Which white paint is best for a north-facing room in Romiley?

Choose a warm off-white, not brilliant white. North-facing rooms get cool, indirect light with a slightly blue tint. A white with a touch of yellow or red pigment balances that light and looks soft. A pure or grey-based white tends to look flat, cold or even grey.

It is a question we hear a lot in Romiley, Marple and Bredbury, and it matters most at this time of year. In December the Stockport area gets fewer than eight hours of daylight, and much of it is grey. If a white looks cold in October, it will look colder in January.

Why does white paint look grey in a north-facing room?

In the UK, a north-facing room gets little or no direct sun through its windows. Most of the time it gets steady, indirect light from the sky. That light is even and pleasant to work in, but it is cooler and bluer than light from the south or west.

Paint does not have a fixed look. It reflects the light that falls on it. So a crisp white in a north-facing room reflects cool, blue-ish light, and the eye reads it as grey. The same tin can look fresh in a south-facing kitchen and dull in a north-facing front room.

Farrow & Ball's colour team calls north-facing rooms the trickiest rooms to decorate. Their advice is to use off-whites that contain some yellow or red pigment to add warmth.

Which whites work best in north light?

Look for whites described as warm, creamy or soft. Avoid whites described as crisp, cool or grey-based for the walls.

Type of white	How it looks in north light	Best use
Brilliant white	Stark, cold, can look grey	Ceilings
Cool or grey-based white	Flat and dull	Better in south-facing rooms
Warm white (yellow undertone)	Soft, calm, lifts the room	Walls in most north-facing rooms
Warm white (red or pink undertone)	Gentle and cosy	Bedrooms and living rooms
Light warm neutral (soft beige)	Deeper and more enveloping	When white feels too thin

A few names to try as samples:

• Farrow & Ball Dimity and White Tie, both suggested by Farrow & Ball for north-facing rooms.
• Farrow & Ball Pointing, a light, warm off-white with a soft yellow undertone.
• Warm whites from the Dulux Trade, Johnstone's Trade and Little Greene ranges. Ask us and we will bring boards for comparison.

Many trade ranges can mix a close match to a designer colour, which can keep the cost down. Matches are not always exact, so we compare them side by side first. We cover this on the quote visit.

What is LRV and does it matter?

LRV stands for light reflectance value. It is a scale from 0 (black) to 100 (pure white) that shows how much light a colour reflects. Most paint brands print it on the colour card or website.

A high LRV helps a dark room feel brighter. But a high LRV alone will not stop a white looking cold. In a north-facing room, the undertone matters more than the LRV. A slightly lower LRV with a warm undertone often looks lighter and more welcoming than a bright cool white.

How should I test white paint in a north-facing room?

Small tester patches on one wall can mislead you. Whites only look different when you see them side by side, in the light of the room.

1. Pick two or three warm whites, not ten. Too many samples makes it harder.
2. Use large samples. An A4 piece of card at the very least. We bring large painted sample boards.
3. Look at every wall. The wall facing the window looks different from the wall beside it.
4. Check at different times. Look in the morning, mid-afternoon and in the evening.
5. Turn the lamps on. In winter you will see the room under artificial light for much of the day. Warm bulbs make warm whites look warmer still.
6. Hold the sample against your woodwork. Skirting, doors and frames can make a wall white look dirty or cool if the two whites clash.

Should the ceiling and woodwork be the same white?

Not always. A common approach in north-facing rooms:

• Walls: a warm off-white.
• Ceiling: brilliant white or a paler version of the wall colour, to bounce light down.
• Woodwork: a white that sits with the walls. Our standard is a water-based satin or eggshell, which keeps whites from yellowing over time.

This works well in the Victorian terraces and 1930s semis around Romiley and Marple, where front rooms often face the street and do not get the sun.

How much does it cost to repaint a north-facing room?

These are our guide prices for a typical Romiley or SK6 home in fair condition. They include preparation, labour and standard trade paint.

Room	Time	Price from
Single or box bedroom	1 to 1.5 days	£335
Double bedroom	1.5 to 2 days	£450
Living room	2 to 2.5 days	£500
Hallway, stairs and landing	2.5 to 4 days	£775
Ceiling only	Half a day	£165

Designer paints such as Farrow & Ball or Little Greene cost more than standard trade paint. We will show the difference on your written quote. See the full price list for other jobs.

Is now a good time to decorate inside?

Yes. Interior work carries on through the winter, and our Winter interior saver gives 10% off labour on interior jobs booked to start between November and February. If you book three or more rooms as one job, the multi-room offer also gives 10% off labour. Only one discount applies per job, and discounts apply to labour, not materials.

Winter is also the best time to judge a white for a north-facing room. If you like it in December light, you will like it all year.

Get help choosing the right white

Every quote comes with a free colour consultation. We bring large sample boards to your home in Romiley, Marple, Bredbury, Woodley, Compstall or anywhere in Stockport, and help you choose in your own light. You get a fixed written quote within 48 hours and a 2-year workmanship guarantee.

Find out more about our interior painting service, check our prices, or request a free quote and tell us which way your room faces.