Sealant work for schools, colleges and universities

What schools and campuses need

Education buildings give sealant a hard life. Pupil toilets, sports changing rooms and showers, food technology rooms, canteen kitchens and science labs all have joints that see water, cleaning and wear every day. Outside, many schools and universities have a mix of building ages, with window perimeters and movement joints at very different stages of life.

We work with schools, academy trusts, colleges, universities and their estates teams on washroom sealing, movement joint sealing, window perimeter sealing and fire-rated sealing where it is specified.

Typical areas

• Pupil and staff toilets, including accessible toilets
• Sports changing rooms and showers
• Canteen kitchens, servery counters and food technology rooms
• Science lab worktops and sinks
• Movement joints in brick and block walls and in sports hall or corridor floors
• Window and door perimeters across older and newer blocks

Working around term dates

Most schools would rather sealant work happened while pupils are away. Holidays, half terms and the summer break are the usual windows, and they fill up fast with other contractors, so it pays to plan early. Send details during the term before and we can quote, agree dates and sequence the work alongside other holiday projects.

If term-time work can’t be avoided, phased work can be planned so areas stay in use, for example one block of toilets at a time with others left open. Colleges and universities with year-round use can follow the same approach building by building. Our article on planning sealant works in school holidays has a simple timeline.

Corridors, dining halls and tiled floors

Busy corridors, dining halls and entrance areas often have movement joints in the floor, especially in large tiled areas. When those joints fail, tiles can crack or lift and edges break up under trolleys and constant foot traffic. Resealing means removing the failed material, cleaning the joint back and using a sealant suited to the movement and the traffic. This kind of work suits holiday windows, because floors need time to cure before they are walked on. If a floor joint has already let tiles crack, we’ll point that out so the tiling can be dealt with by the right trade first. See movement joints in large tiled floors.

Site rules and paperwork

Schools and colleges have their own sign-in, safeguarding and contractor rules, and these come first. Tell us what your site requires, including any checks, supervision or paperwork (RAMS, insurance certificate, CSCS details), and we’ll confirm with the quote.

Older buildings and asbestos

Some mastics used in buildings before 2000 can contain asbestos, and many schools include blocks from that period. Before old sealant is disturbed, the asbestos register or survey should be checked; the duty to manage sits with the dutyholder. We don’t remove asbestos-containing materials, and work on any suspect joint stops until it has been tested. See asbestos in old mastic.