Pecos Valley Hard Water
Green grass in Roswell means pumping groundwater. That water is loaded with dissolved solids. As soon as it hits a hot marker, it cooks off, cementing a layer of white minerals onto the face.
It leaves a heavy white crust. We call it scale. It builds up layer by layer until you can't read the dates. You can't scrub this off; it is bonded to the stone. We provide professional grave stone cleaning services to fix this. We use a buffered acid. It dissolves the deposits chemically. We rinse the crust away, and the stone looks clear again.
Corrosive Dust Staining
The dust here is alkaline. It burns into the polish when it gets wet. It kills the gloss. The stone turns hazy.
You can wash it all day with soap, but it won't shine again. We use a heavy-duty cleaner to lift that embedded dirt. Then we apply a conditioner. It brings back the color depth and protects the surface from the next dust storm.
Sun-Faded Inscriptions
The sun beats down hard in Roswell. It destroys the paint inside the engraved lettering. We see black letters turn gray and then disappear completely.
A marker without readable text loses its meaning. We restore the contrast. We scrape out the old, flaking paint. We clean the grooves with solvent. Then we re-ink the letters with monument-grade lithichrome. It holds up against the UV rays for years.
Caliche Soil Crust
Our soil is full of caliche. Rain splashes this mud onto the base of the monument. It dries into a hard, white cement.
This isn't mud you can just hose off. It grips the stone surface. Using a wire brush scratches the granite. We use a chemical that softens the caliche. Once it turns to mush, we wash it away. The stone base gets clean without damage.
Tree Sap and Aphids
The elms and desert willows here drip sap. Aphids make it worse with "honeydew." This sticky mess lands on the headstones and turns black in the sun.
This black goo soaks into the stone pores. We use a poultice to get it out. We apply the paste over the sticky spots. It pulls the organic residue out of the rock as it dries. We remove the paste, and the black spots are gone.
Settling in Loose Soil
The ground here shifts when it gets wet. We see plenty of markers that have sunk or tipped over after a heavy rain season.
We lift the stone. We don't put it back on dirt. We install a pad of compacted gravel. Gravel locks together and drains water away. This keeps the foundation stable so the stone doesn't lean again.
Service Costs in Roswell
We price based on the amount of mineral buildup and the condition of the lettering:
- Scale Removal: Dissolving heavy hard water deposits.
- Letter Repainting: Restoring sun-damaged text.
- Caliche Cleaning: Removing hard soil crusts.
- Leveling: Resetting stones that have shifted.
We visit the cemetery. We look at the work. Then we give you a price.
