Basis of Presentation	3 Months Ended
Feb. 28, 2019
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Business Description and Accounting Policies	Basis of Presentation The accompanying unaudited interim consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles for interim financial statements and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X and, therefore, do not include all of the information and footnotes required by U.S. generally accepted accounting principles for complete financial statements. These interim consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in the OMNOVA Solutions Inc. (“OMNOVA Solutions”, "OMNOVA", the “Company”, "we", "us" or "our") Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended November 30, 2018, previously filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). The consolidated financial statements as of February 28, 2019 have been derived from the unaudited interim consolidated financial statements at that date and do not include all of the information and footnotes required by U.S. generally accepted accounting principles for complete financial statements. These interim consolidated financial statements reflect all adjustments that are, in the opinion of Management, necessary for a fair presentation of the results for the interim period and all such adjustments are of a normal recurring nature except as disclosed herein. The results of operations for the interim period are not necessarily indicative, if annualized, of those to be expected for the full year. The preparation of the consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles requires Management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could materially differ from those estimates. The consolidation method is followed to report investments in subsidiaries. The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. Inter-company accounts and transactions are eliminated during the consolidation process of these accounts. A detailed description of the Company’s significant accounting policies and Management judgments is located in the audited consolidated financial statements for the year ended November 30, 2018, included in the Company’s Form 10-K filed with the SEC. Description of Business – The Company is an innovator of emulsion polymers, specialty chemicals and engineered surfaces for a variety of commercial, industrial and residential end uses. The Company's products provide a variety of important functional and aesthetic benefits to hundreds of products that people use daily. The Company holds leading positions in key market categories, which have been built through innovative products, customized product solutions, strong technical expertise, well-established distribution channels, recognized brands, and long-standing customer relationships. The Company utilizes strategically-located manufacturing, technical and other facilities in North America, Europe, China, and Thailand to service a broad customer base. The Company has two business segments: Specialty Solutions, which is focused on the Company's higher growth specialty businesses, and Performance Materials, which is focused on the Company’s more mature businesses. Specialty Solutions – The Specialty Solutions segment develops, designs, produces, and markets a broad line of specialty polymers for use in coatings, adhesives, sealants, elastomers, nonwovens, and oil & gas products, as well as laminates and films. These products are used in numerous applications, including architectural and industrial coatings; nonwovens used in hygiene products, filtration and construction; drilling additives for oil and gas exploration and production; elastomeric modification of plastic casings and hoses used in household and industrial products and automobiles; tapes and adhesives; sports surfaces; textile finishes; commercial building refurbishment; new construction; residential cabinets; flooring; ceiling tile; furnishings; manufactured housing; health care patient and common area furniture; and a variety of industrial films applications. The segment's products enhance our customers’ products performance, including stain, rust and aging resistance; surface modification; gloss; softness or hardness; dimensional stability; high heat and pressure tolerance; and binding and barrier (e.g. moisture, oil) properties. The Specialty Solutions segment consists of Specialty Coatings & Ingredients, Oil & Gas, and Laminates & Films. The Specialty Coatings & Ingredients business line encompasses products that have applications for specialty coatings, nonwovens (such as disposable hygiene products, engine filters, roofing mat, and scrub pads), construction, adhesives, sealants, tape, floor care, textiles, graphic arts, and various other specialty applications. Oil & Gas applications include drilling fluid additives, which provide fluid loss control and sealing to enhance wellbore integrity, as well as cement additives for gas migration and fluid loss. The Laminates & Films product line applications include kitchen and bath cabinets, wall surfacing, manufactured housing and recreational vehicle interiors, flooring, commercial and residential furniture, retail display fixtures, home furnishings, commercial appliances, and a variety of industrial film applications. Performance Materials – The Performance Materials segment serves mature markets with a broad range of emulsion polymers based primarily on styrene butadiene (SB), styrene butadiene acrylonitrile (SBA), styrene butadiene vinyl pyridine, high styrene pigments, polyvinyl acetate, acrylic, styrene acrylic, calcium stearate, glyoxal, and bio-based chemistries. Performance Materials' custom-formulated products are tailored latexes, resins, binders, antioxidants, hollow plastic pigment, coated fabrics, and rubber reinforcing which are used in tire cord, polymer stabilization, industrial rubbers, carpet binders, paper coatings, and various other applications. Its products provide a variety of functional properties to enhance the Company’s customers’ products, including greater strength, adhesion, dimensional stability, ultraviolet resistance, improved processibility, and enhanced appearance. The Performance Materials segment encompasses performance additives, paper coatings, carpet binders, and coated fabrics. This segment includes products that have applications in the paper coatings, paperboard, carpet binders, polymer stabilization, industrial rubbers, and tire cord industries. Paper and paperboard coatings are used in magazines, catalogs, direct mail advertising, brochures, printed reports, food cartons, household, and other consumer and industrial packaging. Carpet binders are used to secure carpet fibers to carpet backing and meet stringent manufacturing, environmental, odor, flammability, and flexible installation requirements. Tire cord is used in automotive tires. The Coated Fabrics product line applications include upholstery used in refurbishment and new construction for the commercial office, hospitality, health care, retail, education and restaurant markets, marine and transportation seating, commercial and residential furniture, automotive soft tops, and automotive after-market applications. Accounting Standards Adopted in 2019 In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC") Topic 606, which clarified existing accounting literature relating to how and when a company recognizes revenue. This standard prescribes a five-step model for recognizing revenue, the application of which will require a certain amount of judgment. The provisions of this ASU may be applied retroactively or on a modified retrospective (cumulative effect) basis. In August 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-14, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Accounting Topic 606): Deferral of the Effective Date, which deferred the effective date of ASU 2014-09 to fiscal 2019. The standard requires additional disclosures in the notes to the consolidated financial statements, including qualitative and quantitative disclosures identifying the nature, amount, timing and significant judgments impacting revenue from contracts with customers. The Company adopted ASU 2014-09 during the first quarter of fiscal year 2019 and utilized the modified retrospective approach and recorded a cumulative effect adjustment to retained earnings of $0.5 million for the accounting impact of certain previously capitalized contract costs as of December 1, 2018. In March 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-07, Improving the Presentation of Net Periodic Pension Cost and Net Periodic Postretirement Benefit Cost, which requires that an employer report the service cost component in the same line item or items as other compensation costs arising from services rendered by the pertinent employees during the period. The amendments in this ASU also allow only the service cost component to be eligible for capitalization when applicable. ASU 2017-07 must be applied retrospectively for the presentation of the service cost component and the other components of net periodic benefit cost in the income statement and prospectively, on and after the effective date, for the capitalization of the service cost component of net periodic benefit cost in assets. The Company adopted ASU 2017-17 during the first quarter of fiscal year 2019. The Company elected to use the practical expedient to use amounts disclosed in the first quarter 2018 consolidated financial statements as an estimate for applying the retrospective presentation requirements. As a result, selling, general, and administrative expense ("SG&A") increased by $0.5 million and other (income) expense increased by $0.5 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2019 and 2018. Other than this reclassification, the adoption of ASU 2017-07 did not have an impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements as of and for the quarter ended February 28, 2019 and 2018. In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-15, Statement of Cash Flows - Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments, which clarifies existing guidance related to accounting for cash receipts and cash payments and classification on the statement of cash flows. The amendments in this ASU should be applied using a retrospective transition method to each period presented. The Company adopted the amendments of this ASU effective December 1, 2018, and this ASU did not have an impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements. In November 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-18, Statement of Cash Flows - Restricted Cash, which requires that a statement of cash flows explain the change during the period in the total of cash, cash equivalents, and amounts generally described as restricted cash or restricted cash equivalents. Therefore, amounts generally described as restricted cash would be included with cash and cash equivalents when reconciling the beginning-of-period and end-of-period total amounts shown on the statement of cash flows. The amendments in this ASU should be applied using a retrospective transition method to each period presented. The Company adopted the amendments of this ASU effective December 1, 2018, and this ASU did not have an impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements. In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-01, Clarifying the Definition of a Business, which clarified existing guidance on the definition of a business with the objective of adding guidance to assist entities with evaluating whether transactions should be accounted for as acquisitions (or disposals) of assets or businesses. The Company adopted the amendments of this ASU effective December 1, 2018, and this ASU did not have an impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements. Accounting Standards Not Yet Adopted In February 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-02, Reclassification of Certain Tax Effects from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), which allow a reclassification from accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) to retained earnings for standard tax effects resulting from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. ASU 2018-02 must be applied either in the period of adoption or retrospectively to each period in which the effect of the change in the U.S. federal corporate income tax rate in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is recognized. This guidance is effective for annual periods, including interim periods within those annual periods, beginning after December 15, 2018 with early adoption permitted in any interim period. The Company is currently evaluating the potential impact on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures. In August 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-12, Derivatives and Hedging, which applies targeted improvements to the hedge accounting guidance, including removing the requirement to record the ineffective portion of a hedging instrument in current period income. The guidance is effective for annual periods, including interim periods within those annual periods, beginning after December 15, 2018 with early adoption permitted in any interim period. Amendments from this ASU are to be applied prospectively, with a cumulative effect adjustment recorded to retained earnings. The Company is currently evaluating the potential impact on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures. In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases (ASC Topic 842), which requires a lessee to recognize on the balance sheet the assets and liabilities for the rights and obligations created by those leases with a lease term of more than twelve months. Leases will continue to be classified as either financing or operating, with classification affecting the recognition, measurement and presentation of expenses and cash flows arising from a lease. The new guidance is effective for the Company’s fiscal year that begins on December 1, 2019. The Company will elect the optional transition method to the adoption for lessees related to finance and operating leases existing at, or entered into after, December 1, 2019, and the Company will record a cumulative effect adjustment to retained earnings on the same date, if necessary. This optional transition method will not require any restatements prior to the Company's 2020 fiscal year. The Company has developed a project plan, assembled a project team and formalized a project timeline for the adoption of ASC 842. The Company is currently evaluating certain practical expedients available. The Company is implementing controls to support recognition and disclosure under ASC 842. As the implementation project progresses, the Company will determine the extent of the impact on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

Basis of Presentation

The accompanying unaudited interim consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles for interim financial statements and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X and, therefore, do not include all of the information and footnotes required by U.S. generally accepted accounting principles for complete financial statements. These interim consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in the OMNOVA Solutions Inc. (“OMNOVA Solutions”, "OMNOVA", the “Company”, "we", "us" or "our") Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended November 30, 2018, previously filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”).

The consolidated financial statements as of February 28, 2019 have been derived from the unaudited interim consolidated financial statements at that date and do not include all of the information and footnotes required by U.S. generally accepted accounting principles for complete financial statements.

These interim consolidated financial statements reflect all adjustments that are, in the opinion of Management, necessary for a fair presentation of the results for the interim period and all such adjustments are of a normal recurring nature except as disclosed herein. The results of operations for the interim period are not necessarily indicative, if annualized, of those to be expected for the full year.

The preparation of the consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles requires Management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could materially differ from those estimates.

The consolidation method is followed to report investments in subsidiaries. The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly-owned subsidiaries. Inter-company accounts and transactions are eliminated during the consolidation process of these accounts.

A detailed description of the Company’s significant accounting policies and Management judgments is located in the audited consolidated financial statements for the year ended November 30, 2018, included in the Company’s Form 10-K filed with the SEC.

Description of Business – The Company is an innovator of emulsion polymers, specialty chemicals and engineered surfaces for a variety of commercial, industrial and residential end uses. The Company's products provide a variety of important functional and aesthetic benefits to hundreds of products that people use daily. The Company holds leading positions in key market categories, which have been built through innovative products, customized product solutions, strong technical expertise, well-established distribution channels, recognized brands, and long-standing customer relationships. The Company utilizes strategically-located manufacturing, technical and other facilities in North America, Europe, China, and Thailand to service a broad customer base. The Company has two business segments: Specialty Solutions, which is focused on the Company's higher growth specialty businesses, and Performance Materials, which is focused on the Company’s more mature businesses.

Specialty Solutions – The Specialty Solutions segment develops, designs, produces, and markets a broad line of specialty polymers for use in coatings, adhesives, sealants, elastomers, nonwovens, and oil & gas products, as well as laminates and films. These products are used in numerous applications, including architectural and industrial coatings; nonwovens used in hygiene products, filtration and construction; drilling additives for oil and gas exploration and production; elastomeric modification of plastic casings and hoses used in household and industrial products and automobiles; tapes and adhesives; sports surfaces; textile finishes; commercial building refurbishment; new construction; residential cabinets; flooring; ceiling tile; furnishings; manufactured housing; health care patient and common area furniture; and a variety of industrial films applications. The segment's products enhance our customers’ products performance, including stain, rust and aging resistance; surface modification; gloss; softness or hardness; dimensional stability; high heat and pressure tolerance; and binding and barrier (e.g. moisture, oil) properties.

The Specialty Solutions segment consists of Specialty Coatings & Ingredients, Oil & Gas, and Laminates & Films. The Specialty Coatings & Ingredients business line encompasses products that have applications for specialty coatings, nonwovens (such as disposable hygiene products, engine filters, roofing mat, and scrub pads), construction, adhesives, sealants, tape, floor care, textiles, graphic arts, and various other specialty applications. Oil & Gas applications include drilling fluid additives, which provide fluid loss control and sealing to enhance wellbore integrity, as well as cement additives for gas migration and fluid loss. The Laminates & Films product line applications include kitchen and bath cabinets, wall surfacing, manufactured housing and recreational vehicle interiors, flooring, commercial and residential furniture, retail display fixtures, home furnishings, commercial appliances, and a variety of industrial film applications.

Performance Materials – The Performance Materials segment serves mature markets with a broad range of emulsion polymers based primarily on styrene butadiene (SB), styrene butadiene acrylonitrile (SBA), styrene butadiene vinyl pyridine, high styrene pigments, polyvinyl acetate, acrylic, styrene acrylic, calcium stearate, glyoxal, and bio-based chemistries. Performance Materials' custom-formulated products are tailored latexes, resins, binders, antioxidants, hollow plastic pigment, coated fabrics, and rubber reinforcing which are used in tire cord, polymer stabilization, industrial rubbers, carpet binders, paper coatings, and various other applications. Its products provide a variety of functional properties to enhance the Company’s customers’ products, including greater strength, adhesion, dimensional stability, ultraviolet resistance, improved processibility, and enhanced appearance.

The Performance Materials segment encompasses performance additives, paper coatings, carpet binders, and coated fabrics. This segment includes products that have applications in the paper coatings, paperboard, carpet binders, polymer stabilization, industrial rubbers, and tire cord industries. Paper and paperboard coatings are used in magazines, catalogs, direct mail advertising, brochures, printed reports, food cartons, household, and other consumer and industrial packaging. Carpet binders are used to secure carpet fibers to carpet backing and meet stringent manufacturing, environmental, odor, flammability, and flexible installation requirements. Tire cord is used in automotive tires. The Coated Fabrics product line applications include upholstery used in refurbishment and new construction for the commercial office, hospitality, health care, retail, education and restaurant markets, marine and transportation seating, commercial and residential furniture, automotive soft tops, and automotive after-market applications.

Accounting Standards Adopted in 2019

In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC") Topic 606, which clarified existing accounting literature relating to how and when a company recognizes revenue. This standard prescribes a five-step model for recognizing revenue, the application of which will require a certain amount of judgment. The provisions of this ASU may be applied retroactively or on a modified retrospective (cumulative effect) basis. In August 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-14, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Accounting Topic 606): Deferral of the Effective Date, which deferred the effective date of ASU 2014-09 to fiscal 2019. The standard requires additional disclosures in the notes to the consolidated financial statements, including qualitative and quantitative disclosures identifying the nature, amount, timing and significant judgments impacting revenue from contracts with customers. The Company adopted ASU 2014-09 during the first quarter of fiscal year 2019 and utilized the modified retrospective approach and recorded a cumulative effect adjustment to retained earnings of $0.5 million for the accounting impact of certain previously capitalized contract costs as of December 1, 2018.

In March 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-07, Improving the Presentation of Net Periodic Pension Cost and Net Periodic Postretirement Benefit Cost, which requires that an employer report the service cost component in the same line item or items as other compensation costs arising from services rendered by the pertinent employees during the period. The amendments in this ASU also allow only the service cost component to be eligible for capitalization when applicable. ASU 2017-07 must be applied retrospectively for the presentation of the service cost component and the other components of net periodic benefit cost in the income statement and prospectively, on and after the effective date, for the capitalization of the service cost component of net periodic benefit cost in assets. The Company adopted ASU 2017-17 during the first quarter of fiscal year 2019. The Company elected to use the practical expedient to use amounts disclosed in the first quarter 2018 consolidated financial statements as an estimate for applying the retrospective presentation requirements. As a result, selling, general, and administrative expense ("SG&A") increased by $0.5 million and other (income) expense increased by $0.5 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2019 and 2018. Other than this reclassification, the adoption of ASU 2017-07 did not have an impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements as of and for the quarter ended February 28, 2019 and 2018.

In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-15, Statement of Cash Flows - Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments, which clarifies existing guidance related to accounting for cash receipts and cash payments and classification on the statement of cash flows. The amendments in this ASU should be applied using a retrospective transition method to each period presented. The Company adopted the amendments of this ASU effective December 1, 2018, and this ASU did not have an impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements.

In November 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-18, Statement of Cash Flows - Restricted Cash, which requires that a statement of cash flows explain the change during the period in the total of cash, cash equivalents, and amounts generally described as restricted cash or restricted cash equivalents. Therefore, amounts generally described as restricted cash would be included with cash and cash equivalents when reconciling the beginning-of-period and end-of-period total amounts shown on the statement of cash flows. The amendments in this ASU should be applied using a retrospective transition method to each period presented. The Company adopted the amendments of this ASU effective December 1, 2018, and this ASU did not have an impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements.

In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-01, Clarifying the Definition of a Business, which clarified existing guidance on the definition of a business with the objective of adding guidance to assist entities with evaluating whether transactions should be accounted for as acquisitions (or disposals) of assets or businesses. The Company adopted the amendments of this ASU effective December 1, 2018, and this ASU did not have an impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements.

Accounting Standards Not Yet Adopted

In February 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-02, Reclassification of Certain Tax Effects from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), which allow a reclassification from accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) to retained earnings for standard tax effects resulting from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. ASU 2018-02 must be applied either in the period of adoption or retrospectively to each period in which the effect of the change in the U.S. federal corporate income tax rate in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is recognized. This guidance is effective for annual periods, including interim periods within those annual periods, beginning after December 15, 2018 with early adoption permitted in any interim period. The Company is currently evaluating the potential impact on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

In August 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-12, Derivatives and Hedging, which applies targeted improvements to the hedge accounting guidance, including removing the requirement to record the ineffective portion of a hedging instrument in current period income. The guidance is effective for annual periods, including interim periods within those annual periods, beginning after December 15, 2018 with early adoption permitted in any interim period. Amendments from this ASU are to be applied prospectively, with a cumulative effect adjustment recorded to retained earnings. The Company is currently evaluating the potential impact on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases (ASC Topic 842), which requires a lessee to recognize on the balance sheet the assets and liabilities for the rights and obligations created by those leases with a lease term of more than twelve months. Leases will continue to be classified as either financing or operating, with classification affecting the recognition, measurement and presentation of expenses and cash flows arising from a lease. The new guidance is effective for the Company’s fiscal year that begins on December 1, 2019. The Company will elect the optional transition method to the adoption for lessees related to finance and operating leases existing at, or entered into after, December 1, 2019, and the Company will record a cumulative effect adjustment to retained earnings on the same date, if necessary. This optional transition method will not require any restatements prior to the Company's 2020 fiscal year. The Company has developed a project plan, assembled a project team and formalized a project timeline for the adoption of ASC 842. The Company is currently evaluating certain practical expedients available. The Company is implementing controls to support recognition and disclosure under ASC 842. As the implementation project progresses, the Company will determine the extent of the impact on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.