Mastic sealing for building owners and managing agents in Dounby, Orkney Islands
Sealant work in Dounby for main contractors, managing agents and facilities managers: mastic sealing for building owners, managing agents and housing associations, with a fixed quote first.
- Estate-wide sealant that is simply worn out
- Cracked, hardened mastic round windows on a block
- Damaged joints in communal entrances and corridors
Mastic sealing in Dounby
Share the site address and what’s failing, and we’ll reply with a fixed quote or arrange a visit.
Mastic sealing in Dounby, done properly
For blocks and buildings in Dounby and across the Orkney Islands, the process is the same: you send details, we return a fixed quote, the joints are resealed and the 12-month guarantee follows. Addresses, photos of typical joints and a rough idea of quantities let us give a quick quote, and site visits can be arranged. We work on window and door perimeters on blocks, balcony and threshold joints and communal entrances and stairwells, and the failures we’re asked to look at most are communal area joints that look neglected and open joints in brickwork or panels. One point of contact handles commercial sealant work in Dounby from the first photos to the final walk-round, whether it’s one building or several.
For buildings around Dounby, we group the work to keep travel and visits down. Send addresses and photos for a quote covering the batch.
The 12-month guarantee is for workmanship rather than wear and tear. Sealant wears with time, and movement, weather, cleaning and use decide how fast, so we’re clear about what is covered before work starts.
- Place
- Dounby (KW17)
- Region
- Orkney Islands
- Cover
- A 12-month guarantee
- Price
- Fixed quote, scope in writing
- Telephone
- 01277 525 020
- Page updated
- 3 November 2026
On site: what to expect
Where the site stays busy, the work is phased so only one area is out of use at a time. Each section is protected, cleaned back and sealed, then handed back before the next one starts. Travel to smaller Scottish places like Dounby is planned so the job is finished in one visit where possible, so photographs, sizes and a full list matter. Outside work also needs a suitable weather window.
- We inspect each building and record the joints that have failed.
- You get a fixed quote, per block or for the whole programme.
- Dates and areas are agreed so occupiers can be told.
- Old mastic is removed and the joint faces prepared.
- New sealant goes in with backing rod and primer where needed.
- We check the finished work and confirm the guarantee.
Getting the site ready
- Send any specification or drawings in advance
- Tell us your opening times and when work is allowed
- Tell staff and tenants when we’ll be in
Getting a fixed quote
Every job follows the same four steps: send details, get a quote, we seal, guaranteed. The first step is to call the office on 01277 525 020 or use the quote form with what you know.
Advice
Frames, entrances and external joints in Dounby
The sea is no more than about 3 miles from Dounby. Blocks and commercial buildings facing the sea take the most weather on their window perimeters and external joints, so it’s worth inspecting those sides more often. The east of Scotland, where Dounby is, gets less rain than the west. External mastic still needs a dry joint and the right temperature, and winter mornings can be frosty.
With historic buildings such as Skaill House (to the west of Dounby) in the wider area, owners of older properties around Dounby should expect mastic to need a product that suits old masonry.
Dounby is about 12 miles north-west of Kirkwall, in the Orkney Islands. Commercial clients in Dounby can call on us for mastic joints. 51 places across the Orkney Islands fall within our area, Dounby among them.
Work on mastic joints is covered throughout KW17, for business premises of every kind. Streets here include Flett's Park, Back Road and Hillside Road. If your building is just outside Dounby, we cover Hourston (1 mile south), Skeabrae (1 mile west), Russland (2 miles south), Harray (3 miles south-east) and Tenston (3 miles south-west). Dounby ranks among the main centres of the Orkney Islands, with offices, shops, schools and other public and commercial buildings, and we cover them all. Where a site is remote or on an island, we plan travel and materials carefully.
Local landmarks in Dounby
Other landmarks nearby include Corrigall Farm Museum (2.1 miles south-east). Green spaces nearby include Birsay moors RSPB Reserve and Greeny Hill.
Signs you need mastic sealing in Dounby
Occasionally the substrate fails, not the sealant for example where render or brick edges crumble. We will tell you if the joint edges need repairing before resealing.
Clients typically get in touch after noticing something like this:
- Damaged joints in communal entrances and corridors
- The same joint failures repeated across a portfolio
- Movement joints with sealant missing
- Draughts at frames across a block
Around Dounby, a planned programme renews failed mastic across a building or estate in one go.
What your quote should include
- Do they follow the manufacturer’s priming guidance?
- Is the sealant right for the movement and the substrate?
- Can the work be phased to keep areas open?
- Will CSCS-carded applicators be on site?
FAQs: Dounby
Can being near the sea in Dounby affect the sealant we need?
It can, yes: buildings near the sea take more wind-driven rain, and salt in the air nearer the shore. We check the specified product suits the exposure and pay close attention to preparation.
Will you price a mastic programme across our Dounby portfolio?
Yes, we quote for single buildings and for programmes across several blocks. Send the addresses and photographs and we will give a fixed quote.
Will you just go over the old sealant?
No. We cut the old material out and clean the joint back before sealing, because fresh silicone will not bond with aged silicone.
Which sealant will you use?
Where there’s a specification, we use the product it names. If not, we choose for the movement, the surfaces and the conditions, in line with the manufacturer’s guidance.
Does weather matter for sealant work?
It can, when the joints are outside. Wet joints and cold, damp or frosty conditions stop the sealant bonding properly, so external work may be moved if conditions aren’t right. Indoors, the weather is rarely a problem.
Do you check for asbestos in old sealant?
Some mastics in pre-2000 buildings contain asbestos. We check the asbestos register or survey before disturbing it, and if it’s suspected, work stops until it’s tested.
Can you follow the specification on our project?
Yes. Include it with the drawings when you ask for a quote, and we will price the work to it, flagging anything that needs clarifying.
Different surfaces, different methods
Communal areas
Entrance doors, screens and corridor junctions in communal areas all have sealant joints. Tidy, sound joints keep them looking cared for.
Commercial and mixed-use buildings
Mixed-use buildings combine shops below with flats or offices above the programme has to suit everyone. We plan around the site hours and access windows you give us.
Maintenance after handover
To get the most from the new sealant:
- Avoid piecemeal callouts where you can
- Check sealant joints during planned building inspections
- Start inspections with the most exposed faces
- Log resealing dates block by block
Keep bins, bikes and deliveries away from low-level joints where you can. Damage at low level is the most common reason communal joints fail early.
Failed mastic often goes unnoticed until heavy rain finds it. Resealing when cracking first shows avoids water damage and the complaints that come with it.
Honest limits
Sealant solves a lot, but not everything, and we’re upfront when that’s the case. It won’t fix:
- Masonry that has broken away beside the joint
- Materials that need asbestos testing before work
- Roof leaks, gutters or failed flashings that aren’t sealant joints
Not sure which it is? You can call 01277 525 020 or email a schedule or drawings and we will tell you honestly.
Joints and surfaces we work on
- Communal entrances and stairwells
- Shopfronts below residential blocks
- External wall and movement joints
- Balcony and threshold joints
- Window and door perimeters on blocks
- Communal kitchens and washrooms
Other services in Dounby
Should maintenance staff do it?
For most general trades, sealant is a sideline. A specialist brings correct preparation, depth control with backing rod and a product suited to that particular joint.
Site maintenance staff can often handle a short internal joint. The usual problems come from preparation: new sealant over old, damp or dusty faces, or the wrong product for the movement.