Edinburgh · Scotland
External & façade joints in Canonmills, Edinburgh
Specialist external mastic for Canonmills: careful preparation, the right product and tidy work. Call for a quick quote.
- Leaking joints around cladding and façade panels
- Plants rooting in failed movement joints
- Old sealant gone brittle and cracked
Outside joints around Canonmills
Canonmills is close to 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. Under the Repairing Standard, private landlords in Scotland have to keep homes wind and watertight, and sound outside sealant is part of that.
Letting a property close to Edinburgh Waverley station? Then failed wall and movement joints let damp in, so they’re worth checking between tenancies. Whitefoord House, about 1.1 miles south-east, is one of the historic houses in the wider area around Canonmills.
Canonmills is about 1 mile north of Edinburgh, in Edinburgh. We carry out external mastic for homeowners, landlords and businesses in Canonmills and the surrounding area, as part of our work across Edinburgh. Our area takes in 175 places across Edinburgh, large and small.
Every address in EH3, EH7 and EH2 is within our area for external mastic. Streets in the area include York Lane, Canon Lane and Circus Lane, all of which we cover. Close by, we work in Bellevue (1 mile south-east), Powderhall (1 mile north-east), New Town (1 mile south), Broughton (1 mile south-east) and Gayfield (1 mile south-east). We also work in nearby towns such as Queensferry (8 miles west), South Portobello (3 miles east), Southhouse (5 miles south), Gilmerton (5 miles south-east), Slateford (3 miles south-west) and Gracemount (4 miles south).
Local landmarks in Canonmills
In Canonmills, that means homes and buildings near St Cuthbert's Church, King George V Park and Hamilton's Bar & Kitchen. Nearby too are Stockbridge public library (within half a mile south-west) and London Street Primary School (0.5 miles south-east). Canonmills’s nearest station is Edinburgh Waverley station, about 0.8 miles south-east of the centre. Other landmarks nearby include St. James Centre (0.7 miles south-east) and Edinburgh Castle (1 mile south). Open spaces near Canonmills include Dunsapie Loch and The New Leaf Co-op.
External mastic in Canonmills
Movement joints let brickwork, render and cladding expand and shrink without cracking. The sealant in it has to stretch and squeeze for years, so once it splits or hardens, the joint stops working and water gets in. Common call-outs are for rigid filler in a joint that should flex and joints where the bead has come unstuck, on joints between brick and frames, concrete & block and brickwork movement joints.
Alongside their tenements, Scotland’s cities have modern blocks with render, cladding and movement joints. In Canonmills, those joints dry out over time and let water in behind the render or cladding.
We guarantee the work for a year. If there’s a problem with our work within the year, let us know and we’ll sort it.
- Location
- Canonmills (EH3, EH7, EH2)
- Region
- Edinburgh
- Cover
- A year, on every job
- Quotes
- A clear price before we start
- info@mrmastic.co.uk
- Last updated
- 26 October 2026
When it isn’t the sealant
Some problems need a builder, plumber or other trade rather than us:
- Cracking across the wall rather than at a joint
- Movement that’s more than a sealant joint can take
- Adding movement joints to masonry that has none
Not sure which it is? You can drop us a line at info@mrmastic.co.uk and we will tell you honestly.
Where we work in Canonmills
- Joints between brick and frames
- Copings & trims
- Façade panels
- Concrete & block
- Render & cladding joints
- Brickwork movement joints
When to call us in Canonmills
Sunlight, wet weather and frost wear exterior sealant down. Over the years it hardens, cracks on the surface and loses its give, so the joint eventually tears or comes away from one side.
Look out for any of the following:
- Moss and dirt in joints with no sealant left
- Movement joints with cracked, split or missing sealant
- Gaps where render, brick and frames meet
- Old sealant gone brittle and cracked
If you look after a building such as Drummond Community High School, movement joints, cladding joints and gutters on larger buildings need the same care as a house’s.
What to look for in a quote
- What product goes in the joint
- What insurance they hold
- Which colour the sealant will be
- Who does the work, and how experienced they are
Also in Canonmills
Different surfaces, different methods
Concrete and blockwork
Big joints in concrete need careful depth control. Backing rod sized to the joint sets it.
Brickwork movement joints
Brick moves with heat and moisture, and grows a little over time. That movement goes into the joint, so the sealant in it must stay soft and stretchy.
Why act early in Canonmills
A failed movement joint lets water into the wall and can run behind render or cladding. Dealing with it early keeps the repair to the joint, instead of the wall and finishes around it. Wind-driven rain gets into any failed joint on the outside of a city building, and in Canonmills, damp can spread through stone and plaster before anyone sees it.
There are no prices on our website, because each job is priced on what it involves. For a quick quote, please send an email to info@mrmastic.co.uk and we’ll talk you through it.
Why book with us
- Approved under the ARBOMaster scheme
- White, clear, grey or coloured to suit, where the product allows
- Domestic, commercial and hotel work
- 4.9 on Google from 180+ five-star reviews
Take a look at how sealant jobs are priced and what customers say.
Common questions in Canonmills
Does living near the coast affect external mastic in Canonmills?
Near the sea, outside joints face more wind, rain and salt than they would inland, so the choice of sealant and the preparation matter even more. It’s worth checking the walls that face the sea first.
Who arranges sealant work on the shared parts of a tenement in Canonmills?
The owners of the flats usually 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.
Is it OK to fill a movement joint with cement?
No. Cement or mortar can’t stretch, so the joint stops doing its job. If it has already been filled, we can normally cut it out and reseal it.
Is there any odour?
Sometimes, a little. It fades as the sealant cures.
How long will you be here?
That depends on the amount of work, but most jobs take a few hours to a few days, depending on the length of joint and the access. We’ll tell you when we quote.
What’s an expansion joint in brickwork?
A movement joint is a planned break in the wall that absorbs expansion and shrinkage. It’s sealed with a flexible sealant, not mortar.
Does someone need to be in?
That depends on where the joints are. For work indoors, someone needs to let us in.
Where is Mr Mastic based?
Our base is Crawley, with over 20 years’ experience. We work across South East England, London and Scotland.
Keeping the joints in good condition
So the new joints stay in good condition:
- Look over the joints every year, ideally after winter
- Keep high-pressure jets off the joints
- Never let anyone fill a movement joint with mortar
- Fix overflowing gutters above sealed joints
Give the sealant the cure time we tell you before anything rubs against it. The surface skins over quickly, but full cure takes longer.
An open movement joint lets rain into the wall every time it pours. Over time it can mean damp inside, stained render or frost-damaged brick which cost more to put right than the joint.
Can I do it myself?
A DIY attempt does not rule out a professional job. We remove it and do the joint properly, so just mention it when you contact us.
Not every job suits DIY: work at height, external movement joints, fire-rated sealant and large areas need the right product, the right access and the right method.
How the visit works
On the day, we look over the joints with you first, so there are no surprises. Surfaces next to the work are protected before any work begins. The work generally takes anything from a few hours to several days, depending on the building. For a tenement in Canonmills, 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.
- 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.
- We push in closed-cell backing rod so the sealant is the right depth and bonds to the sides only.
- We gun in a flexible exterior sealant in a colour that suits the wall and tool it neatly.
Preparing for the visit
- Mention if the joints have been sealed before
- Keep children and pets away from the work area
- For business premises, tell us about site rules or sign-in
Getting a quote
A good description makes for an accurate quote. Tell us where the job is, what’s wrong and how much there is.