Cay vs Dover Surf
Cay (Sherwin-Williams) and Dover Surf (Valspar) come from different manufacturers. Both sit in the blue family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. The 5-point LRV gap — 58 for Cay vs 53 for Dover Surf — means Cay will open up a space more effectively. ΔE 8.2 means they're clearly different, but not dramatically so — they'd pair well in the same room. Below you'll find 2 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Cay vs Dover Surf in Real Spaces
2 real rooms side by side. Cay and Dover Surf 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. Cay reads slightly lighter here — a subtle but real difference in how open the space feels.
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. Cay has the edge in reflectance, which shows as a quiet sense of added space rather than an obvious contrast.
Color Details
Cay vs Dover Surf Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Cay on one side and Dover Surf 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 Cay comparisons
See how Cay stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 58), opening up a space where Cay encloses it.
A 6-point LRV gap (58 vs 52) makes Cay the marginally brighter of the two.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 60 vs 58), so neither reads brighter in a room.
With LRVs of 58 and 58, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Cay reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 27), opening up a space where Denim Drift encloses it.
Cay reads slightly lighter (LRV 58 vs 55), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Cay reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 44), opening up a space where Hardwick White encloses it.
At LRV 84 vs 58, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
Balboa Mist reads slightly lighter (LRV 66 vs 58), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Shoji White reflects far more light (LRV 74 vs 58), opening up a space where Cay encloses it.
Cay reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
Skimming Stone reads slightly lighter (LRV 68 vs 58), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Cay reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
Cay reflects far more light (LRV 58 vs 45), opening up a space where Saybrook Sage encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 31, Cay is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 58 vs 24, Cay is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 58 vs 57), so neither reads brighter in a room.