Is it cheaper to buy a headstone online?
- Is the headstone manufacturer or company you are browsing reputable, and how long have they been in business? Be cautious of a headstone business with only a few short months or years behind them, or that promises a headstone in a short period that almost feels too good to be true. A headstone created from high-quality granite, with exceptional attention to detail and innovative technology, is a work of art and a critically important part of the grieving process for customers. A business with little to no experience carving headstones can quickly become a quality nightmare, not to mention shoddy craftsmanship during such an emotional time.
- Does the company you are currently browsing have good reviews? Another vital aspect of finding a suitable headstone is reading the reviews and how many reviews a business has. Try to find a company with a minimum average of 4.5 stars or higher to ensure that the tribute and legacy of your loved one is nothing less than the best.
- Before you choose a headstone or its material, it is essential to reach out and check with the cemetery where your loved one will be buried to see if they have any headstone requirements. Some cemeteries may ask that only certain materials be used as headstones or have stricter thickness, length, and width requirements.
- What materials do they work with? Seek a company that always utilizes genuine granite or premium-quality bronze, as they are some of the longest-lasting, rugged materials ideal for a headstone to withstand the years. Some less-than-reputable companies may attempt to cut corners and costs using subpar bronze alloys or even use inferior, thin pieces of granite that cannot withstand weathering and extreme temperatures.
- Always check a company's warranty policy. If a brand new company offers a lifetime warranty, there is a very high chance the business may not be around long enough for them to honor that guarantee.
- When browsing online for a headstone, please don't forget to budget for installation, contact your cemetery, and know beforehand if they have any regulations about how a headstone is installed. While headstone installation isn't complicated, having a professional installation will guarantee its beauty and longevity far longer.
- In the long run, you can save yourself and your family quite a bit of financial burden when keeping these things in mind as you browse for a headstone online.
What are cheaper alternatives to headstones?
As not everyone has the same financial situation, several budget-friendly options to pay tribute to your loved one can be as breathtakingly beautiful as any other. Granite or bronze grass-level headstones and gravemarkers offer an affordable alternative without the worry of lessened quality, as our grass-level markers are created from the same exquisite pieces of genuine granite and high-quality bronze we use in all our creations.
Single grass-level headstones are an elegant, timeless means to commemorate a loved one.
What Is The Best Material For Making Memorial Headstones?
We can confidently tell you that granite is the best material for a headstone. Granite almost always lacks internal structures, making it an extremely tough material. The quartz and feldspar within granite form a very tight, interlocking structure that creates a beautiful, uniform composition. That composition is ideal for engraving and bringing out delicate details in carvings.
Granite is not just for creating headstones—its composition has made it the top choice for construction and other structures for centuries. Granite's tight crystalline structure ensures that water cannot find any easy means to penetrate the stone, making it highly durable in extreme temperatures and weather.
In addition to being able to weather centuries of being outdoors, granite is available in a surprisingly large amount of beautiful colors and shades, from light and dark grey, deep midnight black, and shades of red, blue, pink, green, or even orange.
What color granite is best for headstones?
While the versatility of color is a beautiful option with granite, our years of engraving and working with this material allow us to say that the best colors for headstones are very deep greys or black granite.
Black granite is best for headstones because it is a powerful yet understated color and flawlessly offsets any engraved text, motifs, or imagery inscribed on headstones. The contrast between its deep tones and the lighter etchings creates a visually striking effect. It draws the eye and makes heartfelt epitaphs easier to read, ensuring the precious names, dates, and messages stand out distinctly for decades.
Why are headstones so expensive?
- Materials and Size – A reputable headstone company should only use superior quality headstone material to guarantee beauty, longevity, and durability. As such, premium materials can raise the price of a headstone. Stone is often purchased from a quarry per cubic inch, so the cost of material and sizing frequently influences the cost factor.
- Highly Skilled Craftspeople. To ensure exceptional engraving and a flawless finish, a reputable headstone maker will hire, employ, and pay their employees well for their years of highly skilled artistry and labor. Many aspects of headstone creation require precision and years of particular training and technology expertise to provide stunning details that capture the legacy of a person being memorialized.
- Details – Granite headstones typically have five visible sides: front, back, left, right, and top. Typical polished or matte velvet finishes do not influence price, but finishing on the remaining three sides (left, right, and top) can increase price due to increased labor in polishing or finishing the piece. Additionally, more complicated granite headstone shapes, such as a teardrop or butterfly, add more detail and yield higher production costs for the headstone maker.
- Almost every monument includes the inscription of the departed one's name, birth date, and death date within the price, and it occasionally includes basic decoration. Additional details, such as shape carving, relief carving, sculptural details, and more intricate ornamentation, can drive up the cost as the added details require more work from the craftspeople creating these carvings.
- Large etchings or images – While etching stone can be done by laser or a skilled artisan, the amount of skill required and time to do a large, personalized etching is far greater than other engravings. Complicated, large image etchings can put a headstone's price toward the higher end of the spectrum.
Lastly, every headstone or grave marker purchase generally includes the regional delivery cost. As some headstone makers sell their goods in person, online, or online only, shipping and handling fees can apply to pricing.
Can you use vinegar to clean headstones?
Vinegar should never be used to clean a headstone; neither should household cleaning products such as bleach, baby oil, or shaving foam. If you must use a cleaning agent, use a very weak mix of mild, gentle dish soap and water.
Anything more substantial can stain, or in some cases, an extremely porous stone like marble can absorb the water and soap. A porous stone that traps water can potentially crack, as during winter months, that trapped water freezes, expanding within the porous stone.
You only need soft towels for drying, water, and a soft-bristled brush to clean a headstone. The brush removes pollen, dust, dirt, or grass clippings. Next, clean water is used to wet the headstone thoroughly, and gently rub the surface in a circular motion using a soft towel or bristle brush to remove dirt and grime. Once satisfied, use another dry, clean towel to remove all moisture.
Are grave markers cheaper than headstones?
In terms of affordability, a grave marker is often a more budget-friendly option for a memorial. Thankfully, this isn't because of cheaper materials or less importance placed on craftsmanship but because the size of a headstone created from superb materials affects the price. The larger the headstone, the more a headstone maker must pay for the material per cubic inch.
Gravemarkers created from high-quality granite can showcase the same elegance and delicate artwork as a headstone at a fraction of the price.
What are flat headstones called?
Flat headstones are often called grave markers or grass-level headstones. Grass-level headstones are smaller options for memorials, which usually sit flat against the ground and can be read and seen when standing before a grave. A few flat-head stone designs may also come with a slight angle to make it easier to read.
Out of all the memorials, the flat gravestone is the easiest to keep clean and maintain, whether you rely on the cemetery grounds keepers or yourself to clean it.
A flat headstone is an excellent option for those who want to capture the personality of their loved one when they may not have the financial assets to build them a large monument.
Are marble headstones more expensive than granite?
While we cannot deny that marble, like granite, is a gorgeous stone, it is far more expensive than granite. In addition to being more expensive, marble is much more challenging to maintain than granite and, is not known to be a hardy stone in the face of seasonal changes, weather, and extreme temperatures. The marble's more delicate nature can quickly become much more costly as engraving can be worn away from environmental factors and because the stone is soft.
It can take as little as a decade for a marble gravestone's surface to become pitted and stained and the inscription to become eroded enough to be challenging to read. Not to mention, after some time, even when touching a marble headstone, many people find tiny grains of marble crumbling away from the headstone and onto their hands.
Does the VA pay for veterans' headstones?
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) can, upon request, at no charge to the applicant, provide a Government headstone or marker for the unmarked grave of any deceased, eligible Veteran in any cemetery around the world, regardless of the date of their passing.
The government-provided headstone or marker can be offered to eligible veterans who passed on or after November 1, 1990, and whose graves are already marked with privately purchased headstones.
The VA provides flat markers in granite, marble, and bronze or upright headstones in granite and marble. Bronze niche markers are also available to mark columbaria used for cremated remains, but it is essential to check with cemetery officials first before placing the mark to ensure it is allowed. Private cemeteries may have regulations on acceptable memorial items within the graveyard.
Should the burial or memorialization of a deceased veteran be within a national cemetery, state Veterans' cemetery, or a military post/base cemetery, the headstone or marker can be ordered by the cemetery officials directly, based on inscription information provided by the next of kin or authorized representative.
Spouses and dependents are not eligible for a Government-furnished headstone or marker unless they are buried in a national cemetery, state veterans cemetery, or a military post/base cemetery.
What are the pictures on headstones called?
- Porcelain Headstone Photo
The first is a porcelain headstone photo, utilizing toners baked into the porcelain to ensure generations of details without weathering and fading. These photos can be added during or after the construction and installation of a headstone and affixed with a weather-resistant adhesive.
- Etching
Etching is a process that excels at creating imagery on a headstone with exquisite detailing. Etching can create shallower cuts but showcase increasingly astonishingly detailed design patterns that perfectly capture real-life photographs and objects.
Etching can be used on various memorial stone types by hand or laser. Hand-etched or laser-etched, it is a complicated procedure requiring many years of training and different skill sets.
- Engraving
Engraving is one of the most common means to produce lettering, symbols, and images for a cemetery headstone. This process involves creating works of art or cutting different design patterns into a hard granite surface.
Engraving can be done the traditional way, utilizing a hammer and chisel or using a sandblaster to accomplish the same hand-engraved effect. Sandblasting is more widely used for granite because it provides unparalleled precision, accuracy, and efficiency. Sandblasting uses highly compressed air that shoots minuscule particles of sand at high pressure, eroding the surface gently to create lettering and designs.