Grave Cleaning & Headstone Restoration in Goose Creek

Lifting Sinking Markers and Cleaning Fire Ant Dirt in Goose Creek

Goose Creek sits on low, sandy ground. The water table is high. When we get a heavy Lowcountry rain, the ground gets soft. In places like Plantation Memorial Gardens, we see flat bronze and granite markers sinking deep into the turf. The grass grows over the edges, and within a few seasons, the marker is completely hidden.

We also fight the bugs. Fire ants love the sandy soil under the headstones. They build mounds right against the warm granite, pushing the dirt up and covering the inscription. They also tunnel under the base, which causes upright stones to lean. Families searching for headstone cleaning services near me call us to dig their family markers out of the grass and to stabilize stones that the ants and the rain have shifted.

Resetting Sinking Flat Markers

Gravity wins when the soil is this soft. A heavy granite base will settle until it finds hard ground. In Goose Creek, that might be six inches down. We find markers where the sod has grown completely over the top.

We pull them back up. We carefully lift the marker and set it aside. We dig out the mud and replace it with angular crushed gravel. We tamp it down hard. This rock base creates a drain field so water moves through it without washing the support away. We set the marker back on top, flush with the grass.

Dealing with Fire Ant Damage

Fire ants are a real problem in the cemeteries here. They pile sticky red dirt all over the face of the stones. Worse, they move so much dirt from under the base that the stone starts to tip over.

We clean off the red dirt they piled up. Then we check the level. If they have undermined the stone, we pack gravel into the void to stop the leaning. We stabilize the ground so the monument stands straight again.

Restoring Oxidized Bronze

Plantation Memorial Gardens has a lot of veteran markers and bronze memorials. The humidity attacks the clear coat on the metal. Once that coat fails, the bronze turns a chalky green.

We restore these right at the grave. We strip off the old finish and the green corrosion. We sand the raised letters until they look bright and new. We heat the bronze to dry it out. Then we spray a heavy clear coat to seal the finish.

Killing Black Mold

Goose Creek is swampy. The air is always wet, which feeds black mold on the porous stones. It grows into the concrete and marble, turning them a dirty grey color.

We kill the growth with a biocide. We soak the stone and let the cleaner work on the roots of the mold. After it sits, we rinse it away. The stone brightens up because we removed the living organism that was covering it.

Repairing Mower Scuffs

Cemetery crews have a lot of grass to cut. Mowers hit the edges of the stones. We see black rubber marks and chipped granite on almost every plot.

We scrub the rubber marks off with a solvent. For the chips, we use diamond files. We smooth out the jagged edge so it looks finished. It also stops the mower blade from catching that same spot next time.

Service Costs in Goose Creek

We have flat-rate pricing for Goose Creek, Moncks Corner, and Hanahan. 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.