Grave Cleaning & Headstone Restoration in Brooklyn Park

Stone Care on the Sand Plain

Brooklyn Park sits on the Anoka Sand Plain. The soil is light and drains fast. But in cemeteries like Mound and St. Vincent de Paul, that loose soil creates headaches.

We deal with flat markers that sink until the grass swallows them, and foundations that tip over because ants have mined out the sand underneath. We also fight the hard water stains from the heavy irrigation used to keep the suburban lawns green. Families searching for headstone cleaning services near me call us to lift these sunken markers and remove the white mineral haze that sprinklers leave behind.

The "Disappearing" Flat Marker

Many plots in Brooklyn Park use flat markers. The sandy soil is soft. The heavy granite pushes straight down.

It sinks until the mud covers the edges. Then the turf grows right over the top. We've seen markers vanish completely. We find them with a metal probe. We cut the sod back, lift the stone, and pack angular gravel underneath. This keeps the marker floating above the dirt so it stays visible.

Ants Mining the Foundation

Ants love this sand. They build massive colonies right under the concrete foundations of upright headstones.

They carry the sand out grain by grain. Eventually, the sand gives way, and the marker tips. We hoist the stone up, clean out the loose dirt, and pack the hole with crushed rock. Ants give up on rock; they can't dig through it.

Irrigation Scale (Hard Water)

Sprinklers run constantly here. The city water is full of dissolved iron and calcium.

The sun cooks the water off the hot granite instantly, leaving a hard white scale or orange rust lines. This stuff bonds to the polish like cement. Soap won't touch it. We use an acid wash to eat through the mineral build-up. We rinse it clean, and the polish shines again.

Mower Damage

Flat markers are constantly at risk from lawnmowers. If the stone sits too high, the blades hit it.

We see steel marks across the face and chunks missing from the edges. We can't fix broken corners, but we can buff out the scrapes. We also cut the sod back to keep the mower blades away from the stone edge.

Road Salt Spray

Highway 169 and 610 cut right through town. In winter, the salt spray drifts onto the roadside cemeteries.

Salt pits the stone surface. It eats the polish, making the granite look dull. We use a poultice to pull the salt out of the rock pores. We can't undo the pitting, but we can flush the salt out to stop the decay.

Frost Heave in Mixed Soil

Ideally, sand doesn't heave. But Brooklyn Park soil has pockets of clay. Clay won't let the water drain.

When winter hits, that wet clay swells and heaves the footer up. You end up with rows of stones leaning every which way. We dig out the bad clay soil. We replace it with clean drainage stone. If the water can drain away, the ground won't heave.

Lichen on Old Sandstone

In the historic sections of Mound Cemetery, we find old sandstone markers. They are soft. Lichen grows deep into them.

If you scrape this lichen, you take the face of the stone off with it. We treat it with a gentle biocide. It kills the growth. The dead lichen dries up and falls off naturally, saving the fragile inscription.

Service Costs in Brooklyn Park

Lifting sunken flat markers is physically demanding work. Removing calcium scale takes time and chemicals. We inspect the site to see how deep the markers have sunk before giving a quote.