Considerations for selecting the right monuments

Graveyard stones are called by different names, like the headstones, the tombstone, the monuments, the cemetery stones and other names. These are the markers of the grave of a particular person which are used to identify him or her from a number of other graves in the cemetery. When you are bereaved of some near and dear one, you might wish to put the best headstone as a marker on the grave of the person. However, you must remember that your choice is not only conditioned by your likes and dislikes alone. These might also be affected by the rules and regulations related to these grave stones which might be followed by the cemetery.

So, there could be the following considerations of the cemetery for laying the tombstone monuments or the headstone, especially related to the size and the materials to be used for the laying of the same:

1. Time restriction for placing the wooden tombstone monuments: It is quite common that the cemeteries do not allow the placing of the wooden headstones on the graves. This is because the wood is prone to degradation under the open air weather conditions. Therefore, a more permanent structure might be required to be placed in place of the wooden one. The cemeteries may allow the continuance of the wooden structure for the next six months or so.

2. Shape and position of the graveyard stone: The cemeteries might also prescribe the shape and the position of these stones to be placed on these graves. These are done to facilitate grass cutting by machines or by the grass cutters. There could also be a concern of the space to be occupied by the bottom part of the headstones. With limited space availability, the cemeteries may not permit a bigger than the prescribed size of the same.

3. Specialist monuments masons requirement: Cemeteries do require regular maintenance and this is done with the help of the specialist monument masons. Their services might be required for placing the headstone monuments on the graves of the people, for rubbing the same to make the carving more visible and for adjusting the same.

Therefore, it is important that you shall consult the cemetery before going to the market for buying the one to place on the grave of the dead. The headstones monuments are made of different types of materials. These could be the stone, metals and even wood.

The most commonly used headstones are the ones made in marble or granite which are more durable than the other stone markers. Granite is not easy to carve, though it is long lasting. Marble and limestone are easy to carve but these are also prone to slow dissolution in rain which can make the inscriptions unreadable over a period of time. Sandstone usage is also widely prevalent. It is durable and easy to carve but is prone to delamination.

Therefore, your selection of the right tombstone monument is guided by a number of considerations like the rule of the cemetery, the pros and cons of using the different material tombstone monuments and even your own fancies.