Edinburgh · Scotland
Firrhill External Mastic
External mastic for Firrhill and the surrounding area: the right sealant, proper preparation and a neat finish. Call for a quick quote.
- Brick movement joints where the sealant has split
- Joints where the bead has come unstuck
- Gaps where render, brick and frames meet
External mastic for homes and businesses in Firrhill
On houses, flats and commercial buildings across Firrhill, we reseal joints in brickwork, render, cladding and façade panels. Every joint gets the same careful preparation: clean joint faces and the right depth. Typical jobs include plants rooting in failed movement joints and leaking joints around cladding and façade panels, across concrete & block, joints between brick and frames and copings & trims.
Stone-built tenements in Scotland’s cities share their roof, gutters and outside walls between every flat in the building. In Firrhill, work on shared parts of a tenement is generally agreed between owners, often with a factor arranging it.
Each job carries a 12-month guarantee, whatever its size.
- Where
- Firrhill (EH13, EH10, EH14)
- Wider area
- Edinburgh
- Guarantee
- A year, on every job
- Quote
- A clear price before any work starts
- info@mrmastic.co.uk
- Last updated
- 26 October 2026
Firrhill buildings and the weather
With historic houses such as Whitefoord House (about 3.5 miles north-east) nearby, there’s older building stock in the area around Firrhill as well as newer homes. Where a home is older, older walls and rooflines need a sealant that moves with them and suits the material. Harled (roughcast) walls are common in Scotland, and joints where harling meets other materials need a sealant that can grip and flex.
For landlords with property near Slateford station, split movement joints are easy to miss on a rental until damp shows inside. In the older streets around St Johns Colinton Mains Church, the joints between older walls, newer extensions and the roofline need a sealant that can move. Schools such as Firrhill High School are buildings too, and movement joints, cladding joints and gutters on larger buildings need the same care as a house’s.
Firrhill is about 2 miles south-west of Edinburgh, in Edinburgh. Homes, rented property, offices and hotels in Firrhill can book us for external mastic, old or new, large or small. The work is guaranteed for a year. Across Edinburgh, we cover 175 places, and Firrhill is one of them.
Our applicators cover all of the EH13, EH10 and EH14 postcode area for external mastic. We cover properties on Elliot Road, Greenbank Road and Oxgangs Avenue. Nearby, we also carry out external mastic in Colinton Mains (1 mile south-east), Greenbank (1 mile east), Redford (1 mile south-west), Oxgangs (1 mile south-east) and Comiston (1 mile east). Further out, we also cover Leith (5 miles north-east), Bonnington (4 miles north-east), Greenside (4 miles north-east), Broughton (4 miles north-east), Bellevue (4 miles north-east) and Silvermills (3 miles north).
Local landmarks in Firrhill
Locally, jobs take us to homes and businesses close to Cross Keys Tavern, Army School of Bagpipe Music and Highland Drumming and Harrison Park. For rail, the closest station is Slateford station, about 1 mile north-west. Nearby you’ll also find Cameron Toll Shopping Centre (2.8 miles east) and Murrayfield Experience (1.9 miles north). For a walk, there’s The New Leaf Co-op and Duddingston Loch.
How to look after the new joints
To keep the joints looking good and working properly:
- Fix overflowing gutters above sealed joints
- Clear growth from the base of walls and joints
- Tell anyone working on the walls about the movement joints
- Leave the joints unpainted unless we have said otherwise
Keep pressure washers away from the sealant. A strong jet can damage the edges of the bead over time.
A joint that has stopped moving pushes the movement elsewhere, often as cracks near the joint. Resealing it early helps prevent that.
When it is not the sealant
A few problems are outside what sealant work can do:
- Loose or hollow render, which needs re-rendering
- Structural movement, which needs a surveyor or engineer
- Damp that isn’t coming from the joint
If in doubt, drop us a line at info@mrmastic.co.uk and we’ll say what we think before you book.
What we seal
- Joints between brick and frames
- Concrete & block
- Render & cladding joints
- Brickwork movement joints
- Copings & trims
- Façade panels
What happens on the day
Before we leave, we go over the finished joints with you and explain the cure time. The visit itself generally takes anything from a few hours to several days, depending on the building, depending on the size of the job. Inside a flat in Firrhill, the job is planned with you; outside, shared parts may need the factor or other owners involved. It helps to know which it is when you get in touch.
- We look at every joint and agree a colour to suit the wall.
- 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.
How to prepare
- Tell us about any water getting in
- Keep children and pets away from the work area
- For business premises, tell us about site rules or sign-in
Getting a quote
Quotes start with a quick conversation. Describe the problem, the location and the size of the job, and we will talk you through what we’d do. Whenever you are ready, send an email to info@mrmastic.co.uk.
Read more
Leave it or put it right?
Running new sealant over the old bead rarely lasts. New sealant does not bond well to old, weathered sealant, so we always take the old sealant out. For landlords in Firrhill, damp and leaks can be a Repairing Standard issue, so failed sealant is best replaced before it becomes a complaint.
What you pay reflects the work, not a rough estimate. That is why we ask about the job first.
Why us?
- Fully insured
- Approved under the ARBOMaster scheme
- A sealant colour to suit the surroundings
- Domestic, commercial and hotel work
Read what affects the cost and customer reviews.
What else we do in Firrhill
What affects the cost of external mastic
You’ll get a clear quote before any work starts. It’s based on:
- Which sealant suits the joint
- How much there is to do
- Whether the work is at height
- The old material and how stubborn it is
Some things make a job bigger or smaller: how much old sealant there is and how stubborn it is, whether mould needs treating, and whether we need extra access for height. We take all of that into account in your quote.
What to tell us for a quote
A few details help us give you an accurate quote. When you get in contact, it helps to mention:
- How we’d reach the joints
- How many joints, rooms or windows are involved
- Where the property is
- Whether it has been sealed before
For a quote, drop us a line at info@mrmastic.co.uk and tell us where the job is and what the problem looks like. You’ll have a clear quote before any work starts.
Landlords, agents and businesses in Firrhill
Mouldy or split sealant often shows up at the end of a tenancy. Several properties can go on one quote.
If you manage several properties in or around Firrhill, several properties can be quoted together. Just tell us the addresses and what each one needs.
DIY versus a professional finish
Sealing over old silicone is the commonest DIY error. Silicone doesn’t stick to old silicone, so it peels away and traps moisture behind it. Everything old must be removed first.
Some sealant jobs are within reach of a careful DIYer, like a short, easy-to-reach joint indoors. The common mistakes are sealing over old sealant, sealing a damp joint and using far too much.
Your questions about external mastic in Firrhill
How is work on the outside of a tenement in Firrhill normally arranged?
Most tenements arrange shared repairs through the owners or a property factor. The Tenements (Scotland) Act 2004 sets the rules for common parts if the deeds don’t, and we can quote for the factor or the owners directly.
Can you help a landlord with a rental near Slateford station?
Yes. We work for letting agents and landlords as well as homeowners. You can send an email to info@mrmastic.co.uk with the details for a clear quote.
Is it worth trying it myself?
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.
How long before the joint can be used?
Many sealants skin over quickly but take longer to cure fully. We will tell you how long to leave the joint.
Will there be a smell?
That depends on the sealant. Some products have a noticeable smell, others very little, and any smell fades as they cure.
Do you use backing rod?
Backing rod goes into deeper joints as a matter of course. It controls the depth and stops the sealant bonding to the back.
Can you seal over the old sealant?
No. New silicone won’t bond to old silicone, and anything trapped underneath, including mould and water, stays there. We remove it all first.
How often do external joints need resealing?
There’s no fixed answer: sunny, exposed elevations and busy joints wear faster. A yearly look will tell you when they need doing. Every job carries our one-year guarantee.