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Buying guide
The best matt paint is the one that stays matt and washes — and that is rarer than it looks. A premium matt is judged on four figures: a sheen of 2–5% (the "deep matt"), a wet-scrub resistance of class 1 or 2 (EN 13300), coverage of 12–15 m² per litre, and a pigment load that gives depth. Of the nine flagship matts compared here, most of the 2% matts wipe without washing; only two publish class 1 — Little Greene's Intelligent Matt and Mylands' Marble Matt Emulsion, the only one to do it at 3% and 15 m²/L, for €121.00 per 2.5 L.
Guide updated September 2026 · sources at the foot of the page
The method
Sheen, first: the share of light the surface throws back, measured with a reflectometer at 85° for matts. Below 5% we speak of deep matt; at 2%, of "dead flat". The lower the figure, the denser the colour looks and the more the wall forgives flaws — but the more the surface marks when rubbed. Wet-scrub resistance, next: the European standard EN 13300 rates wall paints from 5 (the most fragile) to 1 (the best), by the thickness lost after 200 cycles of wet scrubbing; "washable" without a published class is a promise, class 1 is a measurement.
Coverage, in square metres per litre per coat, decides the number of tins — and the real price: a matt at 15 m²/L costs, per square metre, 50% less than a matt at the same price covering 10 m²/L. Pigment, finally: its load and nature (earths, oxides, marble, chalk) make the difference between a colour that lives with the light and a flat shade — the least measurable criterion, and the one for which the sample pot remains irreplaceable. Our glossary defines each term.
< 5%
sheen of a deep matt
Class 1
best wet-scrub resistance (EN 13300)
15 m²/L
coverage of the best matts
2
matts in the table publish class 1
Side by side
Every line cites the figures published by the brand itself or seen at its French retailers; the Mylands price is read live from our catalogue. "Washable with care" and "wipeable" repeat the manufacturer's wording; only the EN 13300 class, where published, is a standardised measurement.
| Flagship matt | Sheen | Wet-scrub resistance | Coverage | Guide price 2.5 L | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mylands Marble Matt Emulsion | 3% | Washable — class 1 EN 13300 | Up to 15 m²/L | €121.00 | The whole house, living and traffic areas included, without changing product |
| Little Greene Intelligent Matt | 2% | Washable — class 1 EN 13300 | ≈ 14 m²/L | ≈ €127 | Busy rooms; Absolute Matt (1–2%, wipeable, ≈ €111–113) for the rest |
| Paint & Paper Library Architects' Matt | 3–5% | "Completely washable" — class not published | Up to 14 m²/L | Not seen in France | Busy rooms; Pure Flat Emulsion (2%, wipeable, ≈ €116, 15 m²/L) for the rest |
| Farrow & Ball Estate Emulsion | 2% | "Wipeable but not washable" (per the brand) | Up to 14 m²/L | ≈ €115–116 | Lightly used walls; Modern Emulsion (7%) for the rest |
| Ressource Mat Poudré | 2% | "Washable", cleaning "gentle, without rubbing" | 14 m²/L | ≈ €80 (derived from the published price per m²) | Dry, lightly used rooms; Laque Mate (4%, scrubbable, 16 m²/L) for the rest |
| Argile Mat Profond | < 2% | "Washable with care" | Not published (Mat Velouté ≈ 10 m²/L) | ≈ €125 (Mat Velouté) | Living room, hallway, set design; Laque Mate (3–5%, scrubbable) for kitchen and bathroom |
| Flamant by Tollens Wall Matt | < 1 unit at 85° | Class not published on the data sheet | 9–11 m²/L | From €98 | Old walls to smooth over; Lack Matt for busy rooms |
| Designers Guild Perfect Matt Emulsion | 2% | Not quantified by the brand | ≈ 15 m²/L | Not seen in France | Bold colours matched to the house's fabrics |
| Edward Bulmer Emulsion | 2% | "Wipeable and scuff resistant" | Not published | Not seen in France | A natural, plant-based formulation first |
Third-party figures are those published by each brand or seen at its retailers in September 2026 and may change. Sheen levels are light-reflection reference figures from each manufacturer's data sheets; Tollens publishes a value in gloss units at 85° rather than a percentage. The Mylands price is read from our catalogue as you view this page. Each house is compared in detail with Mylands in our comparisons.
The verdict
01
Hallway, kitchen, child's bedroom, living room with a dog: you need class 1. Two matts publish it — Mylands Marble Matt Emulsion (3%, 15 m²/L, €121.00) and Little Greene Intelligent Matt (2%, 14 m²/L, ≈ €127). The first is more economical per square metre; the second one point more matt. Paint & Paper Library's Architects' Matt is washable too, without a published class.
02
Ceiling, bedhead wall, feature wall of a quiet room: this is where the 1–2% matts are at their best. Absolute Matt (Little Greene, 1–2%), Mat Profond (Argile, < 2%), Wall Matt (Flamant, < 1 unit), Estate Emulsion, Pure Flat, Mat Poudré — all wipeable rather than washable, all remarkably deep.
03
Divide the tin price by coverage and by two coats. Ressource's Mat Poudré (≈ €80, 14 m²/L) is the cheapest in the table; at €121.00 for 2.5 L and 15 m²/L, Marble Matt Emulsion sits level with the big English matts and remains the more economical of the two class 1 matts; Flamant's Wall Matt (€98, 9–11 m²/L) and Argile's Mat Velouté (≈ €125, ≈ 10 m²/L) bring up the rear. Our Mylands paint prices page does the sum live.
04
Walls, ceiling, woodwork and radiators in the same matt: you need a multi-surface matt that grips wood and metal. Mylands offers it with Multi-Surface Dead Matt (≈ 5%), Little Greene with Intelligent Matt (self-priming), Argile with its Laque Mate. Farrow & Ball points to Dead Flat (2%).
05
Every matt in the table is water-based and far below the 30 g/L VOC ceiling. Those that publish a figure: Ressource Mat Essentiel < 1 g/L, Flamant Wall Matt ≤ 5 g/L, Argile Nature < 5 g/L with the EU Ecolabel, Edward Bulmer 0.07%. Mylands meets the EN 71-3 toy standard. See our Low-VOC paint page.
06
Here no figure settles it: the depth of a green or a red comes from the load and nature of the pigments, which few brands publish. Mylands claims its highest pigment load and crushed Carrara marble for Marble Matt Emulsion; Argile its earths and oxides; Edward Bulmer its natural pigments. The only judge is the sample pot, brushed onto two walls and watched morning and evening.
In all honesty
A manufacturer may write "washable", "cleanable" or "wipeable" with no obligation to publish the EN 13300 class that tells them apart. Where the class is published — Mylands and Little Greene do so for their washable matts — compare it; where it is not, treat the word as a promise and test with a sponge on your sample after eight days' drying.
One point of sheen less — 2% instead of 3 — shows only in raking light, but is often paid for in upkeep and coverage. The 1–2% matts are exceptional finishes for exceptional walls; for the rest of the house, a 3% matt rated class 1 does the same job and ages better.
Between €80 and €127 for 2.5 L, the tins in the table look close; set against coverage — from 9 to 15 m²/L — the gap per square metre runs from one to two. Add postage for brands without a French site and the ranking changes. Always compare the cost of the finished room, in two coats.
Frequently asked
On published figures, two premium matts reach class 1 wet-scrub resistance (EN 13300), the top rating: Mylands Marble Matt Emulsion (3% sheen, up to 15 m²/L, €121.00 for 2.5 L) and Little Greene's Intelligent Matt (2%, ≈ 14 m²/L, ≈ €127). Paint & Paper Library's Architects' Matt and the matt lacquers of Ressource and Argile are stated washable without a published class.
Yes, if it is formulated for it: wet-scrub resistance depends on binder and filler, not on sheen. Traditional matt — chalky, heavily loaded, lightly bound — marks under a sponge and burnishes; a modern class 1 matt withstands 200 cycles of wet scrubbing losing less than 5 microns. Good practice is the same either way: damp sponge, mild soap, no hard rubbing, after three to four weeks of full curing.
They are trade names, not standards. In practice "deep matt" or "dead flat" means sheens of 1–3%, "powdery matt" a highly absorbent matt with a chalky texture, "velvet" a slightly fuller matt of 3–5% that washes better. Look at the sheen percentage on the data sheet rather than the name — our glossary covers each term.
Because matt is the finish most demanding in pigment: with no sheen to flatter the colour, only pigment load gives depth, and pigments — earths, oxides, marble — are the most expensive raw material in a tin. Add small-scale, often to-order manufacturing, and higher coverage that cuts the number of tins. Our Mylands paint prices page sets out what you are paying for.
A class 1 matt, yes: Mylands Marble Matt Emulsion is given for kitchens and well-ventilated bathrooms, away from direct splashing. For areas exposed to water — splashback, shower surround — move to a tighter finish (eggshell, satin) or a tougher multi-surface matt. The 2% matts that only wipe are best kept for dry rooms.
Order two or three sample pots, paint two coats on two walls of the room — one facing the window, one in raking light — and watch morning and evening for three days. After a week, run a damp sponge over a corner: the mark should lift without burnishing. The digital colour card and the visualiser help you shortlist; the wall decides.
EN 13300 (wet-scrub resistance classes 1–5 after 200 cycles; gloss categories measured by reflectometer at 60° and 85°) and Directive 2004/42/EC (30 g/L VOC ceiling, category a): standards and regulatory texts, summarised on our glossary and VOC pages. Mylands data: the Our paint and Find your finish pages and the Marble Matt Emulsion product page of this site. Third-party data: the same official pages and price checks (September 2026) as our Farrow & Ball, Little Greene, Paint & Paper Library, Ressource, Argile and Flamant comparisons, where each figure is detailed and dated; Designers Guild: designersguild.com (Perfect Matt Emulsion, 2%, 15 m²/L); Edward Bulmer: edwardbulmerpaint.co.uk (Emulsion, 2%, "wipeable and scuff resistant", VOC 0.07%). All brands cited are registered trademarks of their owners; Mylands is affiliated with none of them.
"A matt that stays matt and washes: that is the whole question, and the sponge answers it."
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