
    I'm going to try a cooler light bulb first and maybe that will help. At night the contrast from the kitchen to the family room is so noticeable. Kitchen takes on a purple undertone. LED lighting ugh!

  • 6 days ago

    Also, we have dark walnut colored flooring. Maybe the warmth of the floor, warm afternoon exterior lighting and the warm undertone of the paint is all combining and pulling the green.

  • 3 days ago

    Thank you Jennifer. Light bulbs are on my list of errands today ☺️. I have LED bulbs now, daylight; so I'm going to try bright white and something in the 3500-4000 range.

    I've also picked up samples of SW Ice Cube reduced 25% and 50%. Just to see if that will give me the same light and airy feel without going gray/green. I just wanted Pale Oak to work in this space. I've now started noticing how it changes in the other rooms throughout the day but I still love it.

    I'll update with light bulb results

  • PRO
    3 days ago

    Did you prime first and then do two coats? If you didn't prime first, which is recommended to cover any hint of the original color coming through, I think that's the problem.

  • 3 days ago

    I didn't. I never do unless it's a really dark color. This is the first time I've ever had a color just look so different from one room to the next.
    Tried different light bulbs today. That was a no go. The new bulbs you can change the lighting in one bulb...... top lighting looks okay but the lighting from the bottom cast a different hue.

  • 3 days ago

    I've decided to see what the previous color, SW Ice Cube; looks like reduced by 25% and 50%. And using my regular "daylight" lightbulbs.

    I'll update in a few with the outcome 😊

  • 2 days ago
    last modified: 2 days ago

    Ice Cube is a very cool gray.

    Pale Oak a much warmer light taupe.

    As I look at your photo in your post I am wondering now if the green isn't due to the gold in the lamp shade, especially since you said the new lightbulbs created different colors above and below the light.



    Test again without the lampshades.


    Test the lamps in another room where you like Pale Oak. See if in the evening the lamps do the same thing in the adjoining rooms.


  • 2 days ago

    Thank Jennifer. I tried without the shades a different lamp and somehow the Pale Oak was reading green in here. I think it's due to the warm flooring, dark room and air forth. It's a shame though. The color in the kitchen will actually pull out the purple tones at certain times of the day. I can see slight green in other rooms, now that I'm looking for it. But not like in the living room.
    I did get the Ice Cube samples. 25% & 50% reduced. I really liked the full formula ice cube for 11 years but wanted something different and a little muted. I did two coats of the samples ok that wall. Oh my gosh! ❤️❤️❤️. Same lamp, art, furniture and it's gorgeous! Going with the 50% reduction. Plus it plays nicely with the Pale Oak from the kitchen, foyer and hallway; all case openings into the living room.
    We had storms yesterday so it was hard to tell how bright it might be, I knew it wouldn't be as bright as full strength; and today was sunny. Looked so good when the afternoon sunlight streaming through the window.
    Hope to have everything back together by Saturday afternoon.
    I'll post final pics.
    Thank you everyone for your suggestions. 😊

  • 2 days ago

    Oh Jennifer..... this lamp was actually in the playroom/sitting room which is painted Pale Oak. Did not create the muddy green cast in there. I pulled an old lamp out for that room and brought this one back to the living room.

  • yesterday

    This morning with the two samples on the wall with artwork and the Pale Oak behind the tv.
    PS I had tried white lampshades too but the Pale Oak still read muddy green.

  • yesterday

    The only natural light sources in this WNW facing room. The door leads out to the screened porch. The ceiling out there was painted SW Topsail 🩵
    The window has view of backyard and pool