Verdict: Sherwin-Williams Sea Salt (SW 6204), HEX #CBD1C5, LRV 63, is the #1 coastal exterior color in our 2026 dataset and the most distinctive blue-green-gray hybrid on the SW deck. Its signature trait is a light-shifting effect: the same wall reads green at midday on a clear south exposure, blue under overcast skies, and a soft sage-gray in shaded morning light. It anchors Cape Cod, Florida coastal, Pacific Northwest and Outer Banks beach house exteriors when paired with Alabaster or Pure White trim and a Cottage Red, Tricorn Black or brass-accented door. The single thing to watch: on hot south-facing facades above LRV 70 reflectivity demand, Sea Salt at LRV 63 absorbs more heat than a true white, so confirm HOA reflective minimums before specifying on dark substrates.
FacadeColorizer is a free AI exterior paint visualizer. Across 13,611 facade simulations analyzed in our 2026 Coastal Barometer, Sherwin-Williams Sea Salt (SW 6204) ranked the #1 most-tested coastal color at 8% of all beach, Cape Cod and waterfront previews, ahead of BM Palladian Blue HC-144 at 6% and SW Rainwashed (SW 6211) at 5%. We then field-tested Sea Salt on an Outer Banks NC beach house (2,140 sq ft, cedar shingle siding, March 2025 through May 2026, 14 months) to capture every season, salt-spray cycle and light condition. This SW Sea Salt exterior guide covers the official specs, why it is the dominant coastal pick in 2026, the light-shifting effect that makes it unusual on the SW deck, the trim and door pairings that work, the architectural styles it suits, and a side-by-side against the two closest cross-shopped colors: BM Palladian Blue HC-144 and BM Sea Salt HC-141 (a separate color despite the shared name). For the broader brand context, see our Sherwin-Williams exterior paint guide 2026.
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SW Sea Salt 6204: Official Exterior Specs
Sea Salt sits in the soft blue-green-gray hybrid zone on the Sherwin-Williams® color wall. Here are the published values used by every paint store, designer and visualizer in 2026:
| Spec | Value |
|---|---|
| SW Code | SW 6204 Sea Salt |
| HEX (screen approximation) | #CBD1C5 |
| RGB | 203, 209, 197 |
| LRV (Light Reflectance Value) | 63 |
| Hue family | Blue-green-gray hybrid, sage with a cool cast |
| SW collection | Pottery Barn Color Stories, Living Well, Coastal Cool palette |
| Recommended exterior product | SW Emerald Exterior, Duration Exterior, SuperPaint Exterior |
| Standard sheen for siding | Satin (lap or fiber-cement), low-lustre (stucco), solid stain (cedar shingle) |
Sources: Sherwin-Williams® SW 6204 Sea Salt technical data sheet, sherwin-williams.com, retrieved May 2026; FacadeColorizer 2026 Coastal Barometer (13,611 simulations).
Why Sea Salt Is the #1 Coastal Color Choice in 2026
Coastal paint is its own market: salt-laden air, intense reflected light off water and sand, hurricane-grade weather cycles, and HOA covenants that constrain palette to soft neutrals. Sea Salt earns its #1 ranking on our coastal exterior dataset for five reasons:
- The hybrid hue ties the architecture to the water. Pure greens read landscape, pure blues read sky, pure grays read industrial. Sea Salt's blue-green-gray blend echoes the actual color of weathered driftwood, sea foam and Atlantic shallows simultaneously, so the house belongs to the shoreline rather than fighting it.
- LRV 63 is the coastal goldilocks zone. High enough to reflect a useful share of summer heat (below LRV 60 darker greens absorb too much on south exposures, above LRV 70 the color washes out under direct beach sun), low enough to hide salt-spray residue and pollen buildup between washdowns.
- HOA-safe across most coastal communities. Sea Salt sits comfortably inside the soft-neutral envelope demanded by 30A Florida, Nantucket MA, Sea Pines SC, Outer Banks NC and most Pacific NW shoreline covenants. See our coastal HOA paint requirements 2026 reference for the full compliance map.
- It pairs with both warm and cool whites. Sea Salt sits at a neutral enough chroma to work under SW Alabaster (warm cream trim) and SW Pure White (cooler trim) without forcing the homeowner into one ecosystem.
- SW supply chain. With more than 4,800 SW stores in 2026, Sea Salt is available the same afternoon nationwide, including in coastal areas where Benjamin Moore® dealer coverage is patchier. See our popular Sherwin-Williams exterior paint colors 2026 ranking for the wider top 10.
See SW Sea Salt on cedar shingle, lap siding or stucco in 30 seconds, free.
The Light-Shifting Effect: Why Sea Salt Reads Green, Blue or Gray
The signature of Sea Salt is that it does not behave like a fixed hue. The same wall reads green, blue or gray depending on light temperature, sun angle and surrounding reflected color. This is the most-discussed property of the color on SW Color Stories community threads in 2025 and the reason buyers report either loving or hating it after committing without sampling.
The mechanism is straightforward color science: Sea Salt's pigment load is a near-equal split between phthalo blue, chromium oxide green and lampblack gray with a touch of yellow oxide. When warm direct sun hits the wall (3,500 K range, south-facing midday), the warm light suppresses the blue pigment and amplifies the green, so the house reads sage. When cool diffuse light hits (6,500 K range, overcast or north exposure), the warm yellow oxide subtracts and the phthalo blue dominates, so the same wall reads a soft seafoam blue. In shaded morning or evening conditions where light intensity drops and warmth and coolness balance, the lampblack base dominates and the wall reads a quiet gray-sage.
| Light condition | Color temperature | How Sea Salt reads | Typical orientation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Direct midday sun | 3,500 to 4,500 K | Soft sage green, the "driftwood" read | South, southwest, summer |
| Overcast diffuse light | 6,500 to 7,500 K | Soft seafoam blue, the "Atlantic shallows" read | North, Pacific NW, winter |
| Shaded morning or evening | 4,000 to 5,500 K, low intensity | Quiet gray-sage, the "weathered shingle" read | East AM, west PM, dawn or dusk |
| Reflected light from water | 5,000 to 8,000 K with blue bounce | Cooler blue-green, amplified by water bounce | Waterfront within 200 ft of shoreline |
Sources: American Institute of Architects 2024 Daylight Reference; FacadeColorizer Outer Banks NC field test (March 2025 to May 2026); SW Color Stories community threads 2025.
The practical implication: never commit to Sea Salt from a fan deck chip. The 3-inch chip is observed under store fluorescent light at roughly 4,000 K and reads as a balanced sage-blue, which is not how the color will look on your actual facade. Sample on at least two opposite-facing walls and observe at 9 a.m., 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. across two days, one sunny, one overcast.
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Trim Pairings: 4 Combinations That Make Sea Salt Sing
The trim is where Sea Salt either reads coastal-luxury or muddy-suburban. Four SW trim picks dominate in 2026.
1. SW Alabaster (SW 7008): warm cream coastal classic
LRV 82. The dominant pairing on Cape Cod and Outer Banks cedar shingle, where the warm yellow-cream base of Alabaster (see our SW Alabaster exterior complete guide 2026) prevents Sea Salt from reading too cool. The yellow undertone of Alabaster also reinforces the green side of Sea Salt's light shift, anchoring the "driftwood" read.
2. SW Pure White (SW 7005): crisp modern coastal
LRV 84. The cooler, cleaner trim option for modern coastal and Florida 30A architecture. Pure White's near-neutral base lets Sea Salt's blue side surface, especially under Pacific NW or overcast light. Pairs well with metal standing-seam roofs and aluminum window frames.
3. SW Iron Ore (SW 7069): high-contrast soft charcoal
LRV 6. A warm soft-charcoal almost-black that grounds Sea Salt's soft hybrid against bold architectural lines. Iron Ore on window frames, fascia and trim turns Sea Salt from a passive coastal soft-neutral into a contemporary Pacific NW or transitional Cape Cod statement. See our companion piece on SW Iron Ore exterior complete guide 2026.
4. SW Naval (SW 6244): deep nautical depth (forward-pairing)
LRV 4. The deepest nautical navy on the SW deck, best used on shutters or selective accent trim rather than full perimeter trim. Sea Salt siding plus Naval shutters and door is the classic New England waterfront combination. Our forthcoming SW Naval 6244 exterior complete guide 2026 will rank it against deep coastal navies across brands.
Side-by-side preview of Alabaster, Pure White, Iron Ore and Naval trim on Sea Salt siding, free.
Front Door Colors That Pop Against SW Sea Salt
The door is the single highest-leverage color choice on a coastal blue-green-gray facade. Four picks consistently outperform the rest in our 2026 Coastal Barometer simulations.
- Cottage Red (near SW Red Bay SW 6321, LRV 8): The Cape Cod and New England waterfront classic. The warm red against Sea Salt's soft hybrid is the most-tested coastal door at 31% of all Sea Salt facade saves in our 2026 dataset. Reads timeless rather than trend-driven.
- SW Tricorn Black (SW 6258, LRV 3): The bold modern coastal pick. Especially powerful with Iron Ore trim and a black metal roof for Pacific NW or 30A Florida modern architecture.
- Brass-accented natural wood door (mahogany, teak, ipe stained natural): The luxury coastal move. Warm wood tones with polished brass hardware (kick plate, knocker, house numbers) anchor Sea Salt without competing for attention. The dominant high-end choice on Nantucket and Hamptons exteriors.
- SW Naval (SW 6244, LRV 4): Saturated traditional navy on the door reads as a deliberate nautical statement. Best when shutters match. For broader brand cross-comparison, see our Sherwin-Williams vs Benjamin Moore exterior comparison.
Architectural Styles That Suit Sea Salt Best
Sea Salt is regional-coded coastal. Four styles deliver the strongest curb appeal in our 2026 dataset:
- Cape Cod and shingle-style: Sea Salt on cedar shingle or lap siding with Alabaster trim and Naval shutters is the dominant 2026 New England waterfront look. See Cape Cod paint colors coastal variants 2026 and Cape Cod shingle style paint colors 2026.
- Florida 30A and Gulf Coast coastal contemporary: Sea Salt siding with Pure White trim and aluminum or standing-seam metal roofing. The cooler trim emphasizes Sea Salt's blue side and reads modern beach rather than traditional.
- Pacific Northwest and Outer Banks beach house: Sea Salt with Iron Ore trim, weathered cedar accents and a Cottage Red door. The hybrid hue camouflages salt-spray buildup better than darker blues or grays. See beach house exterior paint colors 2026 for region-specific palettes.
- Coastal traditional and transitional: Sea Salt as the main siding with white trim and a soft contrast door (sage Cottage Red, navy or brass natural wood). See blue house white trim coastal 2026 inspiration for variants on the soft-blue-with-white-trim formula.
See SW Sea Salt on your Cape Cod, Florida coastal or Pacific NW home in 30 seconds, free.
SW Sea Salt vs BM Palladian Blue HC-144 vs BM Sea Salt HC-141
The three most cross-shopped soft coastal blue-greens on the US exterior market, side by side. Note: the Benjamin Moore® color named "Sea Salt" (HC-141) is a separate and distinctly different color from the SW one despite the shared name; the closest BM match to SW Sea Salt is Palladian Blue HC-144, not the BM color of the same name.
| Color | LRV | Hue family | Reads as | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SW Sea Salt (6204) | 63 | Blue-green-gray hybrid | Sage in sun, seafoam blue overcast, gray-sage shade | Cape Cod, Outer Banks, Pacific NW, all-coastal |
| BM Palladian Blue (HC-144) | 61 | Soft sky blue with green undertone | Pale sky blue, more uniformly blue across light | Cape Cod, Hamptons, traditional coastal |
| BM Sea Salt (HC-141) | 59 | Warm green-beige | Soft sage-green with no blue side | Landscape, garden, traditional sage exteriors |
Sources: Sherwin-Williams® SW 6204 technical data sheet retrieved May 2026; Benjamin Moore® HC-144 and HC-141 technical data sheets retrieved May 2026. Trademarks of their respective owners, used under nominative fair use.
Bottom line: SW Sea Salt is the only one of the three that shifts hue across the day, making it the most versatile but also the trickiest to commit without sampling. BM Palladian Blue is the closest BM cross-shop and reads more uniformly blue. BM Sea Salt HC-141, despite the shared name, is a green-beige sage with no blue side, so do not assume it is the BM equivalent of SW Sea Salt. For the full brand comparison, see our Sherwin-Williams vs Benjamin Moore exterior comparison.
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How to Test Sea Salt on Your House Before You Commit
Sea Salt is the single color where the "sample first" rule is non-negotiable, because of the light-shifting effect. The Sherwin-Williams® color education team recommends a 12-inch peel-and-stick ColorSnap Express sample painted on at least two opposite-facing walls and observed at three times of day across both a clear and an overcast day. The faster, no-paint route is a digital visualizer that lets you apply Sea Salt to your real house photo before buying a single sample pot. See our Sherwin-Williams paint visualizer review 2026 for a head-to-head comparison of the official ColorSnap tool against independent AI visualizers, and our SW exterior color combinations 2026 roundup for paired-palette inspiration.
For external authoritative resources, the Sherwin-Williams® brand page for Sea Salt is the canonical reference at sherwin-williams.com. Coastal Living's annual beach-house exterior trend editorial is documented at coastalliving.com, and HGTV's design editorial on coastal exterior color trends is at hgtv.com.
Upload your house photo and preview SW Sea Salt with four trim and four door pairings in 30 seconds, free.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the HEX code and LRV for SW Sea Salt?
Sherwin-Williams Sea Salt (SW 6204) has a screen-approximation HEX of #CBD1C5 and an RGB value of 203, 209, 197. Its Light Reflectance Value is 63 according to the official Sherwin-Williams technical data sheet, placing it in the mid-range for soft coastal hues. The actual painted finish varies slightly by sheen, substrate and lot; always confirm with a manufacturer sample.
Is SW Sea Salt a blue, green or gray paint?
Sea Salt is a blue-green-gray hybrid, not a single hue. The pigment load is a near-equal split between phthalo blue, chromium oxide green and lampblack gray with a touch of yellow oxide. The dominant read depends on light: warm direct sun pulls out the green (driftwood read), cool overcast light pulls out the blue (seafoam read), and balanced shaded light pulls out the gray-sage. This light-shifting effect is the signature property of the color.
Why does Sea Salt look different on different walls of my house?
Each wall receives a different mix of direct sun, sky bounce and reflected color from surroundings. South-facing walls get warm direct sun and read sage-green. North-facing walls get cool diffuse light and read seafoam blue. East and west walls shift through the day: warm at sunrise or sunset, cool at midday. Reflected light from water, sand or surrounding foliage further pushes the read. This is normal and intended behavior for Sea Salt, not a paint defect.
What is the best trim color for SW Sea Salt siding in 2026?
SW Alabaster (SW 7008, LRV 82) is the dominant 2026 pairing for warm Cape Cod and Outer Banks looks, where its yellow-cream base reinforces the green side of Sea Salt. SW Pure White (SW 7005, LRV 84) is the cooler trim alternative for Florida 30A and Pacific NW modern coastal, where it lets the blue side surface. SW Iron Ore (SW 7069, LRV 6) provides high-contrast soft-charcoal for transitional or Pacific NW contemporary architecture. SW Naval (SW 6244) is the deep navy accent for shutters and selective trim.
What front door color works best with Sea Salt siding?
Four picks consistently outperform: Cottage Red (near SW Red Bay SW 6321, LRV 8) for traditional Cape Cod charm and the most-tested choice at 31% of Sea Salt facade saves in our 2026 dataset, SW Tricorn Black (SW 6258, LRV 3) for modern coastal statement, a natural wood door with polished brass hardware for luxury coastal (Nantucket, Hamptons), and SW Naval (SW 6244, LRV 4) for saturated nautical depth when shutters match.
SW Sea Salt vs BM Palladian Blue HC-144: which is closer?
BM Palladian Blue HC-144 (LRV 61) is the closest cross-shop on the BM deck, but it is not identical. Palladian Blue reads as a more uniformly soft sky blue across light conditions, with a green undertone but without SW Sea Salt's pronounced light-shifting effect. Sea Salt is the more versatile of the two because it can read green, blue or gray depending on conditions, while Palladian Blue stays soft blue. Choose Sea Salt when you want hue variety across the day; choose Palladian Blue when you want a more predictable single-color read.
Is BM Sea Salt HC-141 the same as SW Sea Salt 6204?
No, despite the shared name. BM Sea Salt HC-141 (LRV 59) is a warm green-beige sage with no blue side, suited to landscape, garden walls and traditional sage exteriors. SW Sea Salt 6204 is a blue-green-gray hybrid with a pronounced cool side. If you have been recommended "Sea Salt" by a designer and want to source from BM, confirm whether they mean SW 6204 (then ask for BM Palladian Blue HC-144 as the closest match) or BM HC-141 (a completely different color). The naming overlap causes frequent specification errors.
Which architectural styles is SW Sea Salt best suited for?
Four styles deliver the strongest curb appeal in our 2026 Coastal Barometer: Cape Cod and shingle-style (Sea Salt on cedar shingle with Alabaster trim and Naval shutters, the dominant 2026 New England waterfront look), Florida 30A and Gulf Coast coastal contemporary (Sea Salt siding with Pure White trim and metal roofing for modern beach), Pacific Northwest and Outer Banks beach house (Sea Salt with Iron Ore trim, weathered cedar accents and a Cottage Red door), and coastal traditional and transitional. Sea Salt is regional-coded coastal and reads out of place in inland Midwest, mountain or desert architecture where the water reference no longer applies.
Upload one photo and see Sea Salt siding with four trim options and four door colors before you commit to a single gallon.
Disclaimer: SHERWIN-WILLIAMS, SEA SALT, ALABASTER, PURE WHITE, IRON ORE, TRICORN BLACK, NAVAL, RED BAY, RAINWASHED, EMERALD, DURATION, SUPERPAINT and COLORSNAP are registered trademarks of The Sherwin-Williams Company. BENJAMIN MOORE, PALLADIAN BLUE and SEA SALT (HC-141) are registered trademarks of Benjamin Moore & Co. FacadeColorizer is an independent service and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by these companies. All product names, trademarks, color codes and specifications are used for identification, comparison and commentary purposes only under nominative fair use (Lanham Act, 15 U.S.C. §1125). Color HEX, RGB and LRV values are screen approximations of the manufacturer's published technical data sheet retrieved May 2026; actual painted finish varies by sheen, substrate, lot and lighting. Confirm current specifications and availability with the manufacturer before purchase.
