Steel Curtain vs Still Water
Where Steel Curtain belongs to PPG's range, Still Water is a Sherwin-Williams color. Hue-wise, Steel Curtain belongs to the grey family and Still Water to the blue-grey family. Steel Curtain (LRV 34) reflects noticeably more light than Still Water (LRV 10), a difference of 24 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. With a ΔE of 27.9, 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.
Steel Curtain vs Still Water in Real Spaces
6 real rooms side by side. Seeing Steel Curtain and Still Water 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 Steel Curtain will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Still Water 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. Steel Curtain reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Still Water.
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. Steel Curtain reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Still Water.
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. Steel Curtain reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Still Water.
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. Steel Curtain reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Still Water.
Front Door
A front door is a focal point — small color differences read clearly at this concentrated scale. The LRV gap is large enough that Steel Curtain will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Still Water would.
Color Details
Steel Curtain vs Still Water Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Steel Curtain on one side and Still Water 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.
