Mortar vs Agreeable Gray
Where Mortar belongs to Cloverdale Paint's range, Agreeable Gray is a Sherwin-Williams color. Hue-wise, Mortar belongs to the grey family and Agreeable Gray to the greige-grey family. Agreeable Gray (LRV 60) reflects noticeably more light than Mortar (LRV 38), a difference of 22 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. With a ΔE of 14.1, 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 5 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Mortar vs Agreeable Gray in Real Spaces
5 real rooms side by side. Seeing Mortar and Agreeable Gray in actual rooms makes the difference concrete; browse the spaces below to get a feel for how each color lives on a wall.
Living Room
In a living room, color works across both daylight and evening light — the same wall can read very differently at noon and at 8pm. The LRV gap is large enough that Agreeable Gray will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Mortar would.
Bedroom
The context that matters most in a bedroom is how a color reads under a bedside lamp at night, not under noon daylight. Agreeable Gray reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Mortar.
Kitchen
In a kitchen, colors are seen under bright task lighting that amplifies undertones — what reads neutral elsewhere can show its hand here. Agreeable Gray reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Mortar.
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. Agreeable Gray returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Bathroom
Bathrooms are one of the few spaces where you're genuinely enclosed by the paint color, which makes the choice between these two more consequential. Agreeable Gray reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Mortar.
Color Details
Mortar vs Agreeable Gray Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Mortar on one side and Agreeable 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 Mortar comparisons
See how Mortar stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 38, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Purbeck Stone reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 38), opening up a space where Mortar encloses it.
Mortar reads slightly lighter (LRV 38 vs 30), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 58 vs 38, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
A 11-point LRV gap (38 vs 27) makes Mortar the marginally brighter of the two.
French Gray reads slightly lighter (LRV 43 vs 38), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 55 vs 38, Tranquil Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
A 6-point LRV gap (44 vs 38) makes Hardwick White the marginally brighter of the two.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 38), opening up a space where Mortar encloses it.
At LRV 66 vs 38, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 38, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 38 vs 12, Mortar is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 38 vs 8, Mortar is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 38, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 38 vs 12, Mortar is decisively the brighter choice.
A 7-point LRV gap (45 vs 38) makes Saybrook Sage the marginally brighter of the two.
Mortar reads slightly lighter (LRV 38 vs 31), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Mortar reflects far more light (LRV 38 vs 7), opening up a space where Pine Needle encloses it.