Essex · England
External Mastic in Gilston
External mastic across Gilston and nearby, with old sealant always removed completely.
- Plants rooting in failed movement joints
- Brick movement joints where the sealant has split
- Failed seals between different materials
External mastic for homes and businesses in Gilston
A movement joint is only as good as its depth. Backing rod controls how deep the sealant goes and keeps it off the back of the joint, leaving it bonded to two faces so it can move with the wall. We work on render & cladding joints, copings & trims and concrete & block, and the jobs we see most are hard, crazed mastic that has stopped moving and failed seals between different materials.
In a village or hamlet like Gilston, older cottages and farm buildings often stand in the open, so walls and rooflines take the full force of wind and rain. Gutter joints and wall joints there need a sealant that can flex and stay put.
A 12-month guarantee comes as standard, so you are not left on your own once the job is done.
- Where
- Gilston (CM20)
- Region
- Essex
- Cover
- One year on every job
- Quotes
- Quoted before any work starts
- Phone
- 0345 464 0079
- Page updated
- 26 October 2026
Common questions in Gilston
Do you work for landlords with property near Harlow Town station?
Yes, we work for landlords and letting agents. Just ring 0345 464 0079 or drop us an email and tell us about the property, and we will give you a clear price.
Will you come out to Gilston?
Yes, we do. We work across London and the South East, from towns to the smallest places. Longer journeys are simply planned in advance.
Should I try DIY first?
Sometimes. Preparation is everything: all the old sealant out, and a clean, dry joint. We can always put it right if it fails.
Do you take out the old sealant first?
Yes. Sealing over the old bead is the commonest cause of early failure, and it’s something we never do.
Do you work for hotels and businesses?
Yes. We can plan bigger jobs in stages to suit the site.
Do you use backing rod?
The foam is closed-cell backing rod. It stops the sealant going in too deep and bonding to three sides so it can flex with the joint.
What colours does the sealant come in?
Exterior sealants are made in a range of colours, from greys and browns to whites and stone shades. We pick the one that suits your wall best so it doesn’t stand out.
Where do you work from?
We are based in Crawley, West Sussex, and we cover South East England, London and all of Scotland.
Places near Gilston
Other services in Gilston
What affects the quote in Gilston
For a quick quote, just ask. The main things that affect it are:
- How many areas need sealing
- Whether there’s mould to deal with
- The number and length of the joints
- How much old sealant there is and how hard it is to remove
What it costs depends on how much there is to do, how much old material has to come out and access to the work. You’ll have a clear quote before any work starts.
What we need to know
Photos by email are helpful but not essential. Please mention:
- The address or postcode of the job
- What’s wrong with the joints now
- If it’s domestic, commercial or a hotel
- Photos by email, if that is easy
It all starts with a short chat. Tell us what’s wrong, where it is and how much there is. When it suits you, ring 0345 464 0079 or send us an email.
When to call us in Gilston
Some movement joints have been pointed up with mortar by mistake. The joint can’t move, so the wall cracks somewhere else instead.
Keep an eye out for any of the following:
- Failed sealant between panels on a façade
- Weeds or debris growing in open joints
- Water getting into walls through failed joints
- Sealant that has lost its bond to the brick or render
If you look after a building such as St Alban's Catholic Academy, larger buildings have long runs of movement joint that eventually need resealing.
Comparing quotes
- Whether VAT is included
- Whether they’re fully insured
- What preparation is included
- Which colour the sealant will be
Gilston buildings and the weather
Harlow, which Gilston is part of, is one of England’s post-war new towns. Many homes date from the post-war decades and were built in phases, so whole streets can have gutters, trims and wall joints reaching the end of their life together. With historic houses such as Much Hadham Palace (about 4.8 miles north) nearby, there’s older building stock in the area around Gilston as well as newer homes. Where a home is older, older brick and stone need a sealant that suits them, at the right joint depth.
Homes close to Parish Church of St Mary include some older properties, and the joints between older walls, newer extensions and the roofline need a sealant that can move. Letting a property close to Harlow Town station? Then failed wall and movement joints let damp in, so they’re worth checking between tenancies.
Gilston is about 2 miles north-west of Harlow, in Essex. Jobs in Gilston get the same care as everywhere else we work: old sealant removed completely, careful preparation and a one-year guarantee. Gilston is one of 644 places in Essex where we work. You can also see our page for Chelmsford, about 17 miles away.
We work across CM20 for external mastic and the streets around it. Whether your property is on Pye Corner and Eastwick Road or a nearby road, we can help. If you are just outside Gilston, we cover Eastwick (1 mile south-west), Little Parndon (1 mile south-west), Great Parndon (2 miles south), Staple Tye (3 miles south) and Roydon (3 miles south-west). Larger places within reach include Brentwood (14 miles south-east), Loughton (10 miles south), Waltham Abbey (8 miles south-west), Great Dunmow (13 miles north-east), Epping (6 miles south) and Stansted Mountfitchet (9 miles north-east).
Landmarks near Gilston
Around Gilston, our work takes us to homes and buildings near The Plume Of Feathers pub, Burnt Mill Academy and Harlow Marsh. Gilston’s nearest station is Harlow Town station, about 0.6 miles south. Nearby you will also find Mark Hall Cycle Museum (1.3 miles south-east) and Harlow Mill (1.2 miles east). Not far away are Hunsdon Mead.
How to look after the new joints
After the cure time, these simple habits help:
- Never let anyone fill a movement joint with mortar
- Walk round the building once a year and look at the joints
- Keep high-pressure jets off the joints
- Tell anyone working on the walls about the movement joints
Follow the cure time we give you before the joint is knocked or disturbed. Most exterior sealants skin fast but take longer to cure right through.
Small splits are the time to act. At that stage it’s a simple cut out and reseal before water has had years to get in.
How the visit works
The work is kept neat and contained to the area we are working on. The job usually takes anything from a few hours to several days, depending on the building, and we tell you how long to leave it before we go. Somewhere like Gilston needs a little journey planning: let us know about lanes, gates and parking. We bring what the job needs, so it can be finished in one trip where possible.
- Each joint is checked and the colour of the new sealant agreed.
- We take out the old sealant until the faces are sound.
- 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.
Preparing for the visit
- Let us know about parking restrictions
- On commercial sites, let us know about site rules
- Mention any tricky access
Ask for a quote
Asking for a quote is easy: tell us what needs doing and where, and roughly how big it is. Photos by email help us understand the job, and we will take it from there.
Advice
When something else is needed
A few problems are outside what sealant work can do:
- Render that is blown, hollow or coming away
- Adding movement joints to masonry that has none
- Rising or penetrating damp from elsewhere in the wall
If you’re not sure, just ring 0345 464 0079 or send us an email and we’ll give you a straight answer before you book.
Surfaces we seal
- Façade panels
- Concrete & block
- Brickwork movement joints
- Render & cladding joints
- Copings & trims
- Joints between brick and frames
Work for landlords, hotels and businesses
Landlords and agents in Gilston can book us as well as homeowners. Resealing between tenancies is a simple way to keep a property in good order before the next move-in.
We regularly work with letting and managing agents. Tell us the address, the job and how access works and we’ll quote.
What happens if it’s left?
Sealing over the top of old mastic does not hold for long. The new layer cannot bond properly to old, weathered material, so we always take the old sealant out. Older cottages and farmhouses around Gilston can have timber floors and frames, where water from a failed joint can cause rot if it’s left.
Commercial jobs are quoted on the same basis as homes: how much there is to do, how we reach it and what it needs, plus any working-time requirements on site. Call for a quick quote and we’ll explain what it covers.
Why book with us
- Colour picked to suit the job
- Tidy, careful work
- White, clear, grey or another colour, product permitting
- Experience in homes, commercial sites and hotels
Take a look at our cost guide and what customers say.