Sherwin-Williams Tony Taupe SW 7038 outside: LRV 37.2, siding, brick, roofs and the taupes next to it

Sherwin-Williams Tony Taupe (SW 7038) is a warm, medium beige-taupe. Sherwin-Williams publishes an LRV of 37.198, an RGB of 177, 162, 144 (hex #B1A290), rates it for interior and exterior use and files it in its Neutral family, at 249-C3 on its color strip. On a house it works as a body color on lap siding, board and batten, fiber cement or stucco, with off-white trim and a dark door, and it sits comfortably with brown shingle roofs and red brick. It is too dark for ordinary paint on vinyl siding: Sherwin-Williams' data sheets set the limit at an LRV of 56 unless you use its VinylSafe colors, and Tony Taupe is not one of them.

Color values below come from Sherwin-Williams' and Benjamin Moore's own color pages and data. Color differences between look-alikes, and the roof and brick pairings, are our own reasoning from those numbers, labeled as such.

Tony Taupe at a glance: the numbers Sherwin-Williams publishes

These values come from the color's page (Sherwin-Williams, SW 7038 Tony Taupe) and Sherwin-Williams' public color data, which matches it. Some other sites list a different LRV: use the maker's figure. Hex and RGB are an approximate digital rendering, not a tinting formula.

That collection tag is a label in the data, with no ranking attached. Tony Taupe is not among the six swatches on Sherwin-Williams' exterior colors page, where the neutrals are Agreeable Gray, Accessible Beige and Urbane Bronze.

SW 7038 or HGSW 7038? The Lowe's version

Search for this color and you will also find Tony Taupe HGSW 7038, from HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams. It exists: the HGTV Home color page gives the same RGB and hex, an LRV rounded to 37.0, says the color is sold only at Lowe's, and notes that it was previously called Gristmill Greige, HGSW 2485. Two things are worth knowing before you buy:

• Same color data, different product range. Lowe's lists its HGTV Home exterior paint under lines such as Weathershield and Everlast. The data sheets quoted later in this guide cover Sherwin-Williams store products, not those cans, so read the label for temperatures, coverage and vinyl limits.
• The undertone field contradicts itself. HGTV Home's data field says "Cool", while the Lowe's version of the page describes "a medium beige with earthy, warm undertones". The Lab values support warm.

What an LRV of 37 means on a house

Light Reflectance Value runs from 0 (black) to 100 (a perfect white). At 37.2, Tony Taupe reflects a bit more than a third of the light that reaches it: a true mid-tone, lighter than a dark body such as Urbane Bronze (8.12), darker than Accessible Beige (57.67). Our guide to reading LRV explains the scale.

That middle position has two practical effects. First, it is a neutral that still counts as dark for some building products: Simpson Door says any paint under an LRV of 55 is a dark color for its exterior doors, and ASTM's standard on heat buildup in PVC building products (D4803) links darker colors to more absorbed energy and possible distortion. Second, trim shows without shouting: Alabaster sits 45 points above it and Aesthetic White 36, against 67 between Alabaster and a dark body like Slate Tile.

Taupe, beige or greige? Reading the undertone

The name says taupe, but the numbers lean beige. In RGB, red (177) leads blue (144) by 33 points. In Lab, b +11.33 is a clear yellow lean and a +2.44 a small red one. For comparison, Mega Greige has b +8.18 and Perfect Greige b +7.71 at similar depth: both are grayer. Tony Taupe is the warmer, tanner color, which is why it can turn yellowish in low-angle sun and why it suits warm roofs and brick. If you want a taupe with no golden side, it is the wrong pick.

What to expect outdoors, as a matter of color logic rather than measurement:

• North-facing wall or overcast sky. Flatter and grayer, closer to a greige.
• Full sun, especially late in the day. Lighter and more golden than the chip.
• Next to red brick. The saturated masonry pushes it toward a cooler, stonier beige.
• Next to lawn and evergreens. The warmth comes forward, and it looks like an earth tone.

Strip 249: Tony Taupe and its light-to-dark ladder

Tony Taupe sits third on Sherwin-Williams strip 249, a tidy ladder of warm neutrals with a similar yellow lean. That makes it the easiest place to build a scheme. Values from Sherwin-Williams' color data, all rated for exterior use:

A ready-made scheme: Accessible Beige on the gables, Tony Taupe on the body, Van Dyke Brown on the door, and a warm white from outside the strip on the trim.

Tony Taupe vs Mega Greige, Stone Lion and other look-alikes

The first five below come from the list of similar colors in Sherwin-Williams' data; the others are neighbors and a name look-alike. LRVs come from Sherwin-Williams; the color difference (ΔE2000) is our calculation from its published Lab values. A value under about 2 is hard to tell apart on a wall; above 5 is clearly a different color.

If a sample of Tony Taupe looks too yellow on your wall, Mega Greige is the direct step away, at the same depth. Our taupe paint colors guide covers the family across brands.

Benjamin Moore colors near Tony Taupe

There is no official cross-brand equivalent. These are the closest by our calculation from the LRV and screen color published on Benjamin Moore's pages.

Treat all three as starting points for a painted sample, and confirm the color can be tinted in the exterior line you choose.

Tony Taupe with your roof

A roof is the one color you usually cannot change, so start there. The notes below are our color reasoning, not a manufacturer's rule. GAF's Timberline HDZ range, used here for names, includes Weathered Wood, Barkwood, Shakewood, Charcoal and Pewter Gray. Hold your sample board against the actual roof.

Tony Taupe with brick and stone

• Red or orange brick, unpainted. A low-saturation beige lets the brick stay the star. Choose the trim from the mortar joint: a light mortar takes Aesthetic White well, a darker one a deeper off-white. Siding and brick color combinations shows more pairs.
• Tan or buff brick. The two are close in hue and can blur into one flat tone. Put a sample against the wall first; if it looks muddy, change depth by going to Accessible Beige or Virtual Taupe.
• Brown brick and warm stone veneer. A natural match. Make sure the stone's dominant color is warm: a blue-gray ledgestone can make Tony Taupe look pink.
• Painting the brick itself. Think twice. The Brick Industry Association's Technical Note 6 (2024) warns that paint can be very hard to remove without damage, that acrylic latex is typically semi-permeable to water vapor and creates a recurring maintenance task, and that mortar's alkalinity calls for an alkaline-resistant primer or a paint made for masonry. Our paint or keep the brick guide walks through the decision.

Tony Taupe as a siding color: wood, fiber cement, stucco

• Lap siding and board and batten. The horizontal or vertical shadow lines add depth to a color that can look plain on a smooth wall. See our board and batten painting guide.
• Cedar and redwood. The Duration data sheet warns that tannin in these woods may stain the first coat, a second coat evens it out, and persistent stains need a spot of exterior oil-based wood primer.
• Fiber cement. Duration lists cement composition siding among its surfaces. New boards can also come with a factory finish: James Hardie's national catalog shows Hardie Plank in a color it calls Monterey Taupe, and its ColorPlus article describes a baked finish with a 15-year prorated limited warranty. That is James Hardie's own color, not an official match for SW 7038.
• Stucco. Duration calls for a 30-day cure on new stucco, or 7 days plus Loxon Concrete & Masonry Primer if you cannot wait, and any surface above pH 9 must be primed with a high pH-resistant coating.

Tony Taupe on vinyl siding: the LRV 56 rule

Vinyl expands as it heats, and a dark coat makes it hotter than its factory color. The Duration, Emerald Exterior and SnapDry data sheets all say the same thing: do not paint vinyl a color darker than the original, or with an LRV below 56, unless you use VinylSafe colors, because the vinyl may warp. At 37.2, Tony Taupe is well under the limit, and it is not in the VinylSafe palette, a separate collection coded SWVS that Sherwin-Williams presents as 100 colors formulated to resist warping on sound, stable vinyl.

You have two routes. Stay above 56 and no darker than the current siding: on the same strip that means Accessible Beige (57.67), or Worldly Gray (57.24) for something grayer. Or pick from VinylSafe, whose warm neutrals include Distinct Taupe (SWVS 308), Mushroom Cap (SWVS 325), Crazed Beige (SWVS 327) and Neutrality (SWVS 335). They are different colors, so compare samples. Our VinylSafe guide goes through the palette.

Trim, door and accent colors with a Tony Taupe body

As a door on a white house, Tony Taupe is a quiet choice; a dark door gives more contrast. Our Sherwin-Williams front door colors guide compares the options.

Which Sherwin-Williams product, and when to paint

Figures from the product data sheets:

Duration should not be applied if air or surface temperatures may fall below 35°F within 48 hours, or if rain or snow is expected within 2 to 3 hours, and its data sheet says to avoid direct sun. That leaves room for a late-fall siding job on a dry, mild week; the door and trim enamels need 50°F. More detail: SuperPaint vs Emerald, the Duration Exterior guide and the SnapDry vs Emerald Urethane comparison.

If the house was built before 1978, assume the old paint may contain lead. Under the EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting Program, paid contractors who disturb paint in pre-1978 homes must be certified and work lead-safe; homeowners doing their own work are generally exempt, but the precautions still protect your family.

How much Tony Taupe do you need?

Our arithmetic from the coverage figures above. The Duration data sheet asks for 2 coats on new, bare substrates and 1 coat for a repaint; plan on 2 for a real color change.

• Body of a two-story house, two coats. Take 2,000 sq ft of siding after subtracting windows and doors. Two coats make 4,000 sq ft; at 250 to 300 sq ft per gallon that is about 13 to 16 gallons: three 5-gallon buckets, plus a spare gallon for rough siding.
• Same house, one repaint coat. About 7 to 8 gallons, if the current color is close and the surface is sound.

Going from a dark color to Tony Taupe, or from white, counts as a drastic change: the SnapDry and Emerald Urethane data sheets note that a coat of primer then improves the hiding of the topcoat.

How to test Tony Taupe before you commit

1. Paint two coats on a 2 by 2 ft board, not a chip.
2. View it on each side of the house, morning, noon and evening, and on an overcast day, with your trim, roof and any brick in the same view.
3. Put Mega Greige and Balanced Beige beside it to see whether you want grayer or lighter.
4. Try it on a photo of your own house before buying a single gallon.

For the wider Sherwin-Williams exterior range, start with our Sherwin-Williams exterior paint guide.

Sources and references

• Sherwin-Williams, SW 7038 Tony Taupe: LRV, RGB, family, strip, use, coordinating colors.
• Sherwin-Williams, exterior paint colors: featured colors.
• Sherwin-Williams, VinylSafe colors for vinyl siding: the palette and its warm neutrals.
• Sherwin-Williams, product data sheets for Duration Exterior, Emerald Exterior Gloss, SnapDry Semi-Gloss and Emerald Urethane Trim Enamel Semi-Gloss: vinyl rule, temperatures, recoat, coverage, preparation.
• HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams, Tony Taupe HGSW 7038 and its Lowe's version: LRV, RGB, former name, availability.
• Lowe's, HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams exterior paint: product lines sold under that name.
• Benjamin Moore, color pages for Cotswold AF-150, Quietude CSP-230 and Indian River 985: LRV, screen color and descriptions.
• Brick Industry Association, Technical Note 6, Changing the Appearance of Brick Masonry: painted brick.
• GAF, Timberline HDZ shingles and colors: shingle color names.
• James Hardie, national product catalog and ColorPlus Technology article: Monterey Taupe, baked finish, finish warranty.
• ASTM International, D4803, Standard Test Methods for Predicting Heat Buildup in PVC Building Products: heat buildup of darker colors.
• Simpson Door Company, Paint it black: LRV under 55 defines a dark door color.
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Program: pre-1978 homes and certified contractors.