Valspar

Valspar paint covers siding, doors and trim with exterior paint + primer, interior walls and ceilings with Signature, and bare deck wood with a stain system. It’s for homeowners and painting pros who want a fast turnaround: Defense is rain-ready in 1 hour, and Signature takes its second coat after 2 hours.

The company started in 1806, when Samuel Tuck set up a Boston paint dealership called “Paint and Color,” and it moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota, after its 1970 merger with Minnesota Paints. The Valspar name began on a clear varnish sold with the line “The varnish that won’t turn white.” Sherwin-Williams has owned Valspar since June 1, 2017.

Exterior paint + primer for siding and trim

Medallion Plus is Valspar’s top exterior paint + primer. It’s 100% acrylic latex with an ultra-flexible film that resists cracking and peeling, fade-resistant color and a mold- and mildew-resistant finish. It goes on properly prepared wood, hardboard, aluminum and vinyl siding, masonry, brick, stucco, cement composition panels and metal. You can get it in Flat, Satin or Semi-Gloss, and a gallon covers 250 to 400 square feet. It’s made for walls, so keep it off floors, and large runs of metal siding need 50°F or warmer.

Defense is the one-coat paint + primer built for harsh weather. It repels water year round, resists mold, mildew and algae, and its high-hiding film blocks existing stains. Pro-Hide Gold Ultra is the self-priming, 100% acrylic professional line, sold in gallons and 5-gallon pails. StormCoat is 100% acrylic and resists cracking and peeling. Rain Ready means a shower after the window in the table won’t run, blister or water-mark fresh paint. Medallion Plus and Defense both need air, surface and paint at least 5°F above the dew point, so start after the morning dew burns off.

On shoulder-season jobs, temperature picks the line. In the Flathead, the frost-free window runs May 19 to Sep 22. Outside it, the temperature can drop below 40°F within 48 hours of painting, and Medallion Plus has to stay above 40°F for those 48 hours. Defense, StormCoat and Pro-Hide Gold Ultra are rated down to 35°F, so a siding job after late September goes to one of those three.

Prep and prime before paint + primer

The mistake seen most with paint + primer is skipping prep. For Medallion Plus, scrape off peeled or damaged paint, sand glossy surfaces dull and seal stains with the right primer. If staining keeps coming through, spot prime the worst areas with a stain-blocking primer. Knots, cedar and redwood carry a lot of tannin, a colored wood extract. Spot prime bare wood first, then caulk around windows and doors, then paint. Valspar’s Stainblocking Bonding Primer/Sealer sticks to glossy surfaces and keeps old stains from reappearing. The Exterior Primer/Sealer is rain-ready in 1.5 hours and goes on down to 35°F.

Inside, prime first with Valspar Interior Multi-Purpose Primer Sealer when you’re dealing with heavy stains, a drastic color change or a deep, vivid color. Otherwise, plan on an extra coat. Signature carries a lifetime warranty. Every Valspar warranty covers replacement product or a refund of the price, applies only on a properly prepared surface and never pays for labor.

Signature for interior walls and ceilings

Signature is a 100% acrylic latex paint + primer with ScuffShield, a film that resists scuffs and stains, and it’s high-hiding, fade-resistant and mildew-resistant. It goes on walls, ceilings and trim over drywall, plaster, masonry and primed metal, and it primes its own patches and bare spots before the finish coat. It dries fast enough to get two coats on a living room in one day.

Flat hides ceiling flaws, and eggshell or satin wipes clean on walls that get handled. Clean the walls, strip wallpaper and loose paint, and dull any shiny areas. Then patch cracks and spot prime. Roll it on with a premium roller, cut in with a polyester brush, or use an airless sprayer.

Door & Trim enamel for doors, trim and cabinets

Door & Trim Acrylic Enamel is a semi-gloss for interior and exterior doors, trim and cabinets. It leaves a smooth finish that resists cracking, peeling, blistering, stains and mildew. Its Swift Dry formula keeps doors and windows from sticking to their frames after 2 hours. Clean off contaminants, rinse and let the surface dry, then remove peeled paint and sand glossy finishes dull. Stir well and mix containers together so the color matches. Apply it with a premium synthetic brush, roller or airless sprayer. Plan on one or two coats, since deep or bright colors can take more. Two thin coats level smoother than one heavy one. It goes on between 50 and 90°F.

The Cabinet & Furniture Enamel is an oil-enriched alternative for interior or exterior pieces, and the Oil-Based Enamel flows and levels well whether you spray, brush or roll it.

Deck cleaning, prep and One-Coat stain

Work in order. The Fast Acting Wood Stripper comes ready to use and takes old oil or latex finishes off decks, siding and fences. The Fast-Acting Deck Cleaner removes dirt, mold and mildew stains and gets washed off after 10 minutes. Then the All-in-One Wood Prep removes tannin stains, rust stains and the mill glaze on new boards, and it brings the wood back to its natural color. Let the boards dry before you stain.

One-Coat stains and sealers come in Clear, Transparent, Semi-Transparent and Solid. Each gives weather protection and UV defense against fading in one coat. More pigment holds up longer to sun on flat decking, so gray, weathered boards take semi-transparent or solid best. The Quick Seal Oil-Based Stain is the oil choice, made to resist runs, laps and streaks. One-Coat is rain-ready 4 hours after the last board.

Brushes, rollers and trays

Valspar’s own brushes and rollers are matched to the job. Use a thin angle sash brush to cut in along trim and ceilings, a flat trim brush on doors and wide boards, and the All Stains short-angle brush for deck and fence stain. For rollers, the woven covers leave a smooth finish on walls and ceilings, the 1/2-inch knit covers load up for textured walls, concrete and decks, and the 4-inch minis get into cabinets and behind toilets. A tray liner saves washing the tray between colors.

Other Valspar lines

Duramax is a paint + primer with FlexShield365 for year-round resistance to cracking and peeling. SeasonFlex and Supreme Edge are flexible exterior paint + primers, and Ultra High Gloss gives a lustrous finish indoors or out. Direct-to-Metal Acrylic Paint bonds to iron, steel and aluminum and resists rust. Porch, Floor & Patio comes in an oil gloss finish. Valspar also makes Medallion Plus interior paint and a six-piece Walls, Ceilings & Trim roller kit. Block Filler Primer seals porous cinder block and cuts the amount of finish coat the wall takes.

Valspar specs by line

Exterior paint + primer

Line	Lowest temperature, application and next 48 hours	Keep rain off for	Recoat
Medallion Plus	40°F	2 hours	2 to 4 hours
Defense	35°F	1 hour	2 to 4 hours
Pro-Hide Gold Ultra	35°F	2.5 hours (rain or heavy dew)	4 to 24 hours

Interior and trim

Line	Surfaces	Sheens	Dry to touch	Recoat
Signature	Interior walls, ceilings, trim; drywall, plaster, masonry, primed metal	Eggshell, Flat, Satin, Semi-Gloss	30 to 60 minutes	2 hours
Door & Trim Acrylic Enamel	Interior and exterior doors, trim, cabinets	Semi-Gloss	1 hour	2 hours

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Valspar a good paint?

It depends more on the line than the brand name. Medallion Plus and Defense are the premium exterior lines, Signature is the interior workhorse, and Door & Trim is the enamel for doors and cabinets. Whichever you buy, the result comes down to prep and weather more than the can: clean, dull and spot-prime first, and paint inside the temperature and dew-point limits on the label.

Is Valspar paint water-based?

Most of the wall and siding paint is. Signature and Medallion Plus are 100% acrylic latex, and Medallion Plus and Door & Trim Acrylic Enamel clean up with warm, soapy water. The oil side of the Valspar lineup is the Oil-Based Enamel, the oil-enriched Cabinet & Furniture Enamel, the Quick Seal Oil-Based Stain, the Porch, Floor & Patio oil gloss and the Oil-Based Aerosol Primer, so keep mineral spirits on hand for those brushes, and don’t pour any leftover paint down the drain.

How long does Valspar paint take to dry?

Outside, Defense and Pro-Hide Gold Ultra are dry to the touch in 1 to 2 hours, but touch-dry isn’t the same as ready for the next coat. Door & Trim’s rated times are measured at 77°F and 50% relative humidity, and a cool fall morning or a damp basement stretches drying on any line. When it’s cold or humid, wait for the long end of the recoat range.

What type of paint is Valspar Signature?

It’s a 100% acrylic latex paint and primer in one, and a gallon covers 200 to 400 square feet. Figure on the low end for fresh drywall or textured ceilings, which soak up more paint, and the high end for a smooth wall that’s getting a similar color. Valspar’s estimating tool works out how much paint a room needs before you buy.

Is Valspar paint good for cabinets?

Yes, as long as the cabinets are primed first. Kitchen grease ruins adhesion more than anything, so degrease and scuff-sand before you prime. The Stainblocking Bonding Primer/Sealer is made to stick to cabinets and glossy surfaces. For the finish coat, the 4000 Alkyd Enamel dries to a hard, durable film made for trim and cabinets and recoats fast, and Door & Trim is the enamel that cleans up with soap and water.

Which Valspar primer should I use?

For smoke, water marks or pet odor in a small area, use the Oil-Based Aerosol Primer. It blocks tough stains and odors and goes on many kinds of surfaces. For trim or doors that still show pinholes or sanding grooves after prep, the High-Build Primer fills and smooths them so the finish coat dries to an even sheen.

How do I pick a Valspar exterior color?

The color visualizer can paint a photo of your own house, so you see the body and trim colors together on your siding instead of on a small chip. Once you’ve narrowed it down, order the free paint chips and look at them outside in both morning and evening light, because exterior colors look lighter in full sun. If you’re stuck between two, you can get personalized advice from a color expert.