Essex · England
Mastic man in West Mersea
Resealing and weatherproof mastic for West Mersea’s island homes, from weatherboarded cottages in the Old City to 1960s houses and seafront holiday lets.
- Anti-fungal silicone as standard
- 20+ years in the trade
- Guaranteed for a year
Mastic and sealant work in West Mersea
West Mersea is the main settlement on Mersea Island, reached from the mainland by the Strood, the causeway that carries the B1025 and is covered by the sea at the top of the bigger tides. Around 7,000 people live in the town, and its homes take more weather than most in Essex: salt air, wind straight off the Blackwater estuary and long hours of sun on south-facing frames. Mr Mastic covers the island from our base in Crawley, resealing baths, showers and kitchens and renewing the mastic around windows and doors.
Because the Strood can close for a while at high tide, we plan island visits around the tide tables, so we arrive and leave on dry road and you are not left with a half-finished bathroom. On the day, the old sealant comes out in full, the joint is cleaned and dried, and a new bead goes on that suits the job. If your sealant has gone black within a year, our guide to why sealant goes mouldy explains what is usually behind it.
Fishermen’s cottages, island estates and holiday homes
The oldest part of town is the Old City, in the south-west by the Hard, where fishing and yachting have always been based. The Lane has the island’s densest group of listed buildings, some dating from the early 1600s, and many are small timber-framed cottages with white weatherboarding. Coast Road has more historic houses, and the whole area sits within the West Mersea Conservation Area, with houseboats moored on the mudflats seaward of the road.
Most of the rest of West Mersea is much newer. The town grew quickly from the 1960s, when the population rose from about 3,140 to over 4,000 in ten years, and the central and eastern parts of town are mainly modern detached and semi-detached houses on generous plots, with roads such as Firs Chase lined with mature, well-spaced homes.
Each type has its own sealant faults. In weatherboarded cottages, timber moves with the seasons, so the joints where boards meet window frames and door linings open up and need a flexible sealant rather than a hard filler. In 1960s and 1970s houses, the usual jobs are bathrooms refitted two or three times, uPVC replacement windows with mastic that has cracked in the sun, and kitchen worktops where the seal has shrunk back from the tiles.
Salt air, sea views and the Strood
On an island, external mastic works harder. Sea-facing frames on the Esplanade and along Coast Road take wind-driven rain and salt, and old sealant that has gone brittle lets moisture track behind the frame and into reveals and plaster. We cut out failed joints, clean back to sound brick, render or timber, add backing rod where the gap is deep and finish with a flexible, weatherproof external joint sealant in a colour to match.
Parking in the Old City can be tight on busy summer days, so tell us about access when you book. For weatherboarded and listed cottages in the conservation area, we keep the work to like-for-like resealing of existing joints and choose colours that sit quietly against painted timber.
Holiday parks, beach-side lets and island landlords
Mersea has six camping and caravanning sites, the largest of which, Cooper’s Beach, can take around 3,000 people at the height of summer, and the island has a steady trade in holiday lets. Shower blocks, statics and lets all need resealing between seasons, and it makes sense to have the work done in the quieter months so everything is ready for the first bookings.
Pubs, cafés and businesses around the Hard and the oyster and fishing trade have kitchens and washrooms that see heavy use. We also reseal for landlords letting homes on the island, between tenancies or after a tenant reports mould.
How a job runs
- Get in touch. Call or email with the job, your postcode and a few photos if you have them.
- Quote and booking. We quote clearly before anything starts and fix a day that works for you.
- Strip back the old joint. Every bit of old sealant is removed and the joint is cleaned, treated for mould and dried.
- Neat new sealant. Each joint gets the sealant that suits it, laid and smoothed to a tidy finish.
- Cure and guarantee. We tell you when it can be used, and every job has our one-year guarantee.
What we do in West Mersea
- Bathroom & kitchen resealing: Mouldy or split sealant around baths, shower trays, basins and sinks removed completely and replaced with a neat, hygienic bead.
- Window & door mastic: Cracked or shrunken mastic around window and door frames, sills and patio doors replaced with a weatherproof sealant.
- Commercial & hotel sealant: Commercial washrooms, kitchens and wet areas resealed floor by floor, so only a few rooms are out of use at once.
- Remedial sealant & repairs: Messy, layered or wrong-product sealant cut out and replaced with the right sealant, laid the right way.
- Fire-rated sealant: Intumescent and fire-rated joints around pipes, cables and frames, installed to the manufacturer’s tested specification.
- External & façade joints: Expansion joints in brick, render and cladding cut out and renewed at the right depth so they can move without splitting.
- New-build mastic & snagging: Early-failing sealant in new homes fixed properly, plus mastic packages and snagging for developers.
- Floor & skirting joints: Skirting-to-floor gaps, tiled floor movement joints and concrete floor joints sealed with the right product.
- Regrouting: Shower and splashback grout replaced where it has cracked or stained, with silicone in the movement joints.
- Glazing & conservatory sealant: Conservatory, rooflight, glass panel and shower screen joints resealed with glazing silicone.
- Gutter, fascia & soffit sealing: Exterior joints at gutters, fascias and soffits resealed to stop drips and staining down the wall.
- Sand mastic for sash & case windows: Sash and case window surrounds in stone and brick re-pointed with traditional sand mastic.
Choosing a mastic man in West Mersea
An island job needs a little more planning, and that is something we are used to. You get a firm with over 20 years in sealant work, full insurance and ARBOMaster approved applicator status, using Arbo and Everbuild products chosen for coastal conditions. We have completed more than 2,847 projects and hold a 4.9-star Google rating from over 180 five-star reviews. You will have a clear quote before we start, and the finished work carries our one-year guarantee.
Places we pass in West Mersea
Typical jobs near the centre are in homes and businesses around Mersea Island School, Church of St Peter and St Paul and White Hart pub. For open space, Ray Island is close by.
What customers say
Rated 4.9 on Google from 180+ five-star reviews. Read the reviews on Google.
“We had old mastic that needed replacing throughout our kitchen and bathrooms. The mastic man professional was knowledgeable, quoted fairly, and delivered excellent quality work. Highly recommend!”
“Professional mastic man service from start to finish. They assessed the work properly, gave a clear quote, and executed the job perfectly. Very satisfied with the results.”
“1950s terrace on Crossways — bath had black mould coming back constantly. Mr Mastic stripped it all back and did it properly. Bathroom looks brand new.”
Where we work in West Mersea
Choose your part of town for local details, or call 07833 053749 or email us and tell us your postcode.
Also near West Mersea
Questions from West Mersea
Do you cover all of West Mersea?
Yes. We cover the whole of West Mersea, from the Old City and Coast Road to the Esplanade and the newer estates, plus East Mersea at the other end of the island.
What happens if the Strood is closed by the tide?
We check the tide times before booking and plan the visit so we cross while the causeway is open, both ways.
My cottage on The Lane is weatherboarded. Can you seal around the windows?
Yes. We use a flexible sealant that copes with timber movement and pick a colour to suit the paintwork.
Does sea air shorten the life of window mastic?
Salt, wind and sun all age external sealant faster on exposed frames. A good-quality flexible mastic, applied to a clean joint, gives the best result.
Can you reseal shower blocks or statics at a holiday park?
Yes. We can work through units or blocks in turn, ideally out of season, so the site is ready for bookings.
Do you work for landlords with holiday lets on Mersea?
Yes. We reseal baths, showers and kitchens between bookings or tenancies and can quote for several properties together.
How long should I wait before using the bath?
Usually about 24 hours. We will confirm the cure time for the product used before we leave.