Orkney Islands · Scotland
Clouston External Mastic
Specialist external mastic for Clouston: careful preparation, the right product and tidy work. Call for a quick quote.
- Rigid filler in a joint that should flex
- Plants rooting in failed movement joints
- Cracked joints where brick meets render or frames
External mastic in Clouston
A movement joint is only as good as its depth. Closed-cell backing rod sets the depth and stops the sealant sticking to the back, leaving it bonded to two faces so it can move with the wall. We are often asked to deal with leaking joints around cladding and façade panels and gaps where render, brick and frames meet, across concrete & block, brickwork movement joints and façade panels.
Older stone buildings need a sealant that suits the stone, not an acetoxy product that can mark or attack it. Newer houses need their movement joints and roofline trims kept sound.
Your job is guaranteed for a year, as with all our work.
- Place
- Clouston (KW16)
- Wider area
- Orkney Islands
- Guarantee
- 12 months on all our work
- Price
- Quoted before any work starts
- info@mrmastic.co.uk
- Page updated
- 26 October 2026
Your questions about external mastic in Clouston
Do you cover smaller places like Clouston?
Yes. Clouston is within the area we cover, which takes in towns, villages and rural addresses. Our work covers the whole of Scotland, including the islands, where work is planned around ferry crossings. Just mention lanes, gates or anything else about the route when you book.
Is external mastic in a coastal place like Clouston any different?
Coastal homes put outside sealant through more weather than inland ones, so preparation and the right sealant matter all the more. Walls facing the sea are generally the first to need attention.
Is the work guaranteed?
Yes: twelve months. If there’s a problem with our work in that time, tell us and we’ll put it right.
I’m a tenant. Can you help?
Yes. Ask your landlord first, and we can send them the quote if that helps.
Is it OK to fill a movement joint with cement?
No. Cement or mortar can’t stretch and the joint fails. If it has already been filled, we can usually cut it out and reseal it.
When is the sealant fully cured?
It depends on the product and the conditions. Before we leave, we’ll tell you the cure time.
Are you fully insured?
Yes. We’re fully insured for domestic and commercial work.
How long will you be here?
That depends on how much there is to do, but most jobs take a few hours to a few days, depending on the length of joint and the access. We will tell you when we quote.
Aftercare tips
A little care helps the new joints last. We recommend:
- Show decorators and builders where the movement joints are
- Avoid pressure-washing directly into sealant joints
- Keep water from gutters off the wall
- Leave the joints unpainted unless we’ve said otherwise
Look over the joints once a year, ideally after winter. 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.
What external mastic looks like in Clouston
Clouston is within about 1 mile of the coast, and homes near the sea take more wind-driven rain, with salt in the air closer to the shore. That’s hard on movement joints and outside wall joints, especially on the side facing the sea. Work on the islands has to be planned around ferry crossings and the weather, so give us as much notice as you can.
Around Clouston, as everywhere, external mastic is only as good as the preparation behind it.
Clouston is about 9 miles west of Kirkwall, in the Orkney Islands. Wherever you are in the KW16 postcode area, we cover external mastic for homes and businesses. 51 places in the Orkney Islands are on our list.
Jobs for external mastic in KW16 is quoted and booked the same way as anywhere else. We also cover the places around Clouston: Stenness (1 mile north-east), Cairston (2 miles west), Grimeston (2 miles north), Germiston (3 miles east) and Wasbister (3 miles north-west). Island and remote addresses take a little more planning, so tell us where you are when you ask for a quote.
Around Clouston
A little further out are Stromness Museum (3.3 miles south-west). The countryside around Clouston includes Brodgar RSPB Reserve and Loch of Stenness.
What happens on the day
There’s no need to move everything out before we come, just the space around the work. Everything nearby is protected, and the work takes a few hours for a handful of joints, longer for a whole elevation in most cases. Outdoor work around Clouston depends on the weather, as sealant needs a dry surface, so an outdoor job can move if the forecast changes. Work indoors isn’t affected.
- We start by walking round the building and agreeing the joints and the access.
- Every bit of old sealant and any mortar or debris is cut out.
- The faces are brushed clean and primed where the product requires it.
- Backing rod sized to the joint goes in to set the depth.
- The exterior sealant is applied, tooled and checked along its length.
How to prepare
- For indoor joints, keep the area dry beforehand if you can
- Mention any leaks or damp you’ve noticed
- Keep pets and children clear of the area while we work
Ask for a quote
Getting a quote is simple: let us know what needs doing and where. Photos by email help us understand the job, and we will take it from there.
Advice
Should I try it myself first?
If you are set on DIY, put the effort into preparation: remove every trace of old sealant, clean and dry the joint, and follow the product’s cure time. If it doesn’t work out, we can still put it right.
Overfilling a joint is a classic DIY mistake. A heavy bead looks messy and copes badly with movement, and getting the depth right matters as much as the look.
Do you need external mastic in Clouston?
Poor preparation causes many early failures: joint faces that were dusty or damp, unprimed where they needed it, or still carrying old sealant. The sealant never bonds properly.
Signs it’s time to call us include:
- Cracked joints where brick meets render or frames
- Joints with sealant missing in places
- Joints where the bead has come unstuck
- Rigid filler in a joint that should flex
In the older streets around Stenness Church, old and new materials meet at the roofline and walls, which is where sealant earns its keep.
Comparing quotes
- How long to leave it before use
- Whether they seal over old material or remove it
- What guarantee comes with the work
- Whether the sealant suits the joint
Surface by surface
Brickwork movement joints
People sometimes point up a brick movement joint by mistake. Where one has been mortared, we cut it out and reseal it with sealant where it can be done safely.
Render joints
Cracks along render joints let water in behind the coat. A sound joint keeps the render dry behind and protects the render itself.
What affects the quote in Clouston
We quote each job individually. This is what makes a difference:
- The size of the job
- The old material and how stubborn it is
- Any working-time requirements on site
- Whether the work is at height
Instead of a standard rate, we look at what your job involves: how many joints, what’s in them now and how we reach them. The price is agreed before we begin.
Helping us quote
When you call or email, it’s useful to know:
- If someone has resealed it before
- Any access issues, like height or stairs
- The rough size of the job
- The address or postcode of the job
Quotes start with a quick conversation. Tell us what’s wrong, where it is and how much there is, and we will talk you through what we’d do. When it suits you, send an email to info@mrmastic.co.uk.
Why it’s worth doing now in Clouston
Mortar or ordinary filler might look like a quick way to close an open joint, but it stops the joint moving. The movement then cracks the brickwork or render nearby. A flexible sealant over backing rod is what the joint needs. When the nearest tradesperson is a drive away, it’s tempting to leave a small leak, but water behind a failed seal does the most damage when nobody’s watching.
There are no prices on our website, because each job is priced on what it involves. For a quick quote, please email us at info@mrmastic.co.uk and we’ll talk you through it.
What you get with us
- Neat joints and a tidy finish
- Sanitary silicone with an anti-fungal additive in wet areas
- Sealant colour chosen to suit
- Homes, businesses and hotels