Makely

Let's Make Life Awesome

  • Home
  • Decorating/DIY
    • Create Your Decor
    • Decorate Your Home
    • Paint Your Walls
    • Transform Your Furniture
  • Healthy Living
    • Essential Oils
    • Family Wellness
    • Household Care
  • Project Gallery
  • Contact
You are visiting: Home » Decorating/DIY » Create Your Decor » How to Ask for Lindsay White Paint at Home Depot

How to Ask for Lindsay White Paint at Home Depot

by Lindsay Ballard on January 9, 2014 31 Comments

Formula for 'Lindsay White' - the brightest and most crisp white there is via MakelyHome.com

When I was searching for the most perfect white paint on Earth for my ceilings, I kept coming up short. Out of all of my fan decks, the colors were just not quite white enough.  They were too yellow, too blue, too gray.  It made me feel like the Goldilocks of white paint.

I knew that a lot of people bought white paint straight off the shelf.  I considered going that route, too, until one of my favorite paint mixologists (I know that’s not a real thing, but I like calling them that) at Home Depot suggested that I add some colorant into the white base to bind the paint.  Otherwise, it likely wouldn’t cover very well since it would be slightly transparent.  So, we decided to add 1 ounce of white to the already white paint.  Why?  We just thought it sounded right.  I mean white.

The color ended up being the brightest, crispest white that you’ve ever seen.  I nicknamed this color “Lindsay White.”  I use it anytime I need a white paint for my walls – all of my ceilings are “Lindsay White,” too.  I talk about it a ton on the blog (and on Facebook), so if you’ve been around for a while you’ve probably read about it.  It’s listed in my paint color tour of my home, too.

Formula for 'Lindsay White' - the brightest and most crisp white there is via MakelyHome.com

Until today, I’ve sent you all to Home Depot to get your own can of “Lindsay White” mixed with this instruction:

Get a gallon can of Glidden Interior Premium paint (red label) in a white base (I always choose flat, but sheen doesn’t matter) off the shelf.  Take it to the paint counter and ask the Home Depot paint mixologist (hee hee) to add 1 ounce of white pigment into the can.  They will look at you like you have 2 heads and will say something like, “You mean you are trying to make a white paint white?”  Just say yes and move along.

I know that some of you have run into complications.  Readers have reported that the paint person couldn’t figure out what to put into their computer or they were trying to color match with a paint chip on the wall.  Oh, no, no, no.  Sad face.

Today, things are going to change!  I now have a pictorial tutorial for you to show your Home Depot paint pal.  Just take your smart phone into the store and show this to them.

First, get this can off of the shelf (any sheen, but I always prefer flat – especially if you are just doing your ceilings).

Formula for 'Lindsay White' - the brightest and most crisp white there is via MakelyHome.com

Next, show them this picture so they’ll know exactly what to add to the base.

Formula for 'Lindsay White' - the brightest and most crisp white there is via MakelyHome.com

If you are getting 1 gallon of paint, that label shows exactly what you need.  If you are buying a 5 gallon bucket, they should add 5 oz of white.  I don’t buy quarts since this is actually the most used paint color in my home.  Does that surprise you to hear that?

Then, they need to put it in the shaker for you, and then send you on your way when it’s finished.  Easy, right?

Go in with confidence and ask for “Lindsay White.”  Just don’t call it that, because it’s not in their computers…yet.  😉

Have you used “Lindsay White” before?  Was it hard for the paint pros to figure out what you were talking about?

 

About Lindsay Ballard

Lindsay Ballard is a former college mascot turned political geek turned roller derby playing, DIY fanatic.

Lindsay chronicles her projects, design ideas, and lifestyle tips here at Makely, where she shares tutorials and inspiration. Her DIY designs are bold and graphic, while her spirit is fun and full of color.

Lindsay lives outside of Austin, Texas with her husband (Tom), children (Zack and Emma), and dogs (Duke and Jill). She plays roller derby for the Rockin' City Rollergirls out of Round Rock, Texas.

« How to Make a Modern Mobile
How to Make a Valentines Craft Garland »

Comments

  1. Cathy Lane says

    January 9, 2014 at 10:10 am

    I know just what you mean when you say that the white paint is a bit transparent. I’ve found that the Behr Premium Plus (with the primer in it) was more opaque. I’m going to try and add white pigment to it as I like the Behr better than the Glidden. Thanks for the idea!

    Reply
    • Lindsay Ballard says

      January 9, 2014 at 10:15 am

      Great! Let me know how you like it!

      Reply
      • Marie says

        January 12, 2014 at 11:18 pm

        I have definitely ordered Lindsay white in flat Behr paint. I simply asked them to add a white pigment 1oz/1gallon at Home Depot – no problem. We needed two coats of this mix over Zinsser 123 primer over the old satin off-white to hide the brush strokes but it looks awesome now!

        Reply
    • Cade says

      July 17, 2016 at 9:18 pm

      It’s spooky how clever some ppl are. Thaskn!

      Reply
    • http://www./ says

      November 4, 2016 at 6:04 pm

      Hi Emily, Great to have someone from the dark side giving their advice too… Al is in Tasmania. But they still have News Ltd there – so it's good to have insight into company policy.

      Reply
  2. IRA LEE says

    January 9, 2014 at 10:44 am

    i also love bright white. i always get behr ultra pure white. its beautiful!!!

    Reply
    • Lindsay Ballard says

      January 9, 2014 at 8:04 pm

      I’ll have to check out that one! I generally don’t use any paint + primer products, though, so I may have never used that one.

      Reply
  3. Penny Waters says

    January 9, 2014 at 4:06 pm

    Is this a good white for trim?
    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Lindsay Ballard says

      January 9, 2014 at 8:06 pm

      Yes! In a high gloss sheen, it would be gorgeous. For my trim, though, I use the Glidden Trim and Door in bright white. It’s oil based so it lasts longer than a latex and it’s a special formula that doesn’t drip or show brush strokes. Not to be an advertisement for Glidden, but it’s really what I use. 🙂

      Reply
      • Jessica Autry says

        February 7, 2014 at 4:10 pm

        Not sure if this is going to post or not i already tried posting, and it said i posted my 1 comment too fast haha :/ .

        But, have you had any trouble with the trim and door paint yellowing? My mom likes to paint her trim off white so that when it yellows its not as noticeable, but I like a fresh crisp white because it makes a house feel newer and cleaner, but i dont want to have to repaint every other year to keep it white.

        Reply
        • janine says

          June 21, 2014 at 4:08 am

          the reason your paint yellows is totally because it is solvent/oil based enamel. if you have the option of water based enamel it doesn’t yellow. the tint of another colour will certainly hide the yellowing and your mum is on the right thing. remember that unless you have everything in the room white it will pick up on colours also. (my qualifications are training via three different paint companies, am colour consultant trained via ISC&D, also worked the last six years at the paint desk mixing your paint.

          Reply
          • Steve says

            June 2, 2021 at 12:01 pm

            Yes, true. And years ago I remember my father adding in a small amount of a blue pigment into white paint to keep it from yellowing. The blue blocks a specific wavelength of yellow that keeps it brite, keeps it from yellowing. This was done mostly on boats to keep decks white, thus cool vs yellowing which was hotter. But its the exact same principal.

            He is since deceased, and I can’t find hardly a trace, on the web, of anyone doing similarly. Here and there, but no specifics. What specific blue pigment, how much to a gallon?

            Lindsey, do you know?

  4. Tanya Felsheim says

    January 9, 2014 at 7:34 pm

    Maybe you should ask Glidden to name the paint for you! Tell them the reason why….you could be even more famous!

    Reply
    • Lindsay Ballard says

      January 9, 2014 at 8:06 pm

      Ha! I’ve actually joke about that with them.

      Reply
  5. Amber Torres says

    January 10, 2014 at 12:44 pm

    Would this paint be good for painting built-in cabinets?

    Reply
  6. Funky Junk Interiors says

    February 1, 2014 at 11:54 pm

    So I did this with my paint, and you’re right, it worked! Only I forgot to look up how much. They added 2 drops. But it was still amazing!

    Thank-you! Mentioning Lindsay White and a link here in my painting post for sure! 🙂

    Reply
  7. Kari says

    March 23, 2014 at 11:38 pm

    I just went to the Hutto Home Depot and requested this, and he didn’t bat an eye. I expected some kind of reaction, but nope! Ha!

    Reply
    • Lindsay Ballard says

      March 31, 2014 at 10:37 am

      HA! Okay, this cracks me up, because the Hutto store has been one of my main “offenders.” Maybe I finally trained him? LOL! There’s a girl and a guy that I primarily see at the paint counter there, and they think I’m crazy. I’m so glad it worked for you!

      Reply
  8. lesley says

    April 25, 2014 at 10:05 pm

    Just purchased two gallons of Lindsay White and yes the mixologist thought I was a tab bit crazy. But she was totally happy to mix it. I ended up having to go with your white because I have painted an entire room with Benjamin Moore white (a really bright white by the way. But now we can’t for the life of us figure out what color it was. Now I need to touch up a whole lot of that room and every paint I bring home from BM is wrong. So now it’s Lindsay White to the Rescue.

    Reply
  9. Joyce says

    June 24, 2014 at 12:13 am

    I just had this paint mixed today at a Home Depot in Austin. They asked the same thing….”You want to add white to white to make it whiter?” I finally pulled up your page to show them the picture…sure enough, it worked. The result is absolutely beautiful. Love it. THANK YOU!!

    Reply
  10. Brandon says

    August 23, 2014 at 4:49 pm

    Would something like this work for outside paint? We are painting a Spanish revival home and want the interior and exterior whites to look as close to the same as possible.

    Reply
    • Lindsay Ballard says

      August 25, 2014 at 11:06 am

      Hi Brandon- I would think it would be fine!

      Reply
  11. Kathy says

    May 30, 2015 at 1:18 pm

    I asked for the extra shot of white in the white I bought for my ceiling today. Paint associate had no problem adding it for me. It may help that I used to be a cart pusher at my store so they already knew I am a weirdo. I wish it would stop raining so much because I really would like to paint.

    Reply
    • Lindsay Ballard says

      May 31, 2015 at 12:24 pm

      Yay! Weirdos unite!

      Are you in Texas, too? It’s FINALLY not raining in Austin today, but we were thinking that we needed to start building an ark!

      Reply
      • Kathy says

        May 31, 2015 at 4:37 pm

        NW Arkansas. Luckily my yard is flat and drains well. It stops raining long enough on the weekends to mow. My yard looked like it had been growing for a month instead of the 6 days since its last haircut.

        Reply
  12. Painting Company says

    September 1, 2022 at 11:39 am

    Does this paint color work for a bathroom ceiling? Thanks!`

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. How to plank a bathroom ceilingFunky Junk Interiors says:
    February 2, 2014 at 10:17 pm

    […] used a tip from Makely School for Girls, called Lindsay White. Lindsay describes it best, but she says if you add a little colour to your paint, even the same […]

    Reply
  2. Why don’t we paint the town (and all that jazz)… | Life beyond silicon says:
    February 19, 2014 at 3:52 am

    […] The Benjamin Moore paint was quite a bit thicker than Behr paint.  We used Behr Ultra Flat (plus 1 oz white/gallon) for our ceiling.  We really like how bright the white is to brighten up the room but… When […]

    Reply
  3. Life is Like a Vintage Pachinko Machine says:
    September 15, 2014 at 9:24 am

    […] we could install it on the wall.  I filled the screw holes, sanded it smooth and painted the box Lindsay White to match the wall.  It looks great hanging […]

    Reply
  4. A new paint station area for Heap of ChangeFunky Junk Interiors says:
    January 14, 2015 at 2:37 pm

    […] I use Cloverdale Paint Kitchen and Bath (in Canada), eggshell white, with two drops of white added to the mix, thanks to the advice of Makely Home HERE. […]

    Reply
  5. Updating my Builder's Beige Kitchen with FrogTape - Makely says:
    July 8, 2016 at 7:41 am

    […] kitchen has been the bane of my existence since we repainted our common open spaces in Lindsay White.  At the time, we didn’t paint the kitchen, because I wasn’t exactly sure what […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

About Makely

Lindsay Ballard is a former college mascot turned political geek turned roller derby playing, DIY fanatic.

Lindsay chronicles her projects, design ideas, and lifestyle tips here at Makely, where she shares tutorials and inspiration. Her DIY designs are bold and graphic, while her spirit is fun and full of color.

Lindsay lives outside of Austin, Texas with her husband (Tom), children (Zack and Emma), and dogs (Duke and Jill). She plays roller derby for the Rockin' City Rollergirls out of Round Rock, Texas.


Archives

Categories

PRIVACY POLICY
Copyright © 2009-2019 Makely School for Girls | All Rights Reserved | Posts may contain advertising content or affiliate links