Kendall Charcoal vs Gauntlet Gray: Depth, Materials and the Better Fit

Kendall Charcoal and Gauntlet Gray: the documented difference

Kendall Charcoal has an LRV of 14.61; Sherwin-Williams Gauntlet Gray SW-7019 is 17. The difference is 2.39 points, with Gauntlet Gray returning more light under the reference measurement. Choose by the material relationship as well as the number. Kendall Charcoal is a deep gray that can provide a strong cabinet outline beside white stone. Gauntlet Gray is a deep warm gray with greige undertones.

The choice beside white counters and oak floorboards

The counter overhang creates a more demanding view than the showroom wall, so that position should inform the depth decision.

Set up both candidates with white counters and oak floorboards. Use equal-sized boards with the intended finishes and place them in the same orientation. Do not put one directly beside a window and leave the other in shadow. A difference that follows the position rather than the board is a lighting observation, not evidence that the formula changed.

What the comparison can—and cannot—settle

For a second point of reference, Peppercorn is recorded at LRV 10.

Approve a sample below the worktop overhang; a showroom chip can understate the final shadow. Assess Kendall Charcoal and Gauntlet Gray alone as well as side by side. The unchosen board will not remain in the finished room, and a preference created only by that neighbor may not survive its removal. Before ordering samples, compare room-planning features in the paint color visualizer roundup.