Behr Cracked Pepper Black Paint Review
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Today I wanted to share the best black paint color, Behr Cracked Pepper. We recently shared our modern coastal waterfront home in Rhode Island which featured black interior doors.
You all absolutely loved the stark contrast between our white walls and doors so I thought I would share all the details of this perfect black color.
Behr Cracked Pepper (PPU18-01) is a soft black paint with blue-gray undertones and an LRV of 8, meaning it reads as a deep charcoal rather than a flat, stark black. We used it on interior doors in two different homes: paired with Benjamin Moore White Dove walls in our Rhode Island waterfront home, and with Behr Whipped Cream walls in a new-construction home Jim built for a client.
See it in a real home, in real light: every photo in this post is from one of those two actual houses, not a swatch or a rendering.
I have two different homes to show you that feature this paint color.
The first house is our newly finished waterfront Rhode Island home that Jim and I will keep as a second home and the other home, is a new construction home Jim built for a client.
First up, Is our Rhode Island home.
All of the doors in this post are from Horner Millwork, featuring the Lincoln Park solid core, shaker style one panel. The classic one panel design is simple yet sophisticated and lends to a more transitional look.
Cracked Pepper Behr Doors
For this home, we wanted pops of bold color but not overpowering, if that makes any sense!
A typical modern coastal home features sand, blue and green tones and while our goal was to stick with that color palette, we wanted to add pops of color and hints of more modern elements.
We originally were thinking blue interior doors (to coordinate with the island color) but ultimately decided on black.
Jim was all about a black slate foyer entrance and master bath floor so painting the interior doors Cracked Pepper made the most sense to tie everything together.
We also have a black stone accent wall in the first floor bath so it was important to NOT paint the doors a black color that was stark and super bright.
Cracked Pepper was the perfect combination of soft subtle blue gray hues while still appearing “black.”
Behr Cracked Pepper Undertones
Cracked Pepper is a soft black with subtle blue undertones, offering a modern and sophisticated look.
One of the biggest draws to this color for me, was how it coordinated with our White Dove walls.
Choosing to paint your interior doors is a bold choice no matter which black color you pick but if you are looking for a classic soft black, cracked pepper may be for you!
Cracked Pepper Light Reflectance Value (LRV)
With an LRV of 8, this black color has depth and richness yet soft like butter!
Can you see how it smoothly flows into the wall and allows your eye to see the pop of color but doesn’t stop the eye from seeing the rest of the space?
LRV stands for Light Reflective Value which is a scale that measures how much visible light a color reflects. The scale ranges from 0% for absolute black to 100% for pure white.
For example, Tricorn is an LRV of “3” which shows a sharper more stark contrast than Cracked Pepper.
What I love about this black color is that it’s NOT an “in your face” kind of black. Meaning it doesn’t over power the space.
Paired with Benjamin Moore White Dove (our walls below), the Cracked Pepper color almost melts into the white walls seamlessly.
If you want to see more of this color or take a tour of the house, click through this post, our waterfront Rhode Island house tour.
It’s so soft and calming.
Cracked Pepper Living Room
Next up is the new construction home that Jim built which also features Behr Cracked Pepper interior doors with Behr Whipped Cream walls (below).
I love how this black painted door leading to the bedroom coordinates with the white walls and fireplace stone in the living room.
These doors are also part of the Masonite Logan collection from Horner Millwork.
The black fireplace surround also ties in nicely, offering a soft yet bold contrast.
The black square back knobs also blend seamlessly with the black paint color creating a modern sleek finish.
Behr Cracked Pepper Bathroom Doors
The epoxied basement floor had speckles of black which tied in nicely with the black fixtures and black painted doors.
Finished Basement Doors Cracked Pepper
The finished basement with black-painted doors beautifully demonstrates how bold pops of color can enhance visual interest and bring architectural charm to a spacious, open area.
Behr Cracked Pepper was named “color of the 2024” and there are so many reasons why this color is amazing in a variety of settings.
Whether you are using this color on kitchen cabinets, interior or exterior doors, an accent wall or creating a moody space, Cracked Pepper is a great color to consider.
Overall, my Behr Cracked Pepper color review is a 10 out of a 10 and I definitely recommend trying this color!
Behr Cracked Pepper FAQ
Behr Cracked Pepper (PPU18-01) is a soft black paint with blue-gray undertones and an LRV of 8. It reads as a deep charcoal rather than a flat, stark black.
It’s marketed as black, but with an LRV of 8 it’s soft enough to read as charcoal gray in most rooms rather than a true stark black.
8. For comparison, Sherwin Williams Tricorn Black has an LRV of 3, which shows a sharper, more stark contrast than Cracked Pepper.
Benjamin Moore White Dove and Behr Whipped Cream. We used White Dove walls with Cracked Pepper doors in our Rhode Island waterfront home, and Whipped Cream walls with Cracked Pepper doors in a new-construction home Jim built for a client.
Cracked Pepper has an LRV of 8 versus Tricorn Black’s LRV of 3, so Tricorn reads as a harder, more stark black by comparison. Cracked Pepper is the softer, more livable black of the two.
Yes, Behr named Cracked Pepper its 2024 Color of the Year.
Behr markets it as suitable for cabinets, exterior doors, and accent walls as well as interior doors. Every real-home example in this post is an interior door, so if you’re considering it for cabinets or exterior use, test a sample first.
Interior doors, a basement bathroom door, and a living room doorway across two real homes shown in this post — one a Rhode Island waterfront home, the other a new-construction home.
More Paint Color Review Posts
- Sherwin Williams Greek Villa (this was the perfect color for the entire inside of the ranch house)
- Best Grey kitchen cabinet paint colors (sharing the 7 paint grey cabinet colors with pictures)
- Sherwin Williams Westhighland White (a neutral white with a little warmth)
- Sherwin Williams Sea Salt (a beautiful blue green)
- Sherwin Williams Mindful Gray (the color we used in our kitchen renovation)
- Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace (a cool white we used at our lake house)
- Benjamin Moore White Dove (see how we used this color in our waterfront home and a small cape style house remodel from 1950.
- Behr Polar Bear (in our pool house with a coastal vibe)
- Behr Whipped Cream (perfect neutral for large open spaces or dark rooms with no windows)
- Benjamin Moore Advance Paint (best kitchen cabinet paint)
- Behr Cracked Pepper (the black paint we used on interior doors in two different homes)
Meet Jessica
What started as a hobby, Jessica’s blog now has millions of people visit yearly and while many of the projects and posts look and sound perfect, life hasn’t always been easy. Read Jessica’s story and how overcoming death, divorce and dementia was one of her biggest life lessons to date.
Hi, I’m having a barn door painted this color. What finish would you recommend?
we used Satin finish
Hi Jessica, I have a classic grey wall and white baseboards and trim. very tired of white doors. Would this color work for me without white walls?
I have dark almost black floors will black doors look good with my dark floors?