HomePro DMV Painters also offers exterior painting, wainscoting installation, wallpaper installation across Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia.
Sherwin-Williams' white trim paint lineup is more compact than Benjamin Moore's but every entry is a strong professional choice. These 5 white trim paint colors are our most-specified SW trim whites.
| Color | LRV | Undertone | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabaster SW-7008 | 82 | Warm cream | SW's #1 trim white — equivalent to Benjamin Moore White Dove |
| Pure White SW-7005 | 84 | Slightly warm neutral | Versatile bright white, slightly softer than Chantilly Lace |
| Extra White SW-7006 | 86 | Cool clean | Modern homes, dark walls, high-contrast trim |
| Snowbound SW-7004 | 83 | Soft cool | Cool wall colors, gray-painted homes, traditional + modern transition |
| Dover White SW-6385 | 83 | Warm with yellow | Traditional homes, warm color schemes, true cream alternative |
All available in Sherwin-Williams Emerald Urethane Trim Enamel — the SW equivalent to Benjamin Moore Advance for cabinet-grade trim painting. HomePro DMV Painters uses Emerald Urethane on every cabinet and trim project.
Farrow & Ball makes premium white trim paint with their distinctive chalky finish and curated palette. At $130–$150 per gallon, F&B trim white costs roughly twice as much as Benjamin Moore Advance — but the depth and finish quality justify the premium for high-end interior painting projects. See our Is Farrow & Ball worth it guide for the full comparison. Homeowners in Georgetown and Kalorama frequently choose F&B white trim paint colors for their historic row houses where premium finishes complement period architecture.
The brightest, cleanest Farrow & Ball white trim. Pure neutral white with no visible undertone. Equivalent in spirit to Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace. Best for modern homes and high-contrast schemes against dark walls.
F&B's most popular trim white. Slightly cooler with a gray undertone that prevents the trim from looking yellow against modern wall colors. Pairs beautifully with F&B's gray and blue palette.
The warmest of F&B's whites with a soft cream undertone. Equivalent in feeling to Benjamin Moore White Dove. Best for traditional and historic homes where soft warmth is desired on trim.
F&B white trim paint colors are available in Estate Eggshell finish — F&B's equivalent to semi-gloss for trim woodwork. Estate Eggshell has a slightly lower sheen than American semi-gloss but equal durability for white trim.
Every white trim paint has an undertone — even ones that look pure white on a swatch card. The undertone becomes visible once the white trim color is on the wall, especially in changing daylight. For trim paint colors, choosing the right temperature is critical because the white trim runs continuously around the room and any wrong undertone gets multiplied across every baseboard and crown molding.
Warm white trim paint colors have visible cream, yellow, or peach undertones that make them feel inviting and traditional. Best examples: White Dove OC-17, Cloud White OC-130, Swiss Coffee OC-45, Alabaster SW-7008, and Dover White SW-6385. Use warm whites with: warm wall colors (beige, tan, cream, warm gray, sage), traditional architecture, natural wood floors and furniture, and homes with significant natural light.
Cool white trim paint colors have blue, gray, or green undertones that feel modern and crisp. Best examples: Decorator's White OC-149, Oxford White OC-30, White Heron OC-57, Extra White SW-7006, and Snowbound SW-7004. Use cool whites with: cool wall colors (true gray, blue, blue-green), modern and contemporary architecture, stainless steel and chrome fixtures, and homes painted in dark cool tones.
Neutral white trim colors are the safest choice when you're not sure of your wall color temperature. Best examples: Chantilly Lace OC-65, Simply White OC-117, and Pure White SW-7005. These work with virtually any wall color and architectural style.
Explore our expert guides: interior painting cost guide, 2026 paint color trends, how long interior painting takes, eggshell vs satin finish guide, wall prep guide.
More from HomePro DMV Painters: exterior painting cost guide, porch and deck painting guide, cabinet painting vs replacing, best cabinet paint colors, cabinet painting timeline.
Related reading from our blog: cabinet painting cost guide, wainscoting styles guide, wainscoting cost guide, DIY vs professional wainscoting, wainscoting for DC row houses.
The perfect white trim paint color depends on what's going on the walls. Here's the HomePro DMV Painters pairing guide for the most popular wall colors.
The best white paint for trim is Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace OC-65 (LRV 92) for clean, bright white trim or Benjamin Moore White Dove OC-17 (LRV 85) for a warm, soft white trim. These two colors account for the majority of professional trim painting in North America. Chantilly Lace is the brightest pure white — perfect for modern aesthetics, dark wall colors, and creating crisp contrast. White Dove is slightly warmer and cream-leaning — perfect for traditional homes, warm wall colors, and hiding minor trim imperfections. Both work in semi-gloss finish on baseboards, crown molding, doors, and window casing. HomePro DMV Painters uses both as standard trim white specifications, choosing based on the home's overall color palette.
Benjamin Moore White Dove OC-17 is the most universally compatible white trim color. Its slight warm undertone (cream/yellow) makes it work with both warm and cool wall colors, traditional and modern aesthetics, and every paint brand's color palette. White Dove pairs beautifully with grays, blues, greens, beiges, pinks, and bold colors like Hague Blue or Hunter Green. Benjamin Moore Simply White OC-117 is the second most universal choice — slightly brighter than White Dove but still warm enough to avoid clashing with warm wall colors. Both are recommended by professional painters for whole-house trim where the same white must work in every room.
Using the same white for trim and walls creates a seamless, monochromatic look popular in modern, minimalist, and Scandinavian design. This approach works best in rooms with great natural light and no dramatic architectural details to highlight. The trick: use different finishes — flat or eggshell on walls and semi-gloss on trim. The sheen difference creates subtle visual separation without color contrast. Benjamin Moore White Dove OC-17 in eggshell on walls and semi-gloss on trim is the most popular all-white combination. For traditional homes with wainscoting, crown molding, and detailed trim, contrast between wall color and white trim shows off the architectural details better.
Semi-gloss is the standard professional finish for white trim. Semi-gloss has 41–69% gloss at 60 degrees — enough sheen to highlight crisp lines and shadow detail in trim profiles, resist scuffs and fingerprints in high-touch areas (door casings, baseboards), and clean easily with soap and water. Satin finish is acceptable for a softer look in bedrooms and formal living rooms but is less durable than semi-gloss. High-gloss finish (70%+ gloss) is reserved for show-stopping trim in formal entries and historic restorations — it requires extremely smooth wood prep to look right. HomePro DMV Painters uses Benjamin Moore Advance Semi-Gloss or Sherwin-Williams Emerald Urethane Semi-Gloss for all trim painting.
Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace OC-65 (LRV 92) is a bright, clean, pure white with no visible undertone — the brightest popular trim white on the market. It looks crisp and modern, especially against dark wall colors. White Dove OC-17 (LRV 85) is slightly warmer with a soft cream undertone that gives it a softer, more traditional appearance. Side by side, Chantilly Lace looks brighter and cooler; White Dove looks warmer and more inviting. For modern homes, dark walls, and high-contrast aesthetics, choose Chantilly Lace. For traditional homes, warm color palettes, and a softer look, choose White Dove. Both are equally durable in semi-gloss finish.
For dark walls (Hale Navy, Hunter Green, Tricorn Black, Hague Blue), the best trim whites are bright pure whites that maximize contrast: Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace OC-65 (LRV 92), Sherwin-Williams Pure White SW-7005 (LRV 84), Sherwin-Williams Extra White SW-7006 (LRV 86), and Benjamin Moore Simply White OC-117 (LRV 91). Avoid warm cream whites (Swiss Coffee, White Dove) with very dark walls — the cream tone reads as dirty against deep colors. The crisper and brighter the white, the more dramatic the contrast and the more architectural the trim appears. HomePro DMV Painters specifies Chantilly Lace as the default trim white for any home using dark wall colors.
Yes — white paint colors fall into three categories based on their underlying tint. Warm whites have yellow, cream, or peach undertones (Benjamin Moore White Dove, Cloud White, Swiss Coffee; Sherwin-Williams Alabaster, Creamy). They feel inviting and pair with warm wall colors and natural wood. Cool whites have blue, gray, or green undertones (Benjamin Moore Decorator's White, Super White; Sherwin-Williams Pure White, Snowbound). They feel crisp and modern, pair with cool wall colors and stainless steel. Neutral whites have minimal undertones (Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace, Simply White; Sherwin-Williams Extra White). They work with any palette. Match the trim white temperature to your wall color temperature for harmony, or contrast intentionally for drama.
Most professional painters in North America use one of five trim whites as their default specification: Benjamin Moore White Dove OC-17 (most popular overall — universal warm white), Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace OC-65 (most popular pure white — brightest), Benjamin Moore Simply White OC-117 (popular bright warm white), Benjamin Moore Decorator's White OC-149 (popular cool white — LRV 82), and Sherwin-Williams Alabaster SW-7008 (most popular SW trim white — warm, LRV 82). HomePro DMV Painters uses White Dove and Chantilly Lace as primary trim specifications. The choice depends on the wall color, the home's overall aesthetic, and whether the homeowner wants warm or cool trim.
No — white trim is more popular than ever in 2026. White trim is the standard for the vast majority of American homes for three reasons: it provides crisp visual contrast against any wall color, it makes ceilings feel higher and rooms feel brighter, and it photographs beautifully which matters for resale. The trend in 2026 is actually toward more white trim, not less — specifically high-contrast white trim against deep, saturated wall colors (navy, forest green, charcoal, terracotta). Black trim is having a moment in modern minimalist homes, and natural wood trim works in some Craftsman and modern farmhouse styles, but white trim remains the dominant choice in 80%+ of homes. HomePro DMV Painters paints white trim in 90% of our projects.
Professional trim painting costs $1–$3 per linear foot for baseboards, $2–$5 per linear foot for crown molding, and $50–$150 per door (both sides) depending on door style and trim profile. A typical room with baseboards, window casing, and door trim costs $200–$600 for trim painting alone. A whole-house trim painting project (all baseboards, crown molding, doors, and window trim) typically costs $2,000–$6,000. Trim painting is more labor-intensive than wall painting because of the cutting-in, multiple coats required for full coverage on detailed profiles, and the precision needed for clean lines. See our interior painting cost guide for complete pricing.
