Johnstone’s Trade UltraLast Matt Review

Johnstone’s Trade UltraLast Matt is a durable matt emulsion used to coat interior walls and ceilings. Touch dry in around 2 hours, and recoat after 4 hours, this paint is available in any colour from the vast range at Johnstone’s Trade. You can only buy it in 5L or 10L tins.

I’m a Painter and Decorator, and I’ve been using this paint for the past couple of weeks now. Tt’s quite an interesting product, and seems to have gone under the radar. I thought it might be useful if I sat down and wrote a quick Johnstone’s Trade UltraLast Matt review based on my own experience.

UltraLast isn’t as widely available as most of the other products manufactured by Johnstone’s Trade. You can always buy it direct from Johnstone’s Decorating Centre, or there are a few online stockists you can order it from.

My Interpretation of Johnstone’s Trade UltraLast Matt

I used to know someone who worked for Johnstone’s Paint. I can remember him telling me years ago, “it’s easy to make a good paint, and it’s easy to make an affordable paint, but the trick is to make a paint that is affordable and good”. It’s my interpretation that Johnstone’s make the best paint they can to fit a certain budget.

Johnstone’s Trade Covaplus is regarded as one of the best standard vinyl matt emulsion paints on the market. It’s fine for use on most jobs, but Johnstone’s then made a premium version called ‘Perfect Matt’, which is more expensive than Covaplus, but is a massive step up, and even outperforms most of the designer paints I’ve used.

Johnstone’s Trade Acrylic Durable Matt is regarded as a good standard durable emulsion; great for high-traffic areas like hallways or challenging environments like inside kitchens.

Think of UltraLast Matt as the premium version of Johnstone’s Trade Acrylic Durable Matt. You can use it in kitchens, hallways, utility rooms, it can be wiped down, and it has been developed to perform as well as it possibly can.

My Johnstone’s Trade UltraLast Matt Review

The first thing to say is that there is a little bit of a smell to this paint. Johnstone’s describe it as “low emissions”, but you will notice what I mean if you apply it in a confined space. It isn’t massively unpleasant, but it is there. The paint is low in VOC, so it can’t be harmful in any way.

The overall finish you’re left with is lovely; you can tell you’ve used a premium product when you step back and admire your work. You don’t see any of the defects like you can with cheaper paints.

You’d expect Johnstone’s Trade UltraLast to be an ultra-low sheen paint with a chalky looking finish. It isn’t though; I’d say it has a 5 or 6% sheen, which is standard for a matt emulsion.

One of the main benefits of UltraLast is that you can touch this paint up (I’ve tried it, and it works). According to another Decorator, you can go back to a room weeks or months after you’ve finished and touch up, which is a great safety net. It’s scuff resistant anyway, but carpet fitters can still damage paintwork if they’re not careful.

Final Thoughts

Johnstone’s Trade products can get a little confusing. They now have three different durable matt paints available-

Acrylic Durable – Their standard trade durable matt.

Cleanable – This paint contains more polymer, making it more durable.

And now UltraLast – Their most premium option.

As a Decorator, I know about a wide range of products, but I can imagine a homeowner walking into to Johnstone’s Decorating Centre asking for a durable emulsion, might feel a little overwhelmed.

All three Johnstone’s Trade durable matt paints are good quality, and I can’t see you having issues with any of them. Beyond that, just choose the one that best suits your needs. If you don’t mind paying a little bit more money and you want the best quality available, then you should opt for UltraLast. It’s worth every penny!

Review Summary