Valspar
Nothing on our jobs – we do not spec it. It is here so you know what it is, and so you know we can match it.
We hold no account with this brand and we do not buy it, so there is no trade pricing, no rep and no jobsite delivery behind it. It is on the site so you know what it is — and so you know we can match the color.
- Founded
- 1806 — A Boston paint dealership opened in 1806; the Valspar name arrived with a clear varnish from Valentine & Company in 1906
- Headquarters
- Minneapolis, Minnesota historically; the brand is now run out of Sherwin-Williams in Cleveland, Ohio
- Ownership
- Owned by The Sherwin-Williams Company since June 1, 2017.
- Price per gallon
- No published pricing
The story
Where Valspar came from, and who owns it now.
Valspar is on this page for one reason: brand confusion. It is owned by Sherwin-Williams, and it is not Sherwin-Williams paint. Those two facts together cause more customer misunderstanding than anything else in this market.
The lineage is genuinely long. The name traces back to a Boston paint dealership opened in 1806 and to a clear varnish that Valentine & Company introduced under the Valspar name in 1906. For most of the twentieth century Valspar Corporation ran out of Minneapolis as one of the largest coatings companies in the United States, and its defining modern relationship was a retail supply deal with Lowe’s.
Sherwin-Williams announced the acquisition in 2016 and closed it on June 1, 2017 at $11.3 billion – the largest coatings deal in U.S. history at the time. It brought Sherwin the Valspar brand, Cabot, and the Lowe’s retail relationship along with it.
Which creates the problem people actually run into. Sherwin-Williams now sells Valspar and HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams through Lowe’s, and its own Sherwin-Williams lines through its own stores. Same parent company, different products, different prices. We hear some version of "but Sherwin-Williams is at Lowe’s and it is cheaper" on a regular basis, and it is not the same paint.
We do not hold a Valspar account and we do not spec it. What we do is match it. If your house is already in a Valspar color, bring us the code off the can or a chip off the wall and we will pull that color in Dunn-Edwards, Sherwin-Williams or Benjamin Moore. That is the honest use for this entry.
Where it stands out
What Valspar does better than anybody else.
Easy to recognize at retail. If a house around here was painted out of Lowe's in the last fifteen years, there is a fair chance the color on the wall is a Valspar color.
The retail deck is large and well documented, which makes matching an existing Valspar color straightforward at any pro counter in the county.
Sherwin-Williams paid $11.3 billion for it in 2017, the largest coatings deal in US history at the time. Whatever else is true, somebody thought it was worth buying.
The honest ledger
Pros and cons, set in the same size type.
The cons are not buried at the bottom in small print. If a brand has a known problem, you read it at the same size as the good news.
Pros
Easy for a homeowner to buy at Lowe's with no account and no relationship.
The color deck is large and well documented, so matching an existing Valspar color into a brand we do buy is straightforward.
Sherwin-Williams is behind it, which is a real company with real chemistry rather than a shelf brand with a licensed name.
Cons
It is not Sherwin-Williams paint. Same parent company since June 1, 2017, different products, different price. That confusion is the single most common paint misunderstanding we hear, and it costs people money.
We do not hold a Valspar account, so there is no trade pricing, no rep and no jobsite delivery behind it for us. Specifying it would cost you money rather than save it.
It was not part of the six-brand comparison we scored, so there are no scores in its column. We are not going to fill them in with guesses.
We publish no warranty or price figures for it, because we do not sell it and we do not have verified numbers to give you.
Product lines
What to actually ask for at the counter.
We do not list product lines for this brand because we do not buy it. If your house is already in one of its colors, bring us the code off the can and we will match it into a brand we do buy.
Signature colors
The colors Valspar is known for.
- Bistro White7006-4#F0EEE9
- Du Jour7002-6#F1F0EC
- Swiss Coffee7002-16#F2F0EA
- Ultra White7006-24#F6F7F4
- Cathedral Stone4003-2A#979492
- Gravity4005-1B#C6C9CB
Screen colors are approximations. Monitors vary, and paint changes with light, sheen and the surface under it. Always confirm with a physical sample before you buy.
How it scores
Valspar across all 12 attributes.
The same score that appears in the comparison table, with the reasoning behind each one.
One-coat coverage
Not scoredOne-coat coverage: not scoredNot scored. Valspar was outside the six-brand comparison and we do not buy it.
Color depth
Not scoredColor depth: not scoredNot scored, though the retail deck is large and every color in it can be matched into a brand we do buy.
Durability and scrubbing
Not scoredDurability and scrubbing: not scoredNot scored. We found no independent testing on the current lines.
Easy to DIY
Not scoredEasy to DIY: not scoredNot scored. It is a retail brand, so a homeowner can buy it and roll it themselves without an account.
Low-VOC options
Not scoredLow-VOC options: not scoredNot scored. Valspar is PaintCare-registered in California, so what is on the shelf meets the district rule.
Local availability
Not scoredLocal availability: not scoredNot scored. Sold at Lowe's, which is easy for a homeowner and no use to a contractor without an account.
Contractor support
Not scoredContractor support: not scoredNot scored. There is no pro counter, rep or delivery behind it for us.
Warranty
Not scoredWarranty: not scoredNot scored. We do not sell it, so we do not quote its warranty.
Touch-up
Not scoredTouch-up: not scoredNot scored. We have no data either way.
Exteriors
Not scoredExteriors: not scoredNot scored.
Trim and cabinets
Not scoredTrim and cabinets: not scoredNot scored.
Ceilings
Not scoredCeilings: not scoredNot scored.
Warranty
What the paperwork actually covers.
We do not sell Valspar, so we do not quote its warranty. If your house is already in a Valspar color, that is a matching question, not a warranty question, and the answer is yes, we can match it.
Every lifetime warranty in this industry gives you a replacement gallon of paint. None of them pay for labor, and none of them transfer when you sell the house. We read all of them to check. A lifetime warranty that hands back a $60 gallon is not a meaningful remedy on a $12,000 exterior repaint – the workmanship warranty from your painter is the one that actually matters.
VOC and air quality
What the California air districts require.
Valspar is a registered brand under California PaintCare, so what is on the Lowe's shelf is formulated to the applicable district rule. Orange County is under South Coast AQMD Rule 1113 and San Diego County under APCD Rule 67.0.1 – flats and nonflats 50 g/L in both, industrial maintenance and rust-preventative 100 g/L in Orange County against 250 g/L in San Diego. Beyond that we have no verified VOC data on current Valspar lines, because we do not buy them.
Juan says
“I do not buy it, but bring me the chip off your can and I will put that exact color on your walls in something I do buy.”
Sources
- Sherwin-Williams – company overview (Valspar acquisition)
- Wikipedia – The Sherwin-Williams Company
- California PaintCare registered brands (PDF)
- SCAQMD Rule 1113 Table of Standards
Product names and logos are the property of their respective owners. Where the sources genuinely disagree, we say so in the text instead of picking the tidier version.