Edinburgh · Scotland
Ravelston External Mastic
Sealing brickwork movement joints, render, cladding and façade joints for householders, landlords and businesses in Ravelston. Fully insured, ARBOMaster approved and guaranteed for a year.
- Movement joints filled with mortar instead of sealant
- Sealant that has lost its bond to the brick or render
- Rain getting behind render or cladding at a joint
When something else is needed
New sealant can’t fix everything, and we’d rather say so up front. It will not solve:
- Cracked brickwork or render that needs a builder or plasterer
- Adding movement joints to masonry that has none
- Rising or penetrating damp from elsewhere in the wall
If in doubt, send an email to info@mrmastic.co.uk and we’ll say what we think before you book.
Joints and surfaces we work on
- Brickwork movement joints
- Façade panels
- Concrete & block
- Copings & trims
- Render & cladding joints
- Joints between brick and frames
About our external mastic in Ravelston
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, so it bonds to the two sides only and can stretch. We work on copings & trims, façade panels and brickwork movement joints, and common reasons people get in touch are leaking joints around cladding and façade panels and old sealant gone brittle and cracked.
Alongside their tenements, Scotland’s cities have modern blocks with render, cladding and movement joints. Around Ravelston, as anywhere, those joints dry out and crack over time, letting water behind the face of the building.
We guarantee the work for a year. If something is not right with it in that time, tell us and we will put it right.
- Location
- Ravelston (EH4, EH12, EH1)
- Wider area
- Edinburgh
- Guarantee
- A year, on every job
- Price
- A clear quote up front
- info@mrmastic.co.uk
- Last updated
- 26 October 2026
Should I try it myself first?
The biggest DIY mistake is sealing over old sealant. Silicone doesn’t stick to old silicone, so it peels away and traps moisture behind it. Everything old must be removed first.
A careful DIYer can reseal a simple joint, such as a straightforward joint indoors. Where it goes wrong is sealing over the old bead, working on a wet joint or overloading the gap.
Do you need external mastic in Ravelston?
If plants are growing out of a joint, the sealant has usually failed or was never there. Roots and dirt hold water against the wall and make things worse.
People usually contact us when they notice something like this:
- Cracked joints where brick meets render or frames
- Hard, crazed mastic that has stopped moving
- Water getting into walls through failed joints
- Joints with sealant missing in places
If you live in an older home near St Columba's Parish Church, older walls, gutters and the joints where extensions meet them need a flexible sealant.
Questions to ask before you book
- The length of the guarantee
- Whether they’re fully insured
- What product goes in the joint
- How the surfaces are prepared before sealing
Places near Ravelston
Other services in Ravelston
Quotes for external mastic in Ravelston
The quote reflects the job in front of us. We look at:
- Any mould that needs treating
- Whether the work is at height
- The product the joint needs
- How much old sealant there is and how hard it is to remove
Instead of a standard rate, we price the job in front of us: how many joints, what’s in them now and how we reach them. You’ll know the price before we begin.
What we need to know
You don’t need to know the technical terms. Just tell us:
- The type of property
- Access, such as stairs, a lift or height
- Where the property is
- The rough size of the job
Need a quote? Please email us at info@mrmastic.co.uk and tell us about the job. We will explain what we’d do and send you a clear quote before we start.
How the job changes by surface
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
Wide joints in concrete need the depth controlling carefully. Backing rod sized to the joint sets it and keep the sealant to the right depth.
Ravelston buildings and the weather
Ravelston is close to the coast, and homes near the sea take more wind-driven rain, with salt in the air closer to the shore. That is hard on movement joints and outside wall joints, especially on the side facing the sea. With historic houses such as Caroline Park (about 2 miles north) nearby, there’s older building stock in the area around Ravelston 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.
Rented homes near Haymarket station change hands often, and split movement joints are easy to miss on a rental until damp shows inside. If you look after a building such as The Mary Erskine School, larger buildings have long runs of movement joint that eventually need resealing.
Ravelston is about 2 miles west of Edinburgh, in Edinburgh. Anywhere in EH4, our applicators can take on external mastic. Our Edinburgh coverage runs to 175 places, and Ravelston is one of them.
All of EH4, EH12 and EH1 is within our area for external mastic. If you need external mastic at a property on Columba Road, Gardiner Road and Ellersly Road or a nearby road, our applicators can take on the job. You will find Ravelston on the A902, so it’s easy for us to get to. Neighbouring places we cover for external mastic include Blackhall (1 mile north-west), Murrayfield (1 mile south), Roseburn (1 mile south-east), Beechmount (1 mile south-west) and Drylaw (1 mile north). Within a short drive, we also cover Leith (4 miles north-east), Bonnington (3 miles north-east), Buccleuch (3 miles east), Pilrig (3 miles east), North Leith (3 miles north-east) and Dumbiedykes (3 miles east).
Around Ravelston
Around Ravelston, our work takes us to homes and buildings near St George's School, Murrayfield Parish Church and Balgreen Primary School. Nearby too are Saughton Park (1.3 miles south), Roseburn Bar (0.8 miles south-east) and Gabrielle Keiller Library (0.8 miles east). The closest station to Ravelston is Haymarket station, roughly 1.2 miles south-east of the centre. A little further out are Royal Victoria Hospital (0.7 miles north-east) and Waverley Mall (2.2 miles east). Not far away are The New Leaf Co-op and Dunsapie Loch.
Aftercare tips
After the cure time, these simple habits help:
- Act on the first splits you see
- Keep soil, plants and ivy away from the joints
- Point out the joints to other trades
- Deal with leaking gutters that soak the joints below
Only paint over the joint if we have confirmed the sealant can take paint. Many exterior sealants are not designed to be painted and spoil the finish.
A joint that has stopped moving pushes the movement elsewhere, often as cracks near the joint. Resealing it early helps prevent that.
Common questions in Ravelston
Is external mastic in a coastal place like Ravelston any different?
Coastal homes put outside sealant through more weather than inland ones, so the choice of sealant and the preparation matter even more. Walls facing the sea are normally the first to need attention.
How do repairs to the shared parts of a tenement in Ravelston get organised?
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.
What should I tell you?
The location, the problem and the rough size of the job. Photos by email help too.
Is the work guaranteed?
Yes. Each job is guaranteed for twelve months, large or small.
Will you leave a mess?
Tidy work is part of the job. Nearby surfaces are protected.
How long does external mastic take?
Most jobs take a few hours to a few days, depending on the length of joint and the access, including the preparation. Your quote will say how long we expect yours to take.
Should I point up the gap in my brickwork?
No, not where the gap is a movement joint. Pointing it stops it working, and the wall may crack nearby. A flexible sealant is the right fill.
Why do you put foam in the joint first?
That is backing rod, a closed-cell foam. It keeps the sealant at the right depth and bonded to the sides only.
How it works
Good joint work is mostly preparation, so that’s where we spend the time. Every joint is cleaned and dried before new material goes in. In total, it generally takes a few hours to a few days, depending on the length of joint and the access. Inside a flat in Ravelston, the job is planned with you; outside, shared parts may need the factor or other owners involved. Tell us which applies when you book.
- We start by walking round the building and agreeing the joints and the access.
- We cut out the old mastic and rake out anything in the joint.
- Joint faces are cleaned back and primed if the sealant needs it.
- We fit closed-cell backing rod to control the depth.
- We apply the sealant, tool it and check the whole run.
Preparing for the visit
- Mention any tricky access
- Let us know about earlier repairs to the joints
- Mention any sign-in or site rules at work premises
Getting a quote
There’s no standard price list, because every job is different. Instead, we give you a clear price for your job. To arrange one, email us at info@mrmastic.co.uk.