Highland · Scotland
External & façade joints in Reay, Highland
Movement joints in Reay need attention? We remove the old material, prepare the joints and seal them properly, with a one-year guarantee.
- Cracked joints where brick meets render or frames
- Plants rooting in failed movement joints
- Panel joints letting water in
External mastic in Reay
A movement joint is only as good as its depth. 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. Typical jobs include failed seals between different materials and sealant pulling away from one side of the joint, on façade panels, concrete & block and brickwork movement joints.
Stone walls need a stone-friendly sealant, as acetoxy products can attack some stone. Newer houses need their movement joints and roofline trims kept sound.
You’re covered for a year from the day we finish. If there’s a problem with it, please drop us a line at info@mrmastic.co.uk.
- Place
- Reay (KW14)
- Wider area
- Highland
- Guarantee
- A year, on every job
- Quotes
- A clear price before any work starts
- info@mrmastic.co.uk
- Last updated
- 26 October 2026
Surface by surface
Copings and trims
A failed coping joint lets water into the top of the wall. Sealing them early saves the wall below.
Joints between dissimilar materials
Joints where frames, sills or panels meet the wall are common leak points. The old joint is removed and a sealant that bonds to both sides goes in.
Can I do it myself?
Too much sealant is as bad as too little. A heavy bead looks messy and copes badly with movement, and the joint depth matters as much as the finish.
Some sealant jobs are within reach of a careful DIYer, like a short, easy-to-reach joint indoors. The common mistakes are sealing over old sealant, sealing a damp joint and using far too much.
Reay questions
Do you cover Reay for external mastic?
Yes. Our work covers the whole of Scotland, and Reay is part of that. You can drop us a line at info@mrmastic.co.uk and tell us what needs doing.
Is external mastic in a coastal place like Reay 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.
How often do external joints need resealing?
That depends on the wall, the weather and the movement. Signs to watch for are cracking, hardening and gaps at the edges, and reseal at that point.
Can a movement joint be filled with mortar?
No. Rigid materials cannot move with the wall and the joint fails. Where a joint has been mortared, it can often be raked out and sealed properly.
When is the sealant fully cured?
That depends on the sealant used, so follow the cure time we give you when we finish.
Can tenants book the work?
Yes, but check with your landlord or agent first. Many landlords are glad to have it sorted.
Why is there a gap in my brick wall?
Brickwork, render and cladding all move a little, so long walls have planned gaps to take that movement. The gap is sealed with a flexible sealant over backing rod.
What does external mastic cost?
Size, access and the old material all affect the cost. Call for a quick quote.
What happens on the day
Most of a good job is in the preparation, so that’s where we spend the time. Joints are cleaned back and dried before anything new goes in. All told, the work takes a few hours to a few days, depending on the length of joint and the access. Around Reay, distance and access matter more than parking. Tell us how to find the property and how to reach the work.
- 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.
- A low-modulus exterior sealant is gunned in and tooled to a neat finish.
How to prepare
- On commercial sites, let us know about site rules
- Keep children and pets away from the work area
- Try not to wet indoor joints just before the visit
Get a quote
Want a quote for external mastic? Please send an email to info@mrmastic.co.uk and tell us about the job. You will know what we plan to do, and what it will cost, before any work begins.
Read more
Walls and rooflines in Reay
Reay is within about 2 miles 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. Plenty of Scottish homes have harled walls, and where harling meets frames, pipes and other materials, the joint needs a flexible sealant that grips a rough surface.
Homes close to Reay Parish Church include some older properties, and the joints between older walls, newer extensions and the roofline need a sealant that can move. Around Reay, as everywhere, external mastic is only as good as the preparation behind it.
Reay is about 10 miles west of Thurso, in Highland. For external mastic in and around Reay, please drop us a line at info@mrmastic.co.uk for a quick quote. We are based in Crawley and cover Highland, Reay included. Reay is one of 253 towns and villages in Highland where we work for external mastic.
Every address in KW14 is covered for external mastic, from the main roads to the quietest streets. If you need external mastic at a property on The Terrace, The Avenue and Beinn Ratha Court or anywhere close by, we can help. Other places close to Reay include Melvich (5 miles west), Portskerra (5 miles west), Forss (6 miles north-east), Westfield (6 miles east) and Janetstown (8 miles east). If you’re somewhere remote, a little more planning is needed, so let us know when you get in touch.
Near you in Reay
Other landmarks nearby include Dounreay Castle (2.1 miles north-east). Green spaces nearby include Caol-Loch.
Looking after it afterwards
Looking after new joints is easy, and it makes a real difference:
- Avoid pressure-washing directly into sealant joints
- Leave the joints unpainted unless we have said otherwise
- Act on the first splits you see
- Walk round the building once a year and look at the joints
Do not paint over the new sealant unless we’ve said the product is paintable. Paint can crack on a flexible joint, and paint can crack as the joint moves.
Leaks behind façade panels and render often go unseen. When it finally shows inside, the joint may have been open for years, so it’s worth resealing at the first signs.
Landlord and commercial work in Reay
We also work for property managers and facilities teams. We can quote a run of properties together, and we’re fully insured for the work.
Hotels need rooms back in use, so the work can be planned room by room. We’ve worked in hotels as well as homes and businesses.
Leave it or put it right?
Water gets in through a failed movement joint, behind render and cladding. Resealing early keeps the job to the joint itself, instead of the wall and finishes around it. Exposed walls in smaller Scottish places take a lot of wind and rain, and once water gets behind a failed joint, damp in stone or harled walls is slow to dry out.
Leaving a failed joint normally makes the job bigger, not smaller, as water and mould keep getting in. If you’re unsure, email us at info@mrmastic.co.uk for an honest opinion and a quote.
Why choose Mr Mastic in Reay
- We never seal over old sealant
- 20+ years of sealant experience
- Colour picked to suit the job
- Rated 4.9 stars on Google
Take a look at our cost guide or what customers say.
When something else is needed
A few problems are outside what sealant work can do:
- Loose or hollow render, which needs re-rendering
- Adding movement joints to masonry that has none
- Subsidence or other structural problems
If in doubt, email us at info@mrmastic.co.uk and we’ll say what we think before booking.
Joints and surfaces we work on
- Joints between brick and frames
- Concrete & block
- Copings & trims
- Render & cladding joints
- Façade panels
- Brickwork movement joints