Balboa Mist vs Techno Gray
Where Balboa Mist belongs to Benjamin Moore's range, Techno Gray is a Sherwin-Williams color. Hue-wise, Balboa Mist belongs to the beige-greige family and Techno Gray to the greige-grey family. Balboa Mist (LRV 66) reflects noticeably more light than Techno Gray (LRV 49), a difference of 17 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Balboa Mist runs red while Techno Gray is decidedly warm, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 10.8, the contrast is hard to miss. These aren't variations on a theme — they're two different answers to the same question. Below you'll find 2 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Balboa Mist vs Techno Gray in Real Spaces
2 real rooms side by side. Seeing Balboa Mist and Techno Gray in actual rooms makes the difference concrete; browse the spaces below to get a feel for how each color lives on a wall.
Dining Room
A dining room lit by a dimmed pendant or candles is one of the most forgiving environments for paint — warm light softens almost everything. Balboa Mist returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Balboa Mist reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Techno Gray.
Color Details
Balboa Mist vs Techno Gray Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Balboa Mist on one side and Techno Gray 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 Balboa Mist comparisons
See how Balboa Mist stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
