Grave Cleaning & Headstone Restoration in Dickinson

Neutralizing Alkali Salts and Clearing Impacted Dust in Dickinson

Dickinson sits on the edge of the Badlands. The wind here carries sharp grit. It hammers the headstones in Dickinson Cemetery. The wind drives this dust into the stone. It fills the engraved letters. Rain gets in, mixes with the dirt, and hardens. It creates a solid plug of dirt flush with the polished face. You can stand right in front of a monument and not be able to read the name.

The ground is the other enemy. The soil in Stark County is full of alkali salt. Porous stone bases drink up the groundwater. The water dries out, leaving the salt trapped inside. That salt grows. It pushes against the granite until the surface pops off. We see monuments where the base is turning into a pile of white powder and loose chips. Families searching for headstone cleaning services near me call us to dig that hardened dust out of the lettering and to stop the salt rot on their family stones.

Stopping Alkali Salt Damage

That white crust on the bottom of the stone is not mold. It is salt. It destroys the stone physically. It breaks the granite apart.

We stop this attack. We use an acidic cleaner to dissolve the surface crust. Then we apply a thick paste. This poultice sits on the stone and draws the deep salts out of the pores. We wash it away. Finally, we seal the stone. This prevents it from absorbing more salty water from the ground.

Clearing Impacted Lettering

Pressure washing fails on Dickinson dust. The dirt is packed too tight. The water just bounces off. High pressure will only chip the stone.

We clean this by hand. We use a surfactant to soften the mud. Then we use wooden picks to scrape the dirt out of every single letter. We flush it clean. We clear each character individually. It makes the inscription sharp and readable again without damaging the polish.

Consolidating Eroding Sandstone

The pioneer graves in St. Patrick’s are often soft sandstone. The wind eats them away. The surface turns to sand. Touching the stone wipes away the lettering.

We stop the erosion. We saturate the dry stone with a consolidator. This fluid soaks deep into the rock and hardens. It acts as a new binder. It glues the sand grains back together. The stone becomes solid again, and the decay stops.

Fixing Frost-Heaved Foundations

Winters here are brutal. The frost goes deep. It snaps concrete pads in half. We see monuments tipping over because the foundation broke.

We replace the broken pad. We hoist the monument. We dig out the old concrete and the clay. We fill the hole with compacted angular gravel. Gravel drains instantly. If water can't sit under the stone, ice can't form to push it up. The marker stays level.

Restoring Oxidized Bronze

Snow and sun destroy the lacquer on bronze markers. Moisture eats the coating. The bronze corrodes and turns a chalky green, hiding the names.

We restore the finish on-site. We strip the green corrosion down to bare metal. We use a torch to heat the bronze. This drives out all moisture. We spray a new industrial clear coat on the hot metal. It bonds instantly. The plaque looks dark and new again.

Removing Lichen from Rough Stone

Lichen grows on the rough, rock-pitched edges of the bases. It digs roots into the granite. It creates orange and grey scabs that ruin the look of the memorial.

We kill it with a biocide. We soak the growth. It turns to mush and releases its grip. We wash it off. This clears the stone immediately. We never scrape dry lichen; it leaves metal marks and doesn't kill the roots.

Repairing Mower Scuffs

Mowers run close to the stones. They hit the corners. We see black rubber marks and chipped granite edges.

We clean the rubber marks with a solvent. For chips, we grind the sharp edge down with diamond files. We create a smooth bevel. It looks finished and prevents the mower from catching that spot again.

Service Costs in Dickinson

We don't need to visit the cemetery to give you a price. We have fixed, transparent pricing for all our services, including salt removal and frost heave repair. Check our subscription builder to see the exact cost for your plot.