Lake Erie Snow Machine
Fredonia takes the full hit of the Lake Erie snow machine. Heavy, wet snow piles up against the monuments.
The meltwater soaks into the granite pores. Temperatures drop. The water freezes and expands inside. It pushes the face of the stone off. Searching for headstone cleaning services near me usually suggests pressure washing. That is dangerous. It drives water deeper into the cracks. We use hydrophobic sealers. They keep the water out.
Vineyard Fungicide Drift
This is the heart of the Concord Grape Belt. Vineyards surround the cemeteries. Aerial spraying disperses fungicides.
Copper sulfate mist lands on the stone. It oxidizes into a blue-green stain. It looks like mold, but it is chemical. Bleach sets the stain. We use specialized grave site cleaning services. We use ammonia-based poultices. They bind to the copper ions. We rinse the chemical away safely.
Shale Bedrock Shift
The bedrock here is Chautauqua Shale. It is brittle. It fractures into flat plates.
Water gets between the shale layers. Freeze cycles wedge the rock apart. The ground shifts. Monuments tilt or sink. Adding topsoil is useless; the bedrock is moving. For permanent tombstone repair and restoration, we excavate to solid ground. We install a crushed stone base. This distributes the weight evenly.
Coal Fly Ash Legacy
For decades, the NRG Dunkirk plant burned coal. The prevailing winds carried fly ash and soot inland.
The carbon particles settled on the porous stone. They formed a hard black crust ("gypsum crust"). It traps moisture. If you scrape it, you damage the inscription. We use chemical pastes for cleaning stone gravestones. They dissolve the carbon bond. We wash the soot away.
"I inquired about having my grandparents headstones cleaned since it had been at least forty years since they passed. The man who answered my call was very patient with me and walked me through the process. They completed the cleanings much quicker than I expected and was told. The headstones are once again shining and clean! He responded quickly when I reached out regarding the flowers we left there including a picture for us, of them. I would definitely go to them again."
— Charisa Chalfa, New York
I-90 Salt Brine
The NYS Thruway (I-90) runs right past the village. Winter maintenance uses heavy salt brine. The mist drifts over the fence lines.
Salt water enters the stone. The water dries. Salt crystals grow inside the pores. They crush the stone structure. We use desalination poultices. These clay packs extract the salt. We flush with distilled water.
