Welcome to our exploration of Benjamin Moore White Dove vs Sherwin Williams Alabaster! Because we are comparing two white paint colors, we need to quickly define LRV. White paints have a high LRV meaning their undertones will become very apparent in various settings.
LRV stands for Light Reflective Value. The higher the number, the closer to white. Furthermore, the more reflective the color, when exposed to light, the more prone the paint color is to picking up and reflecting other colors around it. This is what can really be a little tricky in the worlds of white.
BM White Dove is an 85 LRV (100 being pure white). Alabaster is 82 LRV. So Alabaster is slightly less white and more creamy and warmer than White Dove.
Lastly, it is precisely why we begin talking about undertones in whites, because it is absolutely necessary to know the undertones of paint colors with a high LRV (i.e. the world of whites).
Undertones: BM White Dove is Gray & SM Alabaster is Greige
I am including this side-by-side, but don’t make a decision off of this clip image. Multiple factors and settings are going to make these colors appear differently. And perhaps, several install pictures with these paint colors will help you get a more accurate feel for each. They are ever-changing colors in their environment!
Because Sherwin Williams Alabaster undertone is more gray-beige (“Greige”), it has just a hint more warmth than White Dove.
Therefore, if you want something slightly warmer on your walls, Alabaster would be that.
Lastly, remember, if you are choosing a higher sheen (say on kitchen cabinets), your Alabaster paint in a semi-gloss on kitchen cabinets will appear lighter than a lower sheen satin wall in White Dove. This is how close these two paint colors are to one another. The good news is, they are two great neutral paint color options.
Sheen Matters! The Higher The Sheen The Lighter Any Color Will Appear
So, this kitchen and family room have Sherwin Williams Alabaster on both the walls and the kitchen cabinets. Yet, the cabinets appear slightly brighter white because the sheen is higher than the walls. So, understand this will happen but that is Ok! Different layers of whites can be a pretty thing.
Here is a close-up of the same kitchen cabinets in Alabaster (right). And you can see how the walls could look slightly more saturated than the cabinets. (This is because the difference in sheen).
Kitchen Cabinet Comparison: BM White Dove (Left) vs Sherwin Williams Alabaster (Right)
BM White Dove Cabinets
SW Alabaster Cabinets
Family Room in White Dove Without Much Natural Light
This happens to by my family room, so I had to include it when I wrote this article! Unfortunately, I don’t have a lot of natural light in this room, but I still LOVE Benjamin Moore White Dove. We have a ceiling white, so you can see the subtle contrast between the two.
Family Room in Sherwin William’s Alabaster- With Lots of Natural Light
Sherwin Williams Alabaster: Undertone is Greige (Gray-Beige)
The reason why we bring up these undertones is because Alabaster is the warmer option of these two (just slightly) because of the gray-beige dual aspect. Whereas, White Dove is more purely just a gray undertone.
Trim Comparison: BM White Dove (Left) vs SW Alabaster (Right)
Here is an important note about this comparison “game” I’m supplying you. Each room has such different lighting that the colors are always going to look different! Nevertheless, I’m helping scratch that itch of yours where you just want to see these two white paint colors, side by side, in multiple settings.
Here is a word of comfort, you really can’t go wrong. If your home has lots of natural light, both of these colors are going to look bright and crisp, just as you want them to be. But, they will carry a hint more saturation than all those bright white options out there.
If you do not have lots of natural light, these colors will still impress the space with sophistication and softness, yet fresh and bright all at the same time.
Wainscoting: BM White Dove Stair & Wainscoting (Left) vs SW Alabaster (Right)
House Exterior: Benjamin Moore White Dove vs Sherwin Williams Alabaster
As we continue our dialogue on Benjamin Moore White Dove vs Sherwin Williams Alabaster, we couldn’t find a more prominent exterior comparison than this! (See above).
Furthermore, white paint colors can be TRICKY! We have said all along that SW Alabaster is typically a tiny bit warmer than BM White Dove. But, in the above image, the right side, White Dove, looks so much warmer.
This confirms the fact that your home and the amount of tree-cover it has and the direction it is facing, all play into the final look that your exterior paint color will assume.
Exterior Paint Color Comparison: Left: White Dove vs Right: Alabaster
I hate to say this, but we could play this game all day long. Because, given the time of day, the amount of cloud cover, and the direction of sun, BOTH of these paint colors will continue to look differently per picture and scenario.
If you would like to explore white paint colors more, for exterior paint purposes, see another article of mine here.
Benjamin Moore White Dove vs Sherwin Williams Alabaster
In conclusion about these exteriors, my observation is that BM White Dove STAYS warm outside on the exterior, much more so than Alabaster does. Sherwin Williams Alabaster appears much brighter a white outside than White Dove.
This observation is not the same for interiors. And that is why the LRV can come into play. BM White Dove is an 85 LRV (100 being pure white). Alabaster is 82 LRV. So Alabaster is slightly less white than White Dove. **So I still don’t understand how White Dove continues to look more creamy in these outdoor images, but LRV is much more complex than I am explaining. And I wonder if this is one of those idiosyncrasies about white paint colors and the different personalities they can assume.
Notice How SW Alabaster Absorbs Warmth of Direct Sunlight, Changing Tone. This is Due to High LRV!
I don’t mean to scare you by the inconsistency of this photo, but just remember how much the sun and photo edits can change things. The warmth of this photo is probably raw and unedited. Hence, let’s make those large paint display boards and hold your two paint colors side by side for your project, in the space you are doing it!
This concludes our comparison of these two white paint colors. They are both very strong options for your next home project and widely used by people! Wishing you the best of luck!
