Essex · England
External & façade joints in Cattawade, Essex
Problem with your movement joints in Cattawade? We remove the old material, prepare the joints and seal them properly, and the work is guaranteed for a year.
- Rain getting behind render or cladding at a joint
- Old sealant gone brittle and cracked
- Joints with sealant missing in places
When it isn’t the sealant
Sealant isn’t the answer to every problem, and we’d rather say so up front. Sealant will not put right:
- Cutting new joints into brickwork, which is building work rather than sealant work
- Damp from another source, such as a leaking gutter or a bridged damp-proof course
- Movement that’s more than a sealant joint can take
If in doubt, call 0345 464 0079 or send us an email and we will say what we think before you book.
Joints and surfaces we work on
- Copings & trims
- Joints between brick and frames
- Brickwork movement joints
- Concrete & block
- Façade panels
- Render & cladding joints
How we handle external mastic in Cattawade
As ARBOMaster approved applicators, we choose exterior sealants to suit the joint and the surfaces. Porous or awkward surfaces are primed where the sealant needs it, and we don’t skip that step. Common call-outs are for damp patches traced to an open external joint and rigid filler in a joint that should flex, on copings & trims, render & cladding joints and joints between brick and frames.
External sealant needs dry, clean surfaces, so work around Cattawade is planned for dry weather. Let us know about access to every wall, plus any garages or outbuildings.
A 12-month guarantee comes with the work, just as it does everywhere we cover.
- Place
- Cattawade (CO11)
- Wider area
- Essex
- Guarantee
- A year, on every job
- Quotes
- A clear price before work begins
- Telephone
- 0345 464 0079
- Page updated
- 26 October 2026
Should I try it myself first?
A DIY attempt doesn’t rule out a professional job. We cut it out and start again, so tell us about it when you ask for a quote.
Some sealant jobs are within reach of a careful DIYer, such as a straightforward joint indoors. Where it goes wrong is sealing over the old bead, working on a wet joint or overloading the gap.
FAQs for Cattawade
Will you come out to Cattawade?
Yes, we do. Our work covers London and the South East, from towns to the smallest places. Longer journeys are simply planned in advance.
Is external mastic in a coastal place like Cattawade any different?
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. Walls facing the sea are usually the first to need attention.
Can you reach joints on upper floors?
It depends on the building. Tell us the height, the number of joints and what’s below them.
Should I try DIY first?
For a simple, easy-to-reach joint, a careful DIYer can do a reasonable job. The usual mistakes are sealing over old sealant, sealing a damp joint and using too much.
What should I tell you?
Where the job is, what the problem is and roughly how big it is. If you can, email a few photos.
Will there be a smell?
Some sealants have a smell while they cure. Opening a window helps.
Do you take out the old sealant first?
Yes. All of the old material is cut out and the joint cleaned before applying anything new.
How long before the joint can be used?
That depends on the sealant used, so please follow the time we give you.
What happens on the day
Once we are on site, we check the joints match what you told us. If anything is different, we explain it before carrying on. After that, the work takes a few hours to a few days, depending on the length of joint and the access. Somewhere like Cattawade needs a little journey planning: let us know about lanes, gates and parking. Everything for the job comes with us, so a second trip is avoided where possible.
- Each joint is checked and the colour of the new sealant agreed.
- Failed sealant is removed back to clean, sound faces.
- Backing rod goes in so the sealant can stretch between the two faces.
- Primer is applied wherever the sealant needs it.
- A low-modulus exterior sealant is gunned in and tooled to a neat finish.
Getting ready for the visit
- On commercial sites, let us know about site rules
- Mention any leaks or damp you’ve noticed
- Tell us if parking is tricky
Getting a quote
There’s no standard price list, because every job is different. Instead, we give you a clear quote for your job. To arrange one, call 0345 464 0079 or drop us an email.
Related advice
Also near Cattawade
Other services in Cattawade
What external mastic looks like in Cattawade
Cattawade 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. Historic houses like Castle House (about 2.9 miles west) are a reminder that the area around Cattawade has older buildings as well as new. In older buildings, older brick and stone need a sealant that suits them, at the right joint depth.
Managing a site like Brooklands Primary School? Then its movement joints, gutters and trims need looking after like any other building’s. In the older streets around Church of St Michael and All Angels, an extension built onto an older house moves differently, and the joint between them takes the strain. For landlords with property near Manningtree station, split movement joints are easy to miss on a rental until damp shows inside.
Cattawade is in Essex. Homes, rented property, offices and hotels in Cattawade is covered for external mastic. The work is guaranteed for a year. Cattawade is one of 644 towns and villages in Essex we cover. Our Chelmsford page covers work nearby.
Every address in CO11 is covered for external mastic. We cover properties on Temple Pattle, Grimwade Close and Hardy Close and the roads around them. We also cover the places around Cattawade: Brantham (1 mile north), East End (1 mile north), Manningtree (1 mile south), Lawford (1 mile south) and Mistley (2 miles south-east). Larger places within reach include Colchester (8 miles south-west), Clacton-on-Sea (12 miles south), Harwich (9 miles east), Camulodunum (10 miles south-west), Greenstead (7 miles south-west) and Wivenhoe (8 miles south-west).
Near you in Cattawade
Typical jobs here are in homes near The Ark pub and Manningtree High School and the streets around them. The closest station to Cattawade is Manningtree station, roughly 1 mile south-west of the centre. A little further out are Little Wenham Castle (3.8 miles north) and The Munnings Museum (2.9 miles west). For a walk, there’s Cattawade Marshes and Alton Water.
How to look after the new joints
To keep the joints looking good and working properly:
- Check external joints each spring
- Keep soil, plants and ivy away from the joints
- Tell anyone working on the walls about the movement joints
- Keep movement joints as flexible joints, not mortar
Only paint over the joint if we’ve confirmed the sealant can take paint. Paint can crack on a flexible joint and spoil the finish.
Small splits are the time to act. At that stage it’s a simple cut out and reseal.
Why it’s worth doing now in Cattawade
Low-modulus sealants stretch easily, so they put less strain on the joint edges. That protects surfaces like brick, render and concrete. A stiffer product can damage the joint edge as it fails. Older cottages and farmhouses around Cattawade can have timber floors and frames, where water from a failed joint can cause rot if it’s left.
Leaving a failed joint usually makes the job bigger, not smaller, as water and mould keep getting in. If you’re not sure whether it needs doing, call 0345 464 0079 or email us and we will give you an honest view and a quote.
What you get with us
- A 12-month guarantee on all work
- Arbo and Everbuild products
- Colour agreed with you before we start
- Old sealant always removed completely
Take a look at our cost guide and what customers say.
Landlord and commercial work in Cattawade
We work for landlords and letting agents as well as homeowners. Sealant work between tenants keeps a property looking cared for.
A neglected joint can let water reach the structure, which is a bigger problem in a rented property. Keeping joints in good order is simple maintenance.
What the job involves on each surface
Cladding and façade panels
Panels heat up and cool down quickly, so the joints work hard every day. We choose the product to suit.
Brickwork movement joints
Brick movement joints are often mistaken for a missing mortar line. Where one has been mortared, we cut it out and reseal it with sealant.