Sherwin Williams Roycroft Pewter 2848: Paint Color Review
A dark charcoal gray for walls, exteriors, & more…
Whether you’re painting your exterior, kitchen cabinets, or even an accent wall, Roycroft Pewter is a popular dark gray for those wanting a color with a little more meat on its bones! This is why we’re taking a closer look at it today in its FIRST-EVER color review.
Nearly all the photos in my blog are from my Online Color Consulting clients, readers, and friends— because real homes deserve to be celebrated (dirty laundry and all!) While not magazine-perfect, they’re packed with ideas and proven color choices to help you create a home you’ll love.
WHAT TYPE OF COLOR IS SHERWIN WILLIAMS ROYCROFT PEWTER?
Roycroft Pewter is a dark gray (charcoal) paint color. But unlike some slightly more neutral grays, it has a pretty good dose of color (undertone) tucked inside, which we’ll get into shortly.
If you have north-facing light, you may find Roycroft looking a touch heavier and even cooler looking. However, with south-facing or western sun, it lifts up quite nicely and you just might notice its unique blend of undertones a little more!
North, East, South, West – Which Paint Color is the Best?
WHAT’S ITS LRV (DEPTH)?
Roycroft Pewter has an LRV of 12.83, making it a dark paint color—on the lighter side of dark, though, meaning it’s less likely to look blackish in a dark room.
Not sure what LRV is? It could save your paint-lovin’ life – read all about it HERE.
WHAT ARE ROYCROFT PEWTER’S UNDERTONES?
Well, if you’ve been drinkin’ the Ginger flavored Koolaid for a while (wink wink), you’ll know that EVERY gray paint color has undertones – and Roycroft has more than most. In fact, Roycroft Pewter has been called a ‘green.’ I find that to be a stretch of the imagination. Instead, it’s a dark gray with strong green-blue undertones, which it can swing WILDLY between depending on the exposure.
Sherwin Williams Cityscape / Roycroft Pewter / Earl Gray
WHAT’S THE BEST WHITE TRIM COLOR WITH ROYCROFT PEWTER?
When coordinating Roycroft Pewter with a white paint color, I’d suggest…
- Sherwin Williams Pure White
- Sherwin Williams Extra White
- Benjamin Moore Oxford White
The 4 Best White Paint Colors from Sherwin Williams
IS ROYCROFT PEWTER A GOOD EXTERIOR COLOR?
You bet your cute little booty it is – so long as it suits your exterior finishes (brick, stone, roof, etc).
Roycroft Pewter is quite similar to the popular Hardie-board color, Iron Gray. While it can look richer and darker in low light, if Roycroft gets a hit of the sun, it can look considerably lighter!
5 Tips for Choosing an Exterior Paint Color
Does Exposure REALLY MATTER When Picking Exterior Paint Colors?
IS IT GOOD FOR CABINETS?
Roycroft Pewter can be an awesome choice for kitchen cabinets, islands, or a bathroom vanity—as long as it complements the surrounding countertop and tile!
DOES ROYCROFT PEWTER WORK WITH CREAM TRIM & CABINETS
While it can coordinate with some cream trims and cabinets, the green-blue undertone can really bounce off the yellow undertone in cream, which isn’t everyone’s idea of a good time. If I consider a color this dark with my cream finishes, I’m more likely to lean on medium to dark greige.
DOES ROYCROFT PEWTER WORK WITH WOOD TRIMS OR CABINETS?
Whether you have wood flooring, furniture, cabinets, or trims, Roycroft Pewter is gorgeous wiht most wood finishes – dark and light. With dark-stained woods, it creates a moody vibe and can play wickedly off red-stained woods.
WHAT COLORS ARE SIMILAR TO ROYCROFT PEWTER?
Comparing similar shades is hands-down, the best way to find your best paint color. Here are a few alternatives to explore…
ROYCROFT PEWTER VS. SHERWIN WILLIAMS PEPPERCORN
This is an interesting comparison. Whereas Sherwin Williams Roycroft Pewter shifts its undertone allegiance between green and blue, Peppercorn throws a new undertone into the mix—purple.
Compare the two and see how Peppercorn’s flash of purple seems a bit more muted and grounded compared to the degree of color in Roycroft Pewter.
Sherwin Williams Peppercorn: IMAGES, Info, & More
As for depth, Peppercorn is approximately 25% darker than Roycroft Pewter (LRV 13), which has an LRV of 10. Depth-wise, Roycroft has more in common with the color above Peppercorn in the fan deck, Grizzle Gray, which we’re checking out next!
ROYCROFT PEWTER VS. SHERWIN WILLIAMS GRIZZLE GRAY
Okay, apples to apples, dust to dust (isn’t that how it goes)? Either way, these two colors are great comparables.
Grizzle Gray and Roycroft Pewter have LRVs of 13, so they’re both medium-dark colors. They also have a similar degree of gray. HOWEVER…
Compare the two and notice how Roycroft Pewter seems a bit cooler than Grizzle Gray. This is because Grizzle Gray is more committed to its green hue, whereas Roycroft Pewter has that blue mixed in.
Sherwin Williams Grizzle Gray: IMAGES, Info, & More
ROYCROFT PEWTER VS. SHERWIN WILLIAMS WEB GRAY
If you’re nervous about the green undertone in Roycroft Pewter but don’t want to swing WILDLY blue, check out Web Gray.
Web Gray is more balanced and centers on a blue undertone than Roycroft Pewter. While it can be a wink blue-green (in small amounts), it really just loves its blue hue!
As for depth, they have the exact same LRV of 13.
Sherwin Williams Web Gray: IMAGES, Info, & More
WHAT BENJAMIN MOORE COLORS ARE SIMILAR?
Color matching is hard. Let me rephrase that—it’s impossible. Every color has its particular nuances, and there will be no perfect match. You’ll see shifts in undertones, temperature, and depths, but you could check out…
- Benjamin Moore Gunmetal
- Benjamin Moore Rocky Coast
And if you’re thinking of color matching between brands (i.e., getting BM to make an SW paint color), you might want to read THIS first.
And lastly…
WHAT COLORS GO WITH ROYCROFT PEWTER?
Oh, Roy has a lot of friends in the color world; it just depends on whether they’re hanging out in the same room, on cabinets, in adjoining rooms, or what have you!
- Any number of warm off-whites
- I love Roycroft Pewter with soft, light greiges and taupes
- Roycroft Pewter loves to be accented with various shades of orange/rust
- Warm whites are great partners for trims and cabinets
- Medium and darker greiges can be neat in a palette with Roycroft Pewter
Not sure if Roycroft Pewter is right for you? Want a bit warmer or cooler? I’ve got more!
READ MORE
The Best Dark Gray Paint Colors
The Best Dark Greige & Taupe Paint Colors
The Best Paint Colors for Kitchen Islands
The Best Paint Colors for Bathroom Vanities
NEED ADVICE?
Check out my Online Paint Color Consulting – I’d love to help!
I’ve been taking your advice for quite some time, thank you for all your great info!
In the exterior pictures of Roycroft Pewter in this post, what is the trim color paired with it? The 3 whites listed to pair with Roycroft Pewter if painting your walls…does that apply to exterior as well? We are doing Roycroft Pewter on exterior and I was planning on Pure White. Thank you Kylie!
Hi Angela, Pure White woudl be LOVELY with Roycroft Pewter – absolutely!
We are going with this color for exterior. Wondering what color you used on garage doors? Thank you!
Hi Tana, I used BM Midnight Oil and I THINK I had it lightened by 25%, but it could have been 10%. It was a few years ago now :).
Hi! Do you think Roycroft Pewter would be a good choice for a basement family room that will primarily be used as a home theater? I’ve never gone so dark before but it seems like it could make movie-watching really pop — but I’m nervous it will be too dark. We are doing white trim and will have a carpet with both beige and gray tones. There are also a couple windows up along the ceiling, and the room is open to the stairway and an open area leading to several other rooms. I found the color in Sherwin-Williams historical collection for arts & crafts. We have a 1922 craftsman bungalow and are trying to keep some elements of period style so that one stood out to me when I was looking for darker colors.
Well, if you ask ME, it sounds amazing. There are some darker shades that can be really dense, but I find Roycroft Pewter moody, but still has some interesting undertones that show up 🙂
Hi! We’ve narrowed down our body color for our cabin to Roycroft Pewter but want a light-medium tan trim color instead of a white. Any suggestions? Thanks! Love your comparisons.