In 1792 house painter Wiert Willem Sikkens started the production of Sikkens lacquers in the town of Groningen. He used a small gateway in the Groningen town wall as a boiler house and for sales, he bought a property on Herestraat, the best shopping street in the town. In the peacefully situated lacquer boiler house he had no trouble from busybodies and he troubled no one. In the busy Herestraat, he sold glass, wood and tools as well as paint and lacquer to fellow painters and others. The son of the founder, Geert Willem, took the company over, and in 1837 he also involved his brother-in-law Willem Penaat in production. They chose G.W. Sikkens & Co. as a name, and this became a synonym for quality and craftsmanship.

Note: "Sikkens University" is not an accredited institution. It is a term used to describe the steps necessary to become a Sikkens Certified P3 Contractor. These steps are designed to assist individuals in becoming knowledgeable about Sikkens products and applications.

Akzo Nobel disclaims any and all liability and responsibility concerning the application of our products by the Sikkens Certified Contractors. The certification Process is meant to train the contractors how to best apply Sikkens and our guarantee is limited to the quality of the product and under no circumstances related to the conditions of application by the contractor. Participants of the Sikkens Certification Program are not AkzoNobel agents and/or employees and they assume all risk of use, application and handling of Akzo Nobel products.