Marble Monument Cleaning

With a careful gentle hand and a bit of elbow grease you can refresh a headstone or grave marker making it easier to read and restoring some of the stone s beautiful finish as first created by the crafting stonemason.

Marble monument cleaning.

You want to keep the marble wet throughout the cleaning process by continually wiping the marble headstone with a cloth and clean water. In knowing how to clean a marble headstone properly you adopt the gentlest least invasive practices to preserve the longevity of the stone. Due to the natural ageing and weathering process you probably won t return the marble or granite to its perfect original condition however. His article begins with an overview of the material s origins and historic uses before going on to focus on its durability and defects cleaning assessments the cleaning process and the application of protective surface coatings such as microcrystalline wax or limewash.

Soak the stone by spraying it down with a hose or dumping a bucket of clean water over the entire surface. How to clean marble headstones. This is the opposite of an all to common assumption that extreme measures given the contaminants should be used on exterior marble cleaning. Only marble that is in good condition should be cleaned.

Cleaning weak marble can result in further irreparable damage. Spraying down the headstone first will help maximize the effectiveness of the cleaning solution. Steps to clean a marble headstone. Inspect the entire headstone for cracks wear and signs of damage.

Headstones can be very porous and can soak up the cleaning solution before it has a chance to work. Conservator angus lawrence supplies a brief expert introduction to the cleaning of historic marble monuments. How to clean a marble headstone. Soak the stone with water to saturate any growth that may be present.