Shortlands expansion joint sealing
Planning work on a movement joint in Shortlands? We look at it, seal it with the right product and hand it over with a 12-month guarantee.
- Arrises breaking up along floor joints
- Expansion joints filled with dirt and stones
- Torn sealant in brick or block movement joints
Expansion joint sealing near Shortlands
Share the site address and what’s failing, and we’ll reply with a fixed quote or arrange a visit.
From enquiry to sign-off
The first thing on site is a walk round with your contact, agreeing which joints are in scope, where to start and what must stay open. After that, any old or failed material is removed, each joint is prepared and the new sealant goes in. In Shortlands, most buildings stay in use during the work, so zones and timings are agreed with whoever manages the building. Areas are handed back as each section is finished.
- First, the joints are inspected for width, movement and the type of failure.
- You get a fixed quote with the product and its movement capability stated.
- The failed seal is removed and both faces are cleaned until sound and dry, flagging any broken edges that need repair before sealing.
- Backing rod goes in at the right depth, or bond-breaker tape where the joint is shallow.
- After any primer the maker requires, the bead is applied and tooled so it grips two sides only.
- Each joint is inspected and handed over with our 12-month guarantee.
Before we start on site
- Warn occupants and staff about the work
- Confirm the product named in the specification
- Point out any areas we must not close
Get a fixed quote
Need a figure for a tender or a budget? We will quote against your scope and drawings you can plan around. If you have questions first, ring 01277 525 020 or use the quote form.
Advice
Expansion joint sealing for commercial buildings in Shortlands
The seal is what lets a movement joint do its job. When the sealant splits or lets go, the gap fills with dirt and water; the joint jams, its edges take the load and the arrises spall. Dealt with early, it stays a sealant job rather than a concrete or masonry repair. We work on podiums and floor movement joints, precast concrete panel joints and car park decks and ramps, and what we are called in for most is water dripping through deck or ramp joints and torn sealant in brick or block movement joints. Looking for mastic applicators who cover Shortlands? We’ve been sealing commercial buildings since 2005, CHAS accredited and a Constructionline member.
Areas such as a loading bay or car park deck in Shortlands normally have to stay in use. Joints are done in sections, with bays coned off one after another, so the site keeps operating, at times agreed with the building manager.
We sign every job off with a 12-month guarantee. It’s a plain promise: if our work fails within that year, we put it right.
- Where
- Shortlands (BR2, BR1, BR3)
- Wider area
- Greater London
- Guarantee
- 12 months on every job
- Price
- A fixed quote before we start
- Telephone
- 01277 525 020
- Updated
- 3 November 2026
Traffic, movement and joints around Shortlands
Few London car parks or loading bays can be taken out of use for more than a short spell, so we seal in sections and hand areas back as each cures. Less than 3 miles from Shortlands there are at least three named estates and business parks. Sites like these are full of saw-cut floor joints, yard slabs and car park joints.
For an estate such as Sloane Hospital, 0.8 miles north-west of Shortlands, the joints in ramps, decks and long building elevations all need attention over time. For estates staff at a university like University of Greenwich - Avery Hill, 4.6 miles to the north-east of Shortlands, building and paving joints are part of the planned maintenance list.
Shortlands is about 1 mile south-west of Bromley, in Greater London. Any commercial site in Shortlands is covered, for single jobs and planned programmes alike. 764 places across Greater London fall within our area, Shortlands among them. For work in that direction, see our London page (8 miles or so).
Work on movement joints is covered throughout BR2, BR1 and BR3, whatever the building. We cover commercial and managed buildings on Hayes Lane, Stone Road and Hayes Road and the roads nearby. Just outside Shortlands, we also work in Eden Park (1 mile south-west), Hayes (2 miles south), Bromley Common (2 miles south-east), West Wickham (2 miles south-west) and Southborough (2 miles east). Bigger towns within reach include London (8 miles north-west), City of Westminster (10 miles north-west), Marylebone (11 miles north-west), Kensington (11 miles north-west), St Pancras (10 miles north-west) and Shoreditch (10 miles north).
What’s near Shortlands
Recent enquiries here include premises near The Richmal Crompton pub, Church House Gardens and Langley Park School for Girls, among other places. The nearest railway station is Shortlands station, about 0.5 miles north of the centre. Nearby you’ll also find Bromley Hospital (0.7 miles east) and Bethlem Museum of the Mind (1.6 miles south-east). For a walk, there’s Summer Hill and Downham Woodland Walk.
Site staff or a sealant specialist?
General builders and handymen seal joints, but it isn’t their main trade. A specialist prepares properly, controls joint depth and picks a product with the right movement class.
Certain joints really need a specialist: 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.
Shortlands: questions and answers
Can you cope with the access rules in a London building?
Yes. Booked loading bays, goods lifts and permit-to-work systems are normal for London jobs. Say when the building is occupied and when it’s quiet, and we will plan accordingly. All of Greater London is inside the ULEZ, and our planning allows for it
Is hospital work, at somewhere like Sloane Hospital, something you do?
Yes. We work in healthcare settings as well as offices and schools. We follow the site’s permits, sign-in and infection-control procedures in every area.
Do you take on multi-site work?
Yes. Several buildings can share a single quote, and you deal with one contact throughout.
Will your applicators have CSCS cards?
Yes. We use CSCS-carded applicators.
Do the joint edges need to be sound before sealing?
Broken arrises have to be put right before resealing and we will flag every length affected. A bead on a broken edge soon lets go.
How do you deal with asbestos in old sealant?
Managing asbestos is the dutyholder’s responsibility, so we’ll ask for the register before work on an older building. Work pauses if suspect material is found, until it has been tested.
Does the weather affect the work?
For external joints, yes. The joint has to be dry and within the product’s temperature range, so frost, rain or cold mornings can delay outside work. Inside work is seldom held up.
Signs you need expansion joint sealing in Shortlands
When a bead pulls away from one face, it has lost adhesion. Dusty, damp or contaminated faces, a missing primer and three-sided adhesion are the usual causes.
It’s worth sending us details if you spot any of the following:
- New sealant over old, now failing
- Weathered movement joint sealant that no longer flexes
- Water dripping through deck or ramp joints
- Damp inside where a wall movement joint has failed
For a centre such as The Mall, 0.6 miles north-east of Shortlands, the service yard and car park joints normally need attention first.
Questions to ask before you book
- The terms of the workmanship guarantee
- Their pre-qualification and accreditations
- Will RAMS and insurance details be available?
- Whether primer will be used where the manufacturer specifies it
What we can’t put right
We seal joints; we don’t mend everything behind them. Sealant alone won’t deal with:
- Failed waterproofing membranes on podiums, roofs or decks (a waterproofing specialist’s job)
- Proprietary pre-formed expansion joint systems
- Joints too narrow for the movement, which need redesigning by the engineer
If in doubt, speak to us on 01277 525 020 or email us and we will say what we think.
Joints and surfaces we work on
- Podiums and floor movement joints
- Brickwork movement joints
- Car park decks and ramps
- Cladding panel joints
- Blockwork control joints
- Precast concrete panel joints
Maintenance after handover
A few simple habits keep the new joints working:
- Report split or peeling joint sealant early
- Keep product details with the building records for the next reseal
- Clear dirt from joint lines during routine cleaning
- Keep scrapers and ploughs from dragging across joint sealant
Movement joints belong on the planned maintenance inspection list. A periodic look picks up tears and lifting before water gets in, when they’re still cheap to deal with. If anything looks wrong, speak to us on 01277 525 020 or send details through our quote form with photos.
Joints sealed at the same time generally fail around the same time. Inspecting the whole run is worth the effort, so the work can be planned rather than rushed. We’ll tell you which movement joints need doing now and which can wait.
Cost factors for movement joints
Quotes vary with the job. It mainly depends on:
- Access and working height
- How much there is to seal
- Removal of failed or old sealant
- Location, for remote and island sites
Larger quantities, tricky access or phasing all shape the price. So do site requirements such as inductions and permits.
Before you send an enquiry
We can often quote from photos and a few details. Please tell us:
- The type of building and who uses it
- Clear photographs of the problem areas
- How the joints are reached, and at what height
- Drawings or a marked-up plan, if available
Specifications, drawings and tender packages are welcome with any enquiry, and we’ll price against exactly what is specified. Smaller jobs need nothing more than photos and a few notes.