Employee Benefit Plans - Schedule of Rollforward of Change in Fair Value of Level 3 Assets (Detail) (Defined Benefit Pension Plans, USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Schedule Of Reconciliation Of Changes In Fair Value Of Assets And Liabilities [Line Items]
Fair value at end of year	$ 479.1	$ 496.6
Level 3 Inputs
Schedule Of Reconciliation Of Changes In Fair Value Of Assets And Liabilities [Line Items]
Fair value at beginning of the year	261.5	238.1
Gain on assets held at end of year	24.5	11.2
Gain on assets sold during the year	0.3
Assets purchased	16.9	16.1
Assets sold	(15.2)	(14.6)
Currency exchange rate fluctuations	(33.9)	10.7
Fair value at end of year	$ 254.1	$ 261.5

Assets, usually stocks, bonds, and other investments, that have been segregated and restricted (usually in a trust) to provide benefits, at their fair value as of the measurement date. Plan assets include amounts contributed by the employer (and by employees for a contributory plan) and amounts earned from investing the contributions, less benefits paid. If a plan has liabilities other than for benefits, those non-benefit obligations may be considered as reductions of plan assets.

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 715

-SubTopic 20

-Section 50

-Paragraph 1

-Subparagraph (b)

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=35743120&loc=d3e1928-114920

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 715

-SubTopic 30

-Section 35

-Paragraph 50

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=29635418&loc=d3e12355-114930

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_DefinedBenefitPlanFairValueOfPlanAssets
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Amount of purchases of financial instrument classified as an asset measured using unobservable inputs that reflect the entity's own assumption about the assumptions market participants would use in pricing.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 820

-SubTopic 10

-Section 50

-Paragraph 2

-Subparagraph (c)(2)

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=36462937&loc=d3e19207-110258

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_FairValueMeasurementWithUnobservableInputsReconciliationRecurringBasisAssetPurchases
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Amount of sale of financial instrument classified as an asset measured using unobservable inputs that reflect the entity's own assumption about the assumptions market participants would use in pricing.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_FairValueMeasurementWithUnobservableInputsReconciliationRecurringBasisAssetSales
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Amount of increase (decrease) in asset value due to gain (loss) from foreign currency rate fluctuations for financial instrument classified as an asset measured using unobservable inputs that reflect the entity's own assumption about the assumptions market participants would use in pricing.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	vhi_FairValueMeasurementWithUnobservableInputsReconciliationRecurringBasisAssetForeignCurrencyTranslationAdjustments
Namespace Prefix:	vhi_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Amount of realized gain (loss) for financial instrument sold during the reporting period which was classified as an asset measured using unobservable inputs that reflect the entity's own assumption about the assumptions market participants would use in pricing.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	vhi_FairValueMeasurementWithUnobservableInputsReconciliationRecurringBasisGainOnAssetsSold
Namespace Prefix:	vhi_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Amount of unrealized gain (loss) for financial instrument held at the measurement date which is classified as an asset measured using unobservable inputs that reflect the entity's own assumption about the assumptions market participants would use in pricing.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	vhi_FairValueMeasurementWithUnobservableInputsReconciliationRecurringBasisUnrealizedGainOnAssetsHeldAtEndOfYear
Namespace Prefix:	vhi_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration

- Details

Name:	vhi_ScheduleOfReconciliationOfChangesInFairValueOfAssetsAndLiabilitiesLineItems
Namespace Prefix:	vhi_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration