Edinburgh · Scotland
Blackhall External Mastic
Problem with your movement joints in Blackhall? We cut out the old, prepare the joints and apply the right sealant, and the work is guaranteed for a year.
- Movement joints with cracked, split or missing sealant
- Gaps where render, brick and frames meet
- Hard, crazed mastic that has stopped moving
FAQs for Blackhall
I let a flat near Haymarket station. Can you help?
Yes, we work for letting agents and landlords. Just send an email to info@mrmastic.co.uk and tell us about the property, and we will send you a clear quote.
How is work on the outside of a tenement in Blackhall generally arranged?
The owners of the flats generally agree repairs to shared parts like the roof and outside walls, and many buildings have a factor to arrange it. Where the title deeds are silent, the Tenements (Scotland) Act 2004 fills the gaps. Your title deeds will say who owns the windows.
Can you seal joints between render and window frames?
Yes. Different materials move at different rates, so the joint between them must be flexible. We choose one that suits both surfaces.
Do you take out the old sealant first?
Yes. We cut out all the old sealant and clean the joint before applying anything new.
Do you have insurance?
Yes. Mr Mastic is fully insured, with over 20 years’ experience in sealant work.
What do you put in the joint?
The product depends on the job: sanitary silicone where it gets wet, and sealants suited to movement or weather elsewhere. We use products from Arbo and Everbuild.
Will you leave a mess?
Tidy work is part of the job. We protect what’s around the joints.
Do you use backing rod?
The foam is closed-cell backing rod. It keeps the sealant at the right depth and bonded to the sides only, which would stop it stretching.
How we handle external mastic in Blackhall
We cut out failed sealant, set the joint depth with closed-cell backing rod and reseal with a low-modulus exterior sealant. The colour is chosen to suit the brick or render so the joint doesn’t stand out. If you have moss and dirt in joints with no sealant left and panel joints letting water in, we can help.
Alongside their tenements, Scotland’s cities have modern blocks with render, cladding and movement joints. Around Blackhall, as anywhere, those joints dry out and crack over time, letting water behind the face of the building.
You are covered for a year from the day we finish. If anything is not right with it, send an email to info@mrmastic.co.uk.
- Location
- Blackhall (EH4, EH12)
- Wider area
- Edinburgh
- Guarantee
- 12 months on all our work
- Quote
- A clear price before we start
- info@mrmastic.co.uk
- Updated
- 26 October 2026
Why act early in Blackhall
Pointing a movement joint with mortar might seem a neat fix, but it locks the joint solid. The movement then cracks the brickwork or render nearby. A flexible sealant over backing rod is what the joint needs. Private landlords in Blackhall must meet the Repairing Standard, and damp or leaks can fall short of it, so failed sealant is best replaced before it becomes a complaint.
We do not show prices on the website, because the cost depends so much on the job itself. For a quick quote, please drop us a line at info@mrmastic.co.uk.
What you get with us
- Quality sealants from Arbo and Everbuild
- White, clear, grey or another colour, product permitting
- More than 20 years in sealant work
- An ARBOMaster approved applicator
Take a look at our cost guide or customer reviews.
What sealant work cannot fix
We won’t take on work that won’t last, so here’s what sealant can’t put right:
- Cracked brickwork or render that needs a builder or plasterer
- Rising or penetrating damp from elsewhere in the wall
- Walls that need new movement joints cut into them
If you are not sure, just email us at info@mrmastic.co.uk and we’ll give you a straight answer.
What we seal
- Façade panels
- Joints between brick and frames
- Brickwork movement joints
- Concrete & block
- Copings & trims
- Render & cladding joints
Aftercare tips
No joint lasts for ever, but care makes a real difference. Our tips:
- Check the sealant is paintable before painting near it
- Walk round the building once a year and look at the joints
- Have failed joints looked at early
- Show decorators and builders where the movement joints are
Make sure anyone working on the wall later knows where the movement joints are. They must stay as flexible joints, never rendered or pointed over.
Act while the splits are small. At that stage it’s a simple cut out and reseal before water has had years to get in.
Different surfaces, different methods
Render joints
Water behind render can lead to blown patches. A sound joint keeps the render dry behind and helps it last.
Cladding and façade panels
If the façade has a specified sealant, that is what we use, or one the system allows. Send us any details you have about the façade.
How it works
There is not much for you to do on the day. Show us the job and we will take it from there. The work itself takes a few hours to a few days, depending on the length of joint and the access. In a city area like Blackhall, parking may be by permit or pay-and-display, so tell us what’s nearby. For flats, mention the door entry system and any shared-stair arrangements.
- We inspect the joints and agree which need resealing and how they’ll be reached.
- The old mastic and anything lodged in the joint is removed.
- We clean both faces of the joint and prime them where the product calls for it.
- Backing rod goes in next, setting the depth and keeping the sealant off the back of the joint.
- The new sealant, chosen to suit the brick or render, is applied and tooled to a neat finish.
How to prepare
- Tell us if parking is tricky
- Let us know about stairs, lifts or work at height
- On commercial sites, let us know about site rules
Get a quote
Call for a quick quote, or email us if that’s easier. Describe what needs sealing and we will explain what’s involved before giving you a price.
Related advice
Outside joints around Blackhall
Blackhall is within about 2 miles of the coast, where wind-driven rain is a fact of life and, nearer the shore, so is salt air. Both are hard on movement joints and outside wall joints, which can dry out and crack sooner where a building faces the weather. The Old and New Towns of Edinburgh are a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the Georgian New Town is known for its sash windows. If a home is listed or in a conservation area, it’s worth checking with the council before changing the look of windows or walls.
For landlords with property near Haymarket station, failed wall and movement joints let damp in, so they’re worth checking between tenancies. For an older house near a landmark such as St Columba's Parish Church, old and new materials meet at the roofline and walls, which is where sealant earns its keep. Schools such as The Mary Erskine School are buildings too, and larger buildings have long runs of movement joint that eventually need resealing.
Blackhall is about 2 miles north-west of Edinburgh, in Edinburgh. Jobs in Blackhall get the same care as everywhere else we work: old sealant removed completely, careful preparation and a 12-month guarantee. We cover 175 towns and villages across Edinburgh, large and small.
We cover every part of the EH4 and EH12 postcode area for external mastic and the streets around it. If you need external mastic at a property on Loch Road, March Road and Columba Road or a nearby road, we can help. Blackhall sits on or near the A90 and A902. Neighbouring places we cover for external mastic include Drylaw (1 mile north-east), Ravelston (1 mile south-east), Craigcrook (1 mile west), Murrayfield (1 mile south) and Muirhouse (1 mile north). Further out, we also cover Leith (4 miles north-east), Bonnington (3 miles east), Greenside (3 miles east), Broughton (3 miles east), Buccleuch (3 miles east) and Gayfield (3 miles east).
Local landmarks in Blackhall
Typical jobs here are in homes near Saughton Park, St George's School and Gabrielle Keiller Library, among other places. The closest station to Blackhall is Haymarket station, roughly 1.6 miles south-east. Other landmarks nearby include Craigcrook Castle (0.6 miles south-west) and Murrayfield Experience (1.3 miles south). Green spaces nearby include Dunsapie Loch and Corstorphine Hill.
What affects the cost of external mastic
Jobs vary more than people expect. What affects the quote:
- How easy the joints are to reach
- The number and length of the joints
- Any working-time requirements on site
- Mould in or behind the old joints
Homes and businesses are quoted the same way: the amount of work, the access and the products needed, plus any working-time requirements on site. Call for a quick quote and we will go through it with you.
What to tell us for a quote
To help us quote quickly, let us know:
- Any access issues, like height or stairs
- If someone has resealed it before
- What the problem is, such as mould, gaps, leaks or cracking
- How many joints, rooms or windows are involved
If you’re in Blackhall and need external mastic, drop us a line at info@mrmastic.co.uk. Tell us what the problem is and where, and we will agree the price before any work begins.
DIY sealant or a professional job?
The biggest DIY mistake is sealing over old sealant. New silicone will not bond to old, so it lifts and traps water and mould underneath. All the old material has to come out first.
What a professional job adds is preparation and the right product. Joints are cleaned back to sound surfaces and dried, and the sealant is chosen for how the joint moves and where it is, then guaranteed for a year.