DIGNITY RESTORED
Quote My Stone(s)
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Enjoy Hassle-Free Beautiful Monuments
Enjoy your family's precious stones fully and without hours of tedious labour, stressful guesswork and permanent mistakes., Visit them on special days, tend a small garden, and really enjoy these family gems the way they were meant to be enjoyed - to the fullest.
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No More Grimy, Ugly Stones
No more visiting encrusted, weathered, depressing family stones. We get these expensive heirlooms looking cleaner and sharper than anyone so you don't have to. You'll never go back to tolerating grimy, ugly stones.
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Be a Family Hero and Get This Done
Certain people instinctively know when something needs to be done. If you are reading this, that is probably you. Preserving the memory of loved ones for family is important. Be that special person to get this done.
Enjoy your beautiful family stones!
Restore & Enjoy Your Family Monuments Fully
with our proven detailed restoration service which reverses decades of tough grime, hard deposits and deep stains to restore your original beautiful stones.
"This means so much to us. She was a great lady and would have loved that this was done! I cant wait to plant her favorite flowers in front. Wonderful job."
Lorraine Baker
"The transformation is incredible and my sisters and I can't believe how clean you were able to get it. This was so easy to have done. I don't know why we didn't do this sooner."
Beverly Carter
"Now our family has a beautiful, clean stone we look forward to visiting on important days with the kids! It is a huge relief to finally have this done. Thank you!"
Allana Scott
"Having my wife's parents' stone restored was a gift for her. When she saw it her eyes welled up with emotion. Best gift I could have gotten her. Great work. "
Mike Mitchell
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does a detail cleaning last? Full detail cleanings only need to be done every few decades, but quick, light cleanings can be done every few years as desired. Local environmental conditions determine how fast growth returns and what deposits accumulate. The idea is to do a full detailed cleaning every 20-30 years, then quick touch up cleaning as needed in between. You can do light touchup cleanings yourself or have us do it when we are in the area.
What do you use to get the stones so clean? We use several stone and environment safe products and tools designed for use on finished stone. Each one has a specific use and care must be used in application. This is NOT like cleaning granite countertops. Our process differs depending on the type and color of stone(s), which deposits / growth are on them, surface finish, age, etc. There is no one magical product that cleans all stones equally and there are specific technoques to avoid serious mistakes. Some products are good for maintenance, others for stain or hard deposit removal, others are for biological growth. The trick is to know which one(s) to use and how to use them without doing any permanent damage. The last thing anyone wants is a permanently damaged stone or a partially cleaned monument.
Do you paint lettering? Yes, this can make many monuments look quite sharp when there is poor lettering contrast or busy stone patterns. Sometimes we recommend against it. We prefer to leave old 1800s marble unpainted as lettering is less sharp (acid rain erosion), they never had paint on them before, and new paint can look out of place on them. Deeply cut granite has enough shadow contrast that paint is redundant and unnecessary. Limestone and sandstone are also less accommodating to paint. So we stick mostly to repainting lettering on granite stones with sharp lettering and modest shadow contrast. We can advise you beforehand if lettering paint would look good on the stone.
How old are the stones you clean? We clean stones from 15 to 200 years old. We have cleaned stones dating back to 1820 and have done many, many pioneer marble stones from the 1800s. After 1870 Granite was introduced and had mostly replaced marble by the 1890s due to it's durability and strength. Newer stones under 20 years old generally don't need detail cleaning, but this depends on local conditions. We have encountered many stones in the 30-year age range which have some very tough deposits which put our experience and skills to the test.
Where do you offer service? Throughout Ontario. We can usually schedule remote cleanings with other cleanings nearby to make it economical. There may be a flat fee for long distances to cover fuel expense depending on the number of stones being restored. We can travel out of province as needed for certain jobs.
Can we do this ourselves? We advise against attemping detail cleanings yourself. There is much to consider before attempting a cleaning. Sure it is possible to do extensive research and learn the pitfalls of poor tools, inapprpriate products, etc. and then go purchase the safe products and tools needed, then do some trial and error. This takes time and money and frankly much found online is incorrect or partial info. Marble is soft and easily damaged, and granite while harder is not indestructible and can be damaged easily as well. We have worked on stones which have been previously damaged, accidentally sealed, stained, etc. by improper tools or store bought products, though well intentioned. Further, most stones have a challenge of some kind. We are equipped and have experience to handle these things and get an excellent result you can be proud of. As with other services like vehicle brake work, plumbing or electrical work, the time and effort, products and tools as well as the missing skills to get the ideal result make it wiser to hire someone with the tools, products, skill and experience. You don't want to be the one to permanently mess up the family gravestone(s) and you won't save much money anway. Do-it-yourself culture is good for certain things but based on our experience cleaning premium, custom stonework with extensive hard deposits & staining is frought with pitfalls many of which cannot be undone. Better to just have us do it than to risk messing it up and having to live with that.
What about pressure washing stones? Let's put it this way: We own pressure washers and we NEVER use them on expensive, premium monument stonework. Why? Because hitting stone with 1500-2000 PSI water jets quickly erodes stone, cuts marble, dulls polished granite, erodes unpolished stone unevenly, doesn't remove stains, and it doesn't kill the microbes in the pours anyway. It can also cause "blow outs" where frost fractures in lettering (weak fractures) can open up and cause chunks of stone to fly off only to be lost or need gluing back on. So it basically destroys stone at a highly accelerated rate and requires more frequent cleaning with quick return of growth. This crerates a cycle of more freqent, damaging pressure washing that degrades the stone quickly. Hence we do not recommend pressure washing premium granite or marble. Leave the pressure washing for pavers, sidewalks, decks, deck chairs and siding.
What is the process for having stones cleaned? First send us a pic or two of each stone and we can quote them. You can easily upload them on this page, email them or text them to us. If you don't have a pic, send us the name(s) and date(s) on the stone, city, and cemetery name so we can look on the database for it. Often we can find them and quote from file pics in the database. We send a quote to you and you approve it, we then shedule the cleaning and get the work done. The exact day depends on our order schedule, weather, and location, but we can usually get to it within a few weeks. Once the work is complete, we email before & after pics along with an invoice to you. Payment can then be made either by e-transfer or by mailed check to the address on the invoice. Then your family can visit and enjoy your beautifully cleaned family monuments the way they were meant to be enjoyed! Often families locate their other family stones for us to clean once they see what a great results they get from us. We also greatly appreciate you sharing the before & after pics and referrals of friends and family to have their own family stones cleaned. Once friends realize this quality service is available for a reasonable cost, it is an easy decision.