Sherwin Williams Snowbound: Paint Color Review
I’m back for another paint color review! This time we are reviewing Sherwin Williams Snowbound. We will discuss:
What color is it?
Coordinating colors
Other popular white paint colors by Sherwin Williams
To check out my other paint color review on popular paint color Sherwin Williams Accessible Beige, click here.
Choosing paint colors can be super tricky and overwhelming. There are literally 100s of colors to choose from, how do you ever decide? When selecting a paint color, one important thing to consider is undertone. For tips on identifying undertones in paint colors, check out this blog post. While a white might look like plain old white, as soon as you compare it to another white, you’ll see the difference in undertone. This is what makes a room feel cool or warm. Or a gray look purple or blue. Choosing a paint with the right undertone makes all difference!
Ok, let’s get to Sherwin Williams Snowbound.
SW Snowbound 7004
Simply put, Snowbound is a crisp white with a slight gray undertone, meaning it has a cool look. On its own it looks white, but when paired with other colors, you’ll notice the hint of gray in it.
It has an LRV of 83. What does LRV mean? It indicates the percentage of light reflected from a surface. The higher the number, the more light it reflects and the lighter the color.
It’s a pretty popular white color used often for trim and walls or shiplap. Especially the last several years where we see lots of light paint used in designs, we’ve seen it increase in popularity. I myself love light walls and clean, neutral designs and it might be the perfect color for you.
Snowbound vs. Alabaster
When compared to Alabaster, another commonly used white trim and wall paint color, you can easily see Snowbound’s gray undertone. Alabaster has a warmer, beige undertone that reads more creamy. If your tile, flooring, drapery, furniture, etc leans more cool, then Snowbound may be the best choice for you. If your selections lean more warm toned, Alabaster may be a better fit. No wrong answer and that is just a guide, but it depends on what you want!
The best way to figure out which paint color is right for you is by sampling it with peel and stick samples! I think these are so genius so you don’t have to buy a whole quart (SW doesn’t sell any samples smaller than that) just to test a color. I still have several quarts I’m not sure what to do with because I bought them to test colors and I ended up not going with them, and now they just take up storage space. Peel and stick samples are the way to go!
Plus, I love that it’s mess free with no clean up! You don’t have to find a brush, open a can of paint, paint on a couple coats, and then wash your brush. It’s quick, easy and so simple. They even offer free shipping and $5 off your first order.
Snowbound vs. Pure White
Another popular trim color is pure white. Pure White is actually the trim color I used for our entire home and my go-to for trim. Compared to Snowbound, Pure White is a very very close cousin, but with a touch of warmth. Snowbound still just has a little bit of the gray undertone coming through. It has been said that Snowbound can appear slightly dirty or muddy looking on trim because of the gray undertone, but only paired with the wrong paint color. I’ll talk more about that later.
Looking for more white paint colors? Read this for the best white paint colors for trim and doors (one of those two colors are on the list, the other is not!)
via Alturas Homes
Where Can You Use Snowbound
Snowbound is most often used as a trim color, but it also works great on walls too. It looks crisp and white and looks great with a variety of palettes.
Snowbound is also a great option for kitchen cabinets. See how bright and crisp they look here!
If you want a clean white on your exterior, snowbound is perfect. Exterior paint colors always look lighter because of all the natural light, so it will definitely look like a true white and a fantastic option. I can just imagine it with black windows and dark trim. So pretty! I’m actually deciding between whites to paint our exterior but I think i want a color with a bit more depth, like colonnade gray so it’s not too white.
via Willow Homes
Colors that Coordinate with Snowbound
Snowbound is versatile and works in many different settings like we discussed earlier, and it also pairs nicely with many colors because other than cool, it doesn’t have a lot of odd undertones. As long as the other color has a slight gray undertone, they will likely make a happy pair! It works well with greens and purples especially. Sherwin Williams lists two of its coordinating colors at Colonnade Gray and Autumn Orchid.
Snowbound can fit with any decorating style. Do you have a modern farmhouse style? Or how about modern traditional? Snowbound can work with all styles and isn’t limited to just one.
I like to look at the paint deck strip to see what other paint colors are in the same color family. Another common paint color on the same paint strip as Snowbound is Eider White. I painted our main bath Eider White (have yet to photograph it) and was honestly a little surprised to see some purple undertones. It only has slight purple undertones on one wall in the bathroom, which also explains the importance of testing samples on multiple walls in a room. Because our bathroom doesn’t have any windows or natural light, paint colors read differently than if they are in a light-filled room. I still like how it looks in our bathroom, but there are some definite purple undertones in Eider White. Be careful, if paired with a purple undertone paint, expect Snowbound to pick up the tiniest hint of purple too.
I hope that gives you plenty of information about Snowbound so you can decide if it’s the right color for you.
Want to Paint Like a Pro?
I’ve painted all the trim in our first raised ranch home and now our new home white so I’ve learned a few tricks to help achieve a professional look and speed up the process. Read my best tips to painting baseboards, plus get the 4 tools that will save you hours of time! Definitely worth reading if you will be doing any painting. There are several things I wish I knew when I first started out painting.
