Valspar Trade Vinyl Matt Review

I was recently asked to review the reformulated Valspar Trade Vinyl Matt for the Decorators’ Forum UK. I’m a self-employed decorator with 15 years’ experience, so you will not be surprised to hear that I have used a fair amount of vinyl matt in my time. I was interested to see how the new Valspar Trade product would measure up against the brands I usually use because I rarely use Valspar and had certainly never tried the new Trade formula before. I hope you find my review helpful.

For those who do not know, Valspar is an American paint brand available through B&Q in the UK. As someone who does not use the brand often, I find the range a little confusing in-store. There is regular Valspar, Valspar Express Coat, Valspar Simplicity, Valspar Premium, and Valspar Trade. Some of these ranges are targeted more towards the retail consumer than the professional decorator, but if you do not know what you are looking for, there is a lot to get your head around.

My comments and thoughts in this review are based purely on the Valspar Trade product. I am writing this after using the new Vinyl Matt for the first couple of times, so these are really only my initial impressions.

I bought a tin of Pure Brilliant White to give it a try. I had a ceiling to paint in the bedroom of a 1980s house.

Obviously, I was not going to paint half the ceiling with this and half with my usual brand. It would have made for a great review, but not a happy customer! My normal ceiling paint is Johnstone’s Covaplus. It never gives me any problems, always produces a decent result, and does not cost the earth. For large or light-critical ceilings, I prefer Tikkurila Anti-Reflex 2 (AR2), but on most jobs I use Covaplus. So, that is what I will be comparing it with as I use the Valspar product and write this review.

For comparison, 10L of Valspar Trade Vinyl Matt costs around £44 including VAT, compared with under £40 for Covaplus. So, it is not cheap, although it is not quite as expensive as AR2.

My Valspar Trade Vinyl Matt Review

So, how does the product perform in use?

My first impression when pouring it out of the tin was that it seemed a little thicker than I was used to. Not ridiculously thick, but it gave the impression of having an almost “sticky” texture, which concerned me slightly. I wondered whether it contained more vinyl or plasticiser than my usual brand, which might result in a less flat matt finish. I am not saying that is the case, only that it was my initial concern. It simply did not look or feel quite like the vinyl matt paints I am used to.

My second impression was, “Wow, that is seriously white!” It was like a toothpaste advert from the 1990s!

The product can be applied by brush, roller, or spray, and in temperatures as low as 2°C. This is not normally an issue for me, as most of my work is domestic and carried out in occupied homes.

Valspar states that the paint is touch-dry in one hour and can be recoated after 2–4 hours. I did not need to apply a mist coat on this job because the ceiling had already been painted. However, I found it interesting that Valspar states on the tin:

“You can dilute this paint with water; however, when you dilute the formula, you dilute the quality. Therefore, we cannot guarantee the claims we make on the pack if the formula is diluted with water.”

So, use it straight from the tin or you are on your own!

Duly warned, I used it straight from the tin. While applying it, I still had that nagging doubt in the back of my mind that it was going to feel sticky and not be as easy to use as my usual brand, based purely on its appearance when poured from the tin. However, I needn’t have worried.

I cut in around the edges of the ceiling and then rolled it, and the Valspar product was absolutely fine to apply. I left it for a couple of hours while I got on with another part of the job, then came back to find it had dried nicely and was ready for a second coat.

Once fully dry, it gave a nice flat matt finish. The finish was even, with no visible roller marks, so overall I was pleased with the result. I have since used it on another ceiling and achieved similar results.

I suppose, in conclusion, I would say that Valspar Trade Vinyl Matt is a decent product — neither the best nor the worst I have used.

In a way, that is what surprised me. Because my first impression was that it looked different from what I was expecting, I expected it to perform differently too, either positively or negatively. In the end, it did neither. It was simply a good-quality vinyl matt.

It would be interesting to see how it performs on a larger ceiling where the lighting is more critical. The two ceilings I used it on were fairly small and did not receive a huge amount of natural light. I would also like to try it in a tinted colour when that option becomes available.

For now, my first impression is that it is a decent product, but not so good that I would drive past my usual supplier to buy it and pay more than I would for my normal brand.

Review Summary

FAQs

Is vinyl matt wipeable?

You can generally give vinyl matt a light wipe without damaging the paint, but it is not durable enough to withstand regular cleaning. If you are decorating a high-traffic area, kitchen, or bathroom, then a durable matt emulsion may be a better option.

Can you water down vinyl matt paint?

Most trade paints can be diluted when required, including many vinyl matt products. You may dilute the paint slightly to improve flow or when applying a mist coat to bare plaster. However, make sure you do not dilute it too much, or you may need to apply an additional coat to achieve full coverage.

Can you use vinyl matt on ceilings?

Many vinyl matt paints are suitable for ceilings. The low-sheen finish is often desirable and helps to minimise the appearance of imperfections. If you have a large, open-plan, or light-critical ceiling to paint, you may want to consider a specialist ceiling paint instead.

Can you mix vinyl matt and matt emulsion?

Vinyl matt and matt emulsion products have a similar composition. Vinyl matt generally contains a higher level of polymer binder (often polyvinyl acetate, which is where the term “vinyl” originates). In most cases, you should not have any problems mixing the two together, although results may vary between manufacturers.

Does Dulux own Valspar?

No. Valspar is owned by The Sherwin-Williams Company, while Dulux is owned by AkzoNobel.