Our Review of Sherwin Williams’ White Duck

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We love to review white exterior paint colors to help you navigate and sort through the vast amount of choices. Sherwin Williams’ White Duck is a fabulous creamy white that can transform your home’s curb appeal. From preferred applications, color pairings, and undertones, we share all the details below.

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Two story traditional home rendering designed with White Duck by Sherwin Williams

Sherwin Williams’ White Duck: The specs

White Duck is a cool-yet-creamy white with an LRV of 74, which puts it in the off-white category. (Curious about LRV? Learn more here, including why LRV is so important to keep in mind when choosing the perfect paint color for your home.)

While White Duck has creamy undertones, depending on the direction your home faces and the amount of natural light it receives, it can also appear a bit greige.

WE ALWAYS RECOMMEND SAMPLING AND TESTING PAINT COLORS BEFORE COMMITTING. FACTORS SUCH AS NATURAL LIGHTING, UNDERTONES, AND YOUR PROPERTY’S FIXED ELEMENTS WILL HAVE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON HOW A COLOR WILL APPEAR ON YOUR EXTERIOR. OUR FRIENDS AT SAMPLIZE OFFER EXTRA-LARGE 9 X 14.75 INCH PEEL-AND-STICK PAINT SAMPLES OF THE COLORS WE LOVE FOR EXTERIORS. ORDER YOUR ‘REAL PAINT, NO MESS’ SAMPLES FROM SAMPLIZE HERE.
backyard virtual rendering of craftsman style home with paver walkway, black pergola, and white trim

Recommended applications for White Duck

White Duck works great as the central color on a home’s exterior, as well as an accent color. Our designers have used it as both with beautiful results.

White Duck also works well on a wide variety of house styles. It’s a wonderful choice for farmhouses and cottages for a simple, stunning look. Wood cladding, black accents, stone, and copper fixtures all accentuate its character.

Virtual rendering of a cottage painted in White Duck by Sherwin Williams, an arched wood door, and ivy on chimney.

White Duck color pairings

White Duck is one of those hues that tends to shine all on its own. That said, our designers have also paired White Duck with browns, blacks, grays, and even some blues.

In the design above, White Duck can be seen as an accent color on the eaves, brick, and trim, while Swiss Coffee by Benjamin Moore is the central color. The two creamy whites together create a gorgeous tone-on-tone style for intricate design elements that would otherwise stand out a little too much. Warm accents, such as the copper lighting and gutters and wood front door, add to the charm of this home exterior.

Mediterranean style home with wood garage doors, black windows, and terracotta roof tiles.

White Duck can work on Mediterranean and Spanish-style homes too! We love how White Duck looks with the terracotta roof tiles on this home. It also pairs nicely with the wood garage doors and entry door and gives this exterior an inviting look.

Two story traditional home with stone and wood cladding, black trim and windows, and window boxes.

Here’s another wonderful example of White Duck paired with wood. Thick trim rendered in Benjamin Moore’s Black and gorgeous stone siding tie everything together.

mis century modern home with a blue door, wood cladding, and paver patio

Pros and cons of White Duck by Sherwin Williams

PROS:

  • The perfect classic white
  • Not too warm or too cool
  • Looks wonderful on many home styles

CONS:

  • Might not be “white” or stark enough for some

White Duck alternatives

White Duck is a solid choice for an exterior update, but so are the alternatives below.

Virtual rendering of Sherwin Williams' White Duck on a modern two-story home with wood cladding, black windows, and a tall stone portico.

Sherwin Williams’ Alabaster vs. White Duck

One of the most popular Sherwin Williams’ colors, Alabaster, is an equally stunning hue for a home exterior. It has color pairing options similar to White Duck but with a little more room for pops of color if you’re interested. Alabaster also comes across as slightly creamy but has some beige undertones too. It has an LRV of 82, so it’s a bit brighter than White Duck. Alabaster is highly versatile and sure to shine on any home style.

Large traditional home with stone cladding, light gray paint, and a gray roof

Benjamin Moore’s Bruton White vs. White Duck

If you want a slightly darker white, Bruton White may be just the ticket. With an LRV of 63.26, Bruton White is darker than White Duck and has a luxurious feel. Additionally, it has slight green undertones that will be more noticeable in morning light. This means its color pairings are a bit different than White Duck. Dark greens and sages would be great choices to complement Bruton White.

Two story Cape Cod style home with a black front door, wood columns, and stone and paver walkway.

Sherwin Williams’ Agreeable Gray vs. White Duck

Agreeable Gray is another Sherwin Williams’ hue that’s comparable to White Duck. Although not a white, this warm greige is a top contender if you’re searching for a creamy exterior paint color. With an LRV of 60, Agreeable Gray is darker than White Duck. It’s really versatile, though, and our designers have accented it with peach, blues, wood, black, whites, and darker greiges like Porpoise by Sherwin Williams. Additionally, Agreeable Gray looks great on just about any home style and building material.

Sherwin Williams' White Duck on na two story home with wood and metal railings, white windows, and stone and paver walkway.

The bottom line on White Duck

White Duck is a popular paint color choice for home exteriors — and for good reason. It looks wonderful on many different home styles and building materials and harmonizes well with a range of other colors. White Duck is a fantastic choice if you want a paint color that’s light, not too stark, creamy, and will remain timeless throughout the years.

We take the hard work out of designing your home’s exterior. With a few simple questions and your responses, we’ll get right to work on creating a virtual exterior design of your dreams. You’ll also receive a clickable resource list that helps you execute the upgrade. Get started here.

Author

Originally from Tennessee, Ami currently lives in South Carolina, which has been home since leaving the military in 2016. Interior and exterior design has always intrigued Ami, especially the styles and characteristics seen in other countries as an avid traveler and photographer. She lives for the renewal of older or historic homes that maintain their character, and regularly creates her own mood boards and virtual designs for inspiration or to help others with their spaces. Having always had a passion for design and following their work for years prior, Ami was excited to be brought onto brick&batten’s team of writers. Her writing endeavors actually started in an academic/scientific setting, then in a regulatory aspect. Writing about paint colors, emerging or current trends in exterior design, and so much more revolving around something she’s always enjoyed was a fun and welcomed change!