cemetery markers

[Undertaker]

I have been cleaning cemetery monuments for a while now and was interested to see if anyone else had and what their experiences were.
I have attached several before and after pics to show my work.

king before.jpg

king comparrison.jpg

king after both markers.jpg

marvin scott before.jpg

marvin scott after.jpg

Anyone had any experience getting the "rust" stains off of markers?

[Rick2]

I've often thought about cleaning these markers too. What type of chemicals do you use and what are averages prices?

[RPetry]

I love a good cemetery. Especially old ones with big trees and plantings, huge gravestones with artistic flair, and historical burial sites.

Good marble, alabaster, or granite is almost as interesting as good wood. Chems and pricing would be great, maybe do it as a new service. Should be able to wash wet stone!

[ERADicator]

Nice work.
If offered a job doing that with soda blasting, I'd give it a try, but maybe with potassium sulfate or magnesium sulfate so as to have less chance of "frying" the grass nearby.
So, to echo Rick2, what are you using, and what are you charging? Inquiring minds wanna know.

[Richard]

We R all waiting. Patiently I might add.

[RPetry]

Some info off the web: Cemetery Cleaning | Preservation Today

[Undertaker]

It all depends on what type of "stone" it is of course. As mentioned (and as in the pictures) using Muratic Acid will burn the grass around the markers. However, I also have the contract on mowing and weedeating the cemetery so if the grass dies around the markers I am not going to cry about it and it will grow back! LOL! The two big markers that you saw took me 1 hour to do, i used $7 worth of chemical and charged them $200! I thought that it was good money.. I used it as an example and now the cemetery wants me to clean 250 markers (which will take approx 6, 7 hour days) and they are going to pay me $8000. It is a side business and who couldnt use an extra $8000? The selling point in it is that after they are cleaned you "seal" it with a sealer.

[Doug Dahlke]

I bid one out a few years ago. It belonged to a church and a few of the members were very vocal about not having the work done. Don't know what their problem was but I never did it.

[squirtgun]

I received a call several months ago from a man in Atl. who wanted his parents head stones and slabs cleaned at the cemetery here in town.I took a look and called him back 30 minutes later with a price and details of the process I would use and the chemicals.
Between the 2 phone call between him and I he called a local funeral home and sought their advice.The owner not only gave him a price triple mine,but had the balls to tell him I had no clue what I was doing.I gave the gentleman some website addy's to visit to show in fact I did have a clue and made a Bea line for the funeral home.
Needless to say I used no tact in my approach to the funeral home owner and told him I would sue him if he so much as breathed another word about my company.
I checked at the cemetary a few weeks ago and to date the head stone and slabs have not been cleaned.

[All Surface]

[QUOTE=Undertaker;156811]I have been cleaning cemetery monuments for a while now and was interested to see if anyone else had and what their experiences were.
I have attached several before and after pics to show my work.

Attachment 12454

Attachment 12455

Attachment 12456

Attachment 12457

Attachment 12458

Anyone had any experience getting the "rust" stains off of markers?[/QUOTE]

First of all, Nice job on those Cemetary Head Stone Cleanings...
The Rust Stains are probably Sulfur Rust Stains from the sprinkler Well Water System. Normally around sensitive area's I'll use Rust Aide to remove them. your local HD or Lowes should carry it... Works real well.
WM Barr Online Store - RustAid (Gallon) (GSX00101)

[Christopher]

I have seen a website a while back that specializes in chems for headstones, I don't think that they are that much different that what you can get from EacoChem, Prosoco or other specialty chem supplier.

Just have to find out which kind of stone then match the chem, better to email pics to EacoChem so they see what you are dealing with to recommend the right chems.

I have made calls a couple years ago and they said that their maintenance guys take care of the stones, they are still dirty. I need to go back and talk to them again, maybe people have changed positions and others are more open minded.

[gregative]

I thought about going after some cemetery business but hadn't researched yet. I know most headstones and such are either marble or granite. I know muriatic can etch marble easy so watch the dilutions. Granite, I believe will take just about anything. Does anyone know of any other material used for markers and if so what cleans it best? Rust away or oxalic will clean the mineral/rust but be carefull on the marble as well. Will chlorine damage marble?

[ERADicator]

As I understand it, marble is an alkaline material, so acids will raise merry hell with it, but chlorine is an oxidant and ClO− is a weak base. I've seen one recommendation for a poultice of hydrogen peroxide (6% solution) for removing organic stains on marble, or even a chlorine bleaching-powder poultice to remove a urine stain on marble. (Okay, you've heard that expression about "____ing on someone's grave"?) "Chlorine bleach" is sodium hypochlorite, "bleaching powder" is calcium hypochlorite. The Ca(ClO)2 has greater available chlorine than the NaClO.

"Test on a small inconspicuous area before applying hog-wild."

[Undertaker]

Thanks so much for the great advice and excellent comments! I live in a very small town (pop. around 6500 people, 2 cats and one dog), the thing I have found out is that if you do something like this, they have deep pockets and a lot of "odd" jobs to do that are easy and can be very profitable! Again, this is just my side business, so it is excellent suplimentary income. Thanks again for the advice on the rust stains...Im on my way to get some chem now!
Curt

[All Surface]

Good luck! Let us know how the Cleaning goes with removing the Rust Stains.