Edinburgh · Scotland
Sand Mastic in Howden Hall
Window and door surrounds in Howden Hall need attention? We remove the old material, prepare the joints and seal them properly, with a one-year guarantee.
- Crumbling sand mastic round a window
- Modern sealant on a period surround
- Gaps between timber frames and stone or brick
What we do, step by step
The work is kept neat and contained to the area we are working on, so you can get on with your day. The job usually takes anything from a few hours to a full day, depending on how many windows. In a Scottish city, a lot of jobs are in tenement flats, up a common stair from a shared close. In Howden Hall, it helps to know the floor, the door entry arrangements and the nearest parking.
- First, we look at the surrounds with you and agree what needs doing.
- The loose and crumbling mastic is raked out and the joint cleaned.
- Large voids are packed out first, so the mastic isn’t too thick.
- Sand mastic is mixed and applied by hand, then shaped to the joint.
- We dress the surface so it sits neatly against the masonry.
How to prepare
- For business premises, tell us about site rules or sign-in
- Tell us about any water getting in
- Clear items away from the joints we are working on
Get a quote
If you are in Howden Hall and need sand mastic, drop us a line at info@mrmastic.co.uk. Tell us what the problem is and where, and you will get a clear quote before we start.
Advice
About our sand mastic in Howden Hall
Fresh sand mastic forms a skin quite soon, but it takes longer to harden fully. Traditional guidance is not to paint over it and we’ll advise if you’re redecorating. If you’re dealing with old sand mastic that has cracked, crumbled or fallen out and mastic worn away on windows facing the weather, we can help, on sash and case windows, stone surrounds and tenement windows alike.
Howden Hall is in one of Scotland’s four big cities, where many older buildings are sandstone or granite. Natural stone around older windows needs a sealant that won’t mark or attack it, which normally 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.
- Place
- Howden Hall (EH16, EH17)
- Wider area
- Edinburgh
- Cover
- A year, on every job
- Price
- A clear quote up front
- info@mrmastic.co.uk
- Last updated
- 26 October 2026
Towns and villages near Howden Hall
Other services in Howden Hall
Why deal with it now?
Before painting the windows, it pays to renew the mastic. Paint over cracked mastic will not stop the gaps, and the new mastic is traditionally left unpainted. Wind-driven rain gets into any failed joint on the outside of a city building, and in a tall building in Howden Hall, damp can travel a long way before it shows.
A few things move the cost up or down: the old material and how easily it comes out, any mould to treat, and whether the work is at height. We take all of that into account in your quote.
Why book with us
- Neat joints and a tidy finish
- Anti-fungal silicone where joints get wet
- Old sealant always removed completely
- 20+ years of sealant experience
See our cost guide and what customers say.
Landlords, agents and businesses in Howden Hall
Landlords and agents in Howden Hall can book us as well as homeowners. Resealing between tenancies is a simple way to keep a property in good order.
In hotels, rooms out of use cost money, so we plan the work room by room. We have worked in hotels as well as homes and businesses.
What sand mastic looks like in Howden Hall
Many older homes in Scotland have sash and case windows, and the joint between the box frame and the stone or render is traditionally pointed with sand mastic. Edinburgh’s Old and New Towns are a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the Georgian New Town is known for its sash windows. For listed homes and conservation areas, check with the council before changing how windows or walls look.
Rented homes near Shawfair station change hands often, and any sash windows need sound mastic to keep draughts and rain out. Schools such as Gracemount High School are buildings too, and larger buildings have plenty of frames, and the mastic around each one ages.
Howden Hall is about 3 miles south-east of Edinburgh, in Edinburgh. If you need sand mastic in Howden Hall, it’s easy to get a quote: please drop us a line at info@mrmastic.co.uk. We cover Edinburgh from our Crawley base, Howden Hall included. Howden Hall is one of 175 towns and villages in Edinburgh where we work for sand mastic.
All of EH16 and EH17 is within our area for sand mastic, from the main roads to the quietest streets. You’ll find streets such as Soutra Road, Little Road and Mansion Lane, all of which we cover. We also cover the places around Howden Hall: Alnwickhill (1 mile north-west), Kaimes (1 mile south), Gracemount (1 mile east), Southhouse (1 mile south-east) and Mortonhall (1 mile west). We also work in nearby towns such as Edinburgh (3 miles north-west), Leith (5 miles north), Bonnington (5 miles north), Greenside (4 miles north), Broughton (4 miles north) and Bellevue (4 miles north).
Local landmarks in Howden Hall
We work in homes and buildings around Liberton Parish Church and Drum Park. The nearest railway station is Shawfair station, roughly 3.1 miles east of the centre. Nearby you’ll also find Natural History Collections (1.4 miles north) and Liberton Hospital (0.6 miles north-east). Not far away are The New Leaf Co-op and Duddingston Loch.
Keeping the joints in good condition
How long the joints last depends on use and care. Here’s what we suggest:
- Ask us before painting near the mastic
- Find out about consent before window work on a listed home
- Do not run silicone over sand mastic
- Clear gutters so water does not pour onto the windows
Avoid painting over the new mastic, which is the traditional advice. If you are redecorating, ask us first.
Crumbling mastic lets rain into the joint. That water can reach the timber frame and the wall, so renewing it early is worth it.
How we quote for sand mastic
There’s no set price list, because no two jobs are the same. The quote depends on:
- Whether there’s mould to deal with
- How easy the joints are to reach
- The product the joint needs
- Any working-time requirements on site
The cost depends on the size of the job, how hard the old material is to remove and access to the work. You will have a clear quote before any work starts.
What to tell us for a quote
When you contact us, it’s useful to know:
- If it’s domestic, commercial or a hotel
- Access, such as stairs, a lift or height
- What’s wrong with the joints now
- Where the property is
Asking for a quote is easy: tell us what needs doing and where. A few pictures by email make the job easier to understand, and we’ll take it from there.
How the job changes by surface
Tenement and terrace windows
Rows of sash windows on tenements and terraces often need renewing together. We can do one window or several.
Brick reveals
An open joint at a brick reveal lets weather in. Renewing the mastic closes it.
Common questions in Howden Hall
Do you cover Howden Hall for sand mastic?
Yes, Howden Hall is within the area we cover. We work across all of Scotland. You can email us at info@mrmastic.co.uk and tell us what needs doing.
How do repairs to the shared parts of a tenement in Howden Hall get organised?
Most tenements arrange shared repairs through the owners or a property factor. The Tenements (Scotland) Act 2004 sets the rules for common parts if the deeds don’t.
Does someone need to be in?
That depends on where the joints are. Inside work needs someone to give us access, while outside work can sometimes be arranged differently.
Do you take out the old sealant first?
Yes, always, and completely. New silicone doesn’t stick to old silicone, so any old material comes out before anything new goes in.
Do you hold any approvals?
Yes. ARBOMaster is the approved applicator scheme for Arbo sealants, and we are part of it.
Where is Mr Mastic based?
We work from Crawley. Our applicators cover Howden Hall.
Do you work for letting agents?
Yes, often. Several properties can be quoted together, and between tenancies is a good time for the work.
What is sand mastic?
Sand mastic is a traditional material for pointing round windows and doors. It combines sand with a linseed-oil-based binder.
Signs you need sand mastic in Howden Hall
Shallow joints are a common cause. A thin layer doesn’t hold well so we make sure the new mastic is the right thickness.
People generally contact us after spotting one of these:
- Wind and rain getting in round a sash window
- Weathered mastic on the most exposed windows
- Cement or filler used on old window joints that has cracked
- Gaps between timber frames and stone or brick
Historic houses such as Melville Castle, about 2.6 miles east, show how far back building around Howden Hall goes, and older homes nearby need a sealant that suits their walls.
Before you book anyone
- Are they insured?
- Which colour the sealant will be
- What happens if they find a problem under the old sealant
- Who does the work, and how experienced they are