Covaplus is Johnstone’s’ trade vinyl matt. You can buy it in 1, 2.5, 5 or 10 litre tubs. Covaplus is available in white, or any colour from Johnstone’s’ vast range. Recoat in 2 – 4 hours depending on conditions and suitable for bare plaster when heavily diluted. Click here to see online prices.
Performance and Overall Finish of Johnstone’s Covaplus
The opacity of Johnstone’s Covaplus is absolutely bang on. You can often get away with two coats on bare plaster or a big colour change. The finish is very flat and chalky, much flatter that some of its rivals.
You can encounter blemishes such as picture framing and flashing if you’re not careful. This never used to be the case, but Johnstone’s have messed around with the formula in recent years. Another flaw to mention is this paint will not touch up. So, if you paint a room, then scuff one wall moving furniture around, you need to paint the whole wall again, rather than just the scuff.
That’s not to say Johnstone’s Covaplus isn’t a good product, because it is. It’s easy to use and the finish is great. I’d say it is better than its Dulux Trade and Crown Trade counterparts, but not as good as something like Tikkurila vinyl matt.
Is Covaplus Value for Money?
A 5L tin of tinted Covaplus will normally set you back around £35 plus VAT. To put that into perspective, the same amount of vinyl matt in Dulux will cost you £45 and Johnstone’s Covaplus is a lot better than Dulux Vinyl matt!! So yes, I’d say Covaplus is very good value for money. Crown Trade vinyl matt is a little bit cheaper, but that product is more like a contract matt and I would personally avoid it.
Best Place to buy Johnstone’s Covaplus
Johnstone’s Covaplus is a trade quality product which is a lot better than its retail counterpart. With that in mind, you need to go to a trade outlet. If you need guidance on products or colour choice, you should go to a Johnstone’s Trade Centre. Their staff are well trained and know each product intimately.
However, unless you’re entitled to a trade discount, it will almost certainly be cheaper for you to buy Johnstone’s Covaplus Online. Plus, by buying online, they can match any colour from any other brand. The best websites we have found are the Paint Shed Click here to visit The Paint Shed and Decorating Centre Online, click here to visit Decorating Centre Online.
Summary
Johnstone’s Covaplus Vinyl Matt Review - Decorator's forum UK
A trade quality vinyl matt emulsion used on interior walls and ceilings.
Product Brand: Johnstone's Trade
4.3
Pros
- Great opacity.
- Good flow.
- Nice finish.
- Great colour matching.
- Fantastic value.
Cons
- You can encounter flashing.
Johnstone’s Trade Perfect Matt
I thought I’d mention this product briefly, as it gives you an alternative to Johnstone’s Covaplus. Perfect Matt is Johnstone’s’ premium emulsion. It is much more expensive than Covaplus, but comes with more durability, and a much nicer finish.
This is a very low-sheen matt emulsion. The overall effect is, well, close to perfect. It knocks all vinyl matt emulsion products out of the park. That said, Johnstone’s Perfect Matt is in the same price bracket as some of the heavy hitters, a few of which perform better. I love Johnstone’s Trade Perfect Matt. I use a lot of premium emulsion paints, and this is one of my favourites. It is expensive though. Click here to see online prices.
FAQs
Is Johnstone’s Covaplus wipeable?
You can give it a quick wipe over with a cloth, but it isn’t durable enough to clean it properly. You could always opt for Johnstone’s Acrylic Durable Matt if you’re decorating a high-traffic area, or you have kids, pets etc.
Can you use Covaplus on wood?
You can use Covaplus on wood, but it isn’t very durable compared to specialist wood paints. It might not hold up very well on doors and windows. It will probably start to look grubby quite quickly too. Perhaps opt for Johnstone’s Acrylic durable Matt if you are colour drenching, or Johnstone’s Aqua Guard if you are looking for a proper woodwork paint.
How long does it take for Covaplus vinyl Matt to dry?
Johnstone’s Covaplus is touch dry after an hour or two. You can recoat this paint after 3 or 4 hours. It takes roughly a month to fully cure.
What is the difference between acrylic and vinyl emulsion?
Acrylic and vinyl are two different types of polymers used in emulsion. Acrylic is more durable, but more expensive.
Do Johnstone’s paint colour match?
Johnstone’s have a very good reputation for being able to match colours from any other paint brand. They’re never 100% accurate, but they’re so close that you won’t notice a difference.
A Video Demo
A Quick Demo
Mike Cupit shows off the improvements made to Johnstone’s Covaplus.
What do other Decorators Think about Johnstone’s Covaplus?
I’ve been using Covaplus vinyl mat for 30 years! So much better than Dulux and Johnstone’s can match anyone else’s colours. No brainer for me.
Good gear! Covers well, doesn’t flash over the fillers I use, is a nice white, and is an acceptable matt finish. I use it all the time and never have any problems with it.
It’s also very good tinted and I rarely need 3 coats. The only issues I expect are the same ones you generally get with other brands regarding opacity in certain colours like yellow, deep blues, and some pinks?
Covaplus is just so much better value compared to Dulux (nothing new there) and its actually matt!!
Better than Armstead
Better than HMG
Better than Tikkurila
Better than Wickes
Better than Homebase
Better than Aldi semi Matt silk…….😜
Good stuff, I use it all the time and never have any problems with it. Johnstone’s covaplus does what it says on the tin, or is that Ronseal? My point is, Johnstone’s Covaplus is a good emulsion at a good price.
I always used to use Dulux and then I had a big job that needed a farrow and ball match which Dulux couldn’t do for me. I decided to try Covaplus. The match at Johnstone’s Decorating Centre was spot on. The paint all round a lot better that Dulux. The coverage is brilliant it goes on great. I don’t use anything else now.
I’m using it right now. Opacity is very good. Dries very flat for a vinyl Matt, more like a contract matt. But not a bad drop.
The opacity of Covaplus isn’t as good as it used to be. Sort of covers in 2 coats if you’re going over a similar colour but needs 3 for any real depth.
Coverplus is the best vinyl matt out there, better value than Dulux or Crown will ever be.
Johnstone’s covaplus vinyl matt is the best standard trade matt emulsion on the market. You get value for money; Johnstone’s can easily match colours from other brands and the finish is bang on. If you compare covaplus to the other two trade vinyl matt emulsions on the market (Crown and Dulux), it just blows them both away. This is the emulsion I use on 90% of my decorating jobs. I’d recommend it to anyone!!
WHOW
I am a Plumber by trade and recently have had some good work through, bathrooms and showers.
I have always been very good at Painting and of recent weeks my decorator introduced me to Johnston’s Paint, well what can I say OMG please please however small or big the job there is know price on the letter Q (Quality) brill would not use anything else and the Covaplus Top paint.
Just be aware if you use the Matt vinyl in a dark colour eg dark blue or purple it will mark very easily. I’ve just had a bedroom wall painted and after nearly 4 weeks if I rub against it it will leave a mark. Johnstone’s have given me an explanation for this and suggested I paint with another paint to stop it marking!! It’s a wall in bedroom which won’t be touched much but I will still have to pay for repainting. If I’d known that this was normal for this paint I wouldn’t have used it! The lighter colour in the room is fine
It’s not great tbh.. Never ends being a improvement when they state new and improved.. There was nothing wrong with the old stuff apart from the obvious legal requirements I imagine they had to overcome.It cracks on most caulks.. It cracks on pulp lining paper seems. It’s consistency is thin so splatters alot when rolling in camparison to most paints.
Its opacity is average and it is over priced imo when you look at what you can buy with better premium products like perfect matt & cleanable matt with a decent trade account setup.
Tikkurila vm would be my first choice if using a vinyl as this doesn’t have any of these problems mentioned just comes in daft 3L tins if needing a 5L.
Having said a this I’m Hoping the new version has dealt with all these issues accordingly
I have got covaplus vinyl Matt on my bathroom walls and when I have a shower it goes shiny and feels sticky ,is this normal ? ( when it dries , this disappears )
It isn’t durable enough for a bathroom, hence the issue. I’d give it a coat of Polyvine Decorators varnish to protect it.
I disagree with the review in that the opacity is poor. Ive purchased the paint for a large job these past 3 weeks. The colour is a few shades lighter than whats on the walls. After 2 coats the previous colour can still be seen!
Ive always used Dulux Trade but went off it because of the pic framing etc even with good quality rollers.
Cova has a nice matt finish but i wont be using Johnstones again. The paint was terrible in terms of lumps and muck in it which I have never got with any other brand.