Edinburgh · Scotland
External & façade joints in Polwarth, Edinburgh
External mastic for Polwarth, by sealant specialists with 20+ years’ experience. 180+ five-star Google reviews and a 4.9 rating.
- Movement joints with cracked, split or missing sealant
- Joints pointed up with cement by mistake
- Weathered mastic that no longer stretches
Common problems we fix in Polwarth
If plants are growing out of a joint, the sealant has generally failed or was never there. Roots and dirt hold water against the wall and speed up the damage.
The most common problems we see are:
- Hard, crazed mastic that has stopped moving
- Rigid filler in a joint that should flex
- Brick movement joints where the sealant has split
- Leaking joints around cladding and façade panels
If you live in an older home near Polwarth Parish Church and Hall, the joints between older walls, newer extensions and the roofline need a sealant that can move.
What your quote should include
- What the quote includes, VAT included or not
- Which colour the sealant will be
- What insurance they hold
- What happens if the job turns out different
About our external mastic in Polwarth
Where two different materials meet, such as brick and render or blockwork and metal, they move at different rates. A flexible exterior sealant takes up that movement where a rigid filler would soon crack. If you have moss and dirt in joints with no sealant left and failed seals between different materials, we can put it right.
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 Polwarth, access needs planning, and work on shared parts may need the other owners’ agreement.
Our work is backed for twelve months, in Polwarth and everywhere else we cover.
- Place
- Polwarth (EH11, EH14, EH10)
- Wider area
- Edinburgh
- Guarantee
- One year on every job
- Price
- A clear quote up front
- info@mrmastic.co.uk
- Page updated
- 26 October 2026
For landlords and businesses
Mouldy or split sealant often shows up at the end of a tenancy, and it’s easy to sort out between tenants. Several properties can go on one quote.
We work for landlords and letting agents as well as householders. Resealing between tenancies keeps a property looking cared for before the next move-in.
External mastic in Polwarth: local notes
Polwarth is close to 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. Historic houses like Whitefoord House (about 2.5 miles north-east) are a reminder that the area around Polwarth has older buildings as well as new. In older buildings, older walls and rooflines need a sealant that moves with them and suits the material.
Managing a site like Craiglockhart Primary School? Then movement joints, cladding joints and gutters on larger buildings need the same care as a house’s. For landlords with property near Slateford station, split movement joints are easy to miss on a rental until damp shows inside.
Polwarth is about 1 mile south-west of Edinburgh, in Edinburgh. For external mastic in and around Polwarth, it’s easy to get a quote: please send an email to info@mrmastic.co.uk. We cover Edinburgh from our Crawley base. Across Edinburgh, we cover 175 places, Polwarth among them.
Every address in EH11, EH14 and EH10 is covered for external mastic. External mastic is available to properties on Cowan Road, Spylaw Road and Ettrick Road and the roads around them. Other places close to Polwarth include Shandon (1 mile north), Gorgie (1 mile north-west), Slateford (1 mile west), Westfield (1 mile north-west) and Burghmuirhead (1 mile east). Further out, we also cover Leith (4 miles north-east), Bonnington (3 miles north-east), Gayfield (3 miles north-east), Pilrig (3 miles north-east), North Leith (4 miles north-east) and Queensferry (8 miles north-west).
Around Polwarth
Around Polwarth, our work takes us to homes and buildings near Harrison Park, Boroughmuir High School and Gabrielle Keiller Library and the streets around them. Other local landmarks include The Athletic Arms (0.6 miles north) and Iain Tomlin School of Music (0.6 miles east). For rail, the closest station is Slateford station, about 0.7 miles south-west. Other landmarks nearby include Murrayfield Experience (0.9 miles north-west) and Waverley Mall (2.1 miles north-east). Green spaces nearby include Dunsapie Loch and Craiglockhart Hill.
Keeping the joints in good condition
To keep the joints looking good and working properly:
- Avoid pressure-washing directly into sealant joints
- Never let anyone fill a movement joint with mortar
- Don’t let climbing plants root in the sealant
- Check external joints each spring
Only paint over the joint if we have confirmed the sealant can take paint. Paint can crack on a flexible joint and spoil the finish.
A joint that has stopped moving pushes the movement elsewhere, normally as cracking in the brickwork or render nearby. Resealing it early helps prevent that.
When something else is needed
Some problems need a builder, plumber or other trade rather than us:
- Render that’s blown, hollow or coming away
- Cracks in the bricks or render themselves, away from the joints
- Cutting new joints into brickwork, which is building work rather than sealant work
If in doubt, email us at info@mrmastic.co.uk and we will say what we think before you book.
Joints and surfaces we work on
- Render & cladding joints
- Brickwork movement joints
- Copings & trims
- Concrete & block
- Façade panels
- Joints between brick and frames
How it works
There’s no need to move everything out, only the area right around the joints. We protect the rest, and the work takes a few hours to a few days, depending on the length of joint and the access in most cases. Many homes in Scotland’s cities are tenement flats, reached through a shared close and up a common stair. In Polwarth, it helps to know the floor, the door entry arrangements and the nearest parking.
- First, the joints are inspected and the access agreed.
- We cut out the old mastic and rake out anything in the joint.
- The faces are brushed clean and primed where the product requires it.
- Backing rod sized to the joint goes in to set the depth.
- We apply the sealant, tool it and check the whole run.
Before we arrive
- Tell us about access, such as stairs, a lift or high-level joints
- Mention if the joints have been sealed before
- Try not to wet indoor joints just before the visit
How to get a quote
Getting a quote is simple: let us know the job and the location. A few pictures by email make the job easier to understand, and we will take it from there.
Advice
What affects the cost of external mastic
Your quote is based on your job. We look at:
- How many areas need sealing
- How easy the joints are to reach
- Which sealant suits the joint
- Whether old sealant or filler has to be cut out
Homes and businesses are quoted the same way: the amount of work, how we reach it and what it needs, plus any working-time requirements on site. Ask us for a quote and we’ll explain what it covers.
Helping us quote
Photos by email are helpful but not essential. Please mention:
- What’s wrong with the joints now
- How we’d reach the joints
- Pictures of the joints, sent by email
- Whether it has been sealed before
It all starts with a short chat. Describe the problem, the location and the size of the job, and we will explain how we’d tackle it. Whenever you’re ready, email us at info@mrmastic.co.uk.
Places near Polwarth
What else we do in Polwarth
Why deal with it now?
Running new sealant over the old bead rarely lasts. The new layer can’t bond properly to old, weathered material, so the old joint is cut out fully first. In a tenement flat in Polwarth, a failed seal is rarely just your problem: a leak can come through the ceiling below, and gaps in shared walls or fire-rated joints matter to every flat.
Combining jobs into one visit is generally more efficient than separate visits, so it’s worth mentioning everything you’d like done. We’ll send you a clear quote for the lot.
Why us?
- Over 20 years’ experience
- A choice of colours where the product allows
- Domestic, commercial and hotel work
- Anti-fungal sanitary silicone in wet areas
Take a look at what affects the cost or customer reviews.
Polwarth: your questions answered
Do you work for landlords with property near Slateford station?
Yes, we work for landlords and letting agents. You can email us at info@mrmastic.co.uk with the address and a few details, and we will give you a fixed price before work begins.
Who arranges sealant work on the shared parts of a tenement in Polwarth?
Most tenements arrange shared repairs through the owners or a property factor. The Tenements (Scotland) Act 2004 sets the rules for common parts if the deeds don’t, and we can quote for the factor or the owners directly.
Can new sealant go over the old?
No, it will not last. It can look neat for a few weeks, but the new bead soon lifts. The old sealant has to come out completely.
Can I do it myself?
For a simple, easy-to-reach joint, a careful DIYer can do a reasonable job. Most DIY failures come from sealing over old material, wet joints or too much sealant.
Will you leave a mess?
Tidy work is part of the job. Nearby surfaces are protected, and the area is left clean when we finish.
Are you an approved applicator?
Yes. We hold ARBOMaster approved applicator status and we’re fully insured too.
Can you work on commercial sites?
Yes. Hotels, offices and other businesses use us and we are fully insured.
Does someone need to be in?
We need access to the joints, so we will agree that with you when we book. For inside work, that normally means someone being in.