Essex · England
Harlow External Mastic
Sealing brickwork movement joints, render, cladding and façade joints for Harlow, backed by a 12-month guarantee. Ask us for a quote.
- Cracked joints where brick meets render or frames
- Sealant that has lost its bond to the brick or render
- Hard, crazed mastic that has stopped moving
Different surfaces, different methods
Cladding and façade panels
Cladding and façade panels are generally 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.
External mastic in Harlow, done properly
Many failed façade joints only get noticed once there’s a stain or a damp patch inside. We inspect them, agree which need doing and reseal with a weatherproof, flexible sealant in a colour to suit. We work on render & cladding joints, joints between brick and frames and façade panels, and common reasons people get in touch are movement joints filled with mortar instead of sealant and water getting into walls through failed joints.
Plenty of homes in a town like Harlow have been extended, and the line where an extension meets the original house is a common leak point. Sealing it properly means the right joint depth and a flexible sealant, not a quick bead.
A 12-month guarantee comes as standard, so you’re not left on your own once the job is done.
Signs you need external mastic in Harlow
Buildings move more than people expect. Clay bricks expand slightly over their life, concrete and block shrink, and everything moves with temperature and wet. All of that ends up in the joint sealant.
Most people get in touch after spotting something like this:
- Gaps where render, brick and frames meet
- Leaking joints around cladding and façade panels
- Sealant pulling away from one side of the joint
- Moss and dirt in joints with no sealant left
If you live in an older home near St Andrew's Methodist Church, old and new materials meet at the roofline and walls, which is where sealant earns its keep.
What your quote should include
- Are they insured?
- When the joint can take water or movement
- How much experience the applicator has
- What happens if the job turns out different
Why deal with it now?
Mortar or ordinary filler might look like a quick way to close an open joint, but it locks the joint solid. The movement then cracks the brickwork or render nearby. A flexible sealant over backing rod is what the joint needs. Draughts from a gap round a frame, damp under a sill or water behind a bath panel all start small, and they’re far easier to fix early.
Combining jobs into one visit is generally more efficient than separate visits, so tell us about everything that needs sealing. We will give you a clear quote for the lot.
Why book with us
- Anti-fungal silicone where joints get wet
- White, clear, grey or coloured to suit, where the product allows
- Homes, businesses and hotels
- A sealant colour to suit the surroundings
Take a look at what affects the cost and customer reviews.
Questions from Harlow
Do older homes in Harlow need their sealant replacing?
If it hasn’t been replaced for some years, it’s generally worth it. Sealant does not last for ever, and its life depends on use, cleaning and weather, and many homes in Harlow may already be on their second or third set.
Do you cover Harlow for external mastic?
Yes. Our work covers London and the South East, and Harlow is part of that. You can call 0345 464 0079 or email us and let us know what needs doing, and we’ll give you a clear quote.
How long will you be here?
Typically it takes a few hours to a few days, depending on the length of joint and the access. Bigger jobs take longer, and we will say how long yours will take.
Do I need to be at home?
If the work is inside, we need someone to let us in. Once we’ve agreed the job, you do not need to watch us work.
Can you do several jobs on one visit?
Yes. Just list everything you need and you’ll get one quote.
Do you work for hotels and businesses?
Yes. Commercial and hotel work is a large part of what we do. Working times can be discussed when we quote.
Which products do you use?
Each joint gets the product that suits it. Where it moves, gets wet or faces the weather makes a difference, and we’ll explain our choice.
What is backing rod for?
The foam is closed-cell backing rod. It stops the sealant going in too deep and bonding to three sides.
Aftercare tips
No joint lasts for ever, but care makes a real difference. A few tips:
- Don’t let climbing plants root in the sealant
- Get split or bare joints resealed while the damage is small
- Leave the joints unpainted unless we’ve said otherwise
- Walk round the building once a year and look at the joints
Keep the joints clear of soil, plants and climbing growth. Damp material against the sealant shortens its life.
Small splits are the time to act. Then it’s a straightforward cut-out and reseal with no damage behind it to deal with.
Harlow buildings and the weather
Rainfall in the South East is lower than in much of the UK, yet outdoor joints still have to be sealed dry, so jobs are booked with the weather in mind. Harlow was built as one of England’s post-war new towns. Homes here were built in phases, many of them in the post-war decades, so whole streets can have gutters, trims and wall joints reaching the end of their life together.
For landlords with property near Harlow Town station, outside joints that have cracked can let damp into a rental, so check them between lets. If you look after a building such as Cooks Spinney Primary Academy and Nursery, its movement joints, gutters and trims need looking after like any other building’s.
Harlow is about 21 miles north-east of London, in Essex. Every kind of property in Harlow can book us for external mastic, old or new, large or small. The work is guaranteed for a year. Harlow is one of 644 towns and villages in Essex where we work for external mastic. You can also see our page for Chelmsford, about 16 miles away.
All of CM17, CM20, CM18 and CM19 is covered for external mastic. If you need external mastic at a property on London Road, Soper Square and Square Street or anywhere close by, our applicators can take on the job. Being close to the A414 and A1019, Harlow is simple for us to get to for external mastic. Other places close to Harlow include Mark Hall South (1 mile north-east), Netteswell (1 mile west), Latton (1 mile south-east), Mark Hall North (1 mile north) and Bush Fair (1 mile south). Within a short drive, we also cover Brentwood (13 miles south-east), Loughton (9 miles south), Waltham Abbey (7 miles south-west), Great Dunmow (13 miles north-east), Epping (5 miles south) and Stansted Mountfitchet (10 miles north). Harlow is among the bigger towns we cover in Essex.
What’s near Harlow
Around Harlow, our work takes us to homes and buildings near Harlow Marsh, Purple Emperor pub and BMAT STEM Academy. The nearest railway station is Harlow Town station, roughly 1.2 miles north-west of the centre. Well-known places in the area include Princess Alexandra Hospital (1.2 miles west) and Mark Hall Cycle Museum (0.7 miles north-east). Open spaces near Harlow include Hunsdon Mead.
How it works
At the end, we look at the finished work together and explain the cure time. The work normally takes a few hours to a few days, depending on the length of joint and the access, depending on the size of the job. In Harlow, parking is rarely complicated, though it helps to know about driveways or restrictions, and mention if the work is upstairs, in a flat or high on the outside.
- We start by checking each joint, agreeing the ones to redo and how we’ll reach them.
- Old sealant and any debris are cut and raked out.
- 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.
Getting ready for the visit
- On commercial sites, let us know about site rules
- Let us know about stairs, lifts or work at height
- Plan for the work area to be out of bounds to pets and children
Get a quote
Want a quote for external mastic? Please call 0345 464 0079 or email us and tell us about the job. You will know what we plan to do, and what it will cost, before any work begins.
Related advice
Places near Harlow
What else we do in Harlow
DIY sealant or a professional job?
A DIY attempt doesn’t rule out a professional job. We cut it out and start again.
The biggest DIY mistake is sealing over old sealant. Silicone does not stick to old silicone, so it peels away and traps moisture behind it. Everything old must be removed first.
Quotes for external mastic in Harlow
Call for a quick quote. The main things that affect it are:
- Mould in or behind the old joints
- Working hours on commercial sites
- Access and height
- The amount of work
What it costs depends on how much there is to do, how hard the old material is to remove and access to the work. You’ll have a clear quote before any work starts, so you know where you stand.
What we need to know
To help us quote quickly, let us know:
- If someone has resealed it before
- If it’s domestic, commercial or a hotel
- The address or postcode of the job
- What’s wrong with the joints now
There’s no standard price list, because every job is different. Instead, your job gets its own clear quote. To get started, call 0345 464 0079 or send us an email.