Edinburgh · Scotland
Canonmills Sand Mastic
Sand mastic for Canonmills and the surrounding area: the right sealant, proper preparation and a neat finish. Ask us for a quick quote.
- Weathered mastic on the most exposed windows
- Old cement repairs round a window that have failed
- Mastic that needs renewing before redecorating
Sand mastic for homes and businesses in Canonmills
Our applicators renew the sand mastic around sash and case windows and doors in stone and brick. Out comes the old, loose mastic, the joint is prepared and new mastic is shaped by hand. If you’re dealing with modern sealant on a period surround and tired mastic found when preparing windows for paint, we can put it right.
Scotland’s cities are full of stone-built tenements and terraces, in sandstone or granite. Stone needs a sealant that suits it, which usually means a neutral-cure product or a traditional sand mastic rather than an acetoxy silicone.
Each job carries a 12-month guarantee, large or small.
- Where
- Canonmills (EH3, EH7, EH2)
- Wider area
- Edinburgh
- Guarantee
- A year, on every job
- Price
- Quoted before any work starts
- info@mrmastic.co.uk
- Page updated
- 26 October 2026
What the job involves on each surface
Stone surrounds
Sand mastic sits naturally against stone. The finish blends with the masonry.
Tenement and terrace windows
Where a building is shared, window work may involve neighbours, so check who is responsible first.
Frames and glazing around Canonmills
Canonmills is close to the coast, where wind-driven rain is a fact of life and, nearer the shore, so is salt air. That is hard on the mastic around older windows and doors, especially on the side facing the sea. Under the Repairing Standard, private landlords in Scotland have to keep homes wind and watertight, and sound outside sealant is part of that.
Historic houses such as Whitefoord House, about 1.1 miles south-east, show how far back building around Canonmills goes. If you look after a building such as Drummond Community High School, the mastic around its windows and doors needs looking after like any other building’s. For landlords with property near Edinburgh Waverley station, any sash windows need sound mastic to keep draughts and rain out.
Canonmills is about 1 mile north of Edinburgh, in Edinburgh. Wherever you are in the EH3 postcode area, our applicators can take on sand mastic. Our area takes in 175 places across Edinburgh.
Postcode districts we cover here for sand mastic: EH3, EH7 and EH2. Whether your property is on York Lane, Canon Lane and Circus Lane or a nearby road, we can help. Neighbouring places we cover for sand mastic include Bellevue (1 mile south-east), Powderhall (1 mile north-east), New Town (1 mile south), Broughton (1 mile south-east) and Gayfield (1 mile south-east). Within a short drive, we also cover Queensferry (8 miles west), South Portobello (3 miles east), Southhouse (5 miles south), Gilmerton (5 miles south-east), Slateford (3 miles south-west) and Gracemount (4 miles south).
Local landmarks in Canonmills
Typical jobs here are in homes near St Cuthbert's Church, King George V Park and Hamilton's Bar & Kitchen, among other places. You’ll also find Stockbridge public library (less than half a mile south-west) and London Street Primary School (0.5 miles south-east). The closest station to Canonmills is Edinburgh Waverley station, about 0.8 miles south-east. Well-known places in the area include St. James Centre (0.7 miles south-east) and Edinburgh Castle (1 mile south). Open spaces near Canonmills include Dunsapie Loch and The New Leaf Co-op.
How we quote for sand mastic
Some jobs are bigger than they look, and some smaller. The main factors:
- How much old sealant there is and how hard it is to remove
- How many areas need sealing
- Working hours on commercial sites
- The type of sealant required
Rather than a set price list, we price the job in front of us: the amount of work, the old material and the access. You’ll know the price before we begin.
What we need to know
To help us quote quickly, please include:
- Whether it’s a home or a business
- Any previous sealing or DIY work
- How many joints, rooms or windows are involved
- The problem you’ve noticed
To get a quote, send an email to info@mrmastic.co.uk with the location and a short description of the problem. You’ll have a clear quote before any work starts.
Aftercare tips
A little care helps the new joints last. Our advice:
- Ask us before painting near the mastic
- Avoid patching sand mastic with silicone
- Check with your local planning authority if your home is listed
- Ask a joiner to look at soft timber first
Avoid sealing over the mastic with silicone. If anything cracks, get it looked at rather than patching it.
Fine cracks show the mastic is starting to fail. Renewing it then is simpler than waiting until it falls out.
Work for landlords, hotels and businesses
We also work for property managers and facilities teams in Canonmills and across Edinburgh. Several sites can go on one quote, and we’re fully insured.
Letting agents and landlords in Canonmills can book us as well as homeowners. Resealing between tenancies keeps a property looking cared for before the next move-in.
Should I try it myself first?
Sealing over old silicone is the commonest DIY error. Silicone does not stick to old silicone, so it lifts and traps water and mould underneath. All the old material has to come out first.
Some sealant jobs are within reach of a careful DIYer, such as a straightforward joint indoors. The common mistakes are sealing over old sealant, sealing a damp joint and using far too much.
Honest limits
In fairness, there are a few things sealant won’t fix:
- Putty and glazing repairs
- Rotten sashes, sills or window boxes (a joiner’s job)
- Sash cords, weights and draught-proofing of the sashes
If you are not sure, just drop us a line at info@mrmastic.co.uk and we will give you a straight answer before booking.
Surfaces we seal
- Sash and case windows
- Period & listed homes
- Stone surrounds
- Brick reveals
- Tenement windows
- Timber door frames
Questions from Canonmills
How is work on the outside of a tenement in Canonmills normally arranged?
It generally goes through the owners together, or through the factor if the building has one. 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.
Is sand mastic in a coastal place like Canonmills any different?
Coastal homes put outside sealant through more weather than inland ones, so the choice of sealant and the preparation matter even more. It’s worth checking the walls that face the sea first.
Do you work for hotels and businesses?
Yes. Commercial and hotel work is a large part of what we do. We can talk about working times when we quote.
Can I add another job to the visit?
Yes. Several rooms, windows or areas can go on one quote.
Can you match the sealant colour?
Most of the time, yes. We’ll explain which colours are available.
Can you seal over the old sealant?
No, and we never do. It may look fine at first, but the new bead soon lifts. Removing the old sealant completely is the only lasting way.
Do you remove the old sealant?
Yes, always, and completely. New sealant won’t bond properly to old, so the joint is cleaned back first.
How long does sand mastic take to go off?
It skins over fairly quickly but takes longer to harden fully. We will tell you what to expect for your job.
Other services in Canonmills
What happens on the day
On the day, we look over the joints with you first. Surfaces next to the work are protected before any work begins. Most jobs take a few hours for a single window, longer for several. In a Scottish city, a lot of jobs are in tenement flats, up a common stair from a shared close. For a job in Canonmills, tell us the floor, how the door entry system works and where we can park nearby.
- We start by checking each surround and agreeing the joints to renew.
- The loose and crumbling mastic is raked out and the joint cleaned.
- Deep voids are packed so the mastic is the right thickness.
- The mastic is mixed, pressed into the joint by hand and shaped.
- The mastic is finished to sit tidily against the stone or brick.
Preparing for the visit
- Mention any parking rules near the property
- Clear items away from the joints we’re working on
- Keep pets and children clear of the area while we work
Getting a quote
Asking for a quote is easy: tell us what needs doing and where, and roughly how big it is. A few pictures by email make the job easier to understand, and we’ll come back to you with a quote.