West Sussex · England
Ditchling External Mastic
Sealing brickwork movement joints, render, cladding and façade joints for homeowners, landlords and businesses in Ditchling. Fully insured, ARBOMaster approved and guaranteed for a year.
- Old sealant gone brittle and cracked
- Joints pointed up with cement by mistake
- Joints where the bead has come unstuck
What happens on the day
Before we leave, we go over the finished joints with you and explain the cure time. The work normally takes a few hours for a handful of joints, longer for a whole elevation, depending on the size of the job. In a small place like Ditchling, access is normally the main thing to plan. For outside work, also let us know about exposed walls and any outbuildings involved.
- We inspect the joints and agree which need resealing and how they’ll be reached.
- Old sealant and any debris are cut and raked out.
- We clean both faces of the joint and prime them where the product calls for it.
- Backing rod goes in next, setting the depth and keeping the sealant off the back of the joint.
- We gun in a flexible exterior sealant in a colour that suits the wall and tool it neatly.
Getting ready for the visit
- For indoor joints, keep the area dry beforehand if you can
- Let us know if you’ve seen damp or leaks
- Let us know about stairs, lifts or work at height
Getting a quote
If you’re in Ditchling and need external mastic, phone 0345 464 0079 or email us. Tell us what the problem is and where, and you’ll get a clear quote before any work starts.
Related advice
How we handle external mastic in Ditchling
A movement joint is a deliberate break that lets a wall expand and contract. The sealant in it has to stretch and squeeze for years, and when it fails, the wall takes the strain and water finds a way in. We work on joints between brick and frames, concrete & block and render & cladding joints, and people most often call us about weeds or debris growing in open joints and joints with sealant missing in places.
Somewhere as small as Ditchling, homes and farm buildings often face open ground, so walls and rooflines take the full force of wind and rain. Joints on those walls need a sealant that moves with the building and stays in place.
Your job is guaranteed for a year, as with all our work.
- Place
- Ditchling (BN6)
- Region
- West Sussex
- Cover
- One year on every job
- Quote
- A clear price before work begins
- Call
- 0345 464 0079
- Page updated
- 26 October 2026
Aftercare tips
Once the sealant has cured, a few habits help it last:
- Keep movement joints as flexible joints, not mortar
- Look over the joints every year, ideally after winter
- Keep water from gutters off the wall
- Act on the first splits you see
If you have more work done on the wall, such as new render, cladding or an opening, show the contractor the movement joints. They should be kept open and resealed, not filled.
Once a joint cannot move, the wall finds another way, often as cracks near the joint. Resealing it early helps prevent that.
Signs you need external mastic in Ditchling
If plants are growing out of a joint, the sealant has usually failed or was never there. Roots and dirt hold water against the wall and make things worse.
It’s worth asking for a quote if you see:
- Joints with sealant missing in places
- Plants rooting in failed movement joints
- Leaking joints around cladding and façade panels
- Gaps where render, brick and frames meet
Letting a property close to Hassocks station? Then split movement joints are easy to miss on a rental until damp shows inside.
What your quote should include
- What happens if they find a problem under the old sealant
- What the cure time is
- What product goes in the joint
- How the surfaces are prepared before sealing
Work for landlords, hotels and businesses
If you manage several properties in or around Ditchling, several properties can be quoted together. Just tell us the addresses and what each one needs.
Whether it’s one flat or a portfolio, the work is the same standard: old sealant fully removed, joints prepared properly and a one-year guarantee.
What the job involves on each surface
Render joints
Render has movement joints and stop beads that need sealing. They’re resealed in a sealant that suits the render.
Joints between dissimilar materials
Each side of the joint may need its own preparation. Both surfaces are cleaned and primed as the product requires.
DIY sealant or a professional job?
A careful DIYer can reseal a simple joint, such as a straightforward joint indoors. The common mistakes are sealing over old sealant, sealing a damp joint and using far too much.
Overfilling a joint is a classic DIY mistake. A heavy bead looks messy and copes badly with movement, and the joint depth matters as much as the finish.
Questions from Ditchling
Do you cover Ditchling for external mastic?
Yes, Ditchling is within the area we cover. Our work covers London and the South East. You can phone 0345 464 0079 or email us and tell us what needs doing, and we will give you a clear price.
Do you cover smaller places like Ditchling?
Yes, Ditchling is covered. Our work covers London and the South East, from towns to the smallest places. The journey is planned ahead, so it helps to know about access.
Are you an approved applicator?
Yes. We’re approved under the ARBOMaster scheme, which is run for the Arbo sealant brand.
How long does external mastic last?
That varies with the weather the wall faces, how much it moves and the sealant used. Treat it as a maintenance item and look at it yearly.
Is it messy?
Not at all. We work neatly, protect the area around the joints and tidy up afterwards.
Is it OK to seal over old sealant?
No. Fresh sealant doesn’t stick to old sealant, and it traps any mould or water underneath. It all has to come out first.
Do you work at height?
It depends on the building. Where joints can be reached safely, we will do them. Give us some details and we will confirm the access.
How much does external mastic cost in Ditchling?
It depends on the job, so we quote each one individually. To get one, call 0345 464 0079 or drop us an email and let us know what needs doing and where.
What sealant work cannot fix
New sealant can’t fix everything, and we’d rather say so up front. Sealant will not put right:
- Rising or penetrating damp from elsewhere in the wall
- Cracks in the bricks or render themselves, away from the joints
- Structural movement, which needs a surveyor or engineer
If in doubt, phone 0345 464 0079 or email us and we’ll say what we think.
Where we work in Ditchling
- Render & cladding joints
- Joints between brick and frames
- Copings & trims
- Brickwork movement joints
- Façade panels
- Concrete & block
Nearby places to Ditchling
Also in Ditchling
External mastic in Ditchling: local notes
London and the South East are among the drier parts of the UK, yet outdoor joints still have to be sealed dry, so jobs are booked with the weather in mind.
For site and facilities teams at buildings such as Ditchling (St Margaret's) Church of England Primary School, its movement joints, gutters and trims need looking after like any other building’s. For an older house near a landmark such as Ditchling Unitarian Chapel, older walls, gutters and the joints where extensions meet them need a flexible sealant.
Ditchling is about 3 miles south of Burgess Hill, in West Sussex. Across the BN6 area, our applicators can take on external mastic. 371 places in West Sussex are on our list, large and small. There’s also a page for Brighton, roughly 6 miles from Ditchling.
Jobs for external mastic in BN6 is quoted and booked the same way as anywhere else. If you need external mastic at a property on High Street, The Twitten and Charlton Gardens or anywhere close by, our applicators can take on the job. Other places close to Ditchling include Keymer (1 mile west), Westmeston (1 mile south), Hassocks (1 mile west), Clayton (2 miles south-west) and Hurst Wickham (2 miles north-west). We also work in nearby towns such as Crawley (14 miles north), Horsham (13 miles north-west), Worthing (14 miles south-west), Haywards Heath (5 miles north), East Grinstead (15 miles north) and Shoreham-by-Sea (9 miles south-west).
Landmarks near Ditchling
Locally, jobs take us to homes and businesses close to Downlands Community School and The Bull Hotel, among other places. For rail, the closest station is Hassocks station, roughly 1.4 miles west of the centre. Other landmarks nearby include Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft (less than half a mile west) and The Dene Hospital (3.8 miles north-west). Not far away are Ditchling Beacon and Bedelands Farm Nature Reserve.