Edinburgh · Scotland
Comely Bank External Mastic
External mastic for Comely Bank, by sealant specialists with 20+ years’ experience. 180+ five-star Google reviews and a 4.9 rating.
- Leaking joints around cladding and façade panels
- Cracked joints where brick meets render or frames
- Weathered mastic that no longer stretches
How we handle external mastic in Comely Bank
Many failed façade joints only get noticed once there’s a stain or a damp patch inside. We inspect them, agree which need doing and reseal with a weatherproof, flexible sealant in a matching colour. Common call-outs are for failed sealant between panels on a façade and sealant that has lost its bond to the brick or render, on brickwork movement joints, copings & trims and concrete & block.
Stone-built tenements in Scotland’s cities share their roof, gutters and outside walls between every flat in the building. In Comely Bank, work on shared parts of a tenement is generally agreed between owners, often with a factor arranging it.
There’s a 12-month guarantee on every job, whatever its size.
- Place
- Comely Bank (EH4, EH3, EH2)
- Wider area
- Edinburgh
- Cover
- A year, on every job
- Price
- A clear price before work begins
- info@mrmastic.co.uk
- Updated
- 26 October 2026
When something else is needed
We will not take on work that will not last, so here’s what sealant can’t put right:
- Structural movement, which needs a surveyor or engineer
- Rising or penetrating damp from elsewhere in the wall
- Cracking across the wall rather than at a joint
Not sure which it is? You can email us at info@mrmastic.co.uk and we’ll tell you honestly.
Joints and surfaces we work on
- Joints between brick and frames
- Render & cladding joints
- Copings & trims
- Brickwork movement joints
- Façade panels
- Concrete & block
Places near Comely Bank
Other services in Comely Bank
What happens on the day
Good joint work is mostly preparation, and we do not rush it. Every joint is cleaned and dried before new material goes in. All told, the work takes a few hours for a handful of joints, longer for a whole elevation. For a tenement in Comely Bank, 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.
- First, the joints are inspected and the access agreed.
- Every bit of old sealant and any mortar or debris is cut out.
- Joint faces are cleaned back and primed if the sealant needs it.
- Backing rod sized to the joint goes in to set the depth.
- The exterior sealant is applied, tooled and checked along its length.
Preparing for the visit
- Where the joints are inside, avoid wetting them before we arrive
- Keep children and pets away from the work area
- Let us know if you’ve seen damp or leaks
Get a quote
We quote each job on its own. Just send an email to info@mrmastic.co.uk with the details.
Related advice
Should I try it myself first?
Not every job suits DIY: high-level joints, fire-rated gaps, external movement joints and big jobs call for the right materials, safe access and experience.
Sealing over old silicone is the commonest DIY error. New silicone won’t bond to old, so it lifts and traps water and mould underneath. Everything old must be removed first.
How the job changes by surface
Copings and trims
Metal and stone copings both move with temperature, so the joints need a sealant that stays flexible.
Cladding and façade panels
Panels heat up and cool down quickly, so the joint sealant has to cope with frequent movement. The sealant is chosen with that in mind.
Do you need external mastic in Comely Bank?
Joints sealed without backing rod, or far too deep, rarely last. If the sealant sticks to the back as well as the sides, it can’t stretch and rips as the joint opens.
Look out for these signs:
- Gaps where render, brick and frames meet
- Joints pointed up with cement by mistake
- Weathered mastic that no longer stretches
- Brick movement joints where the sealant has split
If you look after a building such as Broughton High School, movement joints, cladding joints and gutters on larger buildings need the same care as a house’s.
Before you book anyone
- Is the old sealant removed completely?
- What product goes in the joint
- What preparation is included
- Who does the work, and how experienced they are
What affects the cost of external mastic
We quote each job individually. These are the things that affect it:
- How much there is to do
- The product the joint needs
- Whether the work is at height
- Mould in or behind the old joints
The cost depends on the amount of work, how much old material has to come out and access to the work. We give a clear quote before work begins, so you know where you stand.
Asking for a quote
There’s no need for technical detail. It helps if you can tell us:
- A few photos by email, if you can
- Roughly how big the job is
- The type of property
- Whether it has been sealed before
A good description makes for an accurate quote. Let us know the location, the problem and roughly how many joints.
Outside joints around Comely Bank
Comely Bank is close to the coast, and homes near the sea take more wind-driven rain, with salt in the air closer to the shore. Both are hard on movement joints and outside wall joints, which can dry out and crack sooner where a building faces the weather. Edinburgh’s Old and New Towns 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.
Homes close to Dean Parish Church include some older properties, and an extension built onto an older house moves differently, and the joint between them takes the strain. Letting a property close to Haymarket station? Then failed wall and movement joints let damp in, so they’re worth checking between tenancies.
Comely Bank is about 1 mile north-west of Edinburgh, in Edinburgh. Wherever you are in the EH4 postcode area, we cover external mastic for homes and businesses. Our Edinburgh coverage runs to 175 places, Comely Bank among them.
Here we cover the EH4, EH3 and EH2 postcode area for external mastic. Streets in the area include Circus Lane, Belford Road and Orchard Road, all of which we cover. Neighbouring places we cover for external mastic include Stockbridge (1 mile east), Craigleith (1 mile north-west), Dean Village (1 mile south), Silvermills (1 mile east) and Inverleith (1 mile north). Larger places within reach include Queensferry (7 miles west), South Portobello (4 miles east), Southhouse (5 miles south-east), Mayfield (3 miles south-east), Gilmerton (5 miles south-east) and Gracemount (4 miles south-east).
Near you in Comely Bank
We work in homes and buildings around Stewart's Melville College, Tollcross Primary School and Stockbridge public library. Other local landmarks include Princes Street Gardens (0.8 miles south-east), Hamilton's Bar & Kitchen (less than half a mile east) and St Cuthbert's Church (0.8 miles south-east). Comely Bank’s nearest station is Haymarket station, about 0.9 miles south of the centre. Well-known places in the area include Museum of the Grand Lodge of Scotland (0.8 miles south-east) and Waverley Mall (1.1 miles east). For a walk, there’s Salisbury Crags and Dunsapie Loch.
Comely Bank questions
How is work on the outside of a tenement in Comely Bank generally arranged?
It normally goes through the owners together, or through the factor if the building has one. The Tenements (Scotland) Act 2004 sets the rules for common parts if the deeds do not.
Does living near the coast affect external mastic in Comely Bank?
Near the sea, outside joints face more wind, rain and salt than they would inland, so preparation and the right sealant matter all the more. It’s worth checking the walls that face the sea first.
What is a movement joint?
A movement joint is a planned break in the wall that absorbs expansion and shrinkage. It’s sealed with a flexible sealant, not mortar.
What information do you need?
Just the basics: the address or postcode, what’s wrong and any access issues. Then send an email to info@mrmastic.co.uk.
Where do you work from?
We work from Crawley. We cover Comely Bank and the rest of Edinburgh.
Do you cover Comely Bank?
Yes. From our base in Crawley, we cover South East England, London and all of Scotland, Comely Bank included.
Do you have insurance?
Yes. We’re fully insured.
How long does the job take?
As a guide, most jobs take a few hours for a handful of joints, longer for a whole elevation. Larger jobs naturally take longer, and we’ll tell you how long to expect.
What happens if it’s left?
An open joint keeps letting water into the wall with every downpour. In cold weather, frost can damage wet brick and render around the joint, so the problem grows beyond the joint itself. Wind-driven rain gets into any failed joint on the outside of a city building, and in Comely Bank, damp can spread through stone and plaster before anyone sees it.
Leaving a failed joint usually makes the job bigger, not smaller, as water and mould keep getting in. If you are not sure whether it needs doing, drop us a line at info@mrmastic.co.uk for an honest opinion and a quote.
What you get with us
- Experience in homes, commercial sites and hotels
- Sealant colour chosen to suit
- Any old sealant cut out fully, not covered over
- Trusted Arbo and Everbuild sealants