Shetland Islands · Scotland
Vidlin External Mastic
Our applicators work in Vidlin on sealing brickwork movement joints, render, cladding and façade joints. Old material cut out, joints cleaned and sealed neatly.
- Sealant pulling away from one side of the joint
- Brick movement joints where the sealant has split
- Panel joints letting water in
External mastic for homes and businesses in Vidlin
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, and when it fails, the wall takes the strain and water finds a way in. Common call-outs are for old sealant gone brittle and cracked and joints with sealant missing in places, on brickwork movement joints, concrete & block and joints between brick and frames.
Outside joints can only be sealed when they’re dry, so work in Vidlin depends on the weather, and longer journeys are planned in advance. Tell us how to reach each wall, gutter and roofline.
Our work is backed for twelve months, in Vidlin and everywhere else we cover.
- Where
- Vidlin (ZE2)
- Wider area
- Shetland Islands
- Cover
- One year on every job
- Quotes
- A clear price before work begins
- info@mrmastic.co.uk
- Last updated
- 26 October 2026
Aftercare tips
Joint life depends on how it’s used and looked after. We suggest:
- Walk round the building once a year and look at the joints
- Ask before painting over external sealant
- Act on the first splits you see
- Keep soil, plants and ivy away from the joints
If you have more work done on the wall, such as new render, cladding or an opening, show the contractor the movement joints. They should be kept open and resealed, not filled.
An open movement joint lets rain into the wall every time it pours. That can lead to damp patches, staining and frost damage, all bigger jobs than a reseal.
When to call us in Vidlin
Sometimes a movement joint was filled with mortar or a rigid filler by mistake. The joint can’t move, so the wall cracks somewhere else instead.
If you can see any of these, it’s time to have the joints looked at:
- Weathered mastic that no longer stretches
- Sealant that has lost its bond to the brick or render
- Plants rooting in failed movement joints
- Rigid filler in a joint that should flex
In and around Vidlin, as anywhere, good external mastic starts with a clean, dry, properly prepared joint.
Comparing quotes
- How the surfaces are prepared before sealing
- What happens if the job turns out different
- Whether they seal over old material or remove it
- Whether they’re fully insured
DIY sealant or a professional job?
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.
The difference is mostly in the preparation and the product. Joints are cleaned back to sound surfaces and dried, and the sealant is chosen for how the joint moves and where it is.
What happens on the day
We keep the work tidy and contained to the area we’re working on, so you can carry on as normal. Expect the work to take anything from a few hours to several days, depending on the building, and we explain the cure time before we leave. Outside jobs in Vidlin need a dry day, because sealant will not bond to a wet joint, so an outdoor job can move if the forecast changes. Indoor work goes ahead whatever the weather.
- 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
- Mention any tricky access
- Where the joints are inside, avoid wetting them before we arrive
- Plan for the work area to be out of bounds to pets and children
Ask for a quote
Quotes start with a quick conversation. Tell us what’s wrong, where it is and how much there is, and we’ll talk you through what we’d do. When it suits you, drop us a line at info@mrmastic.co.uk.
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What the job involves on each surface
Concrete and blockwork
Blockwork and concrete shrink over time and move with the seasons. Their movement joints are sealed over backing rod with a flexible sealant.
Joints between dissimilar materials
Wherever two materials meet, they move differently. A flexible sealant bridges the two so neither cracks the other.
What external mastic looks like in Vidlin
Vidlin 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’s hard on movement joints and outside wall joints, especially on the side facing the sea. Work on the islands has to be planned around ferry crossings and the weather, so the more notice, the better.
For jobs in and around Vidlin, choosing the right material for each joint is as important as a tidy finish.
Vidlin is in the Shetland Islands. Across the ZE2 area, our applicators can take on external mastic. Across the Shetland Islands, we cover 63 places, Vidlin among them.
Postcode districts we cover here for external mastic: ZE2. We also cover the places around Vidlin: Dury (4 miles south), Hamister (4 miles east), Voe (4 miles west), Symbister (4 miles south-east) and Sandwick (4 miles south-east). Island and remote addresses take a little more planning, so tell us where you are when you ask for a quote.
What’s near Vidlin
Well-known places in the area include The Cabin Museum (1.5 miles south-west). Not far away are Kirkhouse Loch and Setter Hill.
Your questions about external mastic in Vidlin
Is external mastic in a coastal place like Vidlin any different?
Near the sea, outside joints face more wind, rain and salt than they would inland, so preparation and the right sealant matter all the more. It’s worth checking the walls that face the sea first.
Will you come out to Vidlin?
Yes. Vidlin is within the area we cover, which takes in towns, villages and rural addresses. We work across all of Scotland, including the islands, where work is planned around ferry crossings. Just mention lanes, gates or anything else about the route when you book.
Can you seal joints between two different materials?
Yes. Materials like render, brick, metal and uPVC all move differently, so the joint between them must be flexible. We choose one that suits both surfaces.
Can I do it myself?
Sometimes. The key is preparation: remove all the old material and work on a clean, dry joint. We can always put it right if it fails.
What information do you need?
Tell us what needs doing and where, with pictures by email if possible. We will ask anything else we need to know.
Do you work for hotels and businesses?
Yes. We can plan bigger jobs in stages to suit the site.
Can I add another job to the visit?
Yes, we can. Several rooms, windows or areas can go on one quote.
Do you work at height?
That depends on how high the joints are and the ground below. Ground-floor joints are simple; for higher work, tell us about the building and we’ll confirm what’s needed.
Quotes for external mastic in Vidlin
Jobs vary more than people expect. The main factors:
- How many rooms, windows or areas are involved
- How much old sealant there is and how hard it is to remove
- Which sealant suits the joint
- Working hours on commercial sites
Homes and businesses are quoted the same way: the amount of work, how we reach it and what it needs, along with when we can work on site. Call for a quick quote and we will explain what it covers.
What to tell us for a quote
What to tell us when you ask for a quote:
- What’s wrong with the joints now
- The address or postcode of the job
- Whether it has been sealed before
- Pictures of the joints, sent by email
If you’re in Vidlin and need external mastic, email us at info@mrmastic.co.uk. Tell us what the problem is and where, and we will agree the price before any work begins.
Also in Vidlin
Landlord and commercial work in Vidlin
From a single let to a portfolio, the work is the same standard: old sealant fully removed, joints prepared properly and a one-year guarantee.
Mouldy or split sealant often shows up at the end of a tenancy, and it’s easy to sort out between tenants. Several properties can be quoted together.