Voc Satin

Voc Satin

Paint It White: Which White?

I wanted to paint my walls white. How hard could that be? You go to the paint store, buy a few gallons, and slap it on.

I did that first part: I went to a paint store. But when I told the salesman I needed white paint, he pulled out that color chart that opens up like a fan to reveal six hundred different shades of white and throws you into a full on panic attack. (I've never responded well to a multitude of choices.)

"Can you narrow it down to, say, the creamy ones?" I asked. The salesman licked his fingers and snapped shut about a third of the Panic Wheel, leaving me with only about 400 decisions to make. I grew a whiter shade of pale and moisture sprang from my armpits. Clearly this was too much for me.

I went home and launched a large-scale obsession. I asked friends and relatives for their thoughts on white paint. I visited my neighbor on the pretext of borrowing a can opener and secured the name of her paint color. I called a hotel where I'd once admired the bedroom walls. I asked the bookseller, the neurologist, the florist, anywhere I saw a good white, I asked someone what it was. I went online, did some social networking, picked the brains of people I do not know.

When I'd finally assembled a group of color candidates, the wall of my dining room became a patchwork of samples, which I checked on at different times of day as the light shifted.

I also painted the colors on white Bristol board and carried the samples from room to room. I made decisions, booked the painter, panicked and un-booked him. I threw away rejected colors, and then, in a frenzy of uncertainty, re-bought them for another look.

I kept all this activity covert, under my husband's radar, so he wouldn't have me committed. I did eventually make a few selections, and it worked out all right, if not perfectly. (One room suffered through two repaints.)

I offer here a list of my top choices of white wall paint (which are really almost-but-not-quite white) from a variety of manufacturers. This will save you weeks of trial and error, time better spent mastering the tango, buying a new garden hose, or writing your congresswoman. (If you do write her, please ask what color she painted her bathroom.)

Benjamin Moore ($20-$50 per gallon)
I used both "Oatmeal" and "Linen White," the latter being more yellowy, the former more, well, oaty, but both nice colors. "Swiss Coffee" is another one I have used, which is like white with a little splash of espresso. "Alabaster" is a good B.M. color for trim, also.

Donald Kaufman ($90 per gallon)
"#28" is a beautiful creamy white my sister-in-law has all over their house. I was too cheap to buy it, but D.K.'s paint is amazing, more like light than paint, so you might want to splurge in a room or two.

Farrow and Ball ($70 per gallon)
This manufacturer makes my favorite colors, all of which have inspiring names. It's pricey, so I limited myself to using "Matchstick" in my office only, but if I were going to splurge I'd have also gone for "Satin Slipper" or "Clunch," colors so interesting they inspire conversation.

YOLO ($40 per gallon)
If you are in eco-friendly mode, these paints are non-toxic and low VOC, and Air.01 and Air.02 are lovely whites.

Restoration Hardware ($32-$36 per gallon)
"Mediterranean White" and "Buttermilk" are good choices and reasonably priced, and "The Right White" is great for trim.

About the Author

Jessica Harper is a Hollywood-based actor/singer/sonwriter/author whose website, jessicaharper.com , features musings and tips on many of life's pleasures and curiosities.

How do I apply satin paint to a large wall with a roller WITHOUT leaving roller marks?

I'm using a paint called Pure which is a no VOC, very low odor paint.

We have one guy "cut in" the walls along the ceiling, door and window trims, baseboards and another guy who drops back and "rolls" the walls. You have to do the entire room in one fell swoop without letting anything dry until the entire wall is painted. Start rolling on one side of the wall, using vertical strokes. Get the paint on the wall first, paint sections about 3' wide, then start "evening it out". After it's all evened out, start rolling your "beauty strokes". i.e. you roll one COMPLETE vertical roll tight in the corner. Then roll right next to it using one more complete vertical stroke. Slightly overlap the last stroke and make sure the "rope" disappears where your rolls overlapped. Continue on until you've beauty coated everything you've rolled. Then you start on the next section using the same process. Don't go back to the previously painted areas until you're doing the beauty strokes. Then gently overlap the other areas so that everything is evenly 'wet' and then let it dry once everything is painted.

Patti Austin - Satin Doll (live, 2007)