Bronze Care and Irrigation Damage
Troy is home to massive memorial parks like White Chapel. The standard here is flat bronze markers on granite bases. It looks clean, but it requires serious maintenance.
Bronze doesn't last forever. We see thousands of markers turning chalky green. The lawn chemicals and the irrigation water attack the metal. Families searching for headstone cleaning services near me often think the metal is ruined. Usually, it's just surface damage. We strip the corrosion and seal the bronze to stop the decay.
Bronze Oxidation (The Green Rot)
Bronze is copper and tin. When the factory clear coat peels off, the copper reacts with the air. It turns green.
This isn't a nice antique patina. It is corrosion. It eats into the lettering and makes the name hard to read. We don't paint over it. We restore it. We strip the old lacquer and scrub the metal down to the bare surface. We remove the green buildup. Then we apply a new, industrial-grade clear coat.
Hard Water Scale
Troy cemeteries keep the grass perfect. That means sprinklers run constantly.
Once the water dries, the minerals stay put. You see a white, hard crust covering the bronze and the granite base. It bonds to the surface like cement. Scrubbing with water won't move it. We use a buffered cleaner that dissolves the minerals. We have to be careful not to damage the bronze while removing the scale from the stone.
Sinking Flat Markers
Flat markers sit right on the dirt. Over time, the ground gets soft and the support washes out.
The marker sinks, and the grass swallows the edges. Eventually, you can't even find the stone. We fix this by lifting the marker. We dig out the mud and replace it with a pad of crushed stone. This gives the marker a solid base that drains water, so it stays flush with the ground.
Bird Droppings (The Geese Problem)
Many parks here have ponds. Ponds mean geese. Geese leave a mess on the flat markers.
Goose droppings are acidic. If they sit on a bronze marker, they eat right through the clear coat. On granite, they burn the polish. We clean this off and neutralize the acid. If the metal is pitted, we sand it smooth before resealing it.
Fertilizer Burn
To keep the lawns green, crews use heavy fertilizer. If those granules land on a bronze marker, they burn it.
You see small spots of bright green corrosion or rust-colored stains on the granite. This is a chemical burn. We wash the salts out of the porous stone. On bronze, we have to strip the coating to get the chemical out of the metal pores.
Traffic Film and Road Grime
Big Beaver and Crooks Road are busy. The exhaust from thousands of cars settles on the cemeteries.
It forms a greasy, gray layer on the headstones. Rain smears that grease across the face. It kills the shine on the bronze. We use a degreaser to cut through the traffic film. We wash it away to reveal the true color of the memorial.
Service Costs in Troy
Restoring bronze costs more than washing stone because it requires stripping and sealing. Lifting sunken markers is priced by the size of the stone. We inspect the plot to give you a clear price.
- Bronze Restoration: Stripping oxidation and resealing.
- Raising & Leveling: Lifting sunken flat markers on a gravel base.
- Scale Removal: Dissolving hard water crusts.
- Chemical Cleaning: Neutralizing fertilizer burns and bird droppings.
