Five Signs It’s Time to Restore your Tombstone

All types of memorials, including tombstones, statues or monuments, can be used as eternal memories to preserve the past of our loved ones. By choosing to clean and/or repair the memorial, you can prevent dirt and decay from ruining its original beautiful state.

High-quality monuments can be preserved for thousands of years while the Granite Tombstones will hardly degenerate. The lettering and any engraving or etching should look the same as when they were created. However, irrigation water, tree sap, birds, grass cutting, and other naturally occurring factors can make the monument look dirty or stained. Therefore, the memorial must be properly cleaned frequently to maintain its original beauty.

Below we outline five signs, which mean it’s time to restore your monument.

1. The paint is peeling off.

Paint degradation is a nuisance. The tombstone of your loved one is an eternal celebration of their life and a central place for gatherings between you and your family. Don't let faded or peeling paint stain your experience. Although the monument is painted with high-quality paint made specifically for granite, the paint color of outdoor monuments will slowly fade and will chip over time.

Some factors that contribute to this situation include:

Outdoor elements: rain, snow, sunlight. Monument type: upright tombstone (guaranteed for 5 years) and flat lawn tombstone (guaranteed for 3 years). Location of monuments: Monuments placed under trees or places with low water levels fade faster than those placed on high ground.

2. Dust and pollutants have accumulated.

Outdoor elements such as lawns, rainwater and air pollutants accumulate on monuments and monuments. When you start to notice the accumulation of these dirt, it may be time to clean up the monument. Note: Monuments located under trees usually require more restoration than monuments located in open spaces.

If you choose to clean or repair the monument yourself, here are some suggestions:

Use plenty of clean water. It may take 20 gallons of water to clean an ordinary monument. Do not use a pressure washer or any soap. Wet the monument thoroughly before washing it. Use fiber or nylon brushes. Start cleaning from the bottom with water and oil. Work hard until you succeed. Don't let the monument dry until you finish flushing.

3. The monument is sinking.

If the foundation of the memorial is not deep enough and the backfilling is improper, there may be frost and/or surrounding vegetation under the foundation. This will cause the monument to first lift when it freezes, and then sink, tilt, or tilt when it melts. The recent disturbance of the surrounding graves will also affect the foundation of the one you love. If the memorial service of your loved one seems to sink or tilt, contact your memorial service provider for help.

4. The monument was damaged by something.

Unfortunately, natural disasters and human error occasionally destroy memorials or monuments. For example, a nearby tree or its branch may fall on the monument, smashing it. Or, while maintaining the surrounding landscape, lawn mowers may split the monument. In either case, it is necessary to contact your CPA to help repair the damage.

5. It is not made of granite, it has begun to deteriorate.

Although granite monuments are used for preservation (they naturally degenerate less than one thousandth of an inch in 1,000 years), tombstones and monuments made of other materials are not like that. Usually, monuments built in the 19th century or earlier are made of less durable materials, such as limestone or marble.

Due to its porosity, structures built from materials such as marble, limestone, and sandstone are prone to the so-called "saccharification" phenomenon. This means that over time, these monuments and memorials will begin to crack, chip, and erode, often making their inscriptions illegible.