Brazos Bottom Mud
The ground here is river bottom clay. It gets sticky.
When it rains, this mud swells and grabs the granite. It pulls the marker down. We see flat stones buried half a foot deep. Digging them up is a waste of time if you don't fix the base. The clay just swallows the new dirt.
For tombstone repair and restoration, we have to stop the sinking. We hoist the monument up. We slide a stabilizer grid underneath. This creates a raft. It spreads the weight out so the mud can't drag the stone back under.
Oak Leaf Stains
The cemeteries in Bryan are full of Post Oaks. They drop leaves all year.
Wet leaves stick to the headstones and rot. They bleed a dark brown liquid into the stone. It looks like a rust stain or spilled coffee. This isn't surface dirt. The stain soaks deep into the pores of the rock. You can scrub all day with soap and it won't move.
We use a chemical poultice. We mix a specialized powder into a paste. We smear it over the spot and cover it. It sits for 24 hours and pulls the brown stain out of the stone. We wash the paste off, and the stain goes with it.
Humidity and Mold
It stays humid here. The stone sweats. That dampness breeds black algae.
It looks like soot, but it roots into the granite. People looking for headstone cleaning services near me usually want to pressure wash it. That damages the stone. High pressure forces the roots deeper. The mold grows back faster.
We use a biocide soak. It seeps into the rock and kills the roots. The black stuff turns brown and dies. Then we rinse it away gently.
Fire Ant Damage
Fire ants build mounds right up against the warm stone bases.
The dirt in those mounds is acidic. It sits against the polish and burns it. It leaves a dull, rough ring around the bottom. You can't wash that ring off; the finish is eaten away. We treat the ground to move the ants out. Then we use alkaline cleaners for cleaning stone gravestones. We neutralize the acid so it stops eating the stone.
Red Clay Dust
There is construction everywhere in town. The air is full of red dust.
It settles on the markers. The morning dew turns it into a hard paste. If you try to wipe it off dry, you scratch the polish. It acts like sandpaper. We flood the stone with water for grave site cleaning services. We float the red grit off the surface to keep the shine safe.