Grave Cleaning & Headstone Restoration in Florence

Cleaning Field Dust and Military Markers in Florence

Florence sits right in the middle of farm country. That means we deal with a lot of dust. During planting and harvest, dirt from the fields blows into Mount Hope and the Florence National Cemetery. It settles on the headstones. The damp air grabs that dust and sticks it to the stone. It forms a brown film that rain won't wash away. It makes the monuments look stained and neglected.

We also deal with the biological growth. The air here is heavy and wet. Black algae grows fast on the white marble government stones and the concrete coping around family plots. It turns bright white stones a dirty grey. Families searching for headstone cleaning services near me call us to wash off that agricultural grime and to whiten the military markers that honor their veterans.

Cleaning Government Marble

Florence National Cemetery has thousands of white marble uprights. This stone is soft. It acts like a sponge for water, so mold covers it quickly. You have to be gentle. If you scrub these soft stones too hard, you will erase the names.

We clean them with a soft touch. We spray a cleaner that kills the mold and algae. We let it sit on the stone and work. Then we rinse it off with low pressure. The stone turns white again because we killed the dark growth, not because we blasted the surface off.

Lifting Markers in Sandy Soil

The soil in the Pee Dee is sandy. It drains well, but it shifts when we get heavy rain. Flat markers lose their support and start to dip. We often see stones where one corner has sunk deep into the ground, making the whole marker look crooked.

We fix this by building a better base. We lift the stone up. We dig out the loose sand and pack the hole with crushed stone. This creates a solid pad that water can run through without washing it away. We reset the marker level with the sod.

Restoring Corroded Bronze

We see a lot of bronze plaques in Mount Hope. The sun burns the factory clear coat off. Once that seal is gone, the metal turns a dull green color.

We refinish them on the spot. We strip the old coating and the green buildup down to the bare metal. We sand the letters so they look like gold again. We use a torch to dry the bronze completely. Then we spray a heavy clear coat to seal the metal and keep it looking dark.

Removing Tree Sap

The old cemeteries in Florence are filled with pecan and oak trees. They drop sap and tannins. This leaves sticky black spots or brown stains on the headstones.

We use a solvent to dissolve the sap. We apply it to the sticky areas and let it soften the mess. Then we wipe it away. For the brown tannin stains from leaves, we use a poultice that draws the color out of the stone as it dries.

Repairing Mower Scuffs

Landscapers have a tough job keeping up with the grass here. Mowers bump the stones. We see black rubber marks and chipped edges on granite bases all the time.

We clean the tire marks with a solvent. For the 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 Florence

We have flat-rate pricing for Florence, Darlington, and Timmonsville. 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.