Grave Cleaning & Headstone Restoration in Silver Spring

Cleaning Beltway Soot and Fixing Mower Damage in Silver Spring

Silver Spring lives in the shadow of the Beltway. The highway throws up a constant cloud of exhaust and rubber dust. In cemeteries like Forest Glen, the stones aren't just dirty. They are stained black. It looks like someone sprayed them with oil.

The other big issue here is maintenance damage. The large memorial parks are mowed weekly. The crews move fast. We often find granite bases with chipped corners and bronze markers with deep scratches from mower blades. Families searching for headstone cleaning services near me call us to remove that highway soot and to fix the scuffs left by the landscaping crews.

Beltway Grime

Exhaust soot is greasy. It lands on the stone and bakes in the sun. Rain just rolls right off it. On modern laser-etched stones, this grime fills in the letters until the portrait and the name disappear into a dark gray blur.

We scrub this by hand using a heavy-duty stone degreaser. We have to break the bond between the oil and the granite. Once we strip that layer off, the stone looks bright again.

Mower Scuffs and Chips

It happens. A mower deck hits the corner of a granite base and knocks a chunk off. Or a trimmer whips against a bronze plaque and shreds the protective coating.

Granite chips don't glue back on. We have to grind the damage down. We use diamond pads to round off the sharp break. It stops the stone from crumbling further. On bronze markers, we strip the damaged clear coat, sand out the scratches, and seal it up again.

Hard Water Scale (Sprinklers)

Memorial parks here water their grass constantly. The water in Montgomery County leaves mineral deposits. We see hard white lines or a cloudy haze covering the bottom half of the stones. It hides the dates.

Scraping is a mistake. A razor blade will leave scratches on the mirror finish. We use a mineral dissolver. It breaks the bond of the calcium so we can wipe the white haze away without dulling the stone.

Lichen on Rough Granite

In the older, shaded sections of Grace Episcopal or Monocacy, lichen is a problem. It loves the rough-cut sides of the monuments. It digs in and holds moisture.

We spray a biocide that soaks into the stone. It kills the lichen roots. After a few weeks, the dead growth falls off or washes away with rain. We prefer this to pressure washing, which can blow out the mortar in old stone joints.

Sinking Flat Markers

Parklawn has thousands of flat bronze and granite markers. The ground settles over time, especially after wet winters. The markers sink below the grass line, and turf grows over them.

We cut the sod back. We lift the marker and pack the hole with crushed stone. This creates a solid, draining base. We reset the marker so it sits just above the soil level. This keeps it visible and helps keep the mowers from running over it.

Service Costs in Silver Spring

Fixing a chipped granite base is detailed work. Cleaning calcium deposits takes specific chemicals. We need to see the damage first. A simple wash is different from refinishing a scuffed bronze plaque. We give you a quote after we inspect the marker.