The cold winter months are just around the corner, and this time of year is known for its harsher weather conditions that can take a toll on your home. By following these simple pre-winter stone veneer maintenance tips, you can help protect your home’s stone veneer from damage throughout the harsh winter months.
Inspect your exterior walls
Check for loose mortar joints or cracked pavers on your wall and make immediate repairs where necessary. A missing or damaged stone not only looks terrible, but it could also allow water to seep into areas where it shouldn’t and can cause ongoing damage.
Research exterior stone cleaning products and services
It’s essential to ensure you don’t use any harsh chemicals or abrasives when carrying out your pre-winter stone veneer maintenance. Doing so could cause irreversible damage that leads to cracks, chips, or other issues within your stone veneer. It would help if you were sure to find out the companies offering exterior cleaning services with no harmful chemicals and research which exterior stone cleaning products and services would be best for your particular stone veneer.
Remove all snow and ice from your building
Before any snow or ice melts on your property, eradicate it as soon as possible to avoid potential damage to your veneer. Failure to do so may cause water buildup that seeps inside cracks within the stone veneer, leading to freezing. Even if there are no cracks on the stone’s surface, too much water can freeze over time and cause pressure that could lead to fissures.
Trim surrounding landscaping
Maintaining a clean exterior is also one of the pre-winter stone veneer maintenance tips to adopt. If you have overgrown hedges, bushes, or trees surrounding your home, they can add strain to your exterior ClipStone walls and lead to cracks in the stone. You should ensure regular maintenance of your landscaping throughout all seasons and not only during the winters. Also, make some changes to match the landscape with the texture and finish of your stone veneers.
Check for drafts around windows and doors before closing up for winter
Before sealing yourself inside for the season, ensure all windows and doors are properly sealed to protect against drafts. Leaky or open windows and doors can cause damage to your stone veneer by allowing cold air inside that could easily lead to cracks, chips, or other issues. It’s a good idea to replace older window seals before the colder months also set in. This will help you minimize drafts and protect your home better from the elements.
If you have any stone veneer on your property, be sure to follow these simple tips to help protect it from potential winter damage. Apply a stone veneer sealant to protect the surface from water, oil, and other pollutants. Only use products appropriate for your ClipStone stone veneer! Incompatible sealants can corrode the layer beneath. Also, consider contacting Sherwood Lumber for more information on pre-winter stone veneer maintenance tips.
