Extra White vs Golden Rule
Both from Sherwin-Williams's palette. Extra White reads as white, while Golden Rule reads as beige — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Extra White (LRV 86) reflects noticeably more light than Golden Rule (LRV 34), a difference of 52 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Extra White runs neutral while Golden Rule is decidedly warm, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 55.3, the contrast is hard to miss. These aren't variations on a theme — they're two different answers to the same question. Below you'll find 4 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Extra White vs Golden Rule in Real Spaces
4 real rooms side by side. Seeing Extra White and Golden Rule in actual rooms makes the difference concrete; browse the spaces below to get a feel for how each color lives on a wall.
Living Room
In a living room, color works across both daylight and evening light — the same wall can read very differently at noon and at 8pm. The LRV gap is large enough that Extra White will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Golden Rule would.
Kitchen
In a kitchen, colors are seen under bright task lighting that amplifies undertones — what reads neutral elsewhere can show its hand here. Extra White reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Golden Rule.
Dining Room
A dining room lit by a dimmed pendant or candles is one of the most forgiving environments for paint — warm light softens almost everything. Extra White returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
House
Seen across an entire facade, subtle tonal differences become pronounced. What reads as nearly the same on a chip often reads as clearly different at scale. Extra White reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Golden Rule.
Color Details
Extra White vs Golden Rule Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Extra White on one side and Golden Rule on the other.
Digital color is approximate. These simulations are generated from the manufacturer's hex values and overlaid on grayscale room photos — your screen's calibration, brightness, and viewing angle all affect how they render. Before committing to either color, test physical samples in your own space under the light you actually live with.
More Extra White comparisons
See how Extra White stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 86 vs 83), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Extra White reflects far more light (LRV 86 vs 69), opening up a space where Ammonite encloses it.
At LRV 86 vs 6, Extra White is decisively the brighter choice.
Extra White reflects far more light (LRV 86 vs 52), opening up a space where Purbeck Stone encloses it.
Extra White reflects far more light (LRV 86 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
At LRV 86 vs 52, Extra White is decisively the brighter choice.
Extra White reflects far more light (LRV 86 vs 60), opening up a space where Agreeable Gray encloses it.
At LRV 86 vs 58, Extra White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 86 vs 27, Extra White is decisively the brighter choice.
Extra White reflects far more light (LRV 86 vs 43), opening up a space where French Gray encloses it.
Extra White reflects far more light (LRV 86 vs 4), opening up a space where Naval encloses it.
At LRV 86 vs 55, Extra White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 86 vs 13, Extra White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 86 vs 44, Extra White is decisively the brighter choice.
With LRVs of 86 and 84, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Extra White reflects far more light (LRV 86 vs 21), opening up a space where Artichoke encloses it.
At LRV 86 vs 66, Extra White is decisively the brighter choice.
A 12-point LRV gap (86 vs 74) makes Extra White the marginally brighter of the two.
A 3-point LRV gap (86 vs 83) makes Extra White the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 86 vs 12, Extra White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 86 vs 68, Extra White is decisively the brighter choice.
Extra White reflects far more light (LRV 86 vs 41), opening up a space where Dix Blue encloses it.
Extra White reflects far more light (LRV 86 vs 68), opening up a space where Calamine encloses it.
Extra White reflects far more light (LRV 86 vs 25), opening up a space where Treron encloses it.
At LRV 86 vs 12, Extra White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 86 vs 45, Extra White is decisively the brighter choice.
Extra White reflects far more light (LRV 86 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.
Extra White reflects far more light (LRV 86 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.
Extra White reflects far more light (LRV 86 vs 24), opening up a space where Cement grey encloses it.
Extra White reflects far more light (LRV 86 vs 57), opening up a space where Guilford Green encloses it.