Is your white Ikea furniture really white? Does it stay really white?

[Tranquility7]

We are moving to a new house and I am so cotton-pickin' excited for my new HS room!  I'm planning to paint it pale yellow with white trim, and have a wall of white Expedit shelves.  I want it to look clean, fresh, and cheerful :-)

 

The problem is, I took my first trip to Ikea yesterday and was SO bummed that the "white" and "high gloss white" Expedit shelves appeared so "off-white" in person.  DH said they should not even be called white, they should be called ecru.  Even worse, different Expedit units even appeared different, like they didn't all match in color, and I fear that maybe they yellowed with age?  They just looked kind of dingy to me, since I was expecting *white*.

 

It was insanely busy in the store so I didn't get a chance to ask anyone about it, but I'm really nervous to buy the units now, because I really want "white", and I want them to stay white.

 

What say the WTM Ikea aficionados?  What white Ikea furniture do you have, was it truly white out of the box, and did it stay white?  If it yellowed, over how long of a period of time did it take?

 

 

 

[PhotoGal]

I don't have Expedit shelves, but I think our white Ikea furniture is more of a "antique" white. I don't think it has changed over time, though. We have a desk, bed and Billy shelves that are white.

[Mrs Mungo]

I have Expedits in the birch finish that I have bought in entirely different years and states, but they look the same color. I have never bought anything white from IKEA, but I agree that those items look more like an antique white.

[soufflegirl]

I have two Expedit shelves in white, and I never thought they looked ecru. They're definitely brighter than the furniture I have that was advertised as ecru. I don't have anything glossy white, though, so I don't know how that holds up over time.

[gardenmom5]

ikea has several shades of "white".  you can buy touch-up paint in the exact colors of "white" in which your ikea piece is available.

 

I have billy's and besta, and they are slightly different 'whites'.  

if you really want a "bright white", you can get melamine or high-gloss enamel paint and paint it.

 

you should pick up a paint chip of "white" from any paint store and see how many different "whites" there are.

[Moxie]

I have their little kids white table and chairs and it matched our shockingly white tile just fine.

[Nestof3]

We have the Billy bookshelves and the pax wardrobes. They are more of an antique white, but they look awesome -- fresh and bright. In my opinion, they look classier than pure white.

[Rbsmrter]

I've had to touch up a few pieces of Ikea furniture (including the Expedit) and the closest paint we could find was Glidden's Parchment White. It's an almost exact match. When we brought the swatch home it definitely seemed to be very off white, but when you see the furniture in the room it does look very white and fresh. Maybe you could grab a few of the Parchment White swatches and see how they look against your walls. We have an Expedit and Billy in a muted yellow room and the furniture has always seemed white to me, but we've never had anything but Ikea furniture in there so there isn't a pure white to compare it to.

[Tap]

Bright, high gloss white shows dust like crazy and shows every little bump and scratch.  

 

The antique or egg shell white gives a little grace on dust and will be more forgiving on a scratch or dent.  It looks better than a pure white but is still a white color and definitely not ecru.  Dd had some white pieces in her room and we never had fading or yellowing issues but they were only in there for 2 years, so I don't know if they would change over time or not.  None of our other IKEA furniture has shifted colors so I wouldn't be too concerned about that. 

 

I personally wouldn't want stark white.  It feels commercial to me. The antique white is warm and friendly and makes it seem like the furniture is of a nice quality.

[Samiam]

I have three white Expedits, as well as two white desk tops from Ikea. They look white to me. I mean, unless you have something else, say something NOn-Ikea, right next to the ikea stuff, it would be very hard to notice a differenc. We've not seen any fading or yellowing.

[Alte Veste Academy]

Bright, high gloss white shows dust like crazy and shows every little bump and scratch.  

 

The antique or egg shell white gives a little grace on dust and will be more forgiving on a scratch or dent.  It looks better than a pure white but is still a white color and definitely not ecru.  Dd had some white pieces in her room and we never had fading or yellowing issues but they were only in there for 2 years, so I don't know if they would change over time or not.  None of our other IKEA furniture has shifted colors so I wouldn't be too concerned about that. 

 

I personally wouldn't want stark white.  It feels commercial to me. The antique white is warm and friendly and makes it seem like the furniture is of a nice quality.

 

I agree with this. When I saw the new high gloss white at IKEA, it was alarmingly white--like immaculate Mod home, I have a maid swipe this daily white. Not for me. :lol:

 

We have two white Expedit units and DD has the white Hemnes furniture. They are all the same shade and have not yellowed over the years (almost 9 now!). I agree that from a distance they look white white. But when you look closely, they are really just a bit off white. As others have said, this is a good thing. That high gloss white would give me a migraine. :tongue_smilie:

[zoobie]

It's not hospital white, but it doesn't look ecru...

http://www.younghouselove.com/2011/05/because-nobody-sells-ikea-white-paint/

 

You'll have fewer people touching yours too. ;)

[Tranquility7]

Thanks for all the helpful replies.  In general I don't really like "hospital white" either, but the home we are buying tends to be darker than we are used to, and I'm really trying to lighten it up.  I love our white trim in our current house so I was hoping to do that in the new one... and the yellow I picked is quite pale, so I was hoping the white trim would set it off nicely, kwim?  I guess I could just go for an off-white trim to match, but at some point it morphs into something different than the bright, crisp look I was going for.

 

Gah, I'm terrible at this.  I need a decorator to just come and tell me what to do, LOL!!

 

We have an Expedit and Billy in a muted yellow room and the furniture has always seemed white to me, but we've never had anything but Ikea furniture in there so there isn't a pure white to compare it to.

 

Hey, since it is muted yellow, any chance you could share a pic with me?  Even if there isn't a more pure white nearby it still might help me out.  PM if you want :-)

 

[Nestof3]

Here is a photo of our room with pax wardrobe.

 

http://ournestof3.blogspot.com/2011/02/sharing-final-room-photos.html

[Nestof3]

And here is one with our boys' Billy bookshelves (prior to getting the last extensions which made the shelves on the left taller -- that's where my son's JK Rowlings shrine is. ;)

 

Well, I'm unable to,upload from my iPad. I wonder why.

[Ravin]

Our expedit is nine years old and is cheerfully white, much whiter than the walls in our rather shabby rental home. We have a white metal bedframe and a smaller white cubby also from Ikea (the less expensive lighter weight non-two-sided ones). They all look white-white, not an off-white.

[Arcadia]

My expedit looks matt white and thats just nice for me because they are at the spot where the afternoon sun is the strongest. Our walls are cream in color so the expedit does look white enough to us.

[Tranquility7]

Here is a photo of our room with pax wardrobe.

 

http://ournestof3.blogspot.com/2011/02/sharing-final-room-photos.html

 

So pretty!  You did a nice job with the room.  And all the whites coordinate nicely (and look white)... makes me more optimistic.  Thanks for sharing the pics!

[Nestof3]

Trying again.

[Annie G]

Here is a photo of our room with pax wardrobe.

 

http://ournestof3.blogspot.com/2011/02/sharing-final-room-photos.html

 

What a beautiful room! I loved reading all the details about where you got everything. Thanks for sharing!

[Moxie]

Dawn, come decorate my house anytime!!

[kitten18]

Thanks for all the helpful replies.  In general I don't really like "hospital white" either, but the home we are buying tends to be darker than we are used to, and I'm really trying to lighten it up.  I love our white trim in our current house so I was hoping to do that in the new one... and the yellow I picked is quite pale, so I was hoping the white trim would set it off nicely, kwim?  I guess I could just go for an off-white trim to match, but at some point it morphs into something different than the bright, crisp look I was going for.

 

Gah, I'm terrible at this.  I need a decorator to just come and tell me what to do, LOL!!

 

 

Hey, since it is muted yellow, any chance you could share a pic with me?  Even if there isn't a more pure white nearby it still might help me out.  PM if you want :-)

I would definitely still paint your trim white, I'm sure the Expedit will be white enough.

[*Jen*]

We have a wall of built in Billy shelves that are surrounded by new white trim (brilliant white enamel paint) The billys look offwhite next to it. Eventually we will take everything off the shelves and prime them and paint them the same white as the trim.  

 

This isn't the best picture (sorry camera phone) but you can tell the difference between the crown added to the top and the color of the shelves. It is definitely more noticeable in person, but I don't have the time to paint them now.  I will probably have to wait until next summer :( 

 

 

[swellmomma]

I bought what would noramlly be a wall hanging kitchen cabinet from IKEA to use as a window seat.  It is definitely white and has remained so.  That said I used a slightly offwhite color to paint all the trim so the bench looks very white right below it.

[Tranquility7]

We have a wall of built in Billy shelves that are surrounded by new white trim (brilliant white enamel paint) The billys look offwhite next to it. Eventually we will take everything off the shelves and prime them and paint them the same white as the trim.  

 

This isn't the best picture (sorry camera phone) but you can tell the difference between the crown added to the top and the color of the shelves. It is definitely more noticeable in person, but I don't have the time to paint them now.  I will probably have to wait until next summer :(

Your shelves look great, but yes, I see what you mean about the whites.  ***SIGH*** that is *exactly* what will happen with ours, I think.  And my DH will not be happy if I want to paint brand new bookshelves (especially on top of the many other house projects we have with the new home).

 

Why would they sell Expedits in TWO types of white, and yet both of them are actually off-white?  This project of our new HS room should be fun but right now I'm just disappointed and frustrated about it.  :(  Sorry for complaining...  I just hope it turns out better than I currently expect.  *sigh*

 

[soufflegirl]

If you haven't painted the trim yet, and you have to paint it anyway, couldn't you just paint it the same antique white as the expedits? That sounds like less work than painting the shelves.

[Tranquility7]

If you haven't painted the trim yet, and you have to paint it anyway, couldn't you just paint it the same antique white as the expedits? That sounds like less work than painting the shelves.

 

Yes, we can do that, and that is what I will probably end up doing.  But paint colors vary so much depending on what is beside them, kwim, and my pale yellow next to white trim looks so much prettier than my pale yellow next to off-white trim.  Plus there is a lot of off-white trim in that house now, and I am so eager to get rid of it, because it just looks dingy to me.  So I think if I do the trim off-white, it will look dingy to me, and my yellow won't be as much of a contrast.  I don't want to pick a yellower yellow, because I really think then it will be too bright.

 

Anyway, I know it probably sounds silly and like I'm making too much of a big deal of this.  I just saw the combination of yellow walls and bright white trim in a home we looked at while house hunting and I fell in love with it, and I just feel disappointed that my plans aren't working out the way I imagined.  Plus I have SO much else to do, and I really thought I'd crossed the HS room shelving and decor off my To Do list, but now it is back on there for me to figure this out.  :-P

 

[Tap]

.....

Anyway, I know it probably sounds silly and like I'm making too much of a big deal of this.  I just saw the combination of yellow walls and bright white trim in a home we looked at while house hunting and I fell in love with it, and I just feel disappointed that my plans aren't working out the way I imagined.  Plus I have SO much else to do, and I really thought I'd crossed the HS room shelving and decor off my To Do list, but now it is back on there for me to figure this out.  :-P

 

Just buy some high gloss white paint and paint the Expedits then.  It will only take an hour or so to do it and since you are going white over white, you may only need one coat.  It would probably be faster than trying to find bright white in other furniture.