Michigan winters don't ease into the masonry - they arrive with sustained freeze-thaw cycling, heavy snowfall, ice accumulation, and the salt exposure that comes with managing all of it. Brick is durable, but that durability isn't passive. It requires attention going into each winter season, because the damage that accumulates through December, January, and February reflects directly the condition the masonry was in when the first hard freeze arrived. Here's how to make sure your brickwork is ready.
Why Winter Weather is Tough on Brickwork
The primary winter damage mechanism is straightforward: brick and mortar are porous, they absorb moisture, and when that moisture freezes it expands by approximately nine percent - exerting pressure on the surrounding material that causes cracking and spalling. The cycle repeats with every freeze-thaw event, and Michigan winters produce dozens of them. Each cycle leaves the material slightly more damaged and slightly more porous than the last, which is why freeze-thaw damage accelerates as the season progresses rather than remaining constant. De-icing salt compounds the problem by introducing chloride compounds that crystallize within the pore structure of the mortar and brick, contributing to surface erosion and spalling beyond what freeze-thaw cycling alone would cause.
1. Inspect Your Brickwork for Cracks and Damage
Why it’s important:
Cracks in brick units and eroded mortar joints are moisture entry points - and moisture entry points in October become freeze-thaw damage sites by January. Every crack that's open going into winter is a location where water will collect, freeze, expand, and widen the crack further. Addressing them before the freeze arrives stops that progression before it starts. For a detailed guide on reading the warning signs correctly and understanding what different crack patterns indicate, our article on How to Identify Common Signs of Damage in Your Brickworkhow to identify common signs of damage in your brickwork covers the full diagnostic picture.
How to do it:
Walk the full perimeter of your home in late September or October - before temperatures drop consistently below freezing - and examine brick walls, chimney bases, walkways, and any exposed masonry. Check both brick faces and mortar joints for cracks, gaps, and erosion. Give particular attention to areas with sustained moisture exposure: below gutters and downspouts, at grade level, and on north-facing walls that dry slowly. Significant damage warrants a professional assessment before winter rather than a spring repair after the season has compounded it.
2. Repoint Deteriorated Mortar
Why it’s important:
Deteriorated mortar joints are the most common and most consequential vulnerability going into a Michigan winter. Joints that have eroded below the brick face are open water channels - moisture entering through eroded joints saturates the surrounding brick and mortar, setting up freeze-thaw damage that's more extensive than what surface-level cracks alone would produce. Repointing before winter closes those entry points and resets the joint's waterproofing function for the season ahead.
How to do it:
Minor joint erosion in isolated areas is within DIY range for homeowners comfortable with masonry work - the joint is raked clean to adequate depth, dampened, and filled with properly specified mortar matched to the surrounding material. Extensive repointing across broad wall sections requires professional execution: correct mortar specification, proper removal depth, appropriate curing conditions, and joint finishing that matches the existing profile. Repointing done incorrectly - with mortar that's too hard for the surrounding brick, or joints that aren't cleaned to adequate depth - produces repairs that fail faster than the original deterioration.
3. Clean Your Brickwork
Why it’s important:
Dirt accumulation, biological growth, and efflorescence deposits on brick surfaces trap moisture against the face and slow the drying that reduces freeze-thaw exposure between weather events. A clean surface dries faster, absorbs less sustained moisture, and presents a better substrate for sealant application if sealing is part of the winterization plan.
How to do it:
A mild detergent solution and a soft brush handle routine surface cleaning without the risk of surface damage that harsh chemicals or high-pressure washing can introduce. Efflorescence - the white powdery salt deposits that indicate moisture movement within the wall - responds to a dilute white vinegar solution. Avoid cleaning in cold weather: water introduced to the masonry during cleaning needs adequate drying time before freezing temperatures arrive, and fall cleaning timed for a stretch of dry, mild weather allows that drying to occur before the first frost.
4. Apply a Masonry Sealant
Why it’s important:
A breathable penetrating sealant applied before winter reduces the moisture absorption that freeze-thaw cycling depends on - less water in the pore structure means less expansion pressure when temperatures drop. Sealant also reduces the moisture transport that produces efflorescence and limits the surface contact that de-icing salt exposure creates. Fall is the optimal application window: the masonry has dried out from summer and early fall moisture, temperatures are still workable, and the protection is in place before the first freeze.
How to do it:
Choose a breathable penetrating sealant specifically formulated for brick and masonry - not a film-forming product that blocks moisture escape. Apply by sprayer or roller to clean, dry brick surfaces, working systematically across the full wall and giving particular attention to mortar joints. Follow the manufacturer's instructions for coat count and drying time, and allow full cure before the surface is exposed to rain or freezing temperatures. Avoid application when overnight temperatures are forecast to drop below freezing before the sealant has cured.
5. Check and Repair Gutters and Downspouts
Why it’s important:
Gutters and downspouts that are clogged, leaking, or discharging water close to the foundation deliver concentrated roof runoff directly against the masonry - exactly the sustained moisture contact that drives the most significant freeze-thaw damage. Fall cleaning before leaves have fully dropped misses the primary source of blockage; late October or early November, after the trees are bare, is the right timing for pre-winter gutter maintenance.
How to do it:
Clear gutters of leaves, debris, and any biological growth that has accumulated. Check downspouts for blockages and confirm they're discharging water at least six feet from the foundation. Inspect gutter joints and end caps for leaks that would direct water onto the wall face rather than into the downspout. Repair or replace sections that have failed - a leaking gutter over a brick wall is a reliable source of sustained winter moisture damage that recurs every season until it's addressed.
6. Add a Drainage System if Needed
Why it’s important:
Properties where water pools at the foundation after rain or snowmelt maintain sustained moisture contact with the lowest masonry courses throughout the wet season - and in Michigan, that wet season extends through most of the year. Pooling water at the foundation is one of the most consistent contributors to progressive mortar deterioration and freeze-thaw damage in the courses closest to grade.
How to do it:
A French drain installed around the foundation perimeter intercepts water before it reaches the wall base and directs it away from the structure. This is a landscape and drainage contractor scope of work for installation, but the decision to pursue it is informed by observation - if water consistently pools at the foundation after precipitation events, drainage intervention will produce measurable improvement in the masonry's condition over subsequent seasons.
7. Protect Against De-Icing Salt
Why it’s important:
Chloride-based de-icing products - standard rock salt and many commercial ice melt formulations - are hygroscopic, meaning they absorb moisture and maintain wet conditions at the masonry surface longer than the ice they melted would have. Salt that migrates into the mortar and brick pore structure crystallizes as it dries, exerting internal pressure that contributes to spalling and surface erosion - a damage mechanism that compounds the freeze-thaw damage already occurring through normal winter cycling.
How to do it:
Sand provides traction on ice without chemical damage to adjacent masonry and is the safest option for walkways and driveways bordered by brick. Calcium magnesium acetate (CMA) is a chloride-free de-icing product that melts ice effectively without the salt crystallization damage that chloride products cause. When chloride-based products are used on surfaces adjacent to masonry, rinsing the area promptly after the ice event removes residue before it migrates into the mortar and brick.
8. Cover Exposed Brickwork if Possible
Why it’s important:
Freestanding garden walls, decorative brick features, and other exposed masonry elements that lack the protection of roof overhangs and adjacent structure face more direct weather exposure than house walls - more snow accumulation, more wind-driven moisture, and less shelter from the temperature extremes that drive freeze-thaw cycling.
How to do it:
Weather-resistant breathable covers secured over vulnerable exposed masonry reduce direct snow and ice accumulation and limit the sustained moisture contact that uncovered surfaces experience through winter. The breathable specification matters - covers that trap moisture against the masonry surface create worse conditions than no cover at all. Remove covers during extended mild periods to allow the masonry to dry.
Additional Tips for Winter Brick Maintenance
- Monitor for new cracks throughout winter rather than waiting for spring to assess the season's damage. A crack that opens in November is a moisture entry point for the remaining three months of freeze-thaw cycling - catching it early and addressing it while temperatures are still above freezing limits the damage it accumulates.
- Avoid power washing during cold weather - water introduced to the masonry during washing that doesn't fully dry before temperatures drop is water that freezes in the pore structure, which is the exact damage mechanism winterization is meant to prevent.
- For older homes with exposed interior brick walls, adding interior insulation reduces the temperature differential across the wall that drives vapor condensation within the masonry - a moisture source that operates from the inside out rather than the outside in.
When to Call a Professional
Pre-winter inspection and preparation that falls within DIY range includes surface cleaning, minor mortar patching, sealant application, and gutter maintenance. The conditions that warrant professional involvement before winter: large or widening cracks in the brickwork, bowing or bulging wall sections that indicate structural movement, mortar deterioration that's widespread rather than isolated, and uncertainty about the appropriate sealant or mortar specification for the specific masonry.
Historic properties warrant particular attention - older brick is softer and more vulnerable to freeze-thaw damage than modern brick, and repair or sealing work done with incompatible modern materials can cause more damage than Michigan winters would on their own.
Our guide on Why Brick Repair on Historic Homes Need Special Attentionwhy brick repair on historic homes needs special attention covers the specific requirements and risks that make professional expertise essential for older properties.
Final Thoughts
The condition your brickwork is in when winter arrives is the condition it has to work with through freeze-thaw cycling, snow accumulation, ice, and salt exposure for the next four to five months. Investing in pre-winter inspection, targeted repairs, and protective sealing in the fall is consistently less expensive than addressing the compounded damage that accumulates when vulnerable masonry goes into winter unprotected.
At Bethel Custom Brick, we offer winter brick repair, sealing, and weatherproofing serviceswinter brick repair, sealing, and weatherproofing services throughout the Detroit Metro area - thorough inspections, targeted repairs, and protective sealing that prepare your brickwork for whatever the season delivers. Contact Bethel Custom BrickContact Bethel Custom Brick today for a free winter readiness assessment and let us help you protect your masonry before the cold sets in.
Bethel Custom Brick is a Metro Detroit masonry contractor serving homeowners across Southeast Michigan. Learn more about us.
