Orkney Islands · Scotland
External Mastic in Hourston
Sealing brickwork movement joints, render, cladding and façade joints in Hourston, with a one-year guarantee on every job. Ask us for a quote.
- Old sealant gone brittle and cracked
- Joints where the bead has come unstuck
- Water getting into walls through failed joints
How we handle external mastic in Hourston
Short cuts in external joints show up within a season or two. New sealant over old, joints packed with mortar and beads with no backing rarely last long. We take the old material out and do it properly. If you have cracked joints where brick meets render or frames and hard, crazed mastic that has stopped moving, we can put it right, on joints between brick and frames, render & cladding joints and brickwork movement joints alike.
Stone walls need a stone-friendly sealant, as acetoxy products can attack some stone. On newer homes, the movement joints and roofline trims are what need watching.
We stand behind the work with a 12-month guarantee.
- Place
- Hourston (KW17)
- Region
- Orkney Islands
- Cover
- A year, on every job
- Quote
- A clear price before work begins
- info@mrmastic.co.uk
- Page updated
- 26 October 2026
How it works
Our applicators work methodically: protect, prepare, seal, tidy. For most jobs that takes anything from a few hours to several days, depending on the building. Outside jobs in Hourston need a dry day, because sealant won’t bond to a wet joint, so external jobs may need to move if the day turns wet. Indoor work goes ahead whatever the weather.
- 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.
- We gun in low-modulus sealant and tool it neatly.
Preparing for the visit
- Plan for the work area to be out of bounds to pets and children
- Mention any parking rules near the property
- Clear the area around the work
Ask for a quote
Need a quote? Please email us at info@mrmastic.co.uk and tell us about the job. We’ll explain what we’d do and give you a clear quote before work begins.
Read more
Walls and rooflines in Hourston
Hourston is within about 2 miles of the coast, where wind-driven rain is a fact of life and, nearer the shore, so is salt air. Both are hard on movement joints and outside wall joints, which can dry out and crack sooner where a building faces the weather. Under the Repairing Standard, private landlords in Scotland have to keep homes wind and watertight, and failed outside joints work against that.
Skaill House, about 4.1 miles west, is one of the historic houses in the wider area around Hourston. In and around Hourston, as anywhere, good external mastic starts with a clean, dry, properly prepared joint.
Hourston is about 11 miles north-west of Kirkwall, in the Orkney Islands. Homes, rented property, offices and hotels in Hourston can book us for external mastic, old or new, large or small. Every job comes with our 12-month guarantee. Hourston is one of 51 places in the Orkney Islands where we work.
Work in KW17 works the same way as everywhere else we cover. We also cover the places around Hourston: Russland (1 mile south), Dounby (1 mile north), Harray (2 miles south-east), Skeabrae (2 miles north-west) and Tenston (2 miles south-west). Island and remote addresses take a little more planning, so tell us where you are when you ask for a quote.
Around Hourston
A little further out are Corrigall Farm Museum (1.5 miles east). The countryside around Hourston includes Loch of Bosquoy and Kame of Corrigall.
Aftercare tips
Aftercare is simple:
- Ask before painting over external sealant
- Keep soil, plants and ivy away from the joints
- Wash walls gently around the sealant
- Get split or bare joints resealed while the damage is small
Keep pressure washers away from the sealant. High-pressure water can lift the edges over time.
If you can see gaps, plants or bare sections in a joint, have it checked. Early work is quicker and leaves a better finish.
What affects the quote in Hourston
There’s no set price list, because no two jobs are the same. What we look at:
- Working hours on commercial sites
- The type of sealant required
- Whether old sealant or filler has to be cut out
- The number of rooms or windows
What you pay reflects the work, not guesswork. That is why we ask about the job first and give you a clear quote before any work starts.
Helping us quote
Before you ask for a quote, have a think about:
- If someone has resealed it before
- Whether it’s a home or a business
- The rough size of the job
- Access, such as stairs, a lift or height
To get a quote, email us at info@mrmastic.co.uk with the location and a short description of the problem. You’ll have a clear quote before work begins.
Your questions about external mastic in Hourston
Is external mastic in a coastal place like Hourston any different?
Coastal weather is harder on outside sealant: there’s more wind-driven rain and, closer to the shore, salt in the air. The right product, a clean joint and the right depth all help it cope.
Is Hourston within the area you cover?
Yes, we do. We work across all of Scotland, islands included, and smaller places are part of that. Longer journeys are simply planned in advance.
How long before the joint can be used?
Many sealants skin over quickly but take longer to cure fully. We’ll give you the cure time for the product we used before we leave.
What does external mastic cost?
We don’t publish prices, because the cost depends on the job: how much there is, what’s there now, how we reach it and what it needs. We agree the price before any work begins.
Do you hold any approvals?
Yes. We’re ARBOMaster approved, the scheme for applicators of Arbo sealants.
Will there be a smell?
There can be a smell while the sealant cures, but it fades. Opening a window helps.
When will the joints need doing again?
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 12-month guarantee.
Do you take out the old sealant first?
Yes. Sealing over old sealant is the main reason resealing fails early, and it’s something we never do.
When it is not the sealant
Sealant is not the answer to every problem, and we’ll tell you before work begins. Sealant won’t put right:
- Subsidence or other structural problems
- Cracked brickwork or render that needs a builder or plasterer
- Damp from another source, such as a leaking gutter or a bridged damp-proof course
Not sure which it is? You can send an email to info@mrmastic.co.uk and we’ll tell you honestly before you book.
Where we work in Hourston
- Render & cladding joints
- Brickwork movement joints
- Façade panels
- Copings & trims
- Concrete & block
- Joints between brick and frames
Should I try it myself first?
A DIY attempt does not rule out a professional job. We cut it out and start again, so tell us about it when you ask for a quote.
If you are set on DIY, put the effort into preparation: remove every trace of old sealant, clean and dry the joint, and follow the product’s cure time. If it does not work out, we can still put it right.
Work for landlords, hotels and businesses
We work for letting agents and landlords as well as homeowners. Resealing between tenancies is a simple way to keep a property in good order.
From a single let to a portfolio, the work is the same standard: the old material taken out, careful preparation and a 12-month guarantee.
More services for Hourston
What the job involves on each surface
Render joints
Render is weaker at the surface than brick, so a low-modulus sealant is kinder to the joint edges. Priming is done where the sealant calls for it.
Joints between dissimilar materials
Each side of the joint may need its own preparation. Both surfaces are cleaned and primed as the product requires.