Grave Cleaning & Headstone Restoration in Arvada

Stone Care in the Northwest Suburbs

Arvada has some of the best-kept neighborhoods, but the cemeteries fight a battle against nature. In the older sections of Arvada Cemetery, we deal with massive trees shading the stones. That shade keeps things damp, which leads to heavy lichen growth.

In the newer plots, the problem is usually grass and water. The turf grows fast and covers flat markers completely. The sprinklers also hit the stones every night, leaving a white mineral haze that hides the names. Families searching for headstone cleaning services near me call us to uncover these buried markers and clean off the green moss and white calcium crust.

Green Lichen Growth

The big trees in Arvada provide shade, but they also trap moisture. That helps lichen grow. You see it as green or orange scaly patches spreading across the stone.

It digs roots into the granite. If you just scrape it, you pull pieces of the stone off with it. We soak it in a cleaner that kills the plant. Once it’s dead, we can brush it off without hurting the marker.

Buried Flat Markers

Grass grows thick here. If the grounds crew doesn't trim the edges perfectly every week, the grass creeps over the flat stones. Eventually, the dirt builds up and the marker disappears.

We locate the stone and cut back the overgrowth. We remove the buildup of dirt and dead grass so the marker sits above the soil line again.

Hard Water Scale

Sprinklers are the enemy of polished granite. The water here leaves a white, chalky film. Over time, it gets so thick you can’t read the inscription.

Soap won't take this off. It is bonded to the stone. We soak the deposit to loosen it up. Then we have to shave it off by hand. If you rush, you ruin the polish, so we go slow.

Mud Stains on the Base

Storms here hit hard. They kick mud up onto the bottom of the stone, and the sun bakes it into a solid crust.

A hose won't clean that off. We use steam to blast the dirt out of the stone grain. It gets the granite clean without using harsh acids.

Faded Lettering

The sun here is strong. It burns the paint right out of the engraved letters. After a few decades, you can barely see the name.

We clean the letters out and apply a fresh coat of special stone paint. It makes the inscription pop so you can read it from the road.

Service Costs in Arvada

Killing heavy lichen takes time and chemicals. Digging out buried markers is labor-intensive. We need to see the headstone to know how much work it needs before we give a price.