Edinburgh · Scotland
External Mastic in Edinburgh
Movement joints in Edinburgh need attention? We cut out the old, prepare the joints and apply the right sealant, and the work is guaranteed for a year.
- Joints with sealant missing in places
- Rigid filler in a joint that should flex
- Failed seals between different materials
How to look after the new joints
Good habits help new joints last longer. Our tips:
- Wash walls gently around the sealant
- Have failed joints looked at early
- Never let anyone fill a movement joint with mortar
- Clear growth from the base of walls and joints
Have a quick look at the joints each spring. Watch for splits, edges coming away or growth in the joint.
Gaps, plants or missing sealant in a joint are worth getting looked at. Early work is quicker and leaves a better finish.
External mastic in Edinburgh
Where two different materials meet, such as brick and render or blockwork and metal, they move at different rates. A flexible exterior sealant takes up that movement. If you’re dealing with leaking joints around cladding and façade panels and weeds or debris growing in open joints, we can put it right.
On a four-storey tenement, gutter joints are a long way from the street, and a slow drip can stain and soak the stone for a long time before it’s spotted. For a building in Edinburgh, access is planned first, and shared parts may need the other owners to agree.
Our work is backed for twelve months, and the guarantee is the same wherever you are.
Should I try it myself first?
If you’re set on DIY, put the effort into preparation: take out all the old sealant, make sure the joint is clean and dry, and give it the full cure time. If it does not work out, we can still put it right.
Some sealant jobs are within reach of a careful DIYer, such as a straightforward joint indoors. The common mistakes are sealing over old sealant, sealing a damp joint and using far too much.
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Quotes for external mastic in Edinburgh
You will get a clear quote before we start. It takes into account:
- How many areas need sealing
- Whether old sealant or filler has to be cut out
- The type of sealant required
- Any mould that needs treating
What it costs depends on the size of the job, how much old material has to come out and access to the work. We give a clear quote before any work starts.
Asking for a quote
Photos by email are helpful but not essential. Please mention:
- Where the job is, and your postcode
- The problem you’ve noticed
- If it’s domestic, commercial or a hotel
- Whether it has been sealed before
To get a quote, send an email to info@mrmastic.co.uk and tell us where the job is and what the problem looks like. You’ll have a clear quote before we start.
FAQs for Edinburgh
Does the coastal weather in Edinburgh affect outside sealant?
Near the coast, wind-driven rain and, nearer the shore, salt air make outside sealant work harder. Choosing the right sealant for the frame and wall, laid at the right depth, helps it last.
Do you work for landlords with property near Haymarket station?
Yes, landlords and agents are among the people we work for. Just email us at info@mrmastic.co.uk with the address and what needs doing, and we will send you a clear quote.
Will it make a mess?
Not at all. We work neatly, protect the area around the joints and tidy up afterwards.
Can I do it myself?
Some simple jobs can be done by a careful DIYer. The usual mistakes are sealing over old sealant, sealing a damp joint and using too much.
How long will you be here?
That depends on the amount of work, but most jobs take anything from a few hours to several days, depending on the building. We will tell you when we quote.
How much does external mastic cost in Edinburgh?
Every job is different, so each one gets its own quote. For a quick quote, send an email to info@mrmastic.co.uk with a short description of the job.
Do I need to be at home?
It depends on the job. Inside work needs someone to give us access, and for outside work we’ll agree access with you when we book.
Why is there a gap in my brick wall?
A vertical gap in a long brick wall is generally a movement joint. It lets the bricks expand without cracking and needs a flexible seal, not mortar.
Walls and rooflines in Edinburgh
Edinburgh is within about 2 miles of the coast, and homes near the sea take more wind-driven rain, with salt in the air closer to the shore. That is hard on movement joints and outside wall joints, especially on the side facing the sea. Harled (roughcast) walls are common in Scotland, and joints where harling meets other materials need a sealant that can grip and flex.
Rented homes near Haymarket station change hands often, and failed wall and movement joints let damp in, so they’re worth checking between tenancies. If you live in an older home near St Cuthbert's Church, old and new materials meet at the roofline and walls, which is where sealant earns its keep. Managing a site like Tollcross Primary School? Then larger buildings have long runs of movement joint that eventually need resealing.
Edinburgh is in Scotland. Every kind of property in Edinburgh can book us for external mastic, old or new, large or small. The work is guaranteed for a year. 175 places in Edinburgh are on our list, from the larger towns to small villages.
Work in EH4, EH14, EH12 and EH6 is quoted and booked the same way as anywhere else. Whether your property is on Fountainbridge Square, Conference Square and Mcewan Square or a nearby road, our applicators can take on the job. Edinburgh is on the A1 and A7, so it’s easy for us to get to with everything needed for external mastic. If you’re just outside Edinburgh, we cover West End (1 mile north-west), Bruntsfield (1 mile south), Merchiston (1 mile south), Dalry (1 mile west) and Greenhill (1 mile south). We also work in nearby towns such as Leith (3 miles north-east), Queensferry (8 miles west), Timber Bush (3 miles north-east), South Portobello (3 miles east), Southhouse (4 miles south-east) and Newhaven (3 miles north).
What’s near Edinburgh
In Edinburgh, that means homes and buildings near Signet Library, Bruntsfield Links and Edinburgh School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture and the streets around them. Other local landmarks include Boroughmuir High School (under half a mile south) and Bennets Bar (less than half a mile south-east). For rail, the closest station is Haymarket station, about 0.5 miles west of the centre. Other landmarks nearby include Museum of Fire (less than half a mile north-east) and Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion (within half a mile east). Open spaces near Edinburgh include Salisbury Crags and Dunsapie Loch.
How the visit works
There’s no need to move everything out, only the area right around the joints. Everything nearby is protected, and the job takes a few hours for a handful of joints, longer for a whole elevation for a typical job. For a tenement in Edinburgh, work inside your flat is between us and you, while shared parts may need the factor or neighbours to agree. Tell us which applies when you book.
- We start by checking each joint, agreeing the ones to redo and how we will reach them.
- We cut out the failed sealant and rake out any dirt or growth.
- Both sides are cleaned back to sound material and primed if needed.
- Backing rod goes in next, setting the depth and keeping the sealant off the back of the joint.
- A flexible exterior sealant is applied and tooled in a colour to suit the wall.
Preparing for the visit
- Let us know about stairs, lifts or work at height
- For business premises, tell us about site rules or sign-in
- Plan for the work area to be out of bounds to pets and children
Getting a quote
The more we know about the job, the more useful the quote. Tell us where the job is, what’s wrong and how much there is, and email photos if that is easy.
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What sealant work cannot fix
Sealant isn’t the answer to every problem, and we’d rather say so up front. Sealant will not put right:
- Structural movement, which needs a surveyor or engineer
- Cracks in the bricks or render themselves, away from the joints
- Failed render or damaged cladding panels
If in doubt, send an email to info@mrmastic.co.uk and we will say what we think before you book.
Surfaces we seal
- Concrete & block
- Render & cladding joints
- Façade panels
- Copings & trims
- Joints between brick and frames
- Brickwork movement joints
Different surfaces, different methods
Joints between dissimilar materials
Brick against render, concrete against metal, stone against timber: every change of material is a joint. We seal the joint with a flexible exterior sealant.
Cladding and façade panels
Where a cladding system has its own specified sealant, we follow it. Send us any details you have about the façade.
What happens if it’s left?
Resealing a run of joints in one go is generally better than patching one at a time. Joints of the same age tend to fail together. Scottish rain finds any gap around a frame or wall joint, and in Edinburgh, damp can spread through stone and plaster before anyone sees it.
A failed joint rarely gets cheaper to fix by waiting, as water and mould keep getting in. If you’re unsure, drop us a line at info@mrmastic.co.uk for an honest opinion and a quote.
Why choose Mr Mastic in Edinburgh
- Colour picked to suit the job
- Fully insured
- Quality sealants from Arbo and Everbuild
- Experience in homes, commercial sites and hotels
Read our cost guide and customer reviews.