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Summary of Significant Accounting Policies - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified | 12 Months Ended | 1 Months Ended
--- | --- | ---
Dec. 31, 2014 | Dec. 31, 2013 | Dec. 31, 2012 | Feb. 28, 2014
Basis Of Presentation And Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items] |  |  |  |
Capitalized interest costs on property and equipment | $ 2.9 us-gaap_InterestCostsCapitalized | $ 1.6 us-gaap_InterestCostsCapitalized | $ 1.7 us-gaap_InterestCostsCapitalized |
Earnings of foreign subsidiaries subject to permanent reinvestment plan | 659.0 us-gaap_UndistributedEarningsOfForeignSubsidiaries |  |  |
Percentage of likelihood for recognition of uncertain tax positions | 50.00%vhi_PercentageOfLikelihoodForRecognitionOfUncertainTaxPositions |  |  |
Recognition of receivables for recoveries | 0 us-gaap_RecordedThirdPartyEnvironmentalRecoveriesReceivable | 0 us-gaap_RecordedThirdPartyEnvironmentalRecoveriesReceivable |  |
Advertising costs | 1 us-gaap_AdvertisingExpense | 2 us-gaap_AdvertisingExpense | 1 us-gaap_AdvertisingExpense |
Research, development and certain sales technical support costs | 19 us-gaap_ResearchAndDevelopmentExpense | 18 us-gaap_ResearchAndDevelopmentExpense | 19 us-gaap_ResearchAndDevelopmentExpense |
Chemicals |  |  |  |
Basis Of Presentation And Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items] |  |  |  |
Shipping and handling costs | 95 us-gaap_ShippingHandlingAndTransportationCosts / us-gaap_StatementBusinessSegmentsAxis = vhi_ChemicalsMember | 93 us-gaap_ShippingHandlingAndTransportationCosts / us-gaap_StatementBusinessSegmentsAxis = vhi_ChemicalsMember | 89 us-gaap_ShippingHandlingAndTransportationCosts / us-gaap_StatementBusinessSegmentsAxis = vhi_ChemicalsMember |
Minimum |  |  |  |
Basis Of Presentation And Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items] |  |  |  |
Percentage of investment required to report under equity method investment | 20.00%us-gaap_EquityMethodInvestmentOwnershipPercentage / us-gaap_RangeAxis = us-gaap_MinimumMember |  |  |
Contran |  |  |  |
Basis Of Presentation And Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items] |  |  |  |
Controlling interest in subsidiary | 93.00%us-gaap_MinorityInterestOwnershipPercentageByParent / us-gaap_RelatedPartyTransactionsByRelatedPartyAxis = vhi_ContranMember |  |  |
Common stock, voting rights | The voting agreement expires in February 2017 (unless Ms. Lisa Simmons, Ms. Connelly and Ms. Annette Simmons otherwise unanimously agree), and the ability of Ms. Lisa Simmons, Ms. Connelly, and Ms. Annette Simmons to each designate one member of the Contran board is dependent upon each of their continued beneficial ownership of at least 5% of the combined voting stock of Contran. |  |  |
Voting agreement expiration date | 2017-02 |  |  |
Size of board of directors | 5 vhi_NumberOfBoardOfDirectors / us-gaap_RelatedPartyTransactionsByRelatedPartyAxis = vhi_ContranMember |  |  |
Net cash payments received from/paid to tax group parent | $ 19.3 vhi_NetCashPaymentsToFromRelatedPartyForIncomeTaxes / us-gaap_RelatedPartyTransactionsByRelatedPartyAxis = vhi_ContranMember | $ 6.5 vhi_NetCashPaymentsToFromRelatedPartyForIncomeTaxes / us-gaap_RelatedPartyTransactionsByRelatedPartyAxis = vhi_ContranMember | $ 6.0 vhi_NetCashPaymentsToFromRelatedPartyForIncomeTaxes / us-gaap_RelatedPartyTransactionsByRelatedPartyAxis = vhi_ContranMember |
Contran | Minimum |  |  |  |
Basis Of Presentation And Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items] |  |  |  |
Minimum percentage of voting stock ownership required to designate a board member |  |  |  | 5.00%vhi_VotingStockOwnershipPercentageRequiredToDesignateBoardMemberUnderVotingAgreement / us-gaap_RangeAxis = us-gaap_MinimumMember / us-gaap_RelatedPartyTransactionsByRelatedPartyAxis = vhi_ContranMember

X
- Definition Amount charged to advertising expense for the period, which are expenses incurred with the objective of increasing revenue for a specified brand, product or product line. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 720 -SubTopic 35 -Section 50 -Paragraph 1 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6420018&loc=d3e36677-107848 + Details
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- Definition Description of voting rights of common stock. Includes eligibility to vote and votes per share owned. Include also, if any, unusual voting rights. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 505 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 3 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6928386&loc=d3e21475-112644 + Details
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- Definition The percentage of ownership of common stock or equity participation in the investee accounted for under the equity method of accounting. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 323 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 3 -Subparagraph (a)(1) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6382943&loc=d3e33918-111571 + Details
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- Definition Carrying amount as of the balance sheet date of known and reasonably estimable amounts of recoveries from third-parties pertaining to an entity's environmental remediation obligations. An entity's balance sheet may include several assets that relate to an environmental remediation obligation. Among them are the following: a. Receivables from other potentially responsible parties that are not providing initial funding; b. anticipated recoveries from insurers; and c. anticipated recoveries from prior owners as a result of indemnification agreements. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 410 -SubTopic 30 -Section 50 -Paragraph 7 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6393242&loc=d3e13207-110859 Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 410 -SubTopic 30 -Section 45 -Paragraph 1 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6393211&loc=d3e13022-110858 + Details
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- Definition The aggregate costs incurred (1) in a planned search or critical investigation aimed at discovery of new knowledge with the hope that such knowledge will be useful in developing a new product or service, a new process or technique, or in bringing about a significant improvement to an existing product or process; or (2) to translate research findings or other knowledge into a plan or design for a new product or process or for a significant improvement to an existing product or process whether intended for sale or the entity's use, during the reporting period charged to research and development projects, including the costs of developing computer software up to the point in time of achieving technological feasibility, and costs allocated in accounting for a business combination to in-process projects deemed to have no alternative future use. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 985 -SubTopic 20 -Section 50 -Paragraph 1 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6501960&loc=d3e128462-111756 Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 730 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 1 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6420194&loc=d3e21568-108373 + Details
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- Definition The amount of cash paid during the current period to tax group parent entity for taxes on income, net of any cash received during the current period as refunds for the overpayment of taxes. + References No definition available. + Details
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- Definition Expiration date of voting agreement among the voting stockholders of private parent company. + References No definition available. + Details
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- Definition Voting stock ownership percentage of all classes of voting stock required to maintain the right to designate one board member under the voting agreement. + References No definition available. + Details
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