Learn all about Sherwin-Williams Neutral Ground in this paint color review.
Sherwin-Williams Neutral Ground is a warm, creamy paint color perfect for everything from exterior trim to a whole-house interior paint color. Learn more about this flexible paint color and how to use it in your next project in our full review.
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What Color is Sherwin-Williams Neutral Ground?
Neutral Ground (Sample) is a warm, creamy dark white. With an LRV of 70, it’s much darker than many of Sherwin-Williams’ most popular white paint colors (like Sherwin-Williams Alabaster (Article) and Sherwin-Williams White Duck (Article)). Still, it’s warm enough that it can work in many different spaces and applications.
What are the Neutral Ground undertones?
Neutral Ground has soft green undertones, very similar to those of Sherwin-Williams White Duck. Green undertones keep this color warm and inviting, but also a bit more versatile than a warm neutral with yellow undertones.
Is Neutral Ground warm or cool?
Neutral Ground is very warm and creamy, thanks to its undertones. Because it has subtle green undertones instead of yellow, it looks very creamy without leaning toward yellow.
Is Neutral Ground gray?
No, Neutral Ground is not gray or greige. I would call it a very light beige color or a darker cream. It’s much warmer and cleaner than a color like Sherwin-Williams Accessible Beige (Article), for example, which is much more muted and has more gray in it.
Sample SW Neutral Ground
We always recommend that you test paint colors on your home because lighting can change a color completely, both with interiors as well as exteriors.
In the old days, this meant we painted a large poster board with sample pots and a huge mess.
Now we have a better way to test paint, with Samplize Peel-and-Stick samples!
- Samples pre-painted with 2 coats of real paint from the manufacturer.
- Large 9” x 14” samples to see the color better in the lighting.
- Delivered overnight
- Colors are accurate
- Less expensive than painting a large poster board with sample pots
- No mess, and no toxic paint to dispose of
I use these in my color consulting practice for exact results. Discover Samplize peel-and-stick paint samples:
Using Sherwin-Williams Neutral Ground Interior Paint
My favorite application for SW Neutral Ground is as exterior paint, but there are lots of great ways you could use it for interiors, too. If you’re looking for a warm neutral paint color but want something darker than a traditional white or off-white paint color, Neutral Ground is a great choice.
Can I use Neutral Ground interior trim?
No, I would not recommend this as a “white” interior trim. Neutral Ground is too dark and creamy to use as an interior “white” trim color and won’t provide enough contrast with most wall colors. However, you could use it as a trim color with a lighter white such as Alabaster. It will look like a tonal beige trim. This is a great look, but think carefully before you pull the trigger. In the long run, it might limit you, and it’s very expensive to paint trim.
Are Neutral Ground cabinets a good idea?
You can use Neutral Ground as a cabinet color (Article). It ends up looking like a putty color, especially if your walls are white, which is so pretty. If you’re using Neutral Ground cabinets, I would pair them with warm finishes. If you’re trying to decide between a clean white backsplash and an off-white or cream backsplash, for example, I’d pick a creamy backsplash. Neutral Ground is also a great cabinet color to pair with very earthy granite countertops.
Is Neutral Ground a good whole-house paint color?
Yes, I think this would be really gorgeous, especially if your home is well-lit with lots of natural light. Neutral Ground would look very similar to Sherwin-Williams White Duck (Article), which is pictured in a bedroom below.
If your home is very dark, Neutral Ground may not be the best option. Instead, I’d recommend shifting to something lighter, like Sherwin-Williams Alabaster.
Using Sherwin-Williams Neutral Ground Exterior Paint
Exterior projects are my favorite opportunity to use Neutral Ground paint. It’s a gorgeous exterior paint color that is dark enough not to wash out in the bright sun and light enough to be used as a “white” paint color outdoors.
Read on to see Sherwin-Williams Neutral Ground exterior paint in action on two real clients’ homes.
Project Spotlight: Sherwin-Williams Neutral Ground Exterior Paint
One of our favorite uses of Neutral Ground is to pair it with any kind of brick (Article). And that’s exactly what we did with our client’s home below. We actually ended up painting all parts of this home with Neutral Ground, including the window trim, roofline, soffits, board and batten, siding and garage door.
The house looked a bit dingy before.
We experimented with several different whites, but we really needed a white that would look good with this home’s very interesting brick, pictured below.
The homeowners didn’t want to paint the brick (Article), so we needed a paint color that really balanced out the very earthy tones. A brighter white wouldn’t have done such a great job.
Neutral Ground was the perfect hue for this project. Previously, the house was kind of gray and dingy. It had a dark roof line and windows that were a midtone gray and not paintable, as seen in the picture below.
After the updated paint, this home feels so much lighter and brighter, and the gray windows add some visual interest, along with the brick, to an otherwise all-white exterior color palette.
You can really see the difference in the before-and-after of the home’s back porch.
Project Spotlight: SW Neutral Ground Exterior Trim
Sherwin-Williams Neutral Ground also works really well as an exterior “white” trim color (Article). We used it in a recent project and I just love the way it looked along the roof line. The soffits were gorgeous and it was just creamy without looking stark.
We paired Neutral Ground trim with Sherwin-Williams Anonymous exterior paint (Article) and some earthy red finishes on the home.
Best Sherwin-Williams Neutral Ground Coordinating Colors
Neutral Ground is a versatile paint color that will look great with a variety of paint colors, including greens, blues and even earthy pinks. My main recommendation is to stick with earthy colors and finishes. I wouldn’t pair Neutral Ground with a very fresh color like Sherwin-Williams Lullaby, for example, because the contrast would be too extreme and the fresh color would look too bright and glowing.
Does SW Neutral Ground go with gray?
Yes, Neutral Ground can work very well with gray paint colors. It looks particularly lovely paired grays with green undertones, such as Fawn Brindle, Skyline Steel, Gossamer Veil (Article) or Agreeable Gray (Article). I would not pair it with cooler grays that have violet undertones, like Mindful Gray.
Does Neutral Ground go with green?
Neutral Ground is absolutely gorgeous with green paint colors. It would look beautiful alongside some of the most popular green paint colors from Sherwin-Williams, including SW Rosemary (Article) and SW Dried Thyme.
Does Neutral Ground go with blue?
I love to pair Neutral Ground with earthy mid-tone and darker blues, particularly those with green undertones. Dark blue colors like SW Outer Space or SW Granite Peak (Article) would look beautiful. Another gorgeous choice is Sherwin-Williams Delft, a mid-tone blue-green hue (only for interiors).
What are the Best Interior Trim and Ceiling Colors for Neutral Ground?
For interior trim and ceilings, I prefer to use Sherwin-Williams Pure White with Neutral Ground walls. SW White Snow is another good option. It is very similar to SW High Reflective White, but it has better hide. Even creamier paint colors like SW Alabaster (Article) or SW Greek Villa (Article) could also work.
I would probably stay away from Sherwin-Williams Extra White (Article) trim in most cases. So many houses have Extra White as a trim and ceiling color. If you’re not inclined to paint your trim and ceilings, you can test it with Neutral Ground paint. It wouldn’t be my favorite, but it could work.
Top Sherwin-Williams Neutral Ground Alternatives
Not sure if Neutral Ground is the right choice for your next project? See how it compares to some other similar paint colors.
Sherwin-Williams Neutral Ground vs Sherwin-Williams Alabaster
SW Neutral Ground (Sample) is pretty similar to SW Alabaster (Article), but Neutral Ground is much darker. They work in similar ways, but if you really want to brighten up a dark, dingy interior, then Alabaster is a better choice. Alabaster is also a bit warmer than Neutral Ground, thanks to its yellow undertones.
Sherwin-Williams Neutral Ground vs Sherwin-Williams White Duck
Neutral Ground (Sample) is very similar to SW White Duck (Article), but a bit darker. They both have subtle green undertones and are warm without skewing yellow. These colors can work in the same kinds of spaces.
Sherwin-Williams Neutral Ground vs Sherwin-Williams Natural Choice
Neutral Ground (Sample) and Natural Choice are very similar paint colors. I never include them in the same color consultation because they’re so easy to mix up. Natural Choice is a touch lighter than Neutral Ground, but not as light as White Duck.
Sherwin-Williams Neutral Ground vs Sherwin-Williams Accessible Beige
Neutral Ground (Sample) is much warmer than Accessible Beige (Article). Accessible Beige leans more into gray. Neutral Ground, on the other hand, is more creamy and warm.
Sherwin-Williams Neutral Ground vs Sherwin-Williams Oyster White
SW Oyster White (Article) is a little more yellow than Neutral Ground (Sample), so it tends to look warmer and even creamier in place. Oyster White is also a bit lighter than Neutral Ground, with an LRV of 72.
What Is the Best Benjamin Moore Neutral Ground Alternative
If you love the look of SW Neutral Ground but want to use Benjamin Moore paint, try BM Feather Down. I like Neutral Ground better than Feather Down because it’s a little more grounded. Feather Down tends to lean into yellow a bit more than Neutral Ground.
Key Learning Points
Sherwin-Williams Neutral Ground is a beautiful, neutral paint color perfect for interior and exterior projects.
- Neutral Ground has warm green undertones, so it looks creamy and inviting without skewing yellow in place.
- Neutral Ground can be used as a whole-house interior paint color, especially if your home has a lot of natural light.
- Using Neutral Ground as exterior paint is a fantastic option. It can work both as an exterior “white” trim color and a white body color. It looks especially lovely paired with brick and other earthy finishes.
Remember: NEVER, EVER use paint matches from a different brand than the one specified. Results are poor and there are no standards for the sheens. Even though your painter may truly believe it can be done, don’t do it. See results from paint matching here.
No matter what, always test your paint colors. It’s a standard best practice. Whenever I test my paint colors, they are perfect, and when I don’t test they turn out wrong. Learn how to test your paint colors here.
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About the Author
Hi, I’m Michelle Marceny, founder, owner, and Principal Color Designer at The Color Concierge. I believe a fresh coat of paint can completely transform a space. The Color Concierge was born out of my drive to help clients fall back in love with their homes. My clients trust me to help them find the perfect paint color for their home – whether it’s a whole-house paint color scheme or ideas for a single room.
Since The Color Concierge was founded in 2017, we have completed over 3000 color consultations, both online and in-person. I am a Certified Color Expert with 7 years of experience creating interior and exterior color palettes throughout North America.
One Response
Need help deciding interior color throughout house. Plenty of lighting in formal living dinning area and kitchen kitchen