Freeze-Thaw Tuckpointing Damage

The freeze-thaw cycle is the phenomenon resulting from sudden, extreme changes in temperature and precipitation. When ice sticks to your home’s bricks and mortar, and then temperatures suddenly warm and melt that ice, the changes cause damage.

The freeze-thaw cycle can harm tuckpointing, the mortar joints between bricks or stones in masonry. If you’ve lived in Missouri or the St. Louis Metro for any time, you know how extreme our weather is. We can go from summer to winter in 24 hours. Those kinds of extremes can cause damage to your home’s tuckpointing and masonry.

Here’s how the freeze-thaw cycle can impact tuckpointing:

Expansion and Contraction: Water seeps into the mortar joints during the freeze-thaw cycle. When temperatures drop below freezing, the water freezes and expands. This expansion exerts pressure on the mortar joints, causing them to crack or break. And, when temps warm up, as they often suddenly do in St. Louis, that thaw causes more damage.

Damage to Mortar: The repeated cycle of freezing and thawing can weaken the mortar, leading to deterioration over time. As the mortar joints degrade, they become less effective at holding the bricks or stones together, compromising the structural integrity of the masonry.

Moisture Infiltration: Cracked or deteriorated mortar joints allow water to penetrate deeper into the masonry wall. This moisture infiltration can lead to further damage, such as efflorescence (white powdery deposits), spalling (surface flaking or peeling), and mold or mildew growth.

Accelerated Deterioration: The process can accelerate once the freeze-thaw cycle begins to damage the mortar joints. As more water enters the cracks and voids in the mortar, it exacerbates the damage, leading to more extensive deterioration over time.

Need for Regular Maintenance: Due to the damaging effects of the freeze-thaw cycle, tuckpointing may require more frequent maintenance in regions with harsh climates or significant temperature fluctuations. Regular inspections and repairs can mitigate damage and prolong the lifespan of the masonry.

Massey Tuckpointing & Masonry has seen the damage our frequent freeze-thaw cycles cause to your chimney, tuckpointing, and brickwork. It’s nearly 80 degrees today, but tonight, temperatures will drop by over 40 degrees! That kind of sudden change causes damage to your tuckpointing and home or business’s exterior.

Massey Tuckpointing can help you with anything involving bricks–your chimney, exterior, brick porches, walkways, walls, and more. We have thousands of satisfied St. Louis and St. Louis Metro-Area customers from Ballwin to Shrewsbury, and all points in between.