Edinburgh · Scotland
South Gyle External Mastic
Problem with your movement joints in South Gyle? We cut out the old, prepare the joints and apply the right sealant, and the work is guaranteed for a year.
- Joints with sealant missing in places
- Sealant that has lost its bond to the brick or render
- Plants rooting in failed movement joints
How we handle external mastic in South Gyle
Movement joints let brickwork, render and cladding expand and shrink without cracking. Its sealant has to flex with the building, season after season, so once it splits or hardens, the joint stops working and water gets in. If you have failed sealant between panels on a façade and weathered mastic that no longer stretches, we can put it right.
Stone-built tenements in Scotland’s cities share their roof, gutters and outside walls between every flat in the building. For a tenement in South Gyle, repairs to shared parts are normally agreed between the owners, often through a property factor.
All our work is covered by a one-year guarantee, wherever you are in Edinburgh.
- Where
- South Gyle (EH12, EH11)
- Region
- Edinburgh
- Cover
- One year on every job
- Quotes
- Quoted before any work starts
- info@mrmastic.co.uk
- Last updated
- 26 October 2026
What we are called out for in South Gyle
Sometimes a movement joint was filled with mortar or a rigid filler by mistake. With the joint locked solid, the movement turns into cracks elsewhere in the wall.
Most people get in touch when they notice something like this:
- Weeds or debris growing in open joints
- Cracked joints where brick meets render or frames
- Failed sealant between panels on a façade
- Hard, crazed mastic that has stopped moving
For landlords with property near South Gyle station, outside joints that have cracked can let damp into a rental, so check them between lets.
Questions to ask before you book
- How long to leave it before use
- Whether VAT is included
- Who does the work, and how experienced they are
- Whether you can choose the colour
Looking after it afterwards
After the cure time, these simple habits help:
- Look over the joints every year, ideally after winter
- Leave the joints unpainted unless we’ve said otherwise
- Get split or bare joints resealed while the damage is small
- Keep soil, plants and ivy away from the joints
Avoid pressure-washing straight into the joints. A strong jet can damage the edges of the bead and let water in behind.
Act while the splits are small. At that stage it’s a simple cut out and reseal before water has had years to get in.
What happens if it’s left?
Sealing over the top of old mastic does not hold for long. New sealant does not bond well to old, weathered sealant, so the old joint is cut out fully first. In a tenement flat in South Gyle, 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.
The cost reflects the work involved, not a rough estimate. That’s why we ask about the job first.
Why book with us
- Colour agreed with you before we start
- Full insurance on every job
- Old sealant always removed completely
- Every job guaranteed for a year
Take a look at how sealant jobs are priced or what customers say.
Honest limits
A few problems are outside what sealant work can do:
- Loose or hollow render, which needs re-rendering
- Cracking across the wall rather than at a joint
- Subsidence or other structural problems
Not sure which it is? You can email us at info@mrmastic.co.uk and we’ll tell you honestly before you book.
What we seal
- Copings & trims
- Brickwork movement joints
- Concrete & block
- Façade panels
- Joints between brick and frames
- Render & cladding joints
How the job changes by surface
Concrete and blockwork
Big joints in concrete need careful depth control. Backing rod sized to the joint sets it and keep the sealant to the right depth.
Cladding and façade panels
Cladding and façade panels are generally separated by sealed joints. We reseal them with a sealant suited to the panel material.
The process
All our tools and materials come with us in the van, so you do not need to buy or prepare anything. After a quick look at the joints together, the area is protected and the work begins. Most jobs take a few hours for a handful of joints, longer for a whole elevation. Many homes in Scotland’s cities are tenement flats, reached through a shared close and up a common stair. In South Gyle, it helps to know the floor, the door entry arrangements and the nearest parking.
- We look at every joint and agree a colour to suit the wall.
- Failed sealant is removed back to clean, sound faces.
- Closed-cell backing rod is pushed in so the sealant bonds to two sides only.
- We prime the faces where required.
- A low-modulus exterior sealant is gunned in and tooled to a neat finish.
Before we arrive
- Move anything stored near the joints
- Tell us about any previous sealing or DIY attempts
- Where the joints are inside, avoid wetting them before we arrive
How to get a quote
There’s no standard price list. Instead, we give you a clear quote for your job. To get started, drop us a line at info@mrmastic.co.uk.
Related advice
Questions from South Gyle
Who arranges sealant work on the shared parts of a tenement in South Gyle?
Most tenements arrange shared repairs through the owners or a property factor. The Tenements (Scotland) Act 2004 covers the common parts where the deeds do not, and we can quote for the factor or the owners directly.
I let a flat near South Gyle station. Can you help?
Yes, we work for landlords and agents. You can drop us a line at info@mrmastic.co.uk with the address and a few details, and we’ll give you a fixed price before any work starts.
Do you use backing rod?
Closed-cell backing rod sets the depth of the sealant and stops it sticking to the back of the joint. That way it bonds to the two sides only and can stretch.
Do I need to be at home?
We need access to the joints, so we will agree that with you when we book. Indoors, that generally means someone at home.
How long does external mastic take?
A typical job takes a few hours to a few days, depending on the length of joint and the access, including preparation and clearing up. We will confirm how long when we quote.
What do you put in the joint?
Quality sealants from brands including Arbo and Everbuild, picked for each joint. We explain the product when we quote.
Do the sealants smell?
That depends on the sealant. Some smell for a while, some hardly at all, and any smell fades as they cure.
Should I point up the gap in my brickwork?
No. A mortar-filled joint cannot move, so the movement cracks the wall elsewhere. It needs a flexible sealant over backing rod.
Also near South Gyle
What else we do in South Gyle
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. We can quote for more than one property at once.
We also work for property managers and facilities teams. We can quote a run of properties together, and we are fully insured for the work.
South Gyle buildings and the weather
South Gyle is within about 3 miles of the coast, where wind-driven rain is a fact of life and, nearer the shore, so is salt air. That’s hard on movement joints and outside wall joints, especially on the side facing the sea. Private landlords in Scotland must meet the Repairing Standard, which includes keeping a home wind and watertight, and sound outside sealant is part of that.
Historic houses such as Caroline Park, about 4 miles north-east, show how far back building around South Gyle goes. Schools such as Forrester High School are buildings too, and movement joints, cladding joints and gutters on larger buildings need the same care as a house’s.
South Gyle is about 3 miles west of West End, in Edinburgh. Whether you are in the middle of South Gyle or further out, we cover external mastic for every kind of property. We cover 175 towns and villages across Edinburgh.
All of EH12 and EH11 is within our area for external mastic. If you need external mastic at a property on Gylemuir Road, Gylemuir Lane and Craigs Avenue or anywhere close by, our applicators can take on the job. Neighbouring places we cover for external mastic include Wester Broom (1 mile north-east), Corstorphine (1 mile north-east), Broomhouse (1 mile south-east), Sighthill (1 mile south-east) and Carrick Knowe (1 mile east). Larger places within reach include Edinburgh (4 miles east), Leith (6 miles north-east), Bonnington (5 miles north-east), Greenside (5 miles east), Broughton (5 miles east) and Bellevue (4 miles north-east).
Local landmarks in South Gyle
Around South Gyle, our work takes us to homes and buildings near The Torfin pub and Saughton Park and the streets around them. There’s a railway station in South Gyle itself: South Gyle station. A little further out are The Gyle Shopping Centre (0.7 miles north-west) and Corstorphine Hospital (1.2 miles north-east). For a walk, there’s The New Leaf Co-op and Corstorphine Hill.