Hot Stone vs Rare Gray
Where Hot Stone belongs to PPG's range, Rare Gray is a Sherwin-Williams color. These are both greys, so the question isn't which hue to choose — it's where within grey to land. They have nearly identical light reflectance values (40 vs 38), so they'll read as similarly Medium in most lighting conditions. At ΔE 1.6, 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.
Hot Stone vs Rare Gray in Real Spaces
3 real rooms side by side. Hot Stone and Rare Gray 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.
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.
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. At this scale the difference is subtle — you'd need them side by side, as shown here, to reliably tell them apart.
Color Details
Hot Stone vs Rare Gray Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Hot Stone on one side and Rare Gray 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 Hot Stone comparisons
See how Hot Stone stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
At LRV 83 vs 40, White Dove is decisively the brighter choice.
Purbeck Stone reads slightly lighter (LRV 52 vs 40), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Hot Stone reads slightly lighter (LRV 40 vs 30), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Agreeable Gray reflects far more light (LRV 60 vs 40), opening up a space where Hot Stone encloses it.
At LRV 58 vs 40, Accessible Beige is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 40 vs 27, Hot Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
French Gray reads slightly lighter (LRV 43 vs 40), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
At LRV 55 vs 40, Tranquil Dawn is decisively the brighter choice.
A 4-point LRV gap (44 vs 40) makes Hardwick White the marginally brighter of the two.
Pure White reflects far more light (LRV 84 vs 40), opening up a space where Hot Stone encloses it.
At LRV 66 vs 40, Balboa Mist is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 74 vs 40, Shoji White is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 40 vs 12, Hot Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 40 vs 8, Hot Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 68 vs 40, Skimming Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 40 vs 12, Hot Stone is decisively the brighter choice.
A 5-point LRV gap (45 vs 40) makes Saybrook Sage the marginally brighter of the two.
Hot Stone reads slightly lighter (LRV 40 vs 31), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.