Restoring a Bronze Grave Marker: When Cleaning Is Not Enough and Who Can Fix It

A bronze marker that has gone dark, green or blotchy after twenty years is not dirty. It has lost its finish. Washing will brighten the lettering for a few weeks, and then the marker goes back to the way it was. At that point the question is not how to clean it but whether to restore it, and who is allowed to. This guide picks up where our bronze cleaning guide leaves off.

How to tell cleaning from restoring

Cleaning removes what sits on the surface: dirt, bird droppings, lichen, grass stains and sap. Restoring deals with the metal itself. Signs that a marker needs more than a wash:

• The background has turned green, brown or black unevenly, and a gentle wash does not change it.
• The lacquer is peeling or flaking in patches, leaving bright and dull areas.
• The raised letters have worn smooth or the surface has pitted.
• The marker has sunk, tilted or come loose from its base.

The VA, which supplies bronze markers for veterans in private cemeteries, says plainly that cleaning is not meant to make a marker look new, and that bronze made before the 1970s was not sealed and carries a blue-green patina "that will not be removed by cleaning." That patina is not damage, and many families leave it.

What refinishing involves

A monument company or bronze foundry refinishes a marker by stripping the old lacquer, cleaning the metal, re-darkening the background so the raised letters stand out again, polishing the letters, and sealing the whole marker with a new clear coat. Some companies do it on site; others remove the marker and return it. Ask what finish they use, whether the marker leaves the cemetery, and how long the work takes. Costs vary widely by region and marker size, so get a written quote.

Who is allowed to do the work

Not you, in most cases, and not without asking. A headstone or marker in a cemetery usually belongs to the family, but the cemetery controls who may work on its grounds, and many require the job to go through their own staff or an approved monument company. Call the cemetery office first. If the marker was furnished by the VA, it remains federal property, and the VA asks that it be cleaned only with the landowner's permission, only above 40 degrees, and never with a power washer, bleach or acids.

When the VA will replace a government marker

For a veteran's government-furnished marker, replacement is often the better route. The VA will replace a headstone or marker that is badly deteriorated, unreadable, stolen or vandalized, as well as one with an incorrect inscription. A family member calls 800-697-6947, Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Eastern, with the veteran's name, Social Security or service number and date of death. The marker itself comes at no charge; a private cemetery may charge to set it. If cemetery staff damaged a historic government marker, the VA says the cemetery should pay the replacement cost.

What never to try

• Metal polish or brass cleaner. It strips what finish remains and leaves streaks.
• Spray paint or hardware-store lacquer. It peels within a season and makes professional work harder.
• Wire brushes, steel wool or sanding. Bronze is soft; the scratches are permanent.
• Pulling up a loose marker. A sunken or tilted marker is a foundation problem. Our guide to sunken or tilted headstones covers who fixes it.