Edinburgh · Scotland
External & façade joints in Swanston, Edinburgh
Movement joints in Swanston need attention? We remove the old material, prepare the joints and seal them properly, and the work is guaranteed for a year.
- Weathered mastic that no longer stretches
- Leaking joints around cladding and façade panels
- Water getting into walls through failed joints
External mastic for homes and businesses in Swanston
A movement joint is a deliberate break that lets a wall expand and contract. 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. Typical jobs include plants rooting in failed movement joints and leaking joints around cladding and façade panels, on joints between brick and frames, copings & trims and façade panels.
Stone walls need a stone-friendly sealant, as acetoxy products can attack some stone. On newer homes, the movement joints and roofline trims are what need watching.
Whatever the size of the job, you get the same 12-month guarantee in Swanston and across Edinburgh.
- Location
- Swanston (EH10)
- Region
- Edinburgh
- Cover
- 12 months on all our work
- Price
- A clear price before work begins
- info@mrmastic.co.uk
- Updated
- 26 October 2026
Swanston buildings and the weather
Harled (roughcast) walls are common in Scotland, and joints where harling meets other materials need a sealant that can grip and flex. The Old and New Towns of Edinburgh are a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the Georgian New Town is known for its sash windows. If a home is listed or in a conservation area, it’s worth checking with the council before changing the look of windows or walls.
In the older streets around Fairmilehead Church, the joints between older walls, newer extensions and the roofline need a sealant that can move. Schools such as Firrhill High School are buildings too, and movement joints, cladding joints and gutters on larger buildings need the same care as a house’s.
Swanston is about 3 miles south of Edinburgh, in Edinburgh. Jobs in Swanston get the same care as everywhere else we work: old sealant removed completely, careful preparation and a one-year guarantee. Swanston is one of 175 towns and villages in Edinburgh we cover for external mastic.
Our applicators cover all of EH10 for external mastic. Close by, we work in Bonaly (2 miles west), Torphin (2 miles west), Milton Bridge (3 miles south), Penicuik (4 miles south) and Silverburn (5 miles south-west). Further out, we also cover Edinburgh (3 miles north), Leith (6 miles north), Bonnington (6 miles north), Greenside (5 miles north), Broughton (5 miles north) and Bellevue (5 miles north).
Around Swanston
The nearest railway station is Slateford station, about 2.5 miles north-west. Well-known places in the area include Merchiston Tower (2.8 miles north) and Princess Margaret Rose Orthopaedic Hospital (0.9 miles north-east). Not far away are Caerketton Hill and The New Leaf Co-op.
Swanston questions
Is Swanston within the area you cover?
Yes, Swanston is covered. Our work covers the whole of Scotland, and smaller places are part of that. The journey is planned ahead, so it helps to know about access.
Can you help a landlord with a rental near Slateford station?
Yes. We work for landlords and agents as well as homeowners, and several properties can go on one quote. You can email us at info@mrmastic.co.uk with the details for a clear quote.
What do you put in the joint?
We choose the sealant for the joint, not the other way round. Where it moves, gets wet or faces the weather makes a difference, and we will tell you what we are using.
How long will you be here?
Typically it takes anything from a few hours to several days, depending on the building. Larger jobs naturally take longer, and we’ll tell you how long to expect.
Will there be a smell?
Some sealants have a smell while they cure. Ventilation helps.
Can you seal joints between render and window frames?
Yes. Where different materials meet is one of the most common joints we seal. We use a flexible sealant suited to both surfaces with primer where required.
Can you seal over the old sealant?
No. We remove every bit of old sealant first, so the new joint bonds to clean surfaces.
What information do you need?
Only a few details: where it is, what you’ve noticed and how we reach it. After that, simply send an email to info@mrmastic.co.uk.
Also near Swanston
What else we do in Swanston
What affects the quote in Swanston
You will get a clear quote before we start. It takes into account:
- The amount of work
- Access and height
- Any working-time requirements on site
- Mould in or behind the old joints
Commercial jobs are quoted on the same basis as homes: the amount of work, the access and the products needed, plus any working-time requirements on site. Call for a quick quote and we’ll go through it with you.
What to tell us for a quote
Photos by email are helpful but not essential. Try to tell us:
- Where the job is, and your postcode
- Pictures of the joints, sent by email
- Access, such as stairs, a lift or height
- If it’s domestic, commercial or a hotel
Asking for a quote is easy: tell us what needs doing and where, and roughly how big it is. Photos by email help us understand the job, and we will come back to you with a quote.
How the visit works
There’s no need to move everything out, just the space around the work. We protect the rest, and the job takes a few hours for a handful of joints, longer for a whole elevation in most cases. Somewhere like Swanston may be a longer drive, and the journey is planned ahead. Tell us about tracks, gates, a ferry crossing or anything unusual about getting there.
- Each joint is checked and the colour of the new sealant agreed.
- We take out the old sealant until the faces are sound.
- 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.
Getting ready for the visit
- Mention any parking rules near the property
- Let us know about stairs, lifts or work at height
- Keep pets and children clear of the area while we work
How to get a quote
Quotes start with a quick conversation. Describe the problem, the location and the size of the job, and we’ll talk you through what we’d do. When it suits you, email us at info@mrmastic.co.uk.
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Honest limits
In fairness, some problems need a different trade:
- Damp from another source, such as a leaking gutter or a bridged damp-proof course
- Movement that’s more than a sealant joint can take
- Cracks in the bricks or render themselves, away from the joints
Not sure which it is? You can drop us a line at info@mrmastic.co.uk and we will tell you honestly before booking.
Where we work in Swanston
- Brickwork movement joints
- Joints between brick and frames
- Façade panels
- Concrete & block
- Render & cladding joints
- Copings & trims
How the job changes by surface
Copings and trims
Coping joints that leak let water straight down into the wall. Sealing them early saves the wall below.
Cladding and façade panels
Where a cladding system has its own specified sealant, we follow it, or one the system allows. Send us any details you have about the façade.
Signs you need external mastic in Swanston
A lot of failed joints come down to preparation: dusty or wet faces, no primer where one was needed, or old sealant left in. The new sealant then lets go long before it should.
The problems people normally mention when they call include:
- Joints pointed up with cement by mistake
- Leaking joints around cladding and façade panels
- Rain getting behind render or cladding at a joint
- Weeds or debris growing in open joints
For landlords with property near Slateford station, split movement joints are easy to miss on a rental until damp shows inside.
Before you book anyone
- Is VAT in the price?
- Whether they seal over old material or remove it
- Who turns up on the day
- How hidden problems are handled
Can I do it myself?
Overfilling a joint is a classic DIY mistake. A thick, smeared bead looks untidy and does not move well, and the joint depth matters as much as the finish.
If you are set on DIY, put the effort into preparation: take out all the old sealant, make sure the joint is clean and dry, and give it the full cure time. If it fails, we can still redo it.
Looking after it afterwards
Looking after new joints is easy:
- Deal with leaking gutters that soak the joints below
- Clear growth from the base of walls and joints
- Tell anyone working on the walls about the movement joints
- Have failed joints looked at early
Look over the joints once a year, ideally after winter. Splits, gaps at the edges or plants in the joint are early warning signs.
Leave a failed movement joint and water keeps getting into the wall. That can lead to damp patches, staining and frost damage, all bigger jobs than a reseal.