Stone Care in the Lumber Capital
Bangor winters are brutal. The frost goes deep, and the ground moves violently. In historic garden cemeteries like Mount Hope, this destroys foundations.
We also deal with the legacy of the lumber industry. Old pine trees drip sap onto the markers. This sticky resin catches coal soot and dirt, turning into a hard black varnish that soap won't touch. Families searching for headstone cleaning services near me call us to remove this tar-like buildup and reset heavy granite monuments that have slid down the eroding hillsides. We strip the pitch, stabilize the slate, and lock the foundations in place.
Pine Pitch and Soot Buildup
Bangor cemeteries are full of massive old pines. They drop sap year-round. In the 19th century, coal smoke from the city mixed with this fresh sap.
It created a black, tarry shell on the headstones. It looks like black paint. If you scrape it, you scratch the stone. We use a solvent poultice to soften the resin. It dissolves the pitch so we can wipe away the hundred-year-old grime without damaging the inscription underneath.
Extreme Frost Heave
The frost line here can hit five or six feet. When that much ground freezes, it expands with incredible force.
It throws headstones around. We see bases lifted six inches on one side or toppled completely. Shallow repairs don't work here. We have to dig a pit below the frost line. We fill it with crushed rock. This drains the water away. If the ground is dry, it can't freeze and heave, so the stone stays level.
Slate Splitting (Delamination)
The oldest graves in town are slate. Slate is sedimentary rock; it has layers.
Water gets into the edge of the stone. Winter freezes that water. The ice acts like a wedge, splitting the layers apart. The face of the stone falls off in sheets. We can't glue it back together. We inject a specialized grout into the open cracks. This seals the stone and stops the ice from prying it open any further.
Slope Erosion at Mount Hope
Mount Hope is the second oldest garden cemetery in the country. It is steep. Rainwater rushes down these hills and washes the soil out from under the monuments.
The stones tip forward and slide downhill. We see this constantly. We have to jack the monument up and rebuild the footer. We use angular gravel that locks together. It supports the weight and lets the water run through without washing the foundation away.
Zinc "White Bronze" Repair
Bangor has many "White Bronze" markers from the late 1800s. These are actually hollow zinc.
They don't rust, but they do sag. The weight of the top piece bows the base. The seams crack. We carefully jack up the structure and install internal bracing. We clean the oxidized metal to bring back the original bluish-grey matte finish.
Lichen on Grey Granite
The air in Bangor is clean and cool. "Map Lichen" loves these conditions. It grows in flat, black and green circles on the granite.
This lichen produces an acid that eats into the rock. It bonds physically to the crystals. You can't scrub it off. We apply a biocide that soaks into the growth. It kills the lichen at the root. The crust dries up and flakes off over time, leaving the stone clean.
Iron Jacking
Many large Victorian monuments use iron pins to hold the tiers together. Water gets in the seams. The iron rusts and expands.
That pressure splits the granite blocks. We see corners blown out and heavy tops sliding off center. We take the monument apart. We core out the rotting metal. We swap it for stainless steel pins that never swell. Finally, we seal the joint tight.
Service Costs in Bangor
Working on the steep slopes of Mount Hope requires extra crew and safety gear. Removing pine tar is slow work. We need to inspect the location and the stone material before we give you a price.
- Pitch Removal: Cleaning pine sap and soot buildup.
- Deep Leveling: Resetting stones below the deep frost line.
- Zinc Restoration: Repairing hollow metal markers.
- Slope Stabilization: Fixing foundations on steep hills.