Grave Cleaning & Headstone Restoration in Overland Park

Removing Hard Water Scale and Resetting Sinking Markers in Overland Park

Overland Park cemeteries are known for their perfect green lawns. But green grass comes at a cost. The sprinklers run constantly here. The local water is full of minerals. Day after day, it sprays onto the headstones. It leaves a heavy white crust of calcium that ruins the mirror finish on granite and destroys the patina on bronze.

The soil in Johnson County is heavy clay. It gets soft when wet. The heavy mowers drive over the flat markers and push them down into the mud. We see markers that have sunk two or three inches below the sod. Families searching for headstone cleaning services near me call us to strip off that irrigation scale and to lift their family stones back up to grade.

Dissolving Irrigation Scale

You can't scrub the white haze off. It is a mineral deposit bonded to the stone. If you scrape it, you scratch the polish. It looks like a cloudy film over the name.

We remove it with chemistry. We use a buffered acidic cleaner made for stone. We brush it onto the white crust. It reacts instantly and fizzes. We keep it wet and scrub until the minerals break down. We rinse it fast. When the water dries, the deep color of the granite comes back.

Lifting Sunken Flat Markers

The clay here doesn't hold weight well when it is saturated. Flat markers sink under their own weight. The grass grows over the edges, and eventually, the marker disappears.

We fix the foundation. We cut the sod back and lift the stone out. We scrape the mud off. We dig the hole deeper and wider. We fill it with crushed limestone gravel and tamp it down tight. This creates a bridge over the soft clay. We set the marker back, and it stays flush with the ground.

Restoring Green Bronze

Johnson County Memorial Gardens has acres of bronze markers. The sun cooks the protective clear coat until it fails. Then the hard water hits the bare metal. It oxidizes and turns a chalky green.

We restore the finish. We strip the old coating and the corrosion. We use wire wheels and brushes to get down to clean, brown bronze. We heat the plaque to dry it out. Then we spray a new architectural clear coat. This seals the metal and makes it look new again.

Cleaning Mower Tire Marks

The landscaping crews move fast. Mowers run right over the flat stones. We see black rubber streaks across the names.

We clean these with a solvent. We apply it to the rubber mark. It dissolves the tire residue. We wipe it clean. The black streak vanishes instantly. The stone looks respectable again.

Fixing Chipped Edges

Sometimes a mower deck hits the corner of an upright monument. It chips the granite. It leaves a jagged, white edge that catches debris.

We use diamond polishing pads to fix this. We grind the sharp edge down. We can't replace the missing granite. Instead, we reshape the corner. We turn the jagged break into a clean bevel that looks like it was cut that way on purpose.

Impacted Dirt in Lettering

Rain and wind drive dirt into the engraved letters. It dries hard. On darker granite, this makes the lettering look dull and unreadable.

We clean it out. We use steam to soften the dirt. We use plastic picks to clear every letter. We flush the debris away. The contrast returns, and the inscription pops.

Killing Algae in Shaded Areas

In older cemeteries like Overland Park Cemetery, big trees shade the stones. Moisture stays on the stone longer. Green algae and black mold start to grow.

We treat it with a biocide. We soak the stone. The chemical kills the spores deep in the pores. The green slime turns brown and washes off. This keeps the stone clean for a year or more.

Service Costs in Overland Park

Removing heavy calcium scale takes time and acid. Refinishing a double bronze marker takes materials. We need to see the stone to price it. Use our online pricing tool. Pick the cemetery, show us the stone, and we give you a quote.