The Folly mastic sealing
Mastic sealing for The Folly, from a contractor working since 2005. Fully insured, with a 12-month guarantee.
- A mix of products and colours from past repairs
- Draughts at frames across a block
- Water getting in round frames after rain
Mastic sealing near The Folly
Photos, a specification or a quick description of the joints is enough to start a fixed quote.
Honest limits
A few problems need another trade or a different fix, and we say so rather than covering them up:
- Old mastic suspected of containing asbestos, which must be tested and dealt with by a specialist first
- Leaks through the frame itself rather than the perimeter
- Broken glass or failed sealed units
Not sure which it is? You can give us a call on 01277 525 020 or email drawings and photos and we’ll tell you honestly.
Joints and surfaces we work on
- Balcony and threshold joints
- Communal kitchens and washrooms
- Communal entrances and stairwells
- Shopfronts below residential blocks
- External wall and movement joints
- Window and door perimeters on blocks
How we handle mastic sealing in The Folly
Older blocks and commercial buildings can have mastic that contains asbestos. We check the asbestos register or survey before any old sealant is cut out, and work stops for testing if there’s any doubt. Removing asbestos-containing material isn’t something we do. If you are dealing with communal area joints that look neglected and estate-wide sealant that is simply worn out, we can put it right. Most enquiries from The Folly start with one failed joint and grow into a wider look at the building: we look at the rest while we are there and tell you what we find.
Around smaller places like The Folly, older walls fitted with newer windows are a familiar sight. Perimeter mastic there has to grip an uneven face and suit the building’s character.
A 12-month guarantee applies to all our work. Should something we installed fail, phone 01277 525 020 or send details through our quote form and we will come back to it.
- Location
- The Folly (AL4)
- Wider area
- Hertfordshire
- Guarantee
- 12 months on our workmanship
- Quotes
- Fixed quote, scope in writing
- Phone
- 01277 525 020
- Last updated
- 3 November 2026
Also near The Folly
Also in The Folly
Site staff or a sealant specialist?
Site maintenance staff can often handle a short internal joint. The usual problems come from preparation: sealing over old material, sealing onto damp or dusty surfaces, or a product that can’t take the movement.
Redoing a failed joint normally costs more than getting it right at the outset, since all of it has to come out and the faces be cleaned back again. That’s why many clients bring in a specialist from the beginning.
Aftercare for building managers
After handover, these steps help:
- Have the asbestos survey to hand for older buildings
- Ask residents or tenants to report leaks and draughts early
- Log resealing dates block by block
- List the paperwork your organisation requires when you send details
Keep bins, bikes and deliveries away from low-level joints where you can. Knocks cause many early failures in communal areas.
Budgets are easier to plan when sealant is part of planned maintenance. We can quote buildings in priority order and work down the list.
On site: what to expect
On arrival, we sign in, go through any site induction and check how permits are handled. Floors, finishes and fittings next to the joints are covered before any cutting starts, and the work typically takes one or more days per building, depending on the joint lengths and the access. If others near The Folly need work, visits can be combined, which keeps travel down. A fixed quote is given before anything starts.
- A building-by-building inspection lists the failed joints.
- 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.
Preparing the site
- Confirm the product named in the specification
- Point out any areas we must not close
- Send your site hours and access windows
Quotes
Quotes are fixed against the scope you send, so the cost is agreed before work starts. To ask for one, ring 01277 525 020 or email us.
Related advice
Frames, entrances and external joints in The Folly
Central London is about 24 miles from The Folly. Managed blocks of flats are a big part of commuter-belt property, and window and balcony mastic on them tends to age at the same rate. The Folly is in the South East, one of the UK’s drier regions. Outside mastic still needs a dry joint and the right temperature, while the elevations that take the most sun tend to show hardened mastic first.
If you look after a block within reach of Harpenden station, 2 miles west of The Folly, frame and balcony mastic can be renewed on one programme. With historic buildings such as Shaw's Corner, 2 miles to the north-east of The Folly, in the wider area, owners of older properties around The Folly should expect mastic to need a product that suits old masonry.
The Folly is about 2 miles east of Harpenden, in Hertfordshire. We cover The Folly and the rest of Hertfordshire, and jobs here get the same fixed quote and 12-month guarantee as anywhere else. Our Hertfordshire coverage takes in 371 places, large and small. We also cover London, around 24 miles from The Folly.
Commercial sites across AL4 are covered for mastic joints. Buildings on Folly Fields and Lower Luton Road are within our area for mastic joints. Close to The Folly, our area also takes in Lea Valley (1 mile west), Amwell (1 mile south), Mackerye End (1 mile north-west), Blackmore End (1 mile north) and Batford (1 mile west). Further afield, our area takes in Watford (11 miles south), Hemel Hempstead (8 miles south-west), Stevenage (8 miles north-east), St Albans (5 miles south), Welwyn Garden City (5 miles east) and Hitchin (9 miles north).
What’s near The Folly
Around The Folly, our work takes us to commercial buildings near Sir John Lawes School and The Cherry Trees pub, among other places. The nearest railway station is Harpenden station, about 2 miles west of the centre. Well-known places in the area include St Albans City Hospital (4.2 miles south) and Harpenden Museum (2.2 miles west). Green spaces nearby include Wheathampstead Local Nature Reserve.
What we are called out for in The Folly
Poor preparation explains many failed joints. Without clean, sound faces and a primer where the product needs one, the bead peels off one side.
Most enquiries start with one or more of the following:
- Estate-wide sealant that is simply worn out
- Draught complaints from residents or tenants
- Window mastic that has split and shrunk
- Open joints in brickwork or panels
Property owners at sites such as Southdown Industrial Estate, 1.8 miles to the west of The Folly, can have mastic renewed between lettings.
What your quote should include
- What the guarantee covers, and for how long
- How the joint faces will be prepared and primed
- Which product they’ll use, and why it suits the joint
- Can the work be phased to keep areas open?
What sets the cost
Your fixed quote is built from the real scope. It allows for:
- Induction, permit and paperwork requirements
- Whether the work must be split into stages
- How much there is to seal
- The size and state of each joint
Whether it’s a single area or a whole estate, the same things set the price: what’s in scope, how we reach it, what’s specified and when it needs doing. Call for a quote and we’ll put a fixed figure on it.
Details that help us quote
For an accurate fixed quote, we need a clear picture of the site. Send us:
- Approximate linear metres or a joint schedule
- Any specification or named product
- When you need the work done
- The postcode of the building
Send us photographs, drawings or a joint schedule are often enough for a fixed quote. Where a site visit makes more sense, we’ll arrange one.
FAQs: The Folly
Is a smaller place like The Folly outside your area?
No. Small places get the same service as large ones. We work across Greater London and the South East. We plan jobs in smaller places so return trips are kept to a minimum.
We manage a building near Harpenden station. Can you help?
Yes, we work for agents, landlords and housing associations with blocks of every size. Send the address, photographs of the elevations and your access arrangements, and we will give a fixed quote.
Do you supply RAMS and insurance details?
Our credentials include CHAS, Constructionline and public liability insurance. For specific documents, tell us what site paperwork you need (RAMS, insurance certificate, CSCS details) and we will confirm with the quote.
What if the old mastic contains asbestos?
Asbestos removal isn’t part of our work. Anything suspect is tested before we carry on in line with the dutyholder’s asbestos management.
How soon can the area be used again?
That comes down to the sealant and the temperature. Some products skin over quickly but need longer to cure fully, and we confirm it before leaving site.
How do you handle work on occupied blocks?
Residents and tenants carry on as normal. We flag any areas that need internal access well before the dates so you can arrange it with occupiers.
How long does a job like this take?
We plan the time on site around your programme and access. We’ll give you an estimate of time on site when we quote.