WHAT ARE BEHR’S TOP GRAY PAINT COLORS?
Do you have questions about BEHR’S most popular shades of gray? I’m here to help.
While I specialize in Sherwin Williams and Benjamin Moore paint colors, I’m sitting down with BEHR to answer questions you have about some of their most popular paint colors, questions like:
- What can I expect from these colors re: undertones?
- What are the LRVs of these colors? Not sure what LRV is? Learn about it here: The Ultimate Guide to Picking Paint Colours with LRV
- What Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams paint colors do they COMPARE to?
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IMPORTANT NOTE: I don’t do Online Colour Consulting specifically with BEHR (only BM and SW) and don’t know their colors intimately, but this info should DEFINITELY help you out. And while I’m usually a SAUCY lil’ Ginger, these blog posts are more straightforward to get you started on your next painting project!
BTW, because I don’t use Behr colors and ONLY use photos from my E-DESIGN clients, I don’t have photos of these colors in action, but I will show you COMPARABLE colors for the general idea.
1. BEHR DOLPHIN FIN 790C-3
If you’re eyeing Dolphin Fin for your next project, I have the details you need…
IS DOLPHIN FIN A WARM OR COOL GRAY?
Dolphin Fin is a slightly warm gray – not TRADITIONALLY warm in that it looks greige, but it sure as heck isn’t cool-toned. It’s what I call a ‘stormy gray.’
WHAT’S DOLPHIN FIN’S LRV?
With an LRV of 59, Dolphin Fin is a light depth gray but is a slightly heavier light shade of gray, not a bright, fresh one.
If you have a dark room, this depth could be a bit heavy looking; you might consider a gray with a higher LRV. However, if your room gets moderate light, it could settle in quite nicely.
WHAT ARE DOLPHIN FIN’S UNDERTONES?
EVERY gray will have cool undertones. While Dolphin Fin is no exception, its undertones are quite passive and similar to those of Sherwin Williams Repose Gray, another popular warm gray paint colour. Of the three undertones, Dolphin Fin is slightly more inclined toward green.
Shown above, SIMILAR colour, Sherwin Williams Repose Gray
WHAT PAINT COLORS ARE SIMILAR TO BEHR DOLPHIN FIN?
- Sherwin Williams On the Rocks, but OTR has a wink more purple undertone
- VERY similar to Sherwin Williams Repose Gray, but it’s a bit softer
- For a TOUCH more purple/taupe, check out Behr Chic Gray PPU26-10
Paint Colour Review of Sherwin Williams Repose Gray
2. BEHR SILVER DROP790C-2
If you’re looking for a lighter shade of gray, Silver Drop could be just the color for you…
IS SILVER DROP A WARM OR COOL GRAY – OR IS IT GREIGE?
Silver Drop is definitely a warm gray that winks politely at the greige end of things via its warm backdrop.
WHAT’S THE LRV OF SILVER DROP?
Silver Drop offers a LIGHTER approach to gray. With an LRV of 69, it’s a light gray – not washed-out but doesn’t have NEARLY as much body as Dolphin Fin.
WHAT ARE SILVER DROP’S UNDERTONES?
You might find that Silver Drop is one of the colour ninjas – grays that can and WILL pick up any of the 3 cool undertones with only a little encouragement, even though it DOES mildly favor green. The look of this colour can easily be influenced by the room’s exposure, interior finishes, and EVEN personal perception!
WHAT COLORS ARE SIMILAR TO SILVER DROP?
- Silver Drop is slightly warm but not as warm as Sherwin Williams Drift of Mist.
- Benjamin Moore Titanium, but Titanium is a wink more fresh and green.
- Silver Drop is similar to Sherwin Williams Crushed Ice, but Silver Drop grabs a touch more green undertone.
3. BEHR MISTY COAST PPU25-13
Misty Coast is one well-named color – let’s find out why…
IS MISTY COAST A WARM OR COOL GRAY?
Misty Coast is one of my favourite gray Behr paint colors. It’s cool, but not ICY cold, more of a subtle stormy look – one MIGHT even call it misty.
WHAT IS MISTY COAST’S LRV?
Misty Coast has an LRV of 68. This puts this stormy shade of gray in the mid to high end of the LIGHT range. While it might not have the right energy for a low-light room, at least its higher LRV helps out. For this reason, Misty Coast is best suited to a room with average+ natural light.
WHAT ARE MISTY COAST’S UNDERTONES?
Misty Coast comes out with a soft, subtle blue undertone that can SOMETIMES sway blue-green…but barely.
Shown above, SIMILAR colour, Benjamin Moore Wickham Gray
Misty Coast has an LRV of 68, which is tucked nicely in the light range. However, if you ask me, it LOOKS like it should have a slightly lower LRV, but I thought could be just because of the storminess of it.
WHAT COLORS ARE SIMILAR TO MISTY COAST?
- Kind of in-between Benjamin Moore Wickham Gray and Stonington Gray. Stonington has more depth, whereas Wickham looks a touch fresher and lighter, although the LRVs are virtually the same.
Benjamin Moore Stonington Gray and Gray Owl: Comparing the Two
Paint Color Review: Benjamin Moore Wickham Gray
4. BEHR SILVER CITY MQ2-59
Silver City is a gray paint color with a bit more meat on its bones. Let’s see what this bad boy’s all about…
IS SILVER CITY A WARM OR COOL GRAY?
Silver City isn’t terribly warm or cool, making it more of a stormy gray. This means that if you have a north-facing room, it could look a bit cooler than expected. However, if your room has southern exposure or afternoon western sunshine, Silver City could look a ‘bit’ warm.
WHAT’S THE LRV OF SILVER CITY?
Silver City is slightly darker than the average shade of gray (used for walls), with an LRV of 57. Still in the light range, but it’s a HEAVY light, so it might not be the best for a dark room.
WHAT ARE SILVER CITY’S UNDERTONES?
Regarding undertones, this bad boy EASILY swings between a very subtle green or violet (it’s one of the gray ninjas, for sure). The less committed a color is to an undertone, the more EASILY SWAYED it is by exposure, interior finishes, and personal perception.
Shown above, SIMILAR colour, Sherwin Williams Knitting Needles
WHAT COLORS ARE SIMILAR TO SILVER CITY?
- Sherwin Williams Knitting Needles is close but DOES cater to violet, helping you see Silver City’s tendency to grab a tiny touch of green.
- Similar to Sherwin Williams Silverplate, but not QUITE as stormy/muted and slightly less undertone.
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While sadly, Behr hasn’t signed up with Samplize, ALL of the other top brands have, and I highly recommend you check them out.
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Visit the SAMPLIZE website HERE
5. BEHR STERLING 780E-30
Sterling sets itself apart from the previous shades of gray – let’s find out why…
IS STERLING A WARM OR COOL GRAY
Unlike the previous grays that are stormy and warm, Sterling is a COOOOL gray. A color like this can balance the warmth of a south-facing roomnicely but could be a wink cold for a north-facing room.
WHAT’S THE LRV OF STERLING?
With an LRV of 65, Sterling is tucked quite nicely in the light range, not too heavy, and not washed out.
WHAT ARE STERLING’S UNDERTONES?
Sterling is soft and fresh with its soft blue-purple undertone. This undertone makes Sterling an interesting choice with crisp white trim and even some marble surfaces.
WHAT COLORS ARE SIMILAR TO STERLING?
- Sherwin Williams Reflections, but Reflections is LIGHTER, a touch brighter, and just a wink more purple.
- If you want to take things a WINK cooler, check out Behr Gray Shimmer, which has an LRV of 69.
Can I Paint My North-Facing Room Gray?
6. BEHR EON N370-2
Have I saved the best til the last? We’ll see!
IS EON A WARM OR COOL GRAY?
Eon is a beautiful, muted, calming, WARM gray paint color. However, its warmth isn’t overwhelming; it’s only a polite nod.
WHAT’S THE LRV OF EON?
Eon has an LRV of 65, making it a great, moderately light paint color – darn close to my magical LRV number for almost any room!
Benjamin Moore Moonshine
WHAT ARE EON’S UNDERTONES?
Eon has a soft, pretty green undertone…and it’s not that subtle about it, either.
WHAT COLORS ARE SIMILAR TO EON?
- Benjamin Moore Moonshine is similar but more likely to lean blue than Eon.
- Benjamin Moore’s Titanium comes across a TOUCH warmer and slightly less green than Eon.
Paint Color Review: Benjamin Moore Moonshine
Now, I REALLY wanted to find a Behr gray that was similar to one of my FAVE GRAY PAINT COLOURS, Benjamin Moore Collingwood – but no can do Sue. If you’re curious about what Collingwood looks like, you can read about it HERE.
Benjamin Moore’s 9 Best Gray Paint Colours
PEOPLE ALSO ASK…
WHAT’S THE BEHR VERSION OF SHERWIN WILLIAMS AGREEABLE GRAY?
BEHR’S Toasty Gray N320-2 is definitely comparable to Sherwin Williams Agreeable Gray. While NO colors will be the same, there will always be shifts in either LRV, undertones, or temperature (or all three); these two colors are definitely similar.
If you’ve never heard of Agreeable Gray, it’s one of the most POPULAR neutral paint colors right now, followed closely by Benjamin Moore Edgecomb Gray.
READ MORE
The Best WHOLE HOME Gray and Greige Paint Colours
Valspar’s 4 Best Light Gray Paint Colors
Gray Paint Colours: The 3 Undertones You NEED to Consider
North, East, South, West: Which Paint Colours is the Best?
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Chat soon,
ORIGINALLY WRITTEN IN EARLY 2020, UPDATED IN 2023
