Grave Cleaning & Headstone Restoration in Kalispell

Cleaning Moss and Pine Sap in the Flathead Valley

Conrad Memorial has too many trees. It stays dark and wet under those pines all day. That shade means the stone never really dries out. That is why moss is such a headache here. If you walk the older sections, you’ll see the north face of almost every headstone is covered in green fuzz.

The trees also drop sap. In the summer, the pines drip sticky resin onto the markers. It hardens into black lumps that don't wash off. On top of that, the soil here is soft glacial silt. It shifts when it gets wet, causing heavy monuments to sink. Families searching for headstone cleaning services near me call us to kill that damaging moss, remove the hardened sap, or lift stones that are sinking into the soft ground.

Thick Moss and Green Algae

Moss is a real problem here. It grows into the pores of the stone and keeps it wet. When that wet stone freezes in January, the ice expands. It cracks the surface and pops small chips of granite right off the face.

Scrubbing living moss is a waste of time. It just grows back. We use a biological spray to kill it. It gets down to the roots. When the moss is dead and brittle, we scrub the debris away. This gets the stone clean without scratching it.

Pine Sap and Needles

Pine needles pile up against the stone and rot, staining the base. But the sap is worse. It drips on the stone and cooks in the summer heat. It turns into hard black spots that look like tar.

You can't scrape these spots off. If you try, you will scratch the granite. We use a specialized cleaner to soften the pitch. We let it sit until the hard lump turns into a sticky liquid, then we carefully wipe it off. It uses a lot of rags, but it keeps the polish safe.

Sinking in Glacial Silt

The soil in the Flathead is mostly silt and sandy loam. It drains well, but it isn't very strong. Heavy granite monuments tend to settle here. They sink straight down until the grass covers the bottom dates, or they tip sideways.

We fix this by lifting the stone and building a new base. We dig out the soft silt and replace it with crushed, angular gravel. We pack it tight. The gravel locks together and holds the weight, so the stone stays level even during the wet spring.

Hard Water Spots

They still run sprinklers in July and August. The water leaves white calcium spots on the granite. It clouds up the finish so you can't see your reflection in the black stone.

We use a cleaner to wipe those spots away. We brush it on and rinse it immediately. Speed is key here. You can't leave the cleaner on the stone. It will burn a dull spot right into the finish. We hose it down with gallons of water to make sure every bit of acid is gone.

Service Costs in Kalispell

Cleaning a stone covered in moss takes time because we have to kill the growth first. Removing pine sap is slow, detailed work. I need to see the stone to give you a fair price. We have an online tool that helps. You pick your cemetery, tell us if it's moss or sinking, and you get the cost right there.