Sikkens Rubbol XD Explained by a Painter

Rubbol XD High Gloss is a high gloss topcoat from the professional line of Sikkens. We use it as the final coat on exterior woodwork. The properties we choose it for are clear: long-lasting gloss retention, and resistance to weather and UV. That counts in Friesland, where a south-west facade has to put up with a lot every year.

You do not need to remember more than that as a homeowner. If you want the exact drying times and application figures, they are on the Sikkens technical data sheet; we stick to that too. Rubbol XD is the finish of a build-up, not an agent that solves everything in one tin. You can read about what lies underneath at preparation, sanding and priming.

This is the pitfall. A reflective coat shows every dent, sanding scratch and filler edge, especially when low sun skims along the door. Satin forgives more. Anyone who wants high gloss therefore also chooses extra hours of preparation.

On a door that we finish in high gloss we therefore sand in steps with Festool, grits 150, 180 and 240. In between we fill what is needed and go over every surface again with the light on it. An old, heavily profiled door can come out beautifully, but a window frame full of old repairs stays visible if it is not built up properly. In doubt about the gloss? Then read high gloss or satin.

On a house with blue facade cladding and white fascia boards the whole finish was done in XD High Gloss; you can see the result in the project with the blue facade. There the weathered paint and the filled patches came first, because on that surface every new coat would only make the old damage show more.

A smaller job is the red front door: a door that went from the old green to fresh red, also in Rubbol XD High Gloss. A colour change like this shows well why the build-up counts. The old colour must not show through the new one, and a bold red gives away every spot where the primer was not even.

The table shows what we have used on real jobs. It is not a ranking: the choice follows from the situation.

The most common question is how long it lasts. Opaque exterior work lasts roughly 6 to 8 years as a rule of thumb, with south and west facades and sills due sooner. That depends more on the timber and the joints than on the brand. An open timber joint or a sill that stays wet pushes even the best gloss paint off by itself.

That is why we first probe the vulnerable spots with a screwdriver. If the timber is soft, it goes back to sound timber first and we repair it with Repair Care or a fitted piece. Only then does a new coat make sense. Only when the timber is dry and sound does it deserve a gloss paint of this class.

Have you already seen the paint at the neighbours or in one of our photos? That is a fine starting point. Send us:

• photos of the woodwork, up close and from a distance
• the number of doors and window frames, and the height of the facade
• the colour you are after, preferably with a RAL number
• what you know about the previous paint job and the year of construction

At the site visit we check whether high gloss is a good idea on that surface. Sometimes we recommend satin, because on old and often repaired timber it looks calmer. We will simply tell you so.

The tin of paint is rarely the big item. The build-up is: how many layers have to come off, how much repair is needed and whether scaffolding is involved. High gloss also needs more sanding than satin.

As a national market indication exterior painting starts from €35 per m2 and an exterior window frame from €50 each. After the site visit you get a fixed price from us, with the chosen product on the quote. Because we have our own scaffolding, putting it up and taking it down costs a fixed amount with no rental per day. You can find more on how such a price is built up at what exterior painting costs.

Sikkens is one of the brands we often work with, next to Sigma, Wijzonol and, on projects with BW Coatings, Herfst & Helder as well. For wood rot repair we use Repair Care. That we know several brands is an advantage for you: we do not have to push a single tin.

MJA Allround Bouw is based in Mirns, is a member of OnderhoudNL and a recognised training company, and works across Friesland. Want to know whether Rubbol XD suits your house? Send your photos through the quote page or call Mohamed on +31 6 3006 0558, and we will talk it through on site, where you can see the colour samples and the options right next to your own woodwork.