Restoring Peeling Brownstone and Removing Tunnel Soot in Jersey City
Jersey City is tough on monuments. The cemeteries here face a triple threat: salt spray from the Hudson River, oily exhaust from the Holland Tunnel traffic, and the natural weakness of the local brownstone. In historic places like Jersey City & Harsimus or the massive Holy Name, we see stones that are turning green, black, and crumbling all at once.
The other big headache here is the groundhogs. They love the hillsides. They dig massive tunnels under the monuments, and the stones tip right into the holes. Families searching for headstone cleaning services near me call us to stop their brownstone markers from flaking away and to fill the groundhog tunnels with rock so the headstones stay level.
Peeling Brownstone (Sandstone Delamination)
A lot of the oldest markers in Jersey City are made of brownstone. It’s a soft, red sandstone. It doesn't age well. Moisture gets behind the face of the stone. When it freezes, it pushes the face outward. The stone starts to shed layers like an onion.
You cannot pressure wash brownstone. The water pressure will strip the front right off. We dry-brush the loose flakes gently. Then we use a stone consolidator. It soaks into the sandy surface and glues the grains back together. It stops the shedding so you don't lose the name entirely.
Holland Tunnel Soot (Oily Carbon)
If the plot is anywhere near the Turnpike extension or the Tunnel approach, the stone is going to be black. This is diesel soot and tire rubber. It is sticky. It coats the granite and traps dirt, pollen, and sulfur.
Regular soap is useless against this kind of grease. It just slides right off. We use an industrial solvent that liquefies the tar. Then we scrub. It usually takes two or three passes to get down to the original stone color because that traffic film is thick.
Groundhog Damage and Sinking
Groundhogs are a plague in the older cemeteries. They burrow under the large, flat bases of the monuments to make their dens. They empty out the soil underneath. The stone gets too heavy for the hollow ground, crushes the den, and tips over.
We hoist the stone out of the way. We don't just put dirt back in; the groundhogs will just dig it out again. We pack the hole with heavy, angular gravel. Groundhogs can't dig through sharp rocks. This creates a foundation that stays put.
Hudson River Salt Haze
The wind off the Hudson carries salt. On polished granite, this salt dries into a cloudy white haze. It looks like fog trapped under the polish. On marble, the salt gets inside and expands. It creates internal pressure that blows the face of the stone right off.
We apply a chemical paste to the stone. It drags the salt out to the surface as it dries. We hose it down, and the cloudiness washes away with the paste.
Iron Fence Rust
Many family plots in Jersey City have old iron pipe railings. They are rusting apart. The rusty water drips onto the granite coping and the headstones, leaving deep orange burns.
This isn't surface dirt. The iron is inside the stone pores. We use a chemical that reacts with the rust. It turns the orange stain purple and dissolves it. Then we rinse it thoroughly. We often seal the iron or recommend painting it to stop the leaks.
Service Costs in Jersey City
Working in Jersey City is tight. Parking is hard, and water access is often far away. Restoring fragile brownstone is slow, delicate work. Fixing groundhog damage involves moving tons of gravel by hand. We need to assess the site conditions to give you an accurate price.
- Brownstone Repair: Consolidating soft, peeling sandstone.
- Soot Degreasing: Removing sticky traffic exhaust.
- Foundation Repair: Filling groundhog tunnels with gravel.
- Salt Removal: Drawing out chlorides from the Hudson.