How does natural stone perform
in a Michigan freeze-thaw climate?

The stone is native to it. Michigan’s freeze-thaw cycle is among the most demanding in North America, and this material has been in that ground the entire time.

Tested absorption runs 0.15% to 0.32% per ASTM C97 — very little water present to freeze. Quarried at Onaway, Manistique, Alpena, Sault Ste. Marie and Ionia, and cut in Howard City.

The part that actually matters

Freeze-thaw failures in veneer are almost never the stone. They are the assembly. Water gets in, has nowhere to go, freezes, and takes the wall apart from behind. Every detail below exists to stop that.

Details that carry the wall

• Full mortar coverage behind every stone. Back-butter a minimum ½″ bed of Type S and press to positive contact across the full bed face. Voids trap water and cause spalling.
• No raked or open joints on exterior work. Pack the joints firmly and tool to a concave or flush profile.
• Corrosion-resistant flashing at every horizontal condition — ledges, shelf angles, window and door heads, and base conditions.
• A drainage plane and weep screed at the base of all exterior veneer applications.
• Corrosion-resistant fasteners and accessories throughout the assembly.

Mortar is specified under ASTM C270, and Type S is recommended for exterior work. Allow the scratch coat to cure 24 to 48 hours, and let the stone set a minimum of 24 hours before pointing.

Get the water management right and the stone will outlast everything fastened to it. Get it wrong and no cladding material survives a Michigan winter.