The methods below are only for dark granite memorials only and is in no way suitable for a marble memorial.
Do NOT use wire brushes, steel wool or sandpaper to clean granite - this will damage the surface. - I cannot emphasise this enough. Also if you are unsure the difference between pumice and any other grey/white rock, please stick with Solvol. You can see a photo below of a really nice porous peice of pumice that is perfect for picking up any surface dirt or paint on granite. Pumice will be far lighter than it appears for a rock it's size, this is due to the many pockets of air that make it appear almost sponge-like.
Only repaint if you absolutely must. You may find that the inscription is just dirty and needs a good clean - a toothbrush and water should do the trick.
For cleaning, you will need:
Pumice a light porous peice equal to or larger than the palm of your hand (alternatively Sand Soap (Solvol) or Sugar soap)
Hose/Bucket & clean water
A clean cloth
Toothbrush
For painting you will need:
Enamel paints - Black to fill in natural pitting around the lettering
White for the inscription
Razor blade paint scaper
Paint brush (mineral spirits to clean the brush after use)
An old towel and clean cloths
And a nice sunny day
CLEANING THE STONE
1) To prepare the pumice rub it on smooth concrete to create a flat surface.
2) Check the surface of the pumice for any small stones by looking into the holes on the surface and rubbing the pumice on your hand, you should be able to feel if there is a sharp small stone on the surface of the pumice
It is important to remove any small stones as they may scratch the surface of the plaque.
3) Soak the pumice in the water and whilst pressing firmly begin rubbing it in circular motions on the granite.
This will take off any dirt off the surface without damaging the stone. If you hear a constant squeeking noise while doing this you may be pressing too hard.
4) For any dirt that remains inside the inscription, rubbing with a toothbrush should help loosen the dirt without damaging the surface.
5) Rinse the stone with clean water and wipe with a cloth.
REPAINTING THE INSCRIPTION
We recommend you use ENAMEL BASED PAINT.
1) You will need to clean any flaking paint from inside the inscription.
This can be done with anything plastic or wooden that’s small enough to fit
inside the lettering (even a toothpick or popsicle stick can do the trick if its all you have.)
DO NOT use a wire brush or steel wool or anything abrasive. This will scratch the polished
surface of the stone and encourage moss and lichen to grow.
2) Apply a thin coat of black paint to the lettering - the aim here is to fill in any of the natural pits
on the polished surface of the plaque before white paint is applied. This will give you a much cleaner look.
Wait at least a few hours for the black paint to dry, overnight would be ideal.
3) Apply a thin coat of white over the letters, do not worry if this goes outside of the lettering.
It is important not to apply too much paint otherwise it will dribble, and pool in the edges
of the lettering.
Leave the paint to dry for 1-2 hours.
4) Apply a second coat of white and leave to dry for at least 1 day.
At this point the stone will look like a mess, but don’t worry, once you clean off the surface
paint it will look like new again.
5) Take a wet towel and lay it over the painted area of the stone - leave it for about 30 minutes.
6) Using a razor blade paint scraper carefully scrape the paint of the surface of the stone, this will speed up the cleaning process but is not necessary.
7) Using the same method of cleaning in the beginning, wet pumice, memorial & use circular motions.
8) Rinse off the stone and wipe dry with a clean cloth.
And there you have it, how to clean and repaint a granite memorial. Now after saying all of that If you are after a very fast way to repaint the lettering that will enable the stone to be done in 1 day then you can use spray paint - DO make sure you apply the black first - it is VERY important otherwise your stone will have white spots all over it. This method is not going to last as long as the traditional way of brushing it on with enamel, and you may need to do more than 2 coats of white/silver spray paint. It is important to wait for the paint to dry before applying the next coat and also try to ensure an even coating is applied - once again not too heavy or you will end up with paint pooling in spots. And remember, if you end up unhappy with the finished results you can always use paint thinner and start over.
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