Grave Cleaning & Headstone Restoration in Norman

Scrubbing Red Clay and Windblown Dust in Norman

The wind in Norman is relentless. It sweeps across the open plains and picks up the red topsoil. It blasts this dust against the monuments in IOOF and Sunset Memorial Park. The grit scours the polish off the granite. It dyes the white marble a deep, ugly orange.

This is iron oxide. When that red dirt gets wet, it rusts. It stains the stone deep below the surface. Families searching for headstone cleaning services near me call us to pull that stubborn orange discoloration out of the stone and to dig out the flat markers that the heavy clay soil swallowed up.

Impacted Red Dust in Engravings

The wind drives dust deep into the carved letters. Rain turns it into mud. The Oklahoma sun bakes it into brick. We see names and dates completely filled in with hard, red clay. You can't read them.

A pressure washer is dangerous here. It can chip the lettering. We clean it by hand. We use steam to soften the clay packing. Then we use picking tools to clear out the debris, letter by letter. We flush it clean. The shadow returns to the carving, and the inscription becomes legible again.

Removing Iron Oxide Stains

Norman's soil is full of iron. That orange stain on the base of the monument is rust. It wicks up from the ground into the porous stone. Scrubbing it with soap does nothing. The stain is inside the rock.

We treat it chemically. We apply a solution that targets iron oxide. It neutralizes the rust. The orange color turns purple, then fades away. We rinse the stone thoroughly. The stone looks new again. The chemical does the work, so we don't have to scrub the face off the marble.

Sinking in Cleveland County Clay

The ground here fights us. Wet clay expands. Dry clay cracks open. This constant motion knocks monuments over. Upright monuments start to lean. Flat markers sink and disappear under the bermuda grass.

We fix the foundation. We dig the marker out. We remove the unstable clay. We replace it with a pad of compacted gravel. Gravel locks in place. It drains water so the ground doesn't heave under the stone. We set the marker back down, and it stays level.

Storm Debris and Biological Growth

Storms are frequent here. They drop branches and wet leaves on the stones. Wet leaves rot on the stone. This slime feeds black algae. We see thick black crusts on the tops of the older monuments.

We kill the growth. We use a biocide that penetrates the stone. It kills the spores deep in the pores. The black stains turn brown and wash away. This cleans the stone and prevents the moss from growing back for a long time.

Consolidating Historic Sandstone

The older sections of the cemeteries have sandstone markers from the pioneer days. They are soft. The wind erosion wears the faces smooth. Lichen roots dig in and make them crumble.

We stop the deterioration. We clean the stone gently. Then we apply a consolidant. This fluid soaks into the stone and hardens. It glues the loose sand grains back together. The stone becomes solid again. It stops shedding sand, and the history is saved.

Restoring Sun-Burned Bronze

The sun beats down on the bronze markers in Sunset Memorial. It burns the clear coat off. The metal oxidizes and turns a dull green. It looks like scrap metal.

We refinish the plaque. We strip the old coating and the corrosion. We take the metal down to the bare bronze. We heat it to remove moisture. Then we spray a new architectural clear coat. This seals the bronze against the UV rays and the rain.

Hard Water Scale

Irrigation keeps the grass green, but it leaves a mess on the stones. We see hard water deposits that look like white paint splatter. It bonds to the polished granite.

We dissolve the minerals. We use a buffered acid cleaner. We apply it to the scale. It reacts and breaks the bond. We scrub the residue off. The polish comes back, and the grey film is gone.

Repairing Mower Chips

Mowers hit the stones. It happens. We see fresh chips on the granite bases and black rubber marks on the flat stones.

We clean the tire marks with a solvent. For the chips, we use diamond pads. We grind the sharp edges smooth. We blend the damage into the stone. It makes the chip less noticeable and removes the snag point for the next mower.

Service Costs in Norman

Removing deep rust stains takes specific chemicals. Digging a sunken marker out of dry clay takes hard work. We need to see the stone to price it. Use our online pricing tool. Pick the cemetery, show us the stone, and we give you a quote.