How to Preserve Stone Monuments
Monument stones are created with millions of tiny grains that make up the finished stone. By preserving the stones you can prevent the tiny grains from coming apart and ruining areas of the monument stone. Preserving the stones requires you to follow a series of steps.
Things You’ll Need:
- A soft bristle brush
- Pump sprayer filled with water
- A plastic scraper
- Stone consolidant
- Begin preserving the stone before it starts to fall apart. If the memorial stone has already begun falling apart, preserving the stone will be pointless, as the seal of the stone has already started to break apart.
- Select a soft bristle brush that matches the hardness of your stone. Softer stones will need very soft brushes in order to prevent breakage while preserving the stone.
- Use the pump sprayer to wet the entire surface of the stone. Be sure the area is evenly covered without saturating the stone.
- Use your soft bristle brush to scrub the entire surface of the stone. Test the brush on a small area of the stone in order to determine if a softer or harder bristle brush is needed.
- Rinse the stone with the pump sprayer once you have finished scrubbing the stone. Be sure to remove all loose particles with the water in the pump sprayer.
- Use the plastic scraper to remove risen areas on the stone that were not removed with the brush.
- Allow the stone to dry completely.
- Use the consolidant to treat the memorial stone. Consolident will help prevent the stone from falling apart in the future.