Stone Care in the Glacial Till
Plymouth sits on heavy, wet ground. It is a dense mix of clay and rock that we call glacial till. In cemeteries like Holy Name and Parker’s Lake, this ground fights us every winter.
We deal with upright monuments that the frost has heaved out of level, and flat markers that sink into the soft muck near the lakeshores. We also spend a lot of time removing the white mineral haze caused by heavy lawn watering. Families searching for headstone cleaning services near me call us to reset these shifting stones and strip off the mineral buildup that turns polished granite white.
Frost Heave in Heavy Clay
The clay in Plymouth traps water. It doesn't drain. When the Minnesota winter hits, that wet clay freezes and expands.
It grabs the concrete foundation and pushes it up. We see monuments tipped sideways or twisted on their bases. To fix it, we have to dig out the clay. We dig past the frost line and backfill with coarse gravel. Gravel lets the water escape. If the ground is dry, it can't freeze and shove the foundation up.
Sinking Near the Lakes
Around Medicine Lake and Parker’s Lake, the water table is high. The ground is soft. Heavy granite markers sink slowly into the mud.
The mud swallows the edges, and grass grows over the face. We locate the stone and cut the sod back. We lift the marker and excavate the wet soil underneath. We pack in a deep pad of crushed rock. This creates a solid footprint so the stone sits on top of the ground instead of sinking back in.
Irrigation Scale (Hard Water)
Cemeteries here run the sprinklers hard to keep the grass green. The problem is the water quality—it’s loaded with minerals.
When sprinklers hit the stones, the water dries, but the lime and iron stay behind. It forms a rough layer that won't wipe off. Scrubbing just scratches the shine. We use a chemical wash to strip the minerals without hurting the stone. We rinse it, and the polish comes back.
Tree Sap and Pollen
The older sections of Holy Name are full of maples and pines. They drop sticky sap and pollen all spring.
This mix bakes in the sun and turns into a hard varnish. Dirt sticks to it, turning it black. Soap is useless against it. We use a heavy solvent to dissolve the hardened pitch. We wipe the sticky mess away to reveal the clean stone underneath.
Moss and Algae in the Shade
In the wooded sections, the sun rarely hits the stones. Moisture stays trapped. This breeds thick green moss and black algae.
The roots dig into the stone pores. If you scrape them, you pull grains of stone out with the roots. We soak the growth with a biocide. It kills the root. The moss turns brittle and falls off when it rains.
Road Salt Damage
Big plows throw salty slush onto the markers near the highways. The salt gets into the rock pores.
As it dries, it expands inside the stone. This pressure pops small chips off the face—we call this spalling. We use a desalination poultice to pull the salt out. It stops the damage from going deeper.
Leaning Obelisks
Tall, multi-piece monuments are common in the older sections. When the clay shifts, these tall stacks become unstable.
The pieces separate at the joints. We have to dismantle the monument piece by piece using a hoist. We level the foundation, clean the joints, and restack the stone using a modern setting compound that keeps water out of the seams.
Service Costs in Plymouth
Digging in heavy clay/rock till is slow, hard work. Removing heavy irrigation scale requires chemical expertise. We inspect the site to understand the soil and stone conditions before giving a quote.
- Deep Leveling: Resetting foundations in heavy clay soil.
- Scale Removal: Cleaning hard water deposits.
- Marker Raising: Lifting sunken stones near lakes.
- Monument Restacking: Re-aligning leaning obelisks.
