Expansion and movement joint sealing in New Town, Edinburgh
Work needed on a movement joint in New Town? We assess it, carry out the work and guarantee our workmanship for 12 months.
- Spalled or broken joint edges in floors and decks
- Torn sealant in brick or block movement joints
- Debris jammed in movement joints
Expansion joint sealing for New Town sites
Send drawings, photos or a joint schedule, or tell us about the site, and we’ll come back with a fixed quote.
Joints that move: notes for New Town
New Town sits close to the coast, within about 2 miles. External movement joints in car parks, ramps and yards near the coast take salt and wind-driven rain on top of traffic, which is why split joints are worth sealing before the edges deteriorate. At least three named trading, business or retail sites lie within about 3 miles of New Town. Sites like these are full of saw-cut floor joints, yard slabs and car park joints.
Sites like Western General Hospital (Edinburgh) (to the west of New Town) carry ambulances, deliveries and visitors’ cars over their road and deck joints. A campus such as University of Edinburgh - Lauriston Campus, 0.7 miles to the south of New Town, has long runs of movement joint in its buildings, decks and paving. Another example is Stewartfield Industrial Estate (1.1 miles north-east of New Town), where floors and yards would be done in stages around the occupiers.
New Town is about 1 mile north of Edinburgh, in Edinburgh. Commercial clients in New Town can call on us for movement joints, as part of our coverage of Edinburgh. New Town is one of 174 places in Edinburgh on our list.
Business premises anywhere in EH3, EH1 and EH2 are within our area for movement joints. If your site is on York Lane, Meuse Lane and Canon Lane or close by, we can quote for movement joints. Just outside New Town, we also work in Bellevue (1 mile north-east), Broughton (1 mile east), Canonmills (1 mile north), Greenside (1 mile east) and Gayfield (1 mile east). A short drive away, we cover Queensferry (8 miles west), South Portobello (3 miles east), Southhouse (4 miles south-east), Gilmerton (4 miles south-east), Slateford (3 miles south-west) and Gracemount (4 miles south-east).
Around New Town
In New Town, that means premises near Stockbridge public library, Drummond Community High School and King George V Park, among other places. You will also find St Cuthbert's Church (0.5 miles south-west) and The Standing Order pub (under half a mile south). New Town has its own railway station: Edinburgh Waverley station. Other landmarks nearby include Royal Public Dispensary of Edinburgh (0.6 miles south-east) and Waverley Mall (under half a mile south-east). Open spaces near New Town include The New Leaf Co-op and Salisbury Crags.
Expansion joint sealing in New Town
Mastic Doctor has sealed movement joints since 2005 for contractors, facilities managers and owners. Our applicators are CSCS-carded, we are CHAS accredited and a Constructionline member, and we carry five million pounds of public liability insurance. Each job is backed by a 12-month guarantee on the workmanship. If you’re dealing with torn sealant in brick or block movement joints and expansion joints filled with dirt and stones, we can put it right, whatever the surface. Sealant applicators who only do sealant are a different proposition from a general trade with a gun in the van: in New Town, that means joint design, primers and backing rod as standard.
Older stone buildings in Scotland’s cities often have later extensions, with movement joints where old meets new. Those joints need a sealant with the right movement capability, sized to the gap.
A 12-month guarantee applies to all our work in Edinburgh. Should something we installed fail, phone 01277 525 020 or send photos by email and we will come back to it.
- Where
- New Town (EH3, EH1, EH2)
- Region
- Edinburgh
- Guarantee
- 12 months on every job
- Quotes
- A fixed quote before we start
- Telephone
- 01277 525 020
- Page updated
- 3 November 2026
Questions we’re asked in New Town
Would you work within a site like Western General Hospital (Edinburgh)?
Yes, healthcare and care buildings are part of our work. We follow the site’s permits, sign-in and infection-control procedures in every area.
Can being near the sea in New Town affect the sealant we need?
It can. Wind-driven rain and, closer to the shore, salt air are harder on external joints. Product choice and preparation matter more, and sea-facing elevations are worth inspecting more often.
How long does movement joint sealing take?
The metres of joint, the access and the amount of removal decide it. As a guide, it normally takes a day or so for a modest run of joints, and longer where decks, ramps or floors are done in phases.
Do the joint edges need to be sound before sealing?
Spalled edges need repairing before a new seal will last and we’ll flag every length affected. Sealing over them leads to early failure.
What about RAMS and site documents?
Each site asks for different documents, so tell us what you need and we will confirm it when we quote.
What happens if old sealant might contain asbestos?
Some older mastics, especially in pre-2000 buildings, can contain asbestos. Before we disturb old sealant in an older building, we ask to see the asbestos register or survey, and work stops until any suspect material has been tested. Removing asbestos is a job for asbestos specialists, not us.
Can you work while the building is occupied?
Yes, with some planning. Tell us your site hours and access windows and we’ll plan around them.
When it isn’t the sealant
A proper diagnosis includes knowing what sealant can’t do. You’ll hear from us if the cause turns out to be one of these:
- Joints too narrow for the movement, which need redesigning by the engineer
- Movement on a scale no sealant is meant to absorb
- Broken or spalled joint edges, which need repairing before any sealant goes in
If in doubt, speak to us on 01277 525 020 or send details through our quote form and we will say what we think.
Joints and surfaces we work on
- Cladding panel joints
- Blockwork control joints
- Car park decks and ramps
- Brickwork movement joints
- Podiums and floor movement joints
- Precast concrete panel joints
What sets the cost
These are the things that shape the price:
- Any access equipment needed
- The total length or number of joints
- Whether old sealant has to be cut out first
- The product specified
Pricing movement joints depends on quantities, condition and access. Ask us for a fixed quote.
What we need to price the job
It doesn’t need to be a full survey. A few details are enough to get going:
- Drawings or a marked-up plan, if available
- Your programme or deadline
- Whether an asbestos survey exists
- The postcode of the building
Tell us about the building, the joints and when you need the work done, and we will put a fixed quote together. To get it moving, call the office on 01277 525 020 or email a schedule or drawings.
When to bring in a specialist
Some joints are best left to specialists: fire-rated seals that must follow a tested detail, trafficked floor joints and external movement joints among them. Getting these wrong typically costs more in the end than doing them right.
There’s also the paperwork. Many sites expect CSCS cards, RAMS and proof of insurance, and we will confirm the paperwork you need with the quote.
Maintenance after handover
After handover, a little attention goes a long way:
- Reopen bays and walkways only after the stated cure time
- Keep product details with the building records for the next reseal
- Brief car park operatives to protect joint lines during winter clearance
- Include every elevation and deck joint in periodic inspections
Add every elevation, deck and floor joint to your inspection round. Early splits and edges starting to lift show up on a routine check and long before edges start to break. Should you spot a problem, you can give us a call on 01277 525 020 or email a schedule or drawings and send a picture.
Floor joints with failed fillers break up quickly under wheels. Broken arrises jolt trucks, loads and drivers and the broken length grows with every pass. Keeping the filler or sealant sound protects the floor.
What the job involves on each surface
Joints between different materials
Some mixed-material joints suit a hybrid sealant. The choice depends on the substrates and how much the joint moves.
Car park decks and ramps
Water coming through deck joints is the usual first sign. We strip the old seal, prepare the edges and seal again, and we’ll tell you if any edges need repairing first.
Our process
Working in a building that stays open takes some planning. We sign and contain the area we are in, with routes through the building left open and work section by section so the rest of the building stays in use. University, hospital and office estates in Scotland’s cities have their own permits, inductions and sign-in rules. Pass on the site’s contractor rules when you get in touch.
- First, the joints are inspected for width, movement and the type of failure.
- Next, we fix a price and confirm the sealant we propose for the movement.
- Old sealant and filler are cut out and the joint faces cleaned back to sound material.
- Closed-cell backing rod is set to depth, or bond-breaker tape in shallow joints.
- Primer goes on where the manufacturer specifies it, followed by the sealant, which is then tooled off.
- Each joint is inspected and handed over with our 12-month guarantee.
Getting the site ready
- Send your site hours and access windows
- Share the asbestos register for older buildings
- Point out any areas we must not close
Ask for a quote
Specifications, drawings and tender packages are welcome with any enquiry, and we will price the work to it. For smaller jobs, photos and a description will do.