Waxed Khaki vs Naval
Where Waxed Khaki belongs to Dulux's range, Naval is a Sherwin-Williams color. Hue-wise, Waxed Khaki belongs to the grey family and Naval to the blue family. Waxed Khaki (LRV 24) reflects noticeably more light than Naval (LRV 4), a difference of 20 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Waxed Khaki runs neutral while Naval is decidedly cool, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 32.0, 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 6 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Waxed Khaki vs Naval in Real Spaces
6 real rooms side by side. Seeing Waxed Khaki and Naval 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 Waxed Khaki will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Naval 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. Waxed Khaki reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Naval.
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. Waxed Khaki 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. Waxed Khaki reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Naval.
Home Office
The test for a home office color isn't how it looks in a quick glance — it's whether it still feels right after a full day of work. Waxed Khaki reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Naval.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Waxed Khaki reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Naval.
Color Details
Waxed Khaki vs Naval Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Waxed Khaki on one side and Naval 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 Waxed Khaki comparisons
See how Waxed Khaki stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
