Sea Salt
SW 6204 · Sherwin-Williams
Sherwin-Williams
Sea Salt
SW 6204
Subtle green, a green color
- Color family
- Green
- Sold for
- Interior and exterior
Sherwin-Williams Sea Salt SW 6204 is a light gray-green, a pale sage. Its LRV of 63 puts it in the light band, bright enough for a whole room. Our method reads it as a subtle green with a trace of yellow, not blue, though it can read blue in some light. It works in bathrooms, bedrooms, laundry rooms and kitchens.
Is Sea Salt warm or cool? Undertones by the numbers
leans green
Undertone
Subtle green
A gentle lean, quiet on the wall.
By measurement Sea Salt is mostly green, with a smaller amount of yellow and no blue at all. The color is faint, so it reads as a gray with a green tint and shifts readily with the light. That is why it is well known for looking blue: with this little pigment it takes its cue from its surroundings, and cool north light, warm beige tile, cream trim or orange-toned wood can tip it toward pale blue. Next to a clean white and gray or white tile the green comes back, so keep warm finishes out and use a white trim with little yellow in it.
Sea Salt in north, south, east and west light
Sea Salt is at its best in rooms with plenty of daylight from the south or east, where the yellow side shows and it reads as the soft sage most people are after. North rooms are the ones to watch: cool light takes the little yellow it has and leaves green and gray, which the eye reads as blue against anything warm; warm bulbs pull it back.
Watch for
- Can read pale blue in a north room, especially beside warm beige tile or cream trim
- Can look yellow-green on a sunlit south wall next to honey or orange-toned wood
- Swings wider between morning and afternoon than most neutrals, so sample it at both
Best rooms and surfaces for Sea Salt
Sea Salt is best known as a bathroom color, and it earns that: it is light enough for a small bath with one window, and the gray-green sits easily with white tile, marble and chrome or brushed nickel. Bedrooms and nurseries take it for the same calm reason, and it works in a laundry room, a mudroom and a kitchen behind white cabinets; on the cabinets themselves it gives a pale sage that reads as color in the morning and a soft gray by evening. It falls flat in a room full of warm beige, where tan travertine, cream tile, honey oak or cream trim can push it blue. White oak, pale ash, white quartz and marble suit it.
Sea Salt on an exterior
Sea Salt is rated for exterior use, though it is mostly an interior color. Outdoors it reads lighter and grayer than the chip, and in full sun it can look like a pale silver-green; if you want visible green on siding, sample Comfort Gray SW 6205, the next step down its strip. Spare White SW 6203 trim keeps it soft, Pure White SW 7005 or Extra White SW 7006 give a sharper edge, and Pewter Green SW 6208, Iron Ore SW 7069 or Urbane Bronze SW 7048 all sit well on the door.
Try Sea Salt on your own walls
Upload a photo of your room, or the outside of your house, and TryMyHome renders Sea Salt onto the walls so you can judge it in your light, with your floors and furniture. Your first five renders are free.
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Sea Salt vs Evergreen Fog, Pure White and Pewter Green
Evergreen FogSea SaltSea Salt vs Evergreen Fog SW 9130
Sea Salt is much lighter; undertone subtle green vs subtle yellow-leaning green.
Evergreen Fog SW 9130 is the mid-depth green people pair with Sea Salt. It is much darker than Sea Salt, and our method calls it a subtle yellow-leaning green where Sea Salt is a subtle green, so Evergreen Fog is warmer and far deeper. Use Sea Salt on walls and Evergreen Fog on an island, vanity or built-ins; pick Evergreen Fog alone for a moody room, Sea Salt alone for a light one.
Pure WhiteSea SaltSea Salt vs Pure White SW 7005
Sea Salt is much darker; undertone subtle green vs faint yellow-beige.
Pure White SW 7005 is the usual white beside Sea Salt. It is much lighter than Sea Salt, and our method gives it a faint yellow-beige undertone: warm, but only just. That small warmth is why it works; a yellower white such as Alabaster SW 7008 can push Sea Salt blue, and Pure White rarely does. Pick Pure White for trim, cabinets and ceilings; pick Sea Salt for the walls between them.
Pewter GreenSea SaltSea Salt vs Pewter Green SW 6208
Sea Salt is much lighter; undertone subtle green vs subtle yellow-leaning green.
Pewter Green SW 6208 is near the dark end of the same fan-deck strip as Sea Salt. It is a deep color where Sea Salt is a light one, and our method reads it as a subtle yellow-leaning green. They are made to go together: Sea Salt walls with a Pewter Green door, island or vanity. Pick Pewter Green alone for a study or front door; pick Sea Salt where the green should stay light.
Questions about Sea Salt
Is Sea Salt blue or green?
Sea Salt is green by measurement, with a smaller amount of yellow and no blue in it at all. It can read blue in some rooms because the color is so faint: cool north light or warm beige finishes nearby can tip what you see toward blue-green.
What colors go with Sea Salt?
Spare White SW 6203 is the trim white Sherwin-Williams pairs with it, and Pure White SW 7005 is the usual crisper choice. White oak, pale ash, white tile, marble and chrome all sit well with it; warm beige and cream finishes can push it blue.
What is one shade darker than Sea Salt?
Comfort Gray SW 6205 is the next color down on the fan-deck strip; Sea Salt is the lightest color on its strip. To go lighter instead, Kingston SW 9677 is a similar color that sits a step lighter.
Is Sea Salt a good bathroom color?
Yes, bathrooms are where Sea Salt is most often used, and it suits them: it is light enough to brighten a small bath, and the gray-green sits well with white tile, marble and chrome. The thing to check is warm beige or cream tile, which can make it look blue; sample it next to the tile first.
Is Sea Salt good for exteriors?
It can be, though it is mostly an interior color. Sea Salt is rated for exterior use, and outdoors it reads lighter and grayer. For a house with visible green, sample Comfort Gray SW 6205 beside it. Spare White SW 6203 or Pure White SW 7005 trim and a Pewter Green SW 6208 door are natural pairings.
Get a sample before you paint
Use the visualizer to narrow your shortlist, then confirm the finalist on your actual wall. A peel-and-stick sample of Sea Salt, checked in morning and evening light, is the last step before a gallon.
- Made with real paint
- Delivered next day
- Peels off clean
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