Cement Plant Haze
New Braunfels is cement country. The air is full of white limestone dust.
This dust settles on the headstones. Morning dew turns it into a hard crust. It bonds to the polish. If you try to scrape it, you scratch the face. We use mild acids for cleaning stone gravestones. They dissolve the lime crust so we can wash it away without hurting the granite.
Pecan Shuck Stains
Native Pecan trees line the cemeteries. They drop heavy nuts and shucks.
When the shucks rot, they leak a black, oily stain. It soaks deep into the stone. It looks like used motor oil. Soap won't touch it. We use heavy poultices. They draw the oil out of the rock so the stone looks new again.
River Valley Mold
The Comal and Guadalupe rivers keep the air wet. Humidity gets trapped in the valleys.
Green algae and black mold grow fast here. They cover the inscriptions. Pressure washing is dangerous; it forces water into the stone and causes cracks. We use a biocide soak. It kills the roots so the growth falls off naturally.
Historic Limestone "Sugaring"
Comal Cemetery has many old German markers made of soft local limestone.
This stone is fragile. Over time, it starts to crumble like sugar. Scrubbing destroys it. We use mineral consolidants. These liquids soak in and re-harden the stone to stop it from falling apart.
Hill Country Shift
The ground here is a mix of rock and heavy clay pockets. It moves unevenly.
Rain makes the clay swell between the rocks. Monuments tilt or slide. Adding dirt doesn't work; it just washes through the rocks. For permanent tombstone repair and restoration, we dig out the clay pockets. We install a crushed granite base. This locks the monument level.
