Best Bathroom Colors To Sell A House

Updated November 12, 2021

"What paint color should I use to paint my house when selling my home?"

Trends in paint colors for getting your house ready to sell come and go just like any other design trend. We went from deep beige in the 90's to gray this past decade. What color may be popular to decorate your house with to stay and enjoy, may be different than what builders and stagers are recommending for staging. Did you know that gray is out. I repeat, gray is out. Please don't shoot the messenger. lol. If you have your whole house decorated in gray, BREATHE! There are options.

Ready for the new popular staging color? White. YES, white! But WAIT! White MAY NOT be for you!!! Especially cool whites! There are other options!

"Do I really need to paint my house to sell it? I really like the colors of my home."

By far, painting your home is the #1 most effective inexpensive renovation that will increase the value of your home exponential more than other renovations that you can do to your house.

When you're selling your house, the walls should be neutral. Neutral walls is the canvas like an artist's canvas to create a masterpiece. Its the backdrop to add the décor and accessories which will add pizzazz to the home. Also, your walls may need a refresh if they haven't been painted for awhile to give them that new fresh feeling as opposed to a tired & worn look.

The purpose of staging when getting your house ready to sell, is that you're appealing to the majority of the buyers. Which means you're appealing to 80 to 90% of the population. That means you need to make your house neutral, trendy and appealing to the masses so that they can picture themselves living in your home. It doesn't mean that every single room in your house has to be a neutral. You can have different color trends in your home. Popular rooms to add pops of color would be an office, powder room, dining room or a primary bedroom. It's how often, and how you use them is the important question to ask.

If potential buyers feel the need to paint your house, they will either move on to another house that doesn't need painting, or worse, they will come in with a lower offer compensating for their time, materials & labor to repaint the house.

2022 Top 5 Staging Paint Color Choices:

Best Warm White

Whites are trending right now as the most popular paint color, especially among new builds, and condos. They're clean, fresh and the white gives you a clean slate to style it the way you want. Its your canvas as you stage and style your home.

The house looks clean and fresh when white is used, but its so important that the staging of the home is done properly. Otherwise the home could potentially come across as cold. White is a popular staging color especially among new construction.

Benjamin Moore OC-17 White Dove

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Benjamin Moore's White Dove is in the white collection. It is a soft warm white with creamy undertones and a slight hint of greige. It's a great color for a whole house staging color.

OC-117 Simply White

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Benjamin Moore's Simply White was the Color of the Year 2016. It's popular because its both a bright and warm white at the same time making it very versatile. Its often used for doors & trim, but due to its warm yellow undertones, it looks great on walls as well and creates that perfect canvas to decorate & stage your home.

Cool white is currently the most popular paint color for staging your house. But it's also the trickiest color to decorate with!

Last year, I was called in to help two separate clients who's realtors told them to paint their house "white" since it was the trending color. The challenge was that these whites were not the best whites for their respective homes. The whites were cool whites, too stark, and showed lots of gray and shadows ,especially at night time where typically alot of showings occur. Both houses were on the market for 4+ months without being sold. Working with the clients we were able to soften the look of the stark white with using accessories and adding larger pictures. Not the best solution but it worked. The best solution, of course, is choosing the right color the first time around, and not having the stress and expense of a house for sale for 4 months!

Best Cream Paint Colors for Staging Your House

Cream is making a comeback. It's easier to decorate with than white, and its perfect for houses that have warm elements like wood kitchens and warm wood floors. It suits houses that are more traditional.

Benjamin Moore OC-95 Navajo White

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Pictured above is Benjamin Moore's Navajo White. Both BM's Navajo White and SW Creamy are great creams to use for staging. They are warm neutrals that are both in their off-white collection, they both would look great to paint a whole house in, and would complement warm woods in flooring and cabinets, as well as warm home decor. They are both warmer than a white, but lighter than a tan.

Sherwin Williams 7012 Creamy

SW Creamy is a great cream that can be used for staging. It's a warm neutrals in Sherwin Williams off-white collection, and would look great to paint a whole house in. It would complement warm woods in flooring and cabinets, as well as warm home decor. Its warmer than a white, but lighter than a tan.

BEST GRAY

Even though cool grays are on the way out as the most popular staging paint color, it still may be the best color for your home if you have alot of gray elements like gray flooring or tile, or a gray kitchen. Choose lighter cooler grays as opposed to the darker grays that were popular a few years ago. They are definitely out of style now. If you don't want to go with gray because it would just be too much gray, the whites would also be another viable option.

Benjamin Moore OC-55 Paper White

The medium to dark gray is definitely out for staging and styling. But for those who have gray colored floors, or fixed cool elements like gray kitchen cabinets, a light gray can be an option to tie your fixed elements together and create the perfect backdrop for artwork and accessories. Benjamin Moore's Paper White is a "cool" gray that is very light and neutral. It is the darkest I would go in a gray to stage your home with these current trends.

Don't paint your house a color that's on its way out. It will date your house and increase the chances of a lower offer.

BEST "GREIGE" (GRAY + BEIGE)

Benjamin Moore OC-41 French Canvas

Best-Neutral-paint-color

A cross between beige and gray thus the name "greige". It's a great neutral that will work with most types of furnishings and spaces. It's a safe color to choose for staging your home. Especially if you have a mix of "cool" and "warm" colored furniture, textiles & fixtures. French Canvas is in Benjamin Moore's off-white collection and is the perfect blend of gray & beige.

Adding "Color" Appropriately when Staging

With the switch from staging

Benjamin Moore Pale Oak OC-20

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Pale Oak is a favorite color among sellers and home owners alike. It has enough warmth in the gray family to keep it from looking too cold and sterile. Pale Oak however, can look like a different color in various rooms & areas in your house. It can look greige in one room and a cool gray in another area depending upon the time of day, the amount of sun a room has or lack thereof. Its best to test this color out to make sure that it coordinates with your furniture, flooring, and cabinetry in your home.

Benjamin Moore Balboa Mist OC-27

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BEST CEILING & TRIM COLORS

Using the same paint color for walls & trim

If you are painting your walls white, you can paint the trim in the same color but increase the sheen so that there is a differentiation between your wall color and the trim. For example, if you Benjamin Moore's White Dove, in a matte or eggshell finish, you could paint the trim in a satin or semi-gloss finish. Read more about differences in paint finishes here.

Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace OC-65

Sherwin-Williams Pure White SW 7005

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BM's Chantilly Lace or SW's Pure White is a fan favorite among designers & home owners alike. Chantilly Lace & Pure White is a "pure white" because it has no tint added to it. But because it has not tint, it appears bright. It can be a good thing or not a good thing depending on where you put it. It's perfect for doors & trim when you're pairing it with a wall color that's too dark to paint the same color for the trim. You can use it for walls and kitchen cabinetry but its bright and most find it way too stark.

Debi-Collinson-Interiors

OC-117 Simply White

Just because a paint color is a trending staging color doesn't meant that it's the right color for YOUR house!

In one house I staged, the owner had complained about the furniture that I put into the home. It was the first complaint that I ever had about the furniture. The challenge wasn't the furniture. The challenge was, the PAINTER had chosenthe wrong color (picture at left) and it was difficult to make the house look warm & inviting. The kitchen cabinets were a warm honey oak while the floors, were a warm but darker reddish oak. The painter picked a cool gray because it was the trending staging paint color at the time. Everyone was using that color. But the cool gray clashed with the natural woods in the room and the warm beige carpet in the bedrooms. The room felt "off" no matter how great the furniture looked in the room. The correct color would have been a warm gray, tan or cream. The house sat on the market for 4+ months and a couple of price reductions before it was sold. This was unnecessary stress and loss of money for the homeowner if the color was picked correctly the first time around!

Read my one of my most challenging staging jobs where the painter had incorrectly picked the wrong color for this house.Never Let Your Painter Choose Your Paint Color When Selling Your House

Research Your Area to Know What the Color Trends are for YOUR Neighborhood & Demographics

Cool grays are lighter now, and the warmer grays (greige as they have become known as) are lighter too. White & soft creams are the most popular staging colors, especially in new builds and commercial spaces. Grays is still popular in some areas, whereas white is more popular in other areas. You need to know the trend in your neighborhood before you paint. Are you in an older suburb? Trendy condo or townhouse? Or a relatively new build? That's why it's important to search the current real estate listing in your area and go to open houses in your neighborhood as much as you can, so you will know the trends. Ideally, you should be starting this research well before you are ready to list your house.

Read Treat Your House Like a Business

Need help picking your paint colors?

I can help you with that. As one of the first stagers ever in the industry, I have helped hundreds of clients make their homes stunning, and help them make money beyond their wildest expectations. I've staged many houses that sat on the market unstaged to turn the clients' situation around, stage the home where the home sold within 1 – 2 weeks. As a real estate investor, I know what renovations work to sell a house for a healthy profit and which ones are not worth the investment. Let me help you choose the right color for the home.

Online Main Floor Staging Paint Color

The wrong wall color can make your house look dated, unattractive or clash with your current flooring, kitchen cabinets etc. which can turn potential buyers off. Make sure you have the right color for your furniture, accessories AND most importantly, the selling features of your home!

Click here for my expertise & help with my online packages!

Online One Room Paint Color to Sell Your House

You're getting your house ready to sell but you have a room or room(s) in your house that have a dated paint color or the walls need a refresh coat of paint to show the house well to potential buyers. But you need help in picking a paint color that suits the current furniture & fixtures in the room but is a current trendy staging color. Click here for my expertise & help!

Tyson Top Furnish

Best Bathroom Colors To Sell A House