Railroad Soot Buildup
They call this the Queen City because of the rails. We've had trains running through here forever. All that old coal smoke and diesel exhaust settled right on the graveyards at Rose Hill and Magnolia.
The soot turns the stone pitch black. A garden hose won't touch it; that grime is fused to the stone. We apply a thick paste that softens the black shell. It breaks down the bond so we can scrub the soot off and reveal the white marble.
Hillside Washout
Meridian has plenty of rolling hills, and our soil washes out fast. After a heavy storm, it's common to see deep ruts cut right through the cemeteries. The dirt washes away from the base of the headstones, leaving them tipping forward.
We don't just shovel loose dirt back in the hole; the next rain will just take it again. We provide grave site cleaning services that include stabilization. We pack the void with angular gravel that locks together. It lets the water drain through without taking the foundation with it.
Sugaring Historic Marble
We have some of the finest carved marble in the state, thanks to the old O'Neil studio. But that marble is soft. Acid rain and time have made the surface rough and sugary. If you rub your hand on it, white grains fall off.
Power washing destroys these stones. It blasts the details right off. We clean them by hand with soft bristles. Then we apply a consolidant that soaks in and glues the stone grains back together. It hardens the surface and saves the carving for the next generation.
Lichens in the Oak Shade
The big oaks at Magnolia Cemetery give great shade, but they trap moisture. That dampness feeds crusty gray lichen that covers the family names.
That stuff digs its roots right into the stone. If you scrape it dry, you'll pull up pieces of the rock. We soak it with a cleaner that kills the roots. When the lichen dies, it lets go of the stone. The next good rain washes it away.
Vines and Kudzu
In the older, outer sections of our cemeteries, the woods try to take over. Kudzu and wisteria vines crawl over the stones and wrap around the bases. They trap moisture and can actually pull a smaller marker over.
We cut the vines back carefully. We don't just yank them, or we might topple the stone. We remove the growth and treat the stone to remove the green stains the vines leave behind.
Red Clay Staining
Everyone knows our red clay stains worse than coffee. If a hard rain splashes that mud onto a white marble marker, it turns it orange.
Soap won't touch it. The iron in the clay rusts inside the stone pores. We use a chemical pack that draws the iron out. It turns purple as it works, pulling the orange stain right out of the rock so we can rinse it away.
Sinking Flat Markers
The soil here settles a lot over time. Flat bronze or granite markers often sink until the grass grows right over them. We find markers buried inches deep.
We provide professional grave stone cleaning services that include raising these markers. We lift them, build a solid bed of sand and gravel, and reset them flush with the sod so they don't disappear again.
Hard Water Haze
Irrigation systems keep the grass alive, but they cover the stones in a white calcium haze. On dark granite, it looks like a white fog that blurs the lettering.
Families searching for headstone cleaning services near me often try to scrub it off, but it's hard as rock. We use a safe acidic wash that dissolves the mineral deposit instantly. The granite shines like new again.
Ant Mounds
Fire ants love building their mounds against the warm stone bases. They tunnel out the dirt underneath, causing the monument to list to one side.
We treat the mound to get rid of the ants. Then we fill the tunnels and level the ground. It keeps the stone straight and makes the plot safe to visit without getting bit.
Service Costs in Meridian
Pricing depends on the problem. Consolidating fragile marble takes more skill and time than washing off road dust:
- Soot Removal: Cleaning historic railroad carbon buildup.
- Consolidation: Hardening sugary, crumbling marble.
- Stabilization: Fixing washouts on hillsides.
- Vine Removal: Clearing kudzu and wisteria overgrowth.
We go to the site. We check the stone. Then we give you a price.
