The Refinery Fallout
Richmond sits directly under the industrial stacks. The refinery changes the air here. It carries sulfur, heavy oils, and particulate matter. This fallout settles on the cemeteries every day.
It creates a greasy, yellow film. It bonds to the stone instantly. This isn't dust; it is petrochemicals. Water won't cut it. It repels water. Rags don't work. They just spread the grease. It fills the letters with black sludge. You can't read the name anymore.
Tending uses industrial grave site cleaning services with heavy-duty degreasers. We don't use simple soap. We use a foaming agent that clings to the vertical face of the stone. It chemically lifts this petrochemical layer. We rinse it away to reveal the clean granite underneath without scrubbing away the polish.
San Pablo Bay Wind
The wind off the bay is constant. It is wet, cold, and salty. It acts like a delivery system. It drives salt mist and sharp grit into the pores of the headstone.
This causes "pitting." Salt soaks in. It grows crystals inside the rock. It pops the surface off. The smooth stone turns into gravel. The stone starts to feel like sandpaper.
If you are searching for headstone cleaning services near me because a marker feels rough or looks eroded, that is salt damage. You cannot wash the roughness away; the stone is gone. We use poultices to draw the remaining salt out. Then, we apply a breathable sealant. This stops the wind from eating the stone any further.
The Hillside Slide
Rolling Hills Memorial Park isn't flat. It is built on steep grades. The ground is active clay. During winter rains, the soil gets heavy with water and creeps downhill.
It takes the monuments with it. We see headstones tipping forward because the foundation shifted. The uphill side gets buried; the downhill side is exposed to air.
If you are looking for tombstone repair and restoration because a marker is leaning, it is the hill moving. A leaning stone is dangerous. It puts massive stress on the base. We monitor the grade. We backfill the low side with angular gravel. Gravel creates a friction barrier. It stabilizes the base and drains the water so the memorial stays upright against the slide.
Acid Fog Etching
The mix of heavy fog and industrial exhaust creates a mild acid. When this sits on a polished black granite marker, it etches the surface. The mirror finish turns cloudy.
The shine is gone. The acid burned it off. No amount of scrubbing will bring the reflection back. This is chemical damage. The acid has eaten the polish.
We use specialized cleaning stone gravestones compounds to neutralize the surface. In severe cases, we use micro-abrasives to re-polish the stone and bring back the reflection.