Sherwin-Williams Sea Salt 6204 is a soft, soothing blend of gray and green that’s consistently a favorite among homeowners. Like many other beach-inspired paint colors, it effortlessly complements a wide range of spaces and styles, from coastal cottage decor to a relaxing, spa-like bathroom. SW Sea Salt definitely adds a sense of tranquility and aesthetic appeal to a room. The tricky thing about this paint color, though, is that it can shift dramatically in appearance depending on the context and lighting. So how can you predict what it will do in your space? Let’s take a look at Sea Salt’s spectral data for a more objective point of view.
Sherwin-Williams Sea Salt bedroom ideas are a favorite among homeowners.
What is the LRV of Sea Salt Sherwin-Williams?
Light Reflectance Value (LRV) is a measure of how much light a paint reflects back into a room, with 100% being highly reflective and zero being not reflective at all. Sea Salt has an LRV of 63, which makes it just right for many residential interiors. Paint colors in this range tend to brighten a space yet still hold their color reasonably well in hits of direct light.
You must sample this color in the space you intend to use it before you start putting it on your walls and trim! (We mail 8″ x 10″ paint swatches of our recommendations to our Virtual Color Consultation clients.)
What is the “undertone” of SW Sea Salt? Is it blue or green?
Since everyone perceives color differently, let’s look at something a little more objective – the spectral data. We can actually use tools like colorimeters and spectrophotometers to accurately measure a color’s dominant wavelength, or hue angle, and other characteristics. Sea Salt has a hue angle of 138.223°. This means Sea Salt is officially part of the Green-Yellow hue family. Sea Salt also has a pretty low chroma value (5.709), which means that this Green-Yellow hue is muted by a significant amount of gray.
So why do so many color blogs claim Sea Salt has a “blue undertone?”
The reason SW Sea Salt sometimes looks blue (or green or yellow or gray) has to do with the context of your room and, more importantly, the quality of your light. Remember, your quality of light changes throughout the day so you must view a large sample of this color on all walls in a variety of artificial and natural light before committing to it.
Rooms with one exposure
In a space that gets bright, direct sunlight on just one side, Sea Salt will lighten considerably due to its elevated LRV but still hold on to some of its color. The direction the sunlight is coming from (a.k.a. exposure) also affects the way Sea Salt will look on your walls. South-facing or western afternoon light is rather yellow, warmer, and more intense. Sea Salt will reflect this, looking a bit greener. In a north-facing room, however, that warmth becomes more passive. Sea Salt may look a bit grayer with a faint hint of blue.
Rooms with multiple exposures
In a bright open space with big windows on more than one side, SW Sea Salt will shift in color as the sun moves, looking bluer or greener. That heavy dose of gray will help keep it soft and muted, though.
Dark rooms and artificial light
In a dark room or a room that has primarily artificial light, Sea Salt may look a bit grayer or greener.
Using the right color light bulbs will have a tremendous impact on this color. Under soft white bulbs (2700 K), Sea Salt will look a bit warmer, whereas daylight bulbs (4000+ K) will make it look a bit bluer. We recommend always using light bulbs in the 3000 K to 3500 K range for the best, most natural-looking color results. Read our blog post for links to specific bulb recommendations.
Which white trim color goes with Sea Salt?
When it comes to white trim, we like the clean, low-chroma warmth of Sherwin-Williams Pure White 7005 or for even more contrast, Sherwin-Williams High Reflective White 7757. If you’re looking for a softer, more muted pairing, try Sherwin-Williams Alabaster 7008.
Sherwin-Williams Sea Salt Bathroom with Sherwin-Williams Pure White 7005 trim.
What other paint colors coordinate with Sea Salt?
Sea Salt coordinates well with other low chroma neutrals, like greiges, grays, and beiges. It looks especially nice with dark greens and blues. Here’s a sample Sherwin-Williams Sea Salt color palette we put together for you:
Is Sea Salt a good exterior paint color?
It can be, especially combined with a clean white trim color. Sea Salt’s LRV of 63 means it will reflect a lot of light and can look much lighter in an outdoor environment than you may expect. Again, view paper samples on the exterior wall prior to painting.
The vertical siding at the top of this home is painted in Sea Salt SW6204.
The color of the shutters is Sherwin William’s Sea Salt SW6204.
What is comparable to Sherwin Williams Sea Salt?
If you like Sherwin-Williams Sea Salt, be sure to only get it at a Sherwin-Williams store. I never, ever recommend color matching between brands. Differences in pigments, chemical composition, and paint viscosity between brands mean they will be different. You cannot color match between brands and expect to get identical results. But if you’re looking for something similar to Sea Salt and need to use another brand, here are a few dupes that are a pretty close match based on their spectral data:
- Benjamin Moore Night Mist 1569
- Behr Shy Green MQ3-48
- PPG Paints: Falling Star PPG1129-2
- Glidden Soft Meadow 10GY 64/065
Sherwin-Williams Rainwashed vs. Sea Salt
If you like the light, muted vibe of SW Sea Salt but want something that leans a bit cooler, take a look at Sherwin-Williams Rainwashed 6211. Wondering exactly how these two compare? With an LRV of 59, Rainwashed is slightly darker than Sea Salt. Rainwashed also has a higher chroma value, meaning it’s just a smidge more colorful (saturated) than Sea Salt. Most importantly, SW Rainwashed is a cooler hue than Sea Salt in terms of its location on the color wheel. With a hue angle of 159.145°, Rainwashed is technically in the Green hue family, and like Sea Salt, is quite susceptible to the effects of lighting and the context of its environment
Sherwin-Williams Sea Spray vs. Sea Salt
Sherwin-Williams Sea Spray 9651 is probably the most similar paint color to Sea Salt in terms of its spectral data. It has a slightly lower LRV (61) meaning it will reflect a bit less light than Sea Salt. It’s also just a couple of degrees warmer than Sea Salt based on its color wheel location, but this difference is mostly unnoticeable to the untrained eye. The biggest difference between these colors is that SW Sea Spray is part of the Sherwin-Williams Emerald Designer palette and is only available in the Emerald Designer Edition paint line. Emerald fully cures to a harder and tighter film than Duration and SuperPaint, which protects the overall integrity of the paint long term. It’s also more expensive.
Need help choosing a color?
Need help finding the right paint color? Order a Virtual Color Consultation Report from the color professionals at Three Bears Home Staging to get a custom, curated palette and guidance for your next painting project.
One Room Paint Color Report | Virtual
Need help choosing the best paint colors for your room? Then this is the (virtual) service for you! Based on your questionnaire responses and uploaded photos, we’ll create a personalized digital Paint Color Report just for you. We’ll also send you paint swatches! Click below to learn how it works or to get started!
Exterior Paint Color Report | Virtual
Ready to give your home exterior a fresh new look, but feeling overwhelmed with the decision? Get a little virtual help from the color experts at Three Bears Home Staging! Based on your questionnaire responses and uploaded photos, we’ll create a personalized digital Paint Color Report just for your home’s exterior. We’ll also send you paint swatches! Read below to learn how it works…
