Thunderstruck vs Carriage Stone
Thunderstruck (PPG) and Carriage Stone (Sherwin-Williams) come from different manufacturers. These are both greige-greys, so the question isn't which hue to choose — it's where within greige-grey to land. Their light reflectance values are nearly the same — 17 vs 18 — so neither will read significantly brighter or darker than the other. A ΔE of 0.8 puts them in subtle territory — distinguishable in direct comparison, less so from across a room. Below you'll find 10 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Thunderstruck vs Carriage Stone in Real Spaces
10 real rooms side by side. Thunderstruck and Carriage Stone are close enough that the difference can be hard to judge from a chip alone — these photos show how each reads at scale, across different spaces and lighting conditions.
Living Room
A living room wall sees more varied light than almost any other surface in the house, which makes the choice between these two more nuanced than a chip suggests. At this scale the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side, as shown here, to reliably tell them apart.
Bedroom
Bedrooms are typically lit with warmer, lower light than the rest of the house — a condition that flatters warm tones and deepens cool ones. In photos like these you're seeing the difference at its most direct. In a finished room, the distinction is there but not dramatic.
Kitchen
Kitchens often have the harshest, most revealing light in the house — under-cabinet LEDs and overhead fixtures that strip away subtlety. In photos like these you're seeing the difference at its most direct. In a finished room, the distinction is there but not dramatic.
Dining Room
Dining rooms often rely on warm incandescent or candlelight, which flatters warm undertones and mutes cool ones. The two are close enough that the choice comes down to finer qualities — undertone, texture, what the color sits next to.
Bathroom
Small bathrooms intensify color. A shade that seems quiet in a larger room can feel immersive when you're surrounded by it on four walls. In photos like these you're seeing the difference at its most direct. In a finished room, the distinction is there but not dramatic.
Home Office
Home office walls matter more than most — you're looking at them all day, and a color that reads fine at first can become tiring over time. In photos like these you're seeing the difference at its most direct. In a finished room, the distinction is there but not dramatic.
Mudroom
In a hardworking space like a mudroom, the depth and warmth of a color reads differently than in a quieter room. The two are close enough that the choice comes down to finer qualities — undertone, texture, what the color sits next to.
Patio
Exterior colors look different in open light — both tend to read lighter outside than on an interior swatch, and shadows read more strongly. The two are close enough that the choice comes down to finer qualities — undertone, texture, what the color sits next to.
House
A full exterior is the most demanding test for a paint color — scale and outdoor light both amplify differences that seem small on a swatch. In photos like these you're seeing the difference at its most direct. In a finished room, the distinction is there but not dramatic.
Front Door
On a front door, the color is both the first and last thing you see — a context where even a modest tonal difference reads clearly. At this scale the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side, as shown here, to reliably tell them apart.
Color Details
Thunderstruck vs Carriage Stone Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Thunderstruck on one side and Carriage Stone 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 Thunderstruck comparisons
See how Thunderstruck stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 69 vs 17, Ammonite is decisively the brighter choice.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 17), opening up a space where Thunderstruck encloses it.
Thunderstruck reads slightly lighter (LRV 17 vs 6), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 52 vs 17, Purbeck Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 30 vs 17, Evergreen Fog is decisively the brighter choice.
Mizzle reflects far more light (LRV 52 vs 17), opening up a space where Thunderstruck encloses it.
At LRV 60 vs 17, Agreeable Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
Accessible Beige reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 17), opening up a space where Thunderstruck encloses it.
Denim Drift reads slightly lighter (LRV 27 vs 17), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 43 vs 17, French Gray is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 17 vs 4, Thunderstruck is decisively the brighter choice.
Tranquil Dawn reflects far more light (LRV 55 vs 17), opening up a space where Thunderstruck encloses it.
Thunderstruck reads slightly lighter (LRV 17 vs 13), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Hardwick White reflects far more light (LRV 44 vs 17), opening up a space where Thunderstruck encloses it.
At LRV 84 vs 17, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
A 4-point LRV gap (21 vs 17) makes Artichoke the marginally brighter of the two.
Balboa Mist reflects far more light (LRV 66 vs 17), opening up a space where Thunderstruck encloses it.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 17), opening up a space where Thunderstruck encloses it.
Snowbound reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 17), opening up a space where Thunderstruck encloses it.
At LRV 51 vs 17, Pigeon is decisively the brighter choice.
Thunderstruck reads slightly lighter (LRV 17 vs 12), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Thunderstruck reads slightly lighter (LRV 17 vs 8), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Skimming Stone reflects far more light (LRV 68 vs 17), opening up a space where Thunderstruck encloses it.
At LRV 41 vs 17, Dix Blue is decisively the brighter choice.
Thunderstruck reads slightly lighter (LRV 17 vs 12), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Saybrook Sage reflects far more light (LRV 45 vs 17), opening up a space where Thunderstruck encloses it.
At LRV 31 vs 17, Pale Green is decisively the brighter choice.