Utrecht · approx. 25 km from Utrecht
Sealant work in Oudewater
In Oudewater you can see with the naked eye what peat does to buildings. After centuries, the buildings in the old centre are no longer square; facades lean and window frames have been pulled out of true. For sealant work that means a joint is rarely the same width along its whole length, and that a single size gets you nowhere.
Since 1959
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What matters in Oudewater
Where the settlement is visible
A historic centre with listed buildings on the Hollandse IJssel, ribbon development along the water, and post-war residential neighbourhoods on the edges.
The historic centre consists largely of old buildings with timber window frames, putty and glazing that is decades old; much of it falls under a protected townscape, so what is permitted is established first. The brickwork there is soft and porous and often sits in lime mortar. Along the water there is ribbon development where the settlement is clearest. The post-war neighbourhoods on the edges were put up in rows and are well past the first replacement round for their facade sealant; anything dating from before 1994 counts as suspected of containing asbestos until testing shows otherwise.
What sets Oudewater apart for our trade is the extent to which the deformation has already taken place. In a new-build area you anticipate movement that is still to come; here you work on buildings that have the movement largely behind them and whose joints are therefore unequal along their length. We adapt the sealant thickness to that actual shape, with a backing rod that limits the depth, instead of trying to make the joint straight.
The centre is narrow, partly traffic-restricted and has hardly any parking for a van; there we park outside the centre and carry the tools in. Where necessary we arrange an exemption in advance to be allowed to stop briefly. Along the water the road is narrow and stopping needs to be agreed. In the post-war neighbourhoods there is plenty of room and we simply park outside the door.
Twenty-five kilometres from our base, about half an hour. Perfectly doable for a bathroom or a set of window frames; for one single joint there is a minimum charge, which you are told in advance. We like to schedule Oudewater together with Montfoort or Woerden, because they lie on the same route and one trip then serves several addresses.
What we do in Oudewater
- Bathroom, sanitary & kitchenSealing of sanitary ware, showers, baths, washbasins and kitchens.
- Window frames & glazingNeat, durable sealant work around window frames and glass.
- Facades & structural jointsFacade joints, connection joints and expansion joints in floors and walls.
- Swimming pool & wellnessSealant work in swimming pools, saunas, steam rooms and spas.
- Renovation & maintenanceSealant work during renovation, repairs and periodic maintenance.
- Specialist sealant workFor specific requirements and specialist applications.
You will hear from us within 15 minutes on working days, and the work comes with a 2-year guarantee.
The work here
What we do most often in Oudewater
Joints in crooked window frames
In buildings that have been pulled out of true, the joint varies in width along its length. We follow that shape with a backing rod that limits the depth, so that the sealant keeps the right thickness everywhere and adheres only to the two flanks. A joint that is stuck on three sides cannot stretch freely and is the first to split.
More about this serviceGlazing in the old centre
Here the glass often sits in putty or glazing sealant that has hardened and is coming away at the edges. Removal is slow: old panes are fragile and not easily replaced, and the timber in the rebate often is too. We first check what is permitted on a protected building.
More about this serviceBathrooms on the edges
In the post-war houses the bathroom sealant is usually older than the sanitary fittings themselves. Dark edges point to mould in the material, not on it; cleaning removes the top layer and the rest grows back. We replace the joint and check at the same time whether the ventilation can cope with the use.
More about this serviceHow we approach it here
Which sealant on what, and what it costs
The substrate decides the sealant
In the centre the flank is soft and old: porous brickwork, sometimes lime mortar, and painted timber that has already been through several rounds of maintenance. Porous brick draws the binder out of a sealant that goes on without a primer, so we test the suction before we apply anything. On painted timber the sealant adheres to the paint layer; if that comes loose, the joint comes off along with it, so we work back to sound material. In rebates, decayed timber also has to be repaired first, because nothing adheres permanently to it. In the post-war neighbourhoods the flanks are harder and more modern, but there the moving ground calls for a highly elastic product rather than the stiffest there is.
Costs and lead time
What you pay follows from metres, accessibility and the time for removal and preparation. In the centre, checking what is permitted is added to that, and the work itself goes more slowly because old material calls for care; that appears as a separate item in the quote. If we cannot park outside the door, we visibly count the walking time in. In the post-war neighbourhoods the budget is more predictable and the price per address goes down as soon as neighbours join in. For buildings dating from before 1994, asbestos testing comes first. A bathroom usually takes half a day, plus the curing time, which you get with the schedule.
Two routes
Business or homeowner in Oudewater
For owners and managers of listed property in the centre it is about work where the checking belongs beforehand: what is permitted, what suits the building, and what is technically possible. For contractors and housing associations in the post-war neighbourhoods it is about complexes of identical houses on ground that has sunk and is still sinking, where the joint width follows from the measured movement. We take on only the sealant part or join in a larger maintenance programme, with handover per address recorded in images.
For businesses
Contractors, painters, homeowners' associations, property managers and interior fit-out.
See what we do for businessesAlso near Oudewater
As the crow flies from the centre. By road it is further.
- Montfoort 6 km
- Woerden 9 km
- Gouda 10 km
- IJsselstein 12 km
- Lopik 9 km
Is your town or city not listed? See the whole service area.
Questions from Oudewater
What people in Oudewater ask most often
My facade leans. Is that a danger to the sealant work?
Not directly to the sealant work, but it does determine how we work. In a building that has been pulled out of true, the joint varies in width along its length: narrower at the top than at the bottom, or the other way round. A single fixed size will not do then. We adapt the sealant thickness to the actual shape and limit the depth with a backing rod. Whether the lean itself needs attention is a structural question, and we are not the right party for that.
Why must the joint not be stuck at the back?
Because then it cannot stretch freely. A sealant joint has to adhere to two flanks and stay free at the back; that way, when there is movement, it can flex over its full thickness. If it is also stuck at the back, every movement pulls it on three sides and it splits in the middle. That is what we lay a backing rod in the joint for. It is one of those things you do not see and that makes the difference between five and fifteen years.
Is there asbestos in the sealant of a building from 1750?
Not in the original putty, but very much so in what went in later during maintenance. Until 1994 asbestos was used in certain types of sealant, and a building centuries old has had several rounds of maintenance in the last century. So what is in there now is rarely the original. That is why we cut nothing out until it is established what it is; the testing is quick and comes before the price for the work.
Do I need to apply for a permit for sealant work?
For ordinary maintenance usually not, but for a listed building or in a protected townscape it can be different, certainly if the seal will end up looking different from what was there, because that affects the appearance. We check that in advance, because a wrong choice has to come out again and then you pay for it twice. Say in your request what kind of building it is, and you will know where you stand before anyone comes round.
How long does sealant work last on such an old building?
That depends more on the preparation than on the age of the building. On a porous, well-primed flank with sound timber underneath you simply get good years out of it. If work is done without a primer on brick with strong suction or on loose paint, the joint comes away within a season, however expensive the sealant was. At the site survey we say for each building component what we expect and what has to be done first to make that happen.
