Caring for Stone in the River City
Grand Rapids gets hit from two sides. We have the humidity from the Grand River and the lake effect snow. That combination destroys masonry.
In Oakhill or Fulton Street, moss grows thick on the north side of the stones. Gray lichen covers the names. This acts like a wet sponge glued to the rock. It freezes solid in winter and splits the stone. Families searching for headstone cleaning services near me want to stop this decay. We kill the biological growth and seal the stone against the winter.
Lake Effect Freeze Damage
We get buried in snow here. The damage happens when that snow melts and refreezes. Limestone drinks that meltwater.
At night, the water freezes inside the rock. The pressure pops the face of the stone outward. We call it spalling. We see it on older bases and curbs. The stone flakes off in chunks. We stop this by filling the cracks with a flexible mortar. We block the water so the ice can't form inside.
Lichen on Historic Markers
Grand Rapids cemeteries have massive shade trees. That shade breeds lichen. It grows in crusty patches on granite and sandstone.
Lichen roots eat into the stone surface. Scraping it off dry rips pieces of the rock out. We don't scrape. We soak the growth in a biological cleaner. It kills the lichen down to the root. It dies and falls off. We rinse the residue away.
Hard Water Scale
Parks like Woodlawn or Rosedale run sprinklers all summer. The groundwater here is full of calcium.
When that water hits a hot monument, it evaporates. The calcium stays behind. It builds a white mineral deposit that looks like a cloudy haze. You can't wipe it off. It is baked onto the granite. We use a buffered acid cleaner to dissolve the calcium. We flush it off, and the deep color comes back.
Tree Sap and Tannins
The Oak trees in Oakhill drop sap and leaves. When wet leaves rot on a headstone, they leave a dark brown stain.
Soap won't touch tannin stains. They soak deep into the rock. We use a poultice paste. We spread it over the stain and let it sit. It sucks the brown pigment out of the rock. We rinse it off, and the stone is white again.
Sinking in Sandy Soil
Near the river, the soil is sandy. It shifts. We see heavy monuments that have tipped over or sunk deep.
A sinking stone will eventually disappear. We fix this by lifting the monument. We don't just put it back on dirt. We install a pad of compacted gravel. Gravel locks together and drains water. We reset the stone, and it stays level.
Restoring Bronze Markers
Flat bronze markers are common in the newer sections. The humidity turns them green. The factory coating fails.
We restore these on-site. We strip the oxidation and the old lacquer. We clean the metal down to the bare bronze. We polish the lettering and apply a new clear coat. This seals the metal from the rain.
Service Costs in Grand Rapids
Price depends on the condition of the stone. Removing heavy lichen takes more time than washing off simple dirt. We inspect the site to give you an honest quote.
- Biological Cleaning: Killing lichen and moss safely.
- Scale Removal: Dissolving hard water deposits.
- Leveling: Raising sunken stones on a gravel base.
- Repair: Filling cracks to stop freeze damage.
