Grave Cleaning & Headstone Restoration in Columbia

Cleaning Tree Sap and Resetting Bronze in Columbia

Columbia is a city built in the woods. That looks nice, but it makes a mess of headstones. In Columbia Memorial Park, sap and pollen fall on the markers all spring. It bakes onto the stone. A garden hose won't touch it.

The ground is heavy clay. It stays soft and wet. Flat bronze markers—which are very common here—sink into this mud. Grass grows over the edges, and soon the marker is completely hidden. Families searching for headstone cleaning services near me call us to dig these markers out of the sod and to scrub the tree sap off their family memorials.

Sticky Tree Sap and Pollen

Maples and oaks drop sap all spring and summer. It lands on the stone and hardens instantly. It traps dirt and turns black. It looks like tar.

We use a solvent specifically for organic resins. It dissolves the sap without dulling the polish of the granite. We scrub the letters by hand to get the black gunk out. We strip the sap down to the bare stone. It leaves the surface smooth and readable.

Sunken Bronze Markers

Flat bronze markers are the standard here. They start out level with the grass. But the soft clay gives way, and the heavy bronze sinks. Eventually, the turf grows over the top and hides the name.

We locate the edges of the stone and cut the sod back. We lift the heavy marker out of the hole. We don't just put it back on the mud. We pack the depression with crushed stone to improve drainage. We set the marker back on this firm layer so it sits slightly above the grass line.

Red Clay Stains

Howard County soil is full of iron. It stains everything orange or red. We see this "mud splash" on the base of upright monuments. It soaks into the pores of gray granite and looks like rust.

Pressure washing often drives the red clay deeper. We use a clay-lifting chemical. It pulls the iron particles out of the stone surface. We rinse it away with low pressure, leaving the granite gray again instead of muddy orange.

Bronze Refinishing

The bronze plaques here oxidize over time. They turn a dull, muddy brown or develop green spots from fertilizer and water. The lettering becomes hard to read against the dark background.

We strip the old wax and oxidation. We use specialized pads to highlight the raised letters while keeping the background dark for contrast. Then we apply a fresh clear coat. This brings back the golden shine and protects the metal from the acidic tree sap.

Hard Water and Sprinklers

Manicured memorial parks use irrigation systems. The water here leaves calcium deposits. You see it as a white, cloudy haze on polished granite markers. It obscures the dates.

Scraping the calcium scratches the stone. We use a mild acidic cleaner formulated for granite. It dissolves the mineral bond. We wipe the white haze away, revealing the deep color of the stone underneath.

Service Costs in Columbia

Scraping off hardened sap is slow work. Refinishing a bronze plaque involves stripping and resealing. We need to see the condition of the marker to give you an accurate price.