Does Salt or De-Icer Damage Brick Steps?

Rock salt works as a de-icer by lowering the freezing point of water, which is exactly why it melts ice on a step. That same property means more liquid saltwater gets pulled into the tiny pores of the brick than would normally stay unfrozen at that temperature. When that saltwater later evaporates or the temperature swings again, salt crystals form and grow inside the pores, and that crystallization exerts its own expansive pressure on the material, similar in effect to ice but happening through a different chemical process that can occur even when the air temperature isn't cold enough for plain water to freeze.

Brick steps and walkways take the worst of this simply because that's where people spread salt directly, season after season, right where it can soak in repeatedly with every treatment. Mortar joints between brick treads are often more porous than the brick itself, which means the joints can deteriorate faster than the surrounding brick, showing up as crumbling or eroded joints on a set of steps well before the brick faces themselves look obviously damaged.

Reducing the amount of salt used, or switching to a less damaging product, cuts down on this over time without eliminating the risk entirely. Chelo's can rebuild or reface steps that have already taken salt damage and point out which entry points are getting hit hardest so a homeowner knows where to change de-icing habits going forward.

• Use sand for traction instead of salt where it's practical
• Choose a calcium chloride or calcium magnesium acetate product over plain rock salt if de-icer is needed
• Sweep away excess de-icer once it's done its job instead of leaving it to sit on the brick
• Rinse steps when temperatures allow to flush out residual salt before it recrystallizes