Mercurial vs Salty Dog
Both from Sherwin-Williams's palette. Hue-wise, Mercurial belongs to the greige-grey family and Salty Dog to the blue family. Mercurial (LRV 61) reflects noticeably more light than Salty Dog (LRV 5), a difference of 56 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. Mercurial runs warm while Salty Dog is decidedly cool, which means they'll respond very differently to warm vs cool light sources. With a ΔE of 60.3, 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 1 real-room photo comparison where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Mercurial vs Salty Dog in Real Spaces
1 real room side by side. Seeing Mercurial and Salty Dog in actual rooms makes the difference concrete; browse the spaces below to get a feel for how each color lives on a wall.
Kitchen Cabinets
Kitchen cabinets are constantly compared against adjacent materials, which means subtle differences between these two become much more visible. Mercurial reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Salty Dog.
Color Details
Mercurial vs Salty Dog Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Mercurial on one side and Salty Dog 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 Mercurial comparisons
See how Mercurial stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
