Natural Asphaltum Spots
The ocean here leaks oil. It washes up on the beach as tar balls. The wind picks up sticky bits and throws them onto the headstones.
The sun hits the stone. The tar melts. It creates black, gummy spots. It looks like chewing gum, but it is raw crude oil.
If you are searching for headstone cleaning services near me because the marker has black spots, that is asphaltum. Tending uses industrial grave site cleaning services with solvents. We dissolve the oil chemically. We lift it off the stone without leaving a smear.
Sandstone Exfoliation
Historic markers here are made of sandstone. Sandstone is a sponge. It drinks the salt mist from the ocean. The water dries, but the salt stays deep inside.
The salt crystals grow. They push the rock apart from the inside out. The face of the stone pops off in layers. We call this "exfoliation." The name crumbles away. We clean the stone to get the salt out. Then we use consolidants. These are glues that soak deep into the rock to lock the sand grains together.
Coastal Bluff Creep
The cemetery sits on a cliff. The ground is moving toward the ocean. It is a slow, heavy slide.
The earth moves under the foundation. The monument tips toward the water. If you are searching for tombstone repair and restoration, leveling it won't last. We dig out the shifting soil. We install a deep gravel anchor. This locks the foundation in place so it resists the slide.
