What Happens During the Marble Restoration Process?

Marble headstones and memorials take a beating from the elements. They withstand wind, rain, snow, extreme temperatures, and dirt, year after year.

Over time, however, these conditions can lead to cracking, chipping, shifting, and even complete breaks to headstones, impacting the impression the public has of your loved one.

Thankfully, careful, experienced marble restoration can help restore your loved one’s headstone to its former glory, allowing generations to come to learn more about your loved one.

Here’s some of what happens during the marble restoration process:

Evaluation

The first step to repairing any damage is determining exactly what needs to be done.

Some damage, such as a fully broken headstone or a crooked stone, is obvious. In these cases, the initial phase of work is evaluating the overall condition of the stone, as well as the surrounding area, to determine what type of repair is necessary.

For less obvious damage, such as cracks and chips, the stone is examined closely to get an idea of what repairs are required.

Cleaning

Before the repairs can be made, the stone must be cleaned so there’s no surface dirt or grime to impact the repair process.

Our team uses gentle cleaning solutions and tools that won’t further damage the stone, but that have enough power behind them to remove years of dirt, grime, and pollution.

Sometimes, the cleaning process reveals new damage that must be repaired. This is especially the case with exceptionally old or dirty stones.

Repair

Depending on the issue at hand, this stage can take from a few hours to a few days.

If the stone is tilting and needs to be steadied, the stone must first be lifted to an upright position. The ground underneath the stone may need to be dug out to allow the footing to take hold in the ground, and then it must be anchored with more earth or, in some cases, gravel.

For broken headstones, a safe but strong epoxy is used to adhere the broken pieces together. The stone is then clamped and braced to hold the pieces in place until the epoxy can dry. Most of the time the stone is brought back to our shop for these repairs.

The process of repairing a broken headstone can take several days, especially if the stone is fragile or cracked into several pieces.

Final Checks

Once the stone is anchored into place or the epoxy has dried completely, the stone is checked for any further damage and to ensure that the repairs were done correctly. The stone may also need to be cleaned again to remove any debris that was the result of the repair process.

Marble Cleaning & Repair in Maryland

For more than 85 years, Merkle Monuments has provided high-quality memorial markers and headstones to families across Maryland. We believe so firmly in preserving family history for future generations that we also specialize in careful, professional marble cleaning and repair services. If you need a headstone cleaned, a broken stone fixed, or a leaning monument leveled, our team can help. Call today for an estimate!