Grave Cleaning & Headstone Restoration in Charleston

Cleaning Salt Damage and Spanish Moss in Charleston

The Lowcountry climate is aggressive on stone. The salt air from the harbor doesn't just sit on the surface of the monuments in Magnolia and St. Philip's. The stone absorbs it. The salt expands in the heat and pops the face of the stone off. We call this "sugaring." You see it on almost every white marble marker downtown.

We also deal with the soft, marshy ground. Charleston is built on "pluff mud" and filled land. The soil compresses over time. Heavy monuments sink or lean as the ground shifts underneath them. We also fight the constant dampness. The hanging moss and humidity keep the stones wet, which feeds a thick layer of black mold. Families searching for headstone cleaning services near me call us to stabilize their crumbling historic markers and to lift stones that are sinking into the marshy soil.

Stabilizing "Sugaring" Marble

Historic white marble in Charleston suffers from salt damage. The binder that holds the stone together dissolves. If you rub your hand on the marker, white grains fall off. If you pressure wash this, you will erase the inscription.

We treat this with a stone consolidator. This is a specialized fluid that soaks deep into the crumbling marble. It hardens inside the pores and locks the loose grains together. It stops the erosion. It doesn't put the missing stone back, but it keeps the lettering legible for the future.

Killing Lowcountry Mold and Algae

The humidity here stays high all year. That moisture feeds heavy black algae and mildew. It covers the slate and brownstone markers in the old churchyards. It turns them slick and dark.

We clean this with a biocide. We soak the stone to kill the microscopic roots of the mold. The black infestation dies and washes away. We rinse it gently with a hose. The stone looks clean again because the mold is dead, not because we blasted the top layer off.

Resetting Stones in Soft Marsh Soil

The ground in Charleston is soft. Heavy rains and tidal shifts make the soil move. We see flat markers that have disappeared under the grass and upright monuments that are leaning precariously.

We fix the foundation. We dig the marker out. We remove the soft mud and replace it with crushed, angular gravel. We pack the gravel tight. It creates a drain field so water moves through without washing the support away. We reset the stone on this solid pad so it stays level.

Cleaning Fragile Slate and Brownstone

Charleston has many 18th-century slate and brownstone markers. These are layered stones. Over time, the layers separate (delaminate). If you scrub them too hard, sheets of stone flake off.

We clean these by hand using soft bristles. We use a chemical cleaner that lifts the dirt without scrubbing. We clean the crevices gently. If the stone is flaking badly, we recommend consolidation before any cleaning happens to prevent further damage.

Restoring Salt-Corroded Bronze

Salt air destroys bronze. It eats through the protective clear coat and turns the metal green. In coastal cemeteries, this corrosion is aggressive.

We restore the metal on-site. We strip the green corrosion and the failed coating. We sand the letters to bring back the bronze shine. We heat the plaque to remove moisture, then apply a marine-grade clear coat. This seals the metal against the salt air.

Repairing Mower Scuffs

Landscapers have to work fast. Mowers hit the edges of the stones. We see black tire marks and chipped corners on granite bases throughout the area.

We remove the rubber marks with a solvent. For chips, we use diamond files. We grind the sharp, broken edge into a smooth bevel. It looks finished and prevents the mower from catching that same jagged spot again.

Service Costs in Charleston

We have flat-rate pricing for Charleston, Mount Pleasant, and West Ashley. We don't need to visit the cemetery to give you a price. Check our subscription builder to see the exact cost for your plot.