Edgecomb Gray: Looking for the perfect greige paint color? Benjamin Moore Edgecomb Gray HC-173 is a fantastic warm light gray paint color that works well in any room of your home. See how it compares to other popular light gray paint colors like Balboa Mist, Revere Pewter, and Classic Gray.
EDGECOMB GRAY
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When we bought our house, all the walls were a dark khaki. It felt so dark and depressing! So we wasted little time painting the walls light gray paint colors. We wanted a warm, airy feeling to our house, so we chose warm light gray paint colors “greige” paint colors.
After painting our living room and dining room Balboa Mist, we were happy with the airy yet warm hues. Between living in a cold climate (Wisconsin) and the fact that we want our house to feel cozy, we gravitated towards warmer grays in lieu of cooler (blue-toned) gray paint colors.
*This post contains affiliate links at no cost to you. See my disclosure policy here.
Is Edgecomb Gray a warm gray?
Edgecomb Gray is a lovely warm gray paint that Benjamin Moore describes as “a go-to gray that’s timeless with a modern edge, this earthy, organic neutral is soft and stylish, creating a setting that feels distinctly personal.” That’s the kind of paint color I want in my home!
Is Edgecomb Gray a light gray?
Edgecomb Gray LRV= 63.88
Yes! Edgecomb Gray is a darker light gray. Its LRV (light reflectance value) is 63. The higher the LRV, the higher the percentage of light a paint color reflects. White paint colors often have LRVs in the 80s-90s. Conversely, popular navy blue paint colors have LRVs in the 10s!
But what about its undertones? I’ll share next on the best way to figure out a paint colors undertones!
BENJAMIN MOORE EDGECOMB GRAY UNDERTONES
Edgecomb Gray HC-173 is a nice airy yet warm gray paint color. Its tawny tone is the perfect tone between beige and gray. Like most grays, it has subtle undertones that you only notice upon close inspection.
The easiest way to see a paint color’s undertones is to get a paint sample and examine it in your own house and to compare it to similar paint colors. This way, you’ll have the best idea of what it looks like in your own home before actually painting!
I used to recommend going to your local paint store and buying a sample and getting a Dollar Store poster to paint on it–but I recently found a much easier way..
The easiest way to get paint samples (that are accurate with no mess)….SAMPLIZE!
Samplize will send you 12″x12″ paint samples that you peel and stick on your walls. At $5.99 a sample, it’s cheaper than my going to the paint store, buying samples, brushes, and poster boards. Plus, it’s way EASIER and LESS MESSY!
It requires no schlepping to the paint store, no washing paintbrushes, and no wondering if you painted enough (ensuring you have a true representation of the color…)
Reasons Why I Love Samplize:
- NO MESS or Clean-up
- Color correct–they are a true representation of the colors because they are made with two coats of paint.
- More affordable and time-friendly than buying samples/ making samples.
- Samplize samples will arrive at your doorstep within 1-3 days from the time you order them! and of course easier and way less messy
To understand a paint color’s undertones it is best to get several similar paint color samples and compare them–it will give you the most options and help you understand what undertones there are.
EDGECOMB GRAY HC-173 COMPARED
Benjamin Moore Edgecomb Gray HC-173
Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter
Benjamin Moore Gray Owl
Benjamin Moore Pale Oak
Benjamin Moore Balboa Mist
Benjamin Moore Classic Gray
Sherwin-Williams Agreeable Gray
EDGECOMB GRAY HC-173 VS. REVERE PEWTER
Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter and Benjamin Moore Edgecomb Gray (HC-173) are very similar greige paint colors; but, when you see the two paint colors next to one another you can see that Revere Pewter is much more saturated. There is significantly more brown in Revere Pewter.
You can see with BM Edgecomb Gray walls and BM Revere Pewter ceiling, and Simply White trim is a nice example where you can see both paint colors close to one another.
You can see below that the LRV values are significantly lower for Revere Pewter than Edgecomb Gray, which means that it is much darker color.
Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter LRV: 55
Benjamin Moore Edgecomb Gray LRV: 63
TOOLS TO PAINT A ROOM FAST
This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.
These tools have literally saved me DAYS of painting and cut my time painting by 66%! I only wish I knew about them and made the under $10 purchase before!
- Abrasive Hand Pad
- Use this instead of sandpaper. Using sandpaper will rub off too much of the varnish and the stain on your oak wood trim will permeate your newly painted white paint. We use these abrasive pads everywhere instead of sandpaper.
- Paint Pad–– save yourself HOURS by buying this under $10 painting tool!
- Paint Trim Guard
- You are going to want this if you have wall-to-wall carpeting or hardwood floors that you want to protect. I use it along with Painter’s Tape to ensure that I don’t have drips on my floor.
BENJAMIN MOORE GRAY OWL VS. BENJAMIN MOORE EDGECOMB GRAY
Benjamin Moore Gray Owl (see my complete review here) is one of Benjamin Moore’s most popular and best gray paint colors for good reason it is a lovely light gray paint color.
However, it is quite different than Edgecomb Gray (EG) with its undertones of blue. Edgecomb Gray is a much warmer light gray paint color than Gray Owl, and is more of greige paint color with much more beige in it.
Benjamin Moore Gray Owl LRV: 65.77
Benjamin Moore Edgecomb Gray LRV: 63
BENJAMIN MOORE EDGECOMB GRAY HC-173 VS. PALE OAK
Pale Oak is another warm light gray paint color that has a similar feeling as Edgecomb Gray. Next to one another, you can see that Pale Oak is a bit cooler and has more blue than HC-173, which is warmer.
Benjamin Moore Edgecomb Gray LRV: 63
Benjamin Moore Pale Oak LRV: 69.89
EDGECOMB GRAY VS. BALBOA MIST:
Comments: Similar to Pale Oak, Balboa Mist is a light gray paint color that while being a warm gray paint color, pales in comparison to the warmth of EG. Balboa Mist has more bluish undertones as you can see in the side-by-side paint chip comparison below.
As you can see below, Balboa Mist is slightly lighter than EG (67 LRV compared to 63.)
Benjamin Moore Edgecomb Gray LRV: 63
EDGECOMB GRAY VS. CLASSIC GRAY:
Both Classic Gray and HC-173 (shown below) are both wonderful light gray paint colors–two of my favorite paint colors and best gray paint colors.
Classic Gray is much less saturated than Edgecomb Gray and a much lighter paint color than Edgecomb Gray; but it lacks the brownish undertones which gives Edgecomb Gray its warmth and tawniness. We’ve used Classic Gray in our bedroom; but, have thought about using EG as well because it is such a lovely color!
BM HC-173 Edgecomb Gray LRV: 63
Benjamin Moore Classic Gray LRV: 74.78
BM EDGECOMB GRAY VS. SHERWIN-WILLIAMS AGREEABLE GRAY
Agreeable Gray, one of Sherwin-Williams most popular greige colors is shown side-by-side with HC-173, shows by contrast that Agreeable Gray has more purple and gray in it than HC-173 (EG).
Sherwin-Williams Agreeable Gray LRV: 60
BM HC-173 Edgecomb Gray LRV: 63
EDGECOMB GRAY IN REAL ROOMS
Want to see BM HC-173 in real rooms? See how prominent DIY and home decor bloggers have used it in their own homes below! You’ll see the color in a variety of lighting conditions and see if it’s the overall aesthetic you are looking for!
FOYERS AND ENTRYWAYS
KITCHENS
BM Edgecomb Gray HC-173 looks lovely in these kitchens and is very complementary with the white cabinets–or as a stand alone cabinet color!
LIVING ROOMS
Whether its for a living room, a family room, or an office–Benjamin Moore’s Edgecomb Gray is the perfect greige that warms up a space while maintaining an airy feeling!
BEDROOMS
With a slightly warm tint, Edgecomb Gray is the perfect greige master bedroom color that feels cozy and serene at the same time.
EXTERIORS
COLORS THAT GO WITH EDGECOMB GRAY
Want a paint palette that works with HC-173? These paint colors are very complementary of BM HC-173 and go in any type of house!
Second Row: Benjamin Moore Simply White / Boothbay Gray/ Pink Cadillac
Third row: Benjamin Moore Cushing Green/ Van Courtland Blue / Revere Pewter
Below, I’ve put together a custom whole house color palette that highlights my favorite paint colors and looks good with Edgecomb Gray! These fantastic paint colors are the best of the best and many are reviewed elsewhere on my site (click on the name to see the complete color analysis!)
- Benjamin Moore Hale Navy
- Benjamin Moore White Dove
- Benjamin Moore Kendall Charcoal
- Benjamin Moore Simply White
- Benjamin Moore Boothbay Gray
- Benjamin Moore Pink Cadillac (see my favorite light pink paint colors here)
- Benjamin Moore Cushing Green
- Benjamin Moore Van Courtland Blue (see my favorite blue gray paint colors here)
- Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter
HOW TO PICK OUT THE RIGHT GREIGE PAINT
Struggling to make the choice with paint colors? Afraid to make a mistake? I get it! I’ve been there and goodness knows, before I learned to pick out paint colors, I made lots of mistakes which led me to paint our old living room three times in the span of two months. See what changed and how I figured out the trick to picking out the perfect paint color!
BUT WAIT! BEFORE YOU GO, SAVE YOURSELF HOURS OF WORK!
This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.
These tools have literally saved me DAYS of painting and cut my time painting by 66%! I only wish I knew about them and made the under $10 purchase before!
- Abrasive Hand Pad
- Use this instead of sandpaper. Using sandpaper will rub off too much of the varnish and the stain on your oak wood trim will permeate your newly painted white paint. We use these abrasive pads everywhere instead of sandpaper.
- Paint Pad–– save yourself HOURS by buying this under $10 painting tool! I wish we had bought this sooner!
- Paint Trim Guard
- You are going to want this if you have wall-to-wall carpeting or hardwood floors that you want to protect. I use it along with Painter’s Tape to ensure that I don’t have drips on my floor.
FAQs on HC-173
Is Edgecomb gray beige or gray?
Edgecomb Gray in my opinion is a greige. A gray-beige. There is so much gray in it, I hesitate to call it a beige. If pressed, I would say it is more of a gray than a beige.
Is Edgecomb Gray lighter than Revere Pewter?
Yes, EG has an LRV (light reflectance value) of 63 which is higher than Revere Pewter’s LRV of 55. The higher the LRV the greater the amount of light a certain paint color reflects.
What does Edgecomb Gray look like?
he easiest way to see what HC-173 looks like in your house is to get a paint sample and put it on a variety of walls. However, you can get a pretty darn good idea of what it looks like in rooms by looking above at all the lovely painted rooms I shared.
Who makes Edgecomb Gray paint?
Benjamin Moore makes EG and you can purchase it at most Benjamin Moore paint stores as well as some Ace Hardware locations.
Can you color match HC-173?
While you can color match, I don’t recommend it (I’ve been burned too many times!) If you are going to color match, make sure you do a paint sample and compare it to the chip. Believe me, it’s a whole lot less work than painting all the wood trim in a room only to realize that it is too yellowish!
Is gray paint going out of style?
I don’t think gray paint colors will ever go out of style. They are classic. With that being said, I do see a general trend moving back to warmer paint colors (including warm gray paint colors) and a return of beige paints. See my trend predictions here: 2020 paint color trends.
I am loving Edgecomb grey. If this is going to painted in my living room what lighter, color would you pare with it for a small dark entrance and foyer? What whites for trim besides simply white?
Thanks,
Hi Annie! I am going to use Balboa Mist for the whole open concept area: kitchen, dining, and living room. I have two accent walls that I want to paint in a darker color and was wondering what you thought about the colors Chelsea Gray and Graystone. Have you used them? Do you think either would pair well with the Balboa Mist? I ordered samples from samplize.com and they are on my unfinished dry wall wall. I just can’t decide. Or maybe I shouldn’t go so dark with the accent colors. Any suggestions?
I just can’t see it… I have now bought sample paint for revere pewter, edgecomb gray and now classic gray and they all look beige to me. I do not see gray at all… HELP I just want to use one color throughout our new build mtn home. I want the walls to be a light gray but none of these seem gray to me.
I’m having the same dilemma. Which did you go with?
I just bought Agreeable Gray for a small 12×12 room (east window) and was just reading that sometimes it has a purple undertone in some light. Its so hard unless you paint a large sample! I wanted Edgecomb gray for my kitchen/hall and living room that abuts this room and probably should have gone with it in here too. Its not an open floor plan, lots of doors & frames. My question is are these two colors complimentary or is there another greige that coordinates nicely with Agreeable. Or a green/grey that coordinates? Right now my kitchen is green and I’m having a hard time changing it. Thanks!
Believe me Revere pewter is gray. Changes with the light from gray to greige to creamy
Help!
Our kitchen/living room/dining room is open concept. Windows are north facing. Looking out from the kitchen you see our raised marbled red brick fireplace (grays, blacks, reds, whites) with vaulted ceiling. The front of the fireplace is black. Our floor is 90’s beige’ish tile with gray grout. That’s not changing unfortunately. 🙂
We’re painting our oak cabinets BM White Dove. Our kitchen has a huge skylight. We were thinking of painting the ceiling all the way up with the White Dove versus Simply White. Or should we continue White Dove all the way up?
Edgecomb Gray on all other walls.
Second question is would it make sense to use White Dove on all the trim (baseboards, windowsill, garage door), fireplace mantle and ceiling or should we go with Simply White and just stick with White Dove on the kitchen cabinets?
Help pleeeeeease. Any suggestions are welcome!
Side note: We also have a built in oak buffet in our living room (near the fireplace) that I was thinking should be White Dove.
Thank you!