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my white walls look green. help!

IW Custom Design
3 years ago

I am trying to brighten up the walls in my dark room. The reason it’s dark is because one side of the room is lined completely with windows, however, I have tons of green trees. All this green business gets filtered into the room and makes my walls green, while most of the light gets filtered out.
I painted the walls BM White Dove, which looks very nice after the sun goes down, but holy smokes, it’s a yellow/green highlighter filter during the entire day. I have charcoal grey sofas and they don’t seem to help at all. My floor is sort of a white oak finish. Is there a way to remedy this or am I stick with sickness on the walls? I would like something that brightens up the room as my darker walls are starting to depress me during this pandemic, but goes well with a restoration hardware type of furniture look.
I’m attaching evening vs day photos for reference. Thank you.

Comments (43)

  • P M
    3 years ago

    BM White Dove has a fair amount of yellow in it, which may be why you are having problems with the greenish light. One solution would be to go with a very pure white — BM Chantilly Lace (warm) or BM Decorator White (cool). But you could also try to counter the green by using a white with a slight peach undertone. You’ll have to experiment with swatches (paint them on a white board), but I have been pleased with BM Seashell, which has just hunt of a peach undertone. I have it in my kitchen, which gets light filtering through leafy trees. It even goes well with charcoal gray.

  • PRO
    IW Custom Design
    Original Author
    3 years ago

    Thank you so much. Does it matter which way a room is facing? Mine faces south with a hint of East.

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  • kempek01
    3 years ago

    You can play with your light bulbs and with the paint color some, but you're always going to have green from the trees. Unless you chop them down. :)





  • PRO
    IW Custom Design
    Original Author
    3 years ago

    Finally solved my disgusting green cast on the wall.

    I was just about to give up and go back to a dark color after trying to brighten up my COVID 19 existence with a bright happy white and finding out that even the white that looks good in any room won’t work in my room because there are really just too many trees behind my of my wall of windows. Even though my room is facing South, with a hint of East, the tree canopy filters out not only the beloved bright light we all crave, but also all the red out of the sun, leaving me with a never happy dark room where the only way I can “hide” the green is by putting a dark color on the wall which works with the green (like a sage-y color down to a grey which will turn a greenish grey)or something with peachy/red in it. (yes, I did plenty of research on what white color goes well in a dark green room with lots of trees outside... all lies, LOL)

    Today I was sitting on the couch, staring at the wall and thinking as a last resort before deciding on a dark color:

    How do I fix a white room that turned green? What do I need to to do to get this green under control short of creating an electrical lighting situation that will get the green out??? I’m certainly not willing to have the lights on all day. What I need is some light with a red wave length in the room. Where do I get this light from? Duhhh! The other windows in the house and the bottom sides of the green canopy; I need light to bounce around the room instead of just getting filtered in via green trees. How do I achieve that? Mirrors!

    And that’s how I solved a sick green cast on my walls. The end. True story. Hope it helps someone who is currently shedding tears over a fan deck of paint swatches.

  • map
    3 years ago

    Great article from Maria Killam on this subject.
    https://mariakillam.com/choosingwhite/

  • Lanny
    2 years ago

    Im having the same problem! in a 5’ wide x 25’ hallway its an ugly green. i feel the green is bouncning off the walls.

    you said you used mirrors, wouldnt that make it worse? where did you put the mirrors?



  • abbywilliams
    2 years ago

    Painted my entire house white dove SW and absoutly hate it just want to cry. It looks yellowish lime green. Re Really cant afford to have painters repaint so any ideas on colors decor or rug color anything help me 😩 im will to maybe do a color accent wall …



  • HU-204273168
    2 years ago

    Abby - i just did exact same thing. Entire interior Sherwin Willaims equivalent of white dove and depending on which room you're in its either green or slightly yellow. So bummed.

  • abbywilliams
    2 years ago

    It make me sick i cant stand it. If you come up with any ideas that help let me know im desparate !

  • cljonesbldginc
    2 years ago

    Oh, no. So sorry you all are dealing with this issue. I am trying to find a whole house white and everything I read overall says White Dove is wonderful. I am finding trying to pick a white paint is equivalent to successfully landing on the moon- almost impossible. But, every day I research and research. Hope you get this issue worked out!

    IW Custom Design thanked cljonesbldginc
  • HU-204273168
    2 years ago

    I’m methodically changing lampshades to white in each room and that helps. A friend of mine swears by White Dove and has it throughout her house and it looks fabulous - but she has more natural light and space. Also, she used Benjamin Moore. My painter wouldnt use anything but Sherwin Williams and i fear the match wasnt truly the same. I may repaint some of the rooms down the line but for now im stuck with it.

  • HU-204273168
    2 years ago

    Ah! thats why the one room i have that actually looks white does so — banks of windows on three sides.

  • PRO
    Lori A. Sawaya
    2 years ago

    My painter wouldnt use anything but Sherwin Williams and i fear the match wasnt truly the same.


    I agree.


    There's something about SW's base/colorants that intrinsically leans more green compared to Benjamin Moore. This isn't new either, I noticed it years ago.


    Its especially noticeable when trying to get BenM colors of white/off-white from SW. It works out for some but it's a surprise, disappointment for others,

  • Lanny
    2 years ago
    last modified: 2 years ago

    The same thing happened to us too. SW gave us new paint, but wouldnt cover our painters fee. Big deal, its still green! First time using Sherwin Williams, never again!

  • HU-204273168
    2 years ago

    Same!!!!!

  • Heather Weldon
    2 years ago

    Yes! white dove and chantilly Lace looks green in my house! ugh still looking for a nice all over off white. I have East windows so shade all afternoon

  • Lanny
    2 years ago



    So you are saying that Chantilly ran green also? i was going to repaint my Roman Column by SW with Chantilly Lace. My living room faces north and the hallway is south. The hallway is very, very green. i cant stand it any longer. If you find a true white, please let me know.

  • Jennifer Hogan
    2 years ago

    Sometimes it is not the paint color. You have to understand how white works, when it is appropriate and when it won't work well in your space.




    I had white walls, trim and ceiling when I lived in San Diego. I had large windows, tons of natural light and very light flooring. I ended up with the gallery white walls I was looking for.


    I now live in central Pennsylvania. 53% of the days are sunny, the rest overcast. I have smaller windows due to the colder temperatures and every color I used in California looks gray compared to the way it looked in S. CA. It isn't the paint color that changed.


    If you don't have enough light you need to use paints with enough depth and saturation to hold there own in lower light conditions.


    It is tempting to go bright, pure white when we see all the pictures on Houzz and in magazines and blog posts, but often those pictures are taken with professional lighting that we don't have in our homes. They are also photoshopped and corrected so they look perfect.





    So we all see these beautiful pictures and run out and buy the whitest white paint we can find.

    and instead of a beautiful, light, bright, airy space we get something gray and drab or green or blue or some other unexpected result.



    Having the perfect magazine ready white on white home can be as illusive as having that perfect magazine ready face and body. Maybe your home isn't a supermodel, maybe it can't wear white, but it can be a lovely home and even without white walls it can be the place where your family builds wonderful memories that will be cherished for many decades.


  • Lanny
    2 years ago

    Thank you so much Jennifer for all your info. i feel like im in way over my head with this project. Who knew this was going to turn into a nightmare! All i wanted was white walls. What i dont understand is why all my trim and doors and blinds are pefectly white, but the walls are green.

  • Jennifer Hogan
    2 years ago
    last modified: 2 years ago

    Lenny, when I look at the picture you posted there is a distinct line where the green starts. If you look at the picture you do have green reflection on the trim as well as the wall and ceiling.

    Do you happen to have Low E glass in the windows through which this light is shining?

  • Lanny
    2 years ago

    Hi Jennifer, im really not sure what kind of glass is in the door. i took this picture now, no sun and no leaves on the tree which is on our fromt lawn. The origianal post was from the summer, before it was reepainted. Repainting only helped a little. it will be worse in the summer. we were thinking of repainting it again in Chantilly Lace this time, but im worried it will do the sme thing.🤦‍♀️


  • Jennifer Hogan
    2 years ago

    With the excessive amount of green that you get I would think that whites in general will reflect green and be shadowed in the hallway. Roman Columns has more yellow than Chantilly Lace, but you are getting reflected light. Roman Columns is not inherently green, but when you add gray (shadows) to yellow the color goes more green. Deeper colors, higher chroma are the answers.


  • Debbie Downer
    2 years ago
    last modified: 2 years ago

    I wish I could find a white that reads as white but has pink in it instead of yellow or grungy grey. I had such a color once long ago and t was beautiful - no sign of gray green grunge whatsoever, only faint hints of red or pink once in a while. Cant remember the color and it really frustrating to go to BM website and get color descriptions like this instead of something useful "Still damp from the clothesline, I ironed the fine Irish linen to a perfect, glossy smoothness."

    Ive suspected there might be something about the base itself, which maybe gets accentuated with added yellow pigment? Maybe there needs to be a certain amt of pigment to overcome the inherent gray-green grunge color of the base? Some of us more sensitive to color may see this while others dont.

  • PRO
    Lori A. Sawaya
    2 years ago

    "Still damp from the clothesline, I ironed the fine Irish linen to a perfect, glossy smoothness."


    lol! 😊

  • PRO
    Flo Mangan
    2 years ago

    SW Snowbound. Might be perfect for what you are looking for. It is in the Yellow Hue family but headed to Yellow/Red so has tiny hint of blush touch especially in lower lighting conditions.

  • PRO
    Lori A. Sawaya
    2 years ago

    I've been crushing on Snowbound lately - have a sample on my desk. It's pretty.

  • Lanny
    2 years ago

    Hi, what company is it with?

  • Jennifer Hogan
    2 years ago

    Maria Killam used C2 Wedding Cake

    https://mariakillam.com/choosingwhite/


    The only problem is that it will be pink in rooms where you get better sunlight, unless you use different whites in different rooms/walls, which can get tricky. Picking one is generally tough enough.


    https://mariakillam.com/choosingwhite/

  • PRO
    Flo Mangan
    2 years ago

    Sherwin Williams Snowbound.

  • Allison Malzone
    last year

    I am having sam issue with green tint. So disappointing

  • BW_TX
    last year

    Another vote for SW Snowbound. We are very happy with it. Looks nice, crisp and white in most rooms. Can pick up a very very slight pinkish hue in one room, but it's very faint and only noticeable because it's paired against high reflective white ceiling. Other than that, a great clean white and we're really happy with it (after looking at tons of whites). We also have all of our recessed lights 3,000K led so not sure if that helps.

  • sarracenia
    last year

    I know this is an older thread but bumping to see if anyone has more to add to the discussion. Particularly if any of the SW Snowbound fans have used it successfully in a room that has lots of reflections from trees outside.

  • Jennifer Hogan
    last year

    I don't have experience with SW Snowbound, but it is a very high LRV and the higher the LVR the more reflection you have. To reduce the impact of green trees outside you need to add more color.

  • Barbara Willians
    11 months ago

    I had my north facing LR and south facing DR painted Chamois white. When done, it looked mint green!!! I feel your pain! I then repainted BM Simply White-walls and trim. Beautiful! No green, but a soft white in both rooms.

  • L C
    7 months ago

    I painted alabaster in my lake house with tons of south facing windows with lots of green outside (all wooded) and I have the same sick yellow green color on my walls and I feel just as sick as the walls look. I'm afriad snowbound will reflect green-gray. Maybe I need to go with the peachy tones (accessible beige???) I'm sick of losing sleep over it. Wondered about edgecomb gray, but it will prob turn green gray.

  • sarracenia
    7 months ago
    last modified: 7 months ago

    FYI after all my learnings from this and other threads, we painted our south-facing living space with BM Cedar Key with only 25% of the pigment / tint (I think they call this 75% lightness or 75% lighter but I find that confusing). I love the look and the fact that there are no green reflections from the cedar trees that surround our house. House is still being renovated but I'll post pics once done.

  • L C
    7 months ago

    @sarracenia thank you for your reply. I will look this color up and save it on pinterest. We are also still in renovation process and none of my furnishings are in the house. I'm going to try to live with it for a full year and see how the wall color changes with the seasons. Then I might consider cedar key with only 25% of the pigment. Can't wait to see your pics!


  • Missy Bee
    7 months ago

    The Benjamin Moore site allows you to see the paint in the morning, afternoon and evening based on the direction the windows in the room face….

  • Dominique N. Blume
    7 months ago

    I have a north facing house with lots of woods around the front/sides and low natural light in the entryway. i picked Cheviot SW (LRV: 89RGB: 246 / 242 / 232Hex Value: #F6F2E8) for the whole house white bc it is a little creamier and i love it. no green casts. my one problem is my master bedroom, which i painted a greige and the walls turn a sickly green in the summer due to the reflection of the trees. I think I’ll try Cheviot in our master bedroom next…

  • sarracenia
    7 months ago

    @Dominique N. Blume that looks really nice! It looks a lot like our lightened version (75% lighter) of Cedar Key.


    @Missy Bee That site is helpful but doesn't account for the colour of reflected light coming in from outside.

  • M B
    3 months ago

    White Dove has a high LRV and the light you’re getting is likely coming in with green reflections from near by trees and plants. White dove has yellow in it. Not green. Whatever you do — DO NOT USE Benjamin more Calm OC 22. I painted my house that color and the violet purple undertone is horrendous. I could not stand it and wasted another $3000 to paint the entire room white dove. I get a medium amount of light. Any off white has to have undertones. And the best undertone is cream / yellow. Not blue or purple or violet or brown or orange. Cream yellow matches well with most furniture and floors. I massively regret using CALM. I also tested SW Aesthetic White. It’s got a cream undertone but it was darker than BM white dove and the darker creamy beige undertone can make less lit areas look dingy. But I used SW Aesthetic white for the outside and it’s perfect. For trims and ceilings - I paired white dove walls with Chantilly lace which is super white and will pick up any color coming into your house. Chantilly is too sterile to use on the walls.

  • Debbie Downer
    3 months ago

    Its dead winter here in midwest - no green leaves, only white snow everywhere, and Im STILL getting some kind of brassy green tinge in the yellowy whites Ive been sampling - not as bad as summer, but still... I'm pretty sure it has something to do with the yellow colorant thats used to tint the white base.,... and I think the redness of my vintage red-brown woodwork is whats bringing out the slight inherent greenness of the yellow tint. Once I followed an old paint guy's suggestion to add a tiny teentsy amount of red to neutralize the greenness of a yellow.... which helped but you do run the danger of it going the other way into pink....which for me might be the lesser of evils. Otherwise I might just stop fighting the green and get a very very light sage or blue-green instead.

    Anyway - Id be interested to hear more from people re specific paint color choices which successfully eliminated this problem.