As a professional decorator, I use many different brands of paint. With that in mind, I thought I’d put a short comparison blog together of the mainstream vinyl matt emulsion products. This blog is opinion based, but you can take it as a very honest vinyl matt emulsion review and guide, so I hope it helps.
You may notice I only talk about trade paints in this review. Trade products are better quality than their retail counterparts. Never buy vinyl matt unless it has the word “trade” on the tin.
What is Vinyl Matt Emulsion
I thought it’d start by explaining exactly what vinyl matt is and when you’d use it.
Well, it’s a paint you might use to coat interior walls and ceilings. You can buy it in just about any colour from hundreds of different suppliers in the UK. There are quite a lot of brands nowadays, but the mainstream manufacturers are still Crown, Dulux, Johnstone’s, and perhaps Tikkurila.
Vinyl matt is fine in most rooms of your home, including a bedroom or a lounge, but you might opt for a more durable product for other rooms like a kitchen, bathroom, or a hallway.
Reviewing Different Brands of Vinyl Matt Emulsion
Right, I’m going to work my way through some of the different brands of vinyl matt emulsion paint you can buy in the UK. I’ll stick with the mainstream products, and link to an online merchant so you can buy it if you like (however these products are available from loads of other merchants). I’ll give each product a mark out of 5.
Dulux Trade Vinyl Matt Review
Dulux Trade vinyl matt is available online by clicking here,, or from many stockists in the UK. You can buy it in various sizes from tester posts, all the way up to 10L buckets. At roughly £16 per litre, it is one of the more expensive standard vinyl matt emulsion products on the market. You can get this vinyl matt in white, or tinted colours.
I’m just going to come out and say it; I don’t like this product. The ease of use and opacity are good, but you can encounter problems such as flashing and roller marks, which isn’t what you’d expect from a household brand such as Dulux.
There are other Dulux paint products that I love, but vinyl matt isn’t one of them. Although, it is good in Brilliant White. Full review here. I’ll give this paint a 2/5
Johnstone’s Covaplus Review
Covaplus is Johnstone’s version of vinyl matt. As with the Dulux and Crown alternatives, you can pick this paint up in just about any colour, and any size pot, from tester to 10L bucket. Available online by clicking here, or any Johnstone’s Decorating Centre.
Johnstone’s are very good at matching colours from other brands, which comes in very handy at times, especially when you want a Farrow and Ball colour at a cheaper price.
The opacity and ease of use of Covaplus is good for a vinyl matt. It leaves a flat, chalky finish which looks lovely. This used to be the best standard vinyl matt paints on the market, but they’ve fiddled with the formula in recent years, and it can, on occasion, flash. Full review here. I’d score Covaplus 4/5
Crown Trade Vinyl Matt Review
This is the cheapest vinyl matt emulsion on this list, and one that I like. Available online, or any Crown Decorating Centre. The opacity is fantastic, ease of use is ok, however it can drag slightly. The finish is good; very flat and chalky.
The only gripe I have with Crown Trade vinyl matt is it doesn’t contain much polymer binder. This means it marks very easily. Definitely no good for high-traffic areas. You could always paint over your walls afterwards with Polyvine Decorators Varnish to help prolong the life. 3/5
Armstead Trade Vinyl Matt Review
Another one of the cheaper options, Armstead vinyl matt is manufactured by the same company who make Dulux. Available online, or any Dulux Decorator Centre. You used to have the option to get a Dulux colour mixed up into Armstead vinyl matt, but they stopped offering this for some reason, which is a real shame.
I know it’s only personal choice, but I love Armstead vinyl matt. Opacity in pale colours is lacking a little, but that is my only negative. Ease of use is good, as is overall finish. Armstead vinyl matt is an all-round good quality product.
4/5
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