Greater London · England
External & façade joints in Cranbrook, Greater London
External mastic in Cranbrook from a team with over 20 years’ experience. Rated 4.9 on Google from 180+ five-star reviews.
- Hard, crazed mastic that has stopped moving
- Sealant that has lost its bond to the brick or render
- Joints pointed up with cement by mistake
External mastic in Cranbrook, done properly
Movement joints let brickwork, render and cladding expand and shrink without cracking. Its sealant has to flex with the building, season after season, so once it splits or hardens, the joint stops working and water gets in. We’re often asked to deal with sealant pulling away from one side of the joint and weathered mastic that no longer stretches, across façade panels, concrete & block and copings & trims.
Outside work in London starts with access: side passages, upper floors and where to park. In Cranbrook, joints up high may need ladders or other access, which is worth talking through when you book.
A one-year guarantee comes as standard, so you are covered after we’ve gone.
- Where
- Cranbrook (IG1, IG2, E12)
- Region
- Greater London
- Guarantee
- One year on every job
- Quotes
- A clear price before we start
- Phone
- 0345 464 0079
- Page updated
- 26 October 2026
Should I try it myself first?
Sealing over old silicone is the commonest DIY error. New silicone will not bond to old, so it lifts and traps water and mould underneath. Everything old must be removed 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.
Also near Cranbrook
What else we do in Cranbrook
Questions from Cranbrook
I let a flat near Ilford station. Can you help?
Yes, rental work is part of what we do. You can phone 0345 464 0079 or drop us an email with the address and a few details, and we’ll give you a fixed price before work begins.
Do you cover Cranbrook for external mastic?
Yes, Cranbrook is within the area we cover. Our work covers London and the South East. Just ring 0345 464 0079 or email us with a few details of the job, and we will give you a clear quote.
Where are you based?
We are based in Crawley, West Sussex, and we work across South East England, London and Scotland.
When will the joints need doing again?
That depends on the wall, the weather and the movement. Look for splits, hardening or edges coming away.
Do you have insurance?
Yes. We are fully insured.
What is a movement joint?
Walls move with heat, cold and moisture, so long walls have planned gaps to take that movement. The gap is sealed with a flexible sealant over backing rod.
How do I get a quote for external mastic in Cranbrook?
Size, access and the old material all affect the cost. Ask us for a quote.
Do the sealants smell?
That depends on the sealant. Some products have a noticeable smell, others very little, and any smell fades as they cure.
When something else is needed
A few problems are outside what sealant work can do:
- Damp from another source, such as a leaking gutter or a bridged damp-proof course
- Structural movement, which needs a surveyor or engineer
- Adding movement joints to masonry that has none
If you’re not sure, just phone 0345 464 0079 or drop us an email and we will give you a straight answer.
Surfaces we seal
- Façade panels
- Copings & trims
- Brickwork movement joints
- Joints between brick and frames
- Concrete & block
- Render & cladding joints
Walls and rooflines in Cranbrook
London terraces and converted houses often share gutters, downpipes and walls, so check who is responsible for the outside before booking. Historic houses like Valentines Mansion (about 0.5 miles north) are a reminder that the area around Cranbrook has older buildings as well as new. Where a home is older, older brick and stone need a sealant that suits them, at the right joint depth.
If you live in an older home near St Clement's Church, old and new materials meet at the roofline and walls, which is where sealant earns its keep. Managing a site like The Ursuline Academy Ilford? Then movement joints, cladding joints and gutters on larger buildings need the same care as a house’s.
Cranbrook is about 2 miles north-east of Forest Gate, in Greater London. Cranbrook gets the same service as everywhere we cover: old sealant removed completely, careful preparation and a one-year guarantee. Our area takes in 764 places across Greater London, from the larger towns to small villages. Our London page covers work nearby.
Here we cover the IG1, IG2 and E12 postcode area for external mastic. You will find streets such as Mill Road, York Road and Prior Road, and we cover them all. If you’re just outside Cranbrook, we cover Ilford (1 mile south-east), Redbridge (1 mile north-west), Gants Hill (1 mile north-east), Little Ilford (1 mile south) and Manor Park (1 mile south). We also work in nearby towns such as London (8 miles south-west), City of Westminster (10 miles west), Marylebone (10 miles west), Kensington (12 miles west), St Pancras (8 miles west) and Shoreditch (7 miles south-west).
Local landmarks in Cranbrook
Locally, jobs take us to homes and businesses close to Highlands Primary School, Great Spoon of Ilford pub and Valentines Park. For rail, the closest station is Ilford station, roughly 0.5 miles south-east of the centre. Nearby you will also find Redbridge Museum (0.7 miles south-east) and Wanstead Hospital (2.1 miles north-west). Green spaces nearby include Ripple Nature Reserve and Hollow Pond.
How the visit works
You don’t need to clear the whole room or building before we come, just the space around the work. We protect the rest, and the work takes anything from a few hours to several days, depending on the building in most cases. Many London jobs are in flats, so we come ready for stairs, narrow hallways and shared entrances. If the building has a concierge, managing agent or access rules, tell us when you book.
- First we look over the joints with you, agree which to renew and talk through access.
- The old mastic and anything lodged in the joint is removed.
- The joint faces are cleaned and primed where the sealant needs 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.
Preparing for the visit
- Mention any sign-in or site rules at work premises
- Try not to wet indoor joints just before the visit
- Mention any leaks or damp you’ve noticed
Ask for a quote
Call for a quick quote, or email us if that’s easier. Describe what needs sealing and we will talk you through the work.
Related advice
Keeping the joints in good condition
Looking after new joints is easy:
- Keep high-pressure jets off the joints
- Get split or bare joints resealed while the damage is small
- Check external joints each spring
- Point out the joints to other trades
Keep the joints clear of soil, plants and climbing growth. Damp material against the sealant shortens its life.
An open movement joint lets rain into the wall every time it pours. That can lead to damp patches, staining and frost damage, all bigger jobs than a reseal.
Signs you need external mastic in Cranbrook
Sometimes a movement joint was filled with mortar or a rigid filler. With the joint locked solid, the movement turns into cracks elsewhere in the wall.
Most people get in touch when they notice something like this:
- Movement joints filled with mortar instead of sealant
- Cracked joints where brick meets render or frames
- Rain getting behind render or cladding at a joint
- Joints with sealant missing in places
As a London address, Cranbrook can be tricky for parking: let us know about parking bays, permits or a driveway.
Before you book anyone
- Whether you can choose the colour
- When the joint can take water or movement
- Whether the sealant suits the joint
- Who turns up on the day
Why act early in Cranbrook
Running new sealant over the old bead rarely lasts. The new layer cannot bond properly to old, weathered material, so the old joint is cut out fully first. In London conversions, one flat’s bathroom is often above another flat’s ceiling, so a small leak from tired sealant can mean a neighbour’s ceiling and a lot of disruption. Dealing with it early is far simpler.
What it costs depends on the size of the job, how hard the old material is to remove and access to the work. You’ll have a clear quote before any work starts.
Why us?
- Rated 4.9 stars on Google
- A sealant colour to suit the surroundings
- Sanitary silicone with an anti-fungal additive in wet areas
- An ARBOMaster approved applicator
Take a look at our cost guide and our reviews.
Surface by surface
Cladding and façade panels
Cladding and façade panels are normally separated by sealed joints. Each joint gets a sealant that suits the panel and its movement.
Concrete and blockwork
Blockwork and concrete shrink over time and move with the seasons. Their movement joints are sealed over backing rod with a flexible sealant.