Ohana Heritage
Bronze restoration, on site
A bronze marker holds its finish about twenty five years. After that, the letters stop reading long before the stone does.
Quoted per plaque
What the work involves
Bronze does not fail, it dulls. The alloy oxidises into a flat green brown patina that swallows the lettering, and the raised letters, which were bright against a dark background when the marker was set, end up almost the same tone as everything around them.
We work on the plaque where it sits, without lifting it off its granite base. The oxide is taken down, the background is brought back to an even dark tone, the raised lettering and any emblems are re-leafed, and the whole plaque is sealed so it holds through a wet season.
Bronze restoration is the service where the before and after photographs surprise families most. A plaque that looked beyond saving usually is not.
What is included
- Work done on site, with no removal of the plaque from its base
- Oxide and tarnish taken down without abrasives that scar the metal
- Background returned to an even, dark tone
- Raised lettering, emblems and insignia re-leafed
- Protective seal applied over the finished plaque
- Flower vases and the surrounding granite cleaned in the same visit
Quoted per plaque. Free quotes, no deposit, and you see the price before anyone drives out to the marker.
Where we do this work
Every town inside a hundred mile drive of Citra, Florida. Pick the closest to your cemetery.
Other things we do
Headstone cleaning, done by hand
One visit takes a marker from chalky grey back to the colour the stone was cut in. Flat rate, whatever the size.
$80 flat, any sizeRe-highlighting faded lettering
The name is still cut into the stone. Re-highlighting is what makes it readable from the path again.
Quoted per stoneFresh roses and bouquets
Cut the morning of the visit, set in the vase before we leave, and photographed so you can see them in place.
Quoted by the arrangementHandmade roses and arrangements
Built to hold their colour through a Florida summer, for when fresh flowers will not last the week.
Quoted by the arrangementBears and toys for the little ones
A bear, a small toy or a pinwheel, chosen with you and placed where the wind will not take it.
Quoted by the pieceQuestions families ask
Does the plaque have to be removed?
No. Everything is done in place at the cemetery. Removing a bronze marker from its base risks the anchors and is almost never necessary.
My bronze is very green. Is it too far gone?
Green is oxide, not damage. Heavy patina takes longer to bring back but it is the normal condition of a marker that has not been touched in twenty years.
Will it need doing again?
Eventually, yes. Sealing slows it down considerably, but bronze outdoors in Florida will always work back toward patina.
Get a quote
Tell us where the marker is and what it needs. Quotes are free, there is no deposit, and we answer the same day.