Grave Cleaning & Headstone Restoration in Colchester

Cleaning Military Marble and Leveling Stones in Colchester

Colchester is different from the hill towns. A lot of the town sits on a sand plain. While sand drains well, it shifts. In cemeteries like Munson and the Village Cemetery, we see flat markers that have disappeared under the grass because the sand washed out from underneath them.

Then there is Fort Ethan Allen. This is a major military site with rows of identical white marble headstones. The problem with these government markers is that they are porous. They soak up water and turn black with mold and algae. Families searching for headstone cleaning services near me call us to dig their sunken family markers out of the sand and to clean the military uprights without damaging the soft stone.

Cleaning Government Marble Markers

The white marble used for veteran headstones is soft. It stains easily. Walk through the Fort, and you see rows of stones turned black or green by mold. You can't just scrub them. The marble is sugary and soft. A stiff brush will take the surface off right along with the dirt, fading the inscription.

We clean these chemically. We apply a biocide that kills the mold roots deep in the stone. We let it dwell, then rinse it with low pressure. This removes the black staining and leaves the stone white again, but it leaves the surface of the marble intact.

Lifting Sinking Flat Stones

The sandy soil in Colchester moves when it rains. Heavy flat markers slowly settle until the grass grows over them. We find markers buried six inches down.

We pull them up. We dig out the loose sand and fill the hole with crushed angular stone. This rock packs tight but still lets water drain through. We set the marker back on top. It stops sinking because the gravel base doesn't wash away like the sand did.

Removing Lichen from Granite

Near Malletts Bay, the air is damp. We see hard, grey lichen growing on granite bases. It looks like splashes of paint, but it is alive and digging into the rock.

We use a cleaner to soften the lichen. It turns the hard crust into a jelly that we can brush off. This gets the growth off without us having to scrape the stone, which would scratch the polish.

Fixing Leaning Uprights

Even in sandy soil, we get frost heaves. If a tall monument isn't set deep enough, the frost pushes it. We see upright stones leaning dangerously to the side.

We straighten them by digging around the base. We correct the foundation with stone and tamp it solid. We check it with a level. We get the stone plumb, then we pack the dirt back in tight to lock it in place.

Repairing Mower Scuffs

The mowing crews run big machines. It is hard to avoid every stone. We see black rubber marks and chipped granite on almost every plot.

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 Colchester

We have flat-rate pricing for Colchester, Milton, and Winooski. 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.