Hi everyone. Here's another, current thread where we're discussing formulas. Read this thread too. Bottomline is there is more than one way to custom match and/or mix a color and still meet the industry standard for a "match". In my experience, formulas for Color To Go jugs (and all small fresh-mixed samples) notoriously differ from the formula for a gallon. It has to do with quantities, volume of base in the can, how much room there is for colorant, how small the colorant load has to be divided in order to "fit" into smaller containers, how small a quantity can the dispenser actually shoot, etc. Overall, most people are fine with the quality of the "match" produced by differing formulas. Most of the time, they can't tell. Now, that's either because it truly is not discernable or they just don't know any better and don't look closely enough to compare in order to find fault with the quality of the color match. For testing - and to keep things as simple and accurate as possible - the rule of thumb is if you want the color you see on the original paint chip, you need to buy at least a quart in the brand, paint grade, and sheen you ultimately want to use. Wonder if she has a formula that she could share that would get us close to BM White Dove. If I wanted a proper BenM White Dove, I'd go to whatever lengths necessary to buy it from Benjamin Moore. I often order my Ben Moore paint from myperfectcolor.com and have it shipped. It's fabulously convenient. :) I've said it a million times on the forums here, getting wrapped around color formulas and paint bases is a rat hole no one should go down. Cutting formulas, doubling formulas, trying to decipher color characteristics by reading the colorants in the formula and/or the tint of the paint base -- if anyone tells you there is anything worthwhile in dissecting and studying any of that, they're full of beans. Because there is nothing about any of it that we, who are on the consumer side of the paint counter, can manage or control. Blogosphere is plastered with posts from people professing their success cutting formulas, reading the formulas to ascertain "undertones" and whatnot. Their success doing so can be attributed to nothing more than luck. Luck and they've already made up their mind that their color mixing gymnastics will yield a successful color before they even start. Unless your daily job is mixing paint colors, analyzing color in its liquid state is of no value. Dry and cured color is the only thing that matters because it's all we consumers can control and manage. So, the question about all the various versions of White Dove is how do they look? And the most important thing would be to choose a version and make sure it's used consistently throughout a project.

I just painted my bedroom and master bath SW Alabaster with SW High Reflective White trim and doors. I LOVE the look, both colors work beautifully together. Depending on the time of day (morning sun) it looks white without being too stark white, as the day progresses it warms up turning into a vanilla cream in the evenings. My bedroom is west facing with more windows and a small south window. My master bath is west facing. The High Reflective White stays pretty true to color at all times. Unfortunately they were not able to do the cabinets in HRW as the paint I used on the cabinets could not be mixed in that color. HRW is a color that is funny at Sherwin Williams and kinda' tricky and definitely takes more coats to cover. I used Emerald paint in Alabaster on ceilings, walls, and cabinets in different finishes and Super Paint in Semi Gloss in HRW for trim and doors. I was nervous about using Alabaster on the cabinets in the bathroom but it worked perfectly. I will say, for those that are using a white on walls that is not as warm as Alabaster/White Dove, or more cooler grays (think grays that aren't greige) the Alabaster or White Dove warm soft whites are going to go yellow/cream. I would recommend going with Pure White for cabinets and trim. It is still a soft white without the creaminess of Alabaster. High Reflective White is also a good white it's not as soft as Pure White but still not so white that it looks cheap, but again HRW is hard to cover and cannot be mixed in many sheens and paints. I decided not to go with Pure White with my Alabaster walls because my husband wanted more of a contrast with the doors and trim, I wanted to use Alabaster on everything, but made a compromise with my husband, and went with HRW. I am not at all disappointed with the look. I know I spent countless hours agonizing over the choices and hopefully this will help others that are in the same position.

Benjamin Moore White Dove OC 17 LRV 85.38 / Undertones: Creamy greige / Temperature: Slightly warm White Dove accommodates a lot of different paint colours because while it is a warm white, it has an almost greige base that calms it right down. This way it doesn’t come off as creamy/warm as Cloud White, but also isn’t as stark/cool as Chantilly Lace. White Dove is a soft white, so it won’t act like white, but just a VERY slightly softer version of it. Pick it: If you want a versatile white trim/door/ceiling colour that will accommodate a lot of cool and warm toned paint colours throughout your home. If you want a warm, but not too yellow wall colour Ditch it: If you prefer a more clean, crisp look Instead: Check out Simply White or Decorators White SW Dover White has more yellow undertones, so is a more creamy white IMO.

The undertones of the paint need to go with the undertones of the fixed elements, such as counters and flooring. In areas where there is upholstery, it is much easier to start with the furniture, then pick the right paint. It's way too soon to be picking specific paint colors. I strongly suggest reading Maria Killam's blog.