Mortar vs Gray Owl
Mortar is a Behr color while Gray Owl comes from Benjamin Moore. These are both greys, so the question isn't which hue to choose — it's where within grey to land. With LRVs of 67 and 65, they'll behave almost identically in terms of how much light they reflect back into a room. They share a yellow quality — useful to know if you're layering them in the same space. With a ΔE of 1.1, the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side to reliably tell them apart. Below you'll find 1 real-room photo comparison where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Mortar vs Gray Owl in Real Spaces
1 real room side by side. Mortar and Gray Owl are close enough that the difference can be hard to judge from a chip alone — these photos show how each reads at scale, across different spaces and lighting conditions.
Bathroom
Bathrooms amplify color — the enclosed space and reflective surfaces make what reads subtle elsewhere feel more present here. The two are close enough that the choice comes down to finer qualities — undertone, texture, what the color sits next to.
Color Details
Mortar vs Gray Owl Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Mortar on one side and Gray Owl 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 Mortar comparisons
See how Mortar stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 67, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Mortar reflects far more light (LRV 67 vs 52), opening up a space where Purbeck Stone encloses it.
Mortar reflects far more light (LRV 67 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
Mortar reads slightly lighter (LRV 67 vs 60), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
A 9-point LRV gap (67 vs 58) makes Mortar the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 67 vs 27, Mortar is decisively the brighter choice.
Mortar reflects far more light (LRV 67 vs 43), opening up a space where French Gray encloses it.
A 12-point LRV gap (67 vs 55) makes Mortar the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 67 vs 44, Mortar is decisively the brighter choice.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 67), opening up a space where Mortar encloses it.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 67 vs 66), so neither reads brighter in a room.
A 7-point LRV gap (74 vs 67) makes Shoji White the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 67 vs 12, Mortar is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 68 vs 67), so neither reads brighter in a room.
At LRV 67 vs 12, Mortar is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 67 vs 45, Mortar is decisively the brighter choice.
Mortar reflects far more light (LRV 67 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.
Mortar reflects far more light (LRV 67 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.
Mortar reflects far more light (LRV 67 vs 24), opening up a space where Cement grey encloses it.
Mortar reads slightly lighter (LRV 67 vs 57), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.