Edinburgh · Scotland
External & façade joints in Muirhouse, Edinburgh
External mastic in Muirhouse from a team with over 20 years’ experience. Rated 4.9 on Google from 180+ five-star reviews.
- Gaps where render, brick and frames meet
- Water getting into walls through failed joints
- Failed sealant between panels on a façade
How we quote for external mastic
Call for a quick quote. The main things that affect it are:
- Whether there’s mould to deal with
- The old material and how stubborn it is
- Any working-time requirements on site
- The number of rooms or windows
The cost depends on the size of the job, how hard the old material is to remove and access to the work. You’ll have a clear quote before any work starts.
Helping us quote
When you call or email, these details help:
- Any access issues, like height or stairs
- Any previous sealing or DIY work
- The rough size of the job
- If it’s domestic, commercial or a hotel
Asking for a quote is easy: tell us what needs doing and where and its rough size. A few pictures by email make the job easier to understand.
About our external mastic in Muirhouse
Getting the depth right is half the job. Closed-cell backing rod sets the depth and stops the sealant sticking to the back, so it bonds to the two sides only and can stretch. We work on brickwork movement joints, render & cladding joints and joints between brick and frames, and common reasons people get in touch are rain getting behind render or cladding at a joint and weathered mastic that no longer stretches.
On a four-storey tenement, gutter joints are a long way from the street, so a leaking joint can run down the stone for months before anyone notices. In Muirhouse, access needs planning, and work on shared parts may need the other owners’ agreement.
Whatever the size of the job, it’s backed by our 12-month guarantee in Muirhouse and across Edinburgh.
- Location
- Muirhouse (EH4, EH5, EH95)
- Region
- Edinburgh
- Cover
- One year on every job
- Quotes
- A clear price before any work starts
- info@mrmastic.co.uk
- Page updated
- 26 October 2026
Keeping the joints in good condition
So the new joints stay in good condition:
- Walk round the building once a year and look at the joints
- Keep water from gutters off the wall
- Keep movement joints as flexible joints, not mortar
- Keep soil, plants and ivy away from the joints
Keep the joints clear of soil, plants and climbing growth. Damp material against the sealant shortens its life.
A joint that has stopped moving pushes the movement elsewhere, usually as cracking in the brickwork or render nearby. Catch it early and you reduce the risk.
When it is not the sealant
We won’t take on work that won’t last, so these are the limits:
- Failed render or damaged cladding panels
- Rising or penetrating damp from elsewhere in the wall
- Cutting new joints into brickwork, which is building work rather than sealant work
Not sure which it is? You can email us at info@mrmastic.co.uk and we’ll tell you honestly.
Joints and surfaces we work on
- Brickwork movement joints
- Joints between brick and frames
- Copings & trims
- Façade panels
- Render & cladding joints
- Concrete & block
Signs you need external mastic in Muirhouse
Poor preparation causes many early failures: joint faces that were dusty or damp, unprimed where they needed it, or still carrying old sealant. The sealant never bonds properly.
The most common problems we see are:
- Damp patches traced to an open external joint
- Failed sealant between panels on a façade
- Cracked joints where brick meets render or frames
- Movement joints filled with mortar instead of sealant
Letting a property close to Haymarket station? Then failed wall and movement joints let damp in, so they’re worth checking between tenancies.
Questions to ask before you book
- How the joint is cleaned and prepared
- What happens if they find a problem under the old sealant
- The length of the guarantee
- Whether all the old sealant comes out first
What happens on the day
There’s no need to move everything out before we come, only the area right around the joints. We protect the rest, and the work takes anything from a few hours to several days, depending on the building in most cases. For a tenement in Muirhouse, work inside your flat is between us and you, while shared parts may need the factor or neighbours to agree. Tell us which applies when you book.
- We start by checking each joint, agreeing the ones to redo and how we will reach them.
- Old sealant and any debris are cut and raked out.
- Both sides are cleaned back to sound material and primed if needed.
- Backing rod goes in next, setting the depth and keeping the sealant off the back of the joint.
- We gun in a flexible exterior sealant in a colour that suits the wall and tool it neatly.
How to prepare
- Try not to wet indoor joints just before the visit
- Move anything stored near the joints
- Mention any leaks or damp you’ve noticed
Getting a quote
It all starts with a short chat. Tell us what’s wrong, where it is and how much there is. When it suits you, drop us a line at info@mrmastic.co.uk.
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Places near Muirhouse
Also in Muirhouse
Work for landlords, hotels and businesses
We regularly work with letting and managing agents. Send the address, what’s needed and the access arrangements and we will give you a quote.
We also work for businesses, from offices to washrooms and kitchens. On commercial sites, working times can be discussed when we quote.
Walls and rooflines in Muirhouse
Muirhouse is within about 1 mile of the coast, and homes near the sea take more wind-driven rain, with salt in the air closer to the shore. Both are hard on movement joints and outside wall joints, which can dry out and crack sooner where a building faces the weather. With historic houses such as Caroline Park (about 0.9 miles north-east) nearby, there’s older building stock in the area around Muirhouse as well as newer homes. In older buildings, older brick and stone need a sealant that suits them, at the right joint depth.
If you look after a building such as Craigroyston Community High School, movement joints, cladding joints and gutters on larger buildings need the same care as a house’s. Historic houses such as Caroline Park, about 0.9 miles north-east, show how far back building around Muirhouse goes.
Muirhouse is about 3 miles north-west of Edinburgh, in Edinburgh. Muirhouse gets the same service as everywhere we cover: the old material taken out, joints prepared properly and a 12-month guarantee. Our area takes in 175 places across Edinburgh.
Jobs for external mastic in EH4, EH5 and EH95 is quoted and booked the same way as anywhere else. Whether your property is on Heath Road, Mottram Road and Herring Road or anywhere close by, we can help. Other places close to Muirhouse include West Pilton (1 mile north-east), Drylaw (1 mile south), Silverknowes (1 mile west), Pilton (1 mile east) and Crewe Toll (1 mile east). We also work in nearby towns such as Edinburgh (3 miles south-east), Leith (3 miles east), Bonnington (3 miles east), Greenside (3 miles east), Broughton (3 miles east) and Buccleuch (3 miles south-east).
Landmarks near Muirhouse
Typical jobs here are in homes near St Columba's Parish Church and Gabrielle Keiller Library and the streets around them. For rail, the closest station is Haymarket station, about 2.3 miles south-east. Nearby you will also find Waverley Mall (2.8 miles south-east) and Murrayfield Experience (2.2 miles south). Open spaces near Muirhouse include The New Leaf Co-op and Corstorphine Hill.
FAQs for Muirhouse
How is work on the outside of a tenement in Muirhouse usually arranged?
The owners of the flats normally agree repairs to shared parts like the roof and outside walls, and many buildings have a factor to arrange it. Where the title deeds are silent, the Tenements (Scotland) Act 2004 fills the gaps. Your title deeds will say who owns the windows.
Does living near the coast affect external mastic in Muirhouse?
Near the sea, outside joints face more wind, rain and salt than they would inland, so preparation and the right sealant matter all the more. It’s worth checking the walls that face the sea first.
Do I need to be at home?
For indoor joints, yes, someone needs to let us in. Once we’ve agreed the job, you do not need to watch us work.
Can you reach joints on upper floors?
It depends on the height and the site. Ground-floor joints are simple; for higher ones, send details and we’ll confirm the access.
Can you do several jobs on one visit?
Yes. Tell us about everything you’d like done.
Do you guarantee your work?
Yes: twelve months. If anything is not right with the work within the year, let us know and we will sort it.
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.
Are you an approved applicator?
Yes. ARBOMaster is the approved applicator scheme for Arbo sealants, and we are part of it.
What the job involves on each surface
Copings and trims
A failed coping joint lets water into the top of the wall. Resealing them is a small job that protects a lot.
Cladding and façade panels
Where a cladding system has its own specified sealant, we follow it, or one the system allows. Send us any details you have about the façade.