Steel Curtain vs Repose Gray
Where Steel Curtain belongs to PPG's range, Repose Gray is a Sherwin-Williams color. Steel Curtain reads as grey, while Repose Gray reads as greige-grey — two distinct hue families, not close cousins. Repose Gray (LRV 58) reflects noticeably more light than Steel Curtain (LRV 34), a difference of 24 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. With a ΔE of 16.3, 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 4 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Steel Curtain vs Repose Gray in Real Spaces
4 real rooms side by side. Seeing Steel Curtain and Repose 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 Repose Gray will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Steel Curtain 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. Repose Gray reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Steel Curtain.
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. Repose Gray reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Steel Curtain.
House
Seen across an entire facade, subtle tonal differences become pronounced. What reads as nearly the same on a chip often reads as clearly different at scale. Repose Gray reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Steel Curtain.
Color Details
Steel Curtain vs Repose Gray Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Steel Curtain on one side and Repose 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 Steel Curtain comparisons
See how Steel Curtain stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
