Sandstone vs RAL 840-3
Where Sandstone belongs to Cloverdale Paint's range, RAL 840-3 is a RAL Effect color. These are both greige-greys, so the question isn't which hue to choose — it's where within greige-grey to land. Sandstone (LRV 48) reflects noticeably more light than RAL 840-3 (LRV 46), a difference of 3 points that becomes especially apparent in rooms with limited natural light. At ΔE 2.7, these are close — the kind of difference that matters when choosing between them, but doesn't read strongly in a finished room. Below you'll find 3 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Sandstone vs RAL 840-3 in Real Spaces
3 real rooms side by side. Sandstone and RAL 840-3 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
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 two are close enough that the choice comes down to finer qualities — undertone, texture, what the color sits next to.
Kitchen
In a kitchen, colors are seen under bright task lighting that amplifies undertones — what reads neutral elsewhere can show its hand here. At this scale the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side, as shown here, to reliably tell them apart.
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. At this scale the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side, as shown here, to reliably tell them apart.
Color Details
Sandstone vs RAL 840-3 Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Sandstone on one side and RAL 840-3 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 Sandstone comparisons
See how Sandstone stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 48, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Purbeck Stone reads slightly lighter (LRV 52 vs 48), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Sandstone reflects far more light (LRV 48 vs 30), opening up a space where Evergreen Fog encloses it.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 48), opening up a space where Sandstone encloses it.
A 9-point LRV gap (58 vs 48) makes Accessible Beige the marginally brighter of the two.
At LRV 48 vs 27, Sandstone is decisively the brighter choice.
Sandstone reads slightly lighter (LRV 48 vs 43), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
A 7-point LRV gap (55 vs 48) makes Tranquil Dawn the marginally brighter of the two.
A 5-point LRV gap (48 vs 44) makes Sandstone the marginally brighter of the two.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 48), opening up a space where Sandstone encloses it.
At LRV 66 vs 48, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 48, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 48 vs 12, Sandstone is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 48 vs 8, Sandstone is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 48, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 48 vs 12, Sandstone is decisively the brighter choice.
Their light reflectance is nearly identical (LRV 48 vs 45), so neither reads brighter in a room.
Sandstone reflects far more light (LRV 48 vs 31), opening up a space where Pale Green encloses it.