Grave Cleaning & Headstone Restoration in Shawnee

Restoring Pioneer Limestone and Fixing Clay Shift in Shawnee

Shawnee is the oldest town in the county. The cemeteries here, like Shawnee Mission and Pleasant View, hold the history of the trails. The oldest markers are hand-carved from local ledge limestone. This rock is soft. After 150 years of Kansas weather, it is brittle. The surface turns powdery. If you touch it, white dust comes off on your finger.

The ground here is a nightmare to dig. It is unpredictable. You hit solid limestone ledges on one side of a grave and soft clay on the other. The clay washes out during storms, but the rock ledge doesn't move. This uneven support twists the foundation and throws the monument off balance. Families searching for headstone cleaning services near me call us to stabilize these shifting stones and to preserve the crumbling limestone faces.

Conserving "Sugaring" Limestone

When limestone loses its binder, it turns back into sand. We call this "sugaring." It is extremely fragile. A stiff brush creates permanent scratches. A power washer destroys the lettering completely.

We clean these with a no-touch method. We spray a biological cleaner that foams on the surface. It kills the black mold and algae darkening the stone. We rinse it with a low-pressure mist. The black runoff flows away, and the stone brightens without losing any more grain.

Resetting Stones on Uneven Ground

Shawnee soil washes out unevenly. We see monuments that have tipped over because half the base is sitting on a rock shelf and the other half is hanging over empty air.

We rebuild the foundation. We dig out the unstable clay. We fill the void with crushed jagged gravel. We tamp it down to lock it against the bedrock. This creates a flat, draining pad that bridges the gap between the rock and the soil. We reset the monument, and it stays level.

Removing Heavy Lichen Crust

The old stones at St. Joseph Cemetery are often covered in orange and grey lichen. These organisms dig roots into the stone. On soft markers, they cause the face to flake off.

We kill the lichen chemically. We saturate the growth with a biocide. The lichen turns mushy and dies. It dries out and falls off naturally with wind and rain. This clears the inscription without us having to scrape the soft stone.

Repairing Broken Tablet Stones

In the pioneer sections, thin tablet stones often snap. They break from falling branches or mower impacts.

We repair them on-site. We clean the broken edges. We apply a stone-specific epoxy. We clamp the pieces together until the bond sets. We fill the crack with a mortar mixed to match the stone color. The scar remains, but the stone stands upright again.

Restoring Oxidized Bronze

The sun in Shawnee burns the clear coat off bronze markers. Once the coating is gone, the air and humidity attack the bare metal. It turns a dull, flat green.

We strip the metal down. We use wire wheels to remove the corrosion. We use a torch to heat the bronze. This drives moisture out of the microscopic pores. We spray a fresh clear coat on the hot metal. It cures instantly and seals the surface.

Cleaning Road Film and Exhaust

Cemeteries near Shawnee Mission Parkway get hit with exhaust fumes. This oily soot bonds to the granite. It makes the stones look greasy and dark.

We use a degreasing cleaner. We apply it to the stone to break the oil bond. We scrub it with soft brushes. We rinse it thoroughly. The granite sparkles again once the road film is gone.

Fixing Mower Damage

Mowers run close to the headstones. We see tire marks on flat markers and chipped corners on upright bases.

We wipe the tire rubber off with solvent. For chips, we grind the sharp edge down with diamond files. We blend the damage into the stone. It prevents the mower deck from catching that spot again.

Service Costs in Shawnee

Conserving crumbling limestone is delicate work. Resetting a monument on mixed rock and clay takes labor. 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.