Sikkens or Sigma: which paint should you choose?

What Sikkens and Sigma have in common

Both brands have long been a fixture in the Dutch painting trade. They supply primers, interior and exterior gloss paints, wall paints and stains, in systems designed to work together. That last point matters more than the name on the tin: a primer and topcoat from the same system are developed for each other and bond well.

Both also have an extensive colour system, so almost any colour can be mixed, and technical data sheets stating at which temperature, film thickness and surface a product works best. A professional painter reads those sheets and follows them.

Where the differences lie

Painters often have a preference, but it usually concerns a specific product: how a gloss flows, how quickly it dries, how it handles on a cool morning. One painter likes using a particular Sikkens gloss when finishing window frames during exterior painting, another prefers a Sigma wall paint. A brand that is better at everything does not exist.

• Handling: flow, open time and drying time differ per product.
• Sheen level: each brand has its own variants from high gloss to matt.
• System: primer and topcoat ideally come from the same product line.
• Application: some products are made for old timber, others for new timber or metal.

And Wijzonol?

Alongside Sigma and Sikkens, Oranje Kwast also uses Wijzonol, a brand many painters rely on for gloss and stain work on timber. Here too, it is about the right application. For the exterior woodwork in Amsterdam-Noord, two coats of Sikkens exterior gloss were applied to the woodwork after the wood rot repair and primer. On another job, a product from Sigma or Wijzonol may be a better fit.

So how do you choose?

Let the choice depend mainly on the surface and the conditions. A south-facing window frame by open water in Zaandam needs something different from an interior door in a flat in Amstelveen. More important than the brand is that the preparation is right and that enough coats are applied; you can read more in the article on primer and preparation.

Our painter advises during the free consultation which product is suitable, and that is then simply stated in the quote. That way you know exactly what goes on your frames and walls. If you also want to choose the sheen level deliberately, read high gloss, satin or matt.