Aberdeen · Scotland
External Mastic in Footdee
Sealing brickwork movement joints, render, cladding and façade joints for Footdee, backed by a one-year guarantee. Call for a quick quote.
- Damp patches traced to an open external joint
- Gaps where render, brick and frames meet
- Joints pointed up with cement by mistake
DIY sealant or a professional job?
A careful DIYer can reseal a simple joint, like a short, easy-to-reach joint indoors. Where it goes wrong is sealing over the old bead, working on a wet joint or overloading the gap.
Too much sealant is as bad as too little. A heavy bead looks messy and copes badly with movement, and getting the depth right matters as much as the look.
External mastic for homes and businesses in Footdee
We are ARBOMaster approved applicators, and each external joint gets a sealant suited to it. Porous or awkward surfaces are primed where the sealant needs it and we use one wherever it does. Typical jobs include failed seals between different materials and hard, crazed mastic that has stopped moving, on brickwork movement joints, copings & trims and façade panels.
External sealant needs dry surfaces, so outdoor work around Footdee is planned around the weather. Let us know about access to every wall and roofline.
All our work comes with a one-year guarantee.
- Place
- Footdee (AB11, AB24)
- Region
- Aberdeen
- Guarantee
- One year on every job
- Quote
- Quoted before any work starts
- info@mrmastic.co.uk
- Page updated
- 26 October 2026
More services for Footdee
Why deal with it now?
A low-modulus sealant is chosen because it moves without pulling hard at the edges. That matters on brick, render and concrete, which can be weaker at the face. A stiffer product can damage the joint edge as it fails. Exposed walls in smaller Scottish places take a lot of wind and rain, and once water gets behind a failed joint, damp in stone or harled walls is slow to dry out.
A few things move the cost up or down: the old material and how easily it comes out, whether mould needs treating, and whether we need extra access for height. Your quote takes all of that into account.
Why choose Mr Mastic in Footdee
- Colour picked to suit the job
- Over 20 years’ experience
- Quality sealants from Arbo and Everbuild
- Tidy, careful work
Read what affects the cost and our reviews.
How the visit works
You don’t need to clear the whole room or building, just the space around the work. Everything nearby is protected, and the job takes anything from a few hours to several days, depending on the building in most cases. Outside jobs in Footdee need a dry day, because sealant will not bond to a wet joint, so external jobs may need to move if the day turns wet. Work indoors isn’t affected.
- We look at every joint and agree a colour to suit the wall.
- Failed sealant is removed back to clean, sound faces.
- Closed-cell backing rod is pushed in so the sealant bonds to two sides only.
- Primer is applied wherever the sealant needs it.
- We gun in low-modulus sealant and tool it neatly.
Before we arrive
- Move anything stored near the joints
- Try not to wet indoor joints just before the visit
- Mention any parking rules near the property
How to get a quote
Asking for a quote is easy: let us know what needs doing and where. A few pictures by email make the job easier to understand, and we will take it from there.
Related advice
How we quote for external mastic
The quote reflects the job in front of us. We take into account:
- How many areas need sealing
- The old material and how stubborn it is
- Any working-time requirements on site
- The number and length of the joints
Every job is a little different, so we quote each one individually. The number of joints, how easy they are to reach and the sealant needed all make a difference, and we’ll explain the quote if you ask.
What to tell us for a quote
Photos help, but a description is a good start. Please mention:
- Whether it has been sealed before
- The address or postcode of the job
- What the problem is, such as mould, gaps, leaks or cracking
- Access, such as stairs, a lift or height
It all starts with a short chat. Describe the problem, the location and the size of the job. Whenever you are ready, drop us a line at info@mrmastic.co.uk.
Honest limits
Some problems need a builder, plumber or other trade rather than us:
- Movement that is more than a sealant joint can take
- Rising or penetrating damp from elsewhere in the wall
- Loose or hollow render, which needs re-rendering
If you are not sure, just email us at info@mrmastic.co.uk and we will give you a straight answer.
Surfaces we seal
- Brickwork movement joints
- Façade panels
- Concrete & block
- Joints between brick and frames
- Render & cladding joints
- Copings & trims
When to call us in Footdee
Many joints fail because they were sealed too deep or with nothing behind them. If the sealant sticks to the back as well as the sides, it cannot stretch and tears as soon as the joint widens.
These are the problems we’re asked about most:
- Moss and dirt in joints with no sealant left
- Rain getting behind render or cladding at a joint
- Joints with sealant missing in places
- Old sealant gone brittle and cracked
Letting a property close to Aberdeen station? Then split movement joints are easy to miss on a rental until damp shows inside.
What to look for in a quote
- Whether you can choose the colour
- The length of the guarantee
- What happens if the job turns out different
- Are they insured?
External mastic in Footdee: local notes
Footdee is close to 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. Aberdeen’s nickname, the Granite City, comes from its stone buildings, and granite is hard and dense, so any sealant against it needs clean, sound edges to grip.
In the older streets around St Fittick's Church, older walls, gutters and the joints where extensions meet them need a flexible sealant. For site and facilities teams at buildings such as Torry Academy, larger buildings have long runs of movement joint that eventually need resealing.
Footdee is about 1 mile east of New Aberdeen, in Aberdeen. Every kind of property in Footdee is covered for external mastic, old or new, large or small. The work is guaranteed for a year. Our area takes in 63 places across Aberdeen, large and small.
Jobs for external mastic in AB11 and AB24 is quoted and booked the same way as anywhere else. We cover properties on Abbey Road, Pilot Square and South Square and the roads around them. Nearby, we also carry out external mastic in Torry (1 mile south-west), Balnagask (1 mile south), New Aberdeen (1 mile west), Tullos (1 mile south) and Altens (2 miles south). Larger places within reach include Dyce (6 miles north-west), Portlethen (6 miles south-west), Cults (4 miles south-west), Braeside (3 miles west), Donside Village (3 miles north-west) and West End (3 miles west).
Local landmarks in Footdee
Typical jobs here are in homes near Robert Gordon's College, Union Terrace Gardens and Glenliver Bar, among other places. The nearest railway station is Aberdeen station, about 1 mile west. Nearby you will also find Aberdeen Castle (0.8 miles north-west) and Aberdeen Science Centre (0.8 miles north-west). Open spaces near Footdee include Gallows Hill and Lower Lake.
Keeping the joints in good condition
Joint life depends on how it’s used and looked after. We suggest:
- Keep high-pressure jets off the joints
- Deal with leaking gutters that soak the joints below
- Tell anyone working on the walls about the movement joints
- Check the sealant is paintable before painting near it
Have a quick look at the joints each spring. Watch for splits, edges coming away or growth in the joint.
An open movement joint lets rain into the wall every time it pours. Over time it can mean damp inside, stained render or frost-damaged brick which cost more to put right than the joint.
Common questions in Footdee
Is Footdee within the area you cover?
Yes, Footdee is covered. We work across all of Scotland, from towns to the smallest places. Longer journeys are simply planned in advance.
Does living near the coast affect external mastic in Footdee?
Coastal homes put outside sealant through more weather than inland ones, so the choice of sealant and the preparation matter even more. It’s worth checking the walls that face the sea first.
Can you seal over the old sealant?
No, it will not last. It may look fine at first, but the new bead soon lifts. The old sealant has to come out completely.
What sealant do you use?
Quality sealants from brands including Arbo and Everbuild, chosen to suit the joint. We’ll tell you what we are using and why.
Can you do several jobs on one visit?
Of course. Doing several areas at once is usually more efficient.
How long should I leave it?
Different products cure at different speeds, so please follow the time we give you.
Is it OK to fill a movement joint with cement?
No. A mortar-filled joint can’t move, so the movement cracks the wall elsewhere. Use a flexible sealant with backing rod.
Is it worth trying it myself?
You can, for simple jobs. The key is preparation: remove all the old material and work on a clean, dry joint. If it does not work out, we can redo it.