Grave Cleaning & Headstone Restoration in Cedar Rapids

Cleaning Industrial Grain Dust and Leveling Monuments in Cedar Rapids

Cedar Rapids air is full of grain dust. It settles on the monuments in Cedar Memorial Park. This isn't normal dirt. It is oily and sticky. It creates a dark, heavy coating on the granite. Rain packs it tighter rather than washing it away. The letters fill up with this black residue, and the contrast disappears. You can stand right in front of a stone and not be able to read the name.

The ground is also a problem. The soil in Linwood and Oak Hill is still settling from the 2020 Derecho. That storm disturbed the earth deep down. Foundations shifted. We see monuments leaning today because the ground underneath them is still loose or compromised. Families searching for headstone cleaning services near me call us to reset their tipping stones and to wash that sticky industrial film off the granite.

Cleaning Sticky Grain Dust

This dust is greasy. It bonds to the stone. Water won't cut through this grease. It just sits on the surface and slides off.

We strip the grease. We apply a solvent that cuts through the oily layer. We scrub the stone hard. The black film dissolves and washes away. We rinse it thoroughly. The stone dries clean, and the granite looks bright again.

Fixing Shifted Foundations

The soil in Cedar Rapids is heavy clay. It holds water. Frost heaves it up in winter. The storm damage made it worse. We see monuments tipping over because the concrete pad snapped or the ground underneath simply sank.

We fix the foundation permanently. We lift the monument. We dig out the bad soil and the broken concrete. We fill the hole with crushed, angular rock. We pack it solid. Gravel drains water instantly. If there is no water under the stone, the frost can't push it up. The marker sits flat.

Removing River Moss and Silt

The Czech National Cemetery is near the river. It stays damp. Moss grows thick on the north side of the stones. In low spots, we also see dried flood silt packed into the bases.

We kill the moss with a biocide. It turns dead and lets go of the rock. We wash it off. For the silt, we pick it out of the crevices with wooden tools. We clear the drainage weep holes in the base so water can get out.

Restoring Cedar Memorial Bronze

Cedar Memorial Park has thousands of flush bronze markers. Winter snow sits on them for months. The moisture eats the protective lacquer. The bronze turns green and chalky.

We refinish them in place. We strip the green corrosion down to bright metal. We heat the bronze with a torch to dry it out completely. We spray a new industrial clear coat on the hot metal. It bonds tight. The plaque looks dark and readable again.

Removing Hardened Tree Sap

The trees here drop a lot of sap. Dust sticks to the wet sap and hardens into black lumps. It looks like tar spots on the stone.

We dissolve these spots with a solvent. We wipe the residue away. Then we wash the stone to remove the stain left underneath.

Repairing Mower Scuffs

Mowers run tight to the stones. They hit the corners. We see black rubber marks and chipped granite edges.

We clean the rubber marks with a solvent. For chips, we use diamond files. We grind the sharp, broken edge into a smooth bevel. It looks finished and prevents the mower from catching that same jagged spot again.

Service Costs in Cedar Rapids

We don't need to visit the cemetery to give you a price. We have fixed, transparent pricing for all our services, including leveling and industrial cleaning. Check our subscription builder to see the exact cost for your plot.