Kent · England
External & façade joints in River, Kent
Our applicators work in River on sealing brickwork movement joints, render, cladding and façade joints. Old material cut out, joints cleaned and sealed neatly and a 12-month guarantee.
- Sealant pulling away from one side of the joint
- Joints pointed up with cement by mistake
- Movement joints with cracked, split or missing sealant
How we handle external mastic in River
We are ARBOMaster approved applicators, and each external joint gets a sealant suited to it. Porous or awkward surfaces are primed where the sealant needs it. We work on façade panels, render & cladding joints and brickwork movement joints, and common reasons people get in touch are weathered mastic that no longer stretches and damp patches traced to an open external joint.
Homes around River range from older cottages to newer houses, with walls and rooflines of every type. Older homes need their gutter and trim joints kept tight, newer ones their movement joints.
The work is covered for a year after we finish. If anything isn’t right with it, ring 0345 464 0079 or drop us an email.
- Location
- River (CT17, CT16)
- Region
- Kent
- Cover
- 12 months on all our work
- Quote
- Quoted before any work starts
- Telephone
- 0345 464 0079
- Updated
- 26 October 2026
River buildings and the weather
River is close to 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. Rainfall in the South East is lower than in much of the UK, though outdoor sealant still has to go onto a dry joint, so the forecast decides the day.
In the older streets around Church of St Peter, older walls, gutters and the joints where extensions meet them need a flexible sealant. If you look after a building such as River Primary School, movement joints, cladding joints and gutters on larger buildings need the same care as a house’s.
River is about 1 mile north-west of Dover, in Kent. From the centre of River to the outskirts, we cover external mastic for every kind of property. Our Kent coverage runs to 922 places, River among them. You can also see our page for Chelmsford, roughly 53 miles from River.
All of CT17 and CT16 is covered for external mastic. Whether your property is on Lower Road, Minnis Lane and London Road or anywhere close by, our applicators can take on the job. We also cover the places around River: Kearsney (1 mile north-west), Temple Ewell (1 mile north-west), Dover (1 mile south-east), Whitfield (1 mile north-east) and Maxton (2 miles south). We also work in nearby towns such as Canterbury (13 miles north-west), Folkestone (6 miles south-west), Ramsgate (15 miles north-east), Deal (7 miles north-east), Hythe (10 miles south-west) and Walmer (7 miles north-east).
Local landmarks in River
Locally, jobs take us to homes and businesses close to St Edmund's Catholic School, Old Park Hill and Royal Oak Cottage The Royal Oak Public House. For rail, the closest station is Kearsney station, about 0.5 miles north-west. Other landmarks nearby include Crabble Corn Mill (within half a mile south-east) and Dover Castle (2.2 miles south-east). Not far away are Dover Western Heights.
What we do, step by step
A visit follows a simple pattern: we check the joints, mask and protect the surrounding surfaces, do the work and tidy away. It normally takes anything from a few hours to several days, depending on the building. Parking around River is normally easier than in a town centre, but mention any lanes, gates or long drives. If the job is outside, tell us about side access and how high the joints are.
- First, the joints are inspected and the access agreed.
- Every bit of old sealant and any mortar or debris is cut out.
- Joint faces are cleaned back and primed if the sealant needs it.
- Backing rod sized to the joint goes in to set the depth.
- The exterior sealant is applied, tooled and checked along its length.
Getting ready for the visit
- Move anything stored near the joints
- Keep pets and children clear of the area while we work
- Let us know about earlier repairs to the joints
Get a quote
Getting a quote is simple: let us know the job and the location and its rough size. A few pictures by email make the job easier to understand, and we’ll take it from there.
Advice
River questions
Does living near the coast affect external mastic in River?
Near the coast, wind-driven rain and, nearer the shore, salt air make outside sealant work harder. Choosing the right sealant for the frame and wall, laid at the right depth, helps it last.
Is River within the area you cover?
Yes, smaller places are covered as well as towns. Our work covers London and the South East. Let us know about access, parking and anything unusual about getting there when you book.
Do you work for landlords and businesses?
Yes. We work for householders, landlords, letting agents, businesses and hotels.
Is there a guarantee?
Yes. All our work carries our one-year guarantee.
Can you reach joints on upper floors?
It depends on the building. Send us photos and a rough idea of the height and we will confirm how they can be reached safely.
Do you remove the old sealant?
Yes, every time. New silicone doesn’t stick to old silicone, so the joint is cleaned back first.
Is it OK to seal over old sealant?
No. New silicone will not bond to old silicone, and anything trapped underneath, including mould and water, stays there. We remove it all first.
Is there any odour?
There can be a smell while the sealant cures, which fades as it sets. Ventilation helps.
Other services in River
Aftercare tips
Once the sealant has cured, a few habits help it last:
- Make sure movement joints are not pointed over
- Keep high-pressure jets off the joints
- Tell anyone working on the walls about the movement joints
- Deal with leaking gutters that soak the joints below
Keep the joints clear of soil, plants and climbing growth. Damp material against the sealant shortens its life.
Leaks behind façade panels and render often go unseen. By the time there’s a damp patch, the damage can be well established.
Leave it or put it right?
A low-modulus sealant is chosen because it moves without pulling hard at the edges. That matters on brick, render and concrete, which can be weaker at the face. Too stiff a sealant can pull at the edges and break them. Around River, water from a failed joint in an older home can soak into timber and plaster, and that is a much bigger job than renewing the sealant.
Doing several joints on one visit normally makes better use of the time than several visits, so it’s worth mentioning everything you’d like done. We will give you a clear quote for the lot.
Why River customers choose us
- You choose the colour before work begins
- Neat joints and a tidy finish
- White, clear, grey or another colour, product permitting
- Homes, businesses and hotels
What we can’t put right
We won’t take on work that won’t last, so these are the limits:
- Render that is blown, hollow or coming away
- Cracked brickwork or render that needs a builder or plasterer
- Cutting new joints into brickwork, which is building work rather than sealant work
If in doubt, ring 0345 464 0079 or send us an email and we’ll say what we think before booking.
Where we work in River
- Copings & trims
- Concrete & block
- Brickwork movement joints
- Joints between brick and frames
- Render & cladding joints
- Façade panels
What affects the cost of external mastic
There’s no set price list, because jobs vary so much. What we look at:
- The size of the job
- The old material and how stubborn it is
- How many rooms, windows or areas are involved
- Working hours on commercial sites
The cost reflects the work involved, not guesswork. That is why we ask about the job first and agree the price before starting.
Helping us quote
Photos by email are helpful but not essential. Try to tell us:
- The type of property
- How many joints, rooms or windows are involved
- Pictures of the joints, sent by email
- How we’d reach the joints
We quote each job on its own, so the first step is telling us about yours. Simply ring 0345 464 0079 or drop us an email and describe the job and send photos if you have them.
Different surfaces, different methods
Render joints
The face of render can be soft, so a low-modulus sealant is kinder to the joint edges. Priming is done where the sealant calls for it.
Brickwork movement joints
Vertical joints in long brick walls let the brickwork expand without cracking. We reseal them with a low-modulus sealant over backing rod.
Signs you need external mastic in River
Joints sealed without backing rod, or far too deep, rarely last. Sealant bonded to three sides has nowhere to go and rips as the joint opens.
Any of these means the joints need attention:
- Plants rooting in failed movement joints
- Brick movement joints where the sealant has split
- Panel joints letting water in
- Sealant pulling away from one side of the joint
Rented homes near Kearsney station change hands often, and split movement joints are easy to miss on a rental until damp shows inside.
Questions to ask before booking
- When the joint can take water or movement
- What the quote includes, VAT included or not
- Which colour the sealant will be
- The length of the guarantee