Restorations

Over the last 100 years we have learned more of what materials last better. Because New Zealand is far away from the world’s stone supplies, in the past most monuments were mounted on a concrete foundation. Much of this old concrete is very weak and is now failing. It is always better lasting in a monuments construction to have more stone and the least amount of concrete as possible but today’s concrete is much stronger and will last better than this material did in the past. However, many families are now taking the opportunity to replace concrete bases with granite as our prices are so affordable.

Some of our work

Another example of poor quality concrete base work. There are two problems here, the base could have been too smooth for the plaster to adhere and the plaster was too thick and weak. It would have looked ok for a little while before the cracks started to appear. We have replaced the base with a granite one in a contrasting colour for a modern effect. The monument will be maintenance free for many years to come.

At some stage the full-cover concrete surround has been removed but there was insufficient foundation left to support the headstone. We made a new concrete base and finished it in white cement plaster to match the while marble headstone.

These family monuments were in need of a major renovation so we removed everything there and started again. The granite plaques only needed a clean and wording re-whitened and were mounted on a new plastered concrete base. The remainder of the plot was grassed in new top soil.

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Here is yet another example of poor quality concrete base work. This one has been painted which will look ok for a while but end up like this, looking worse than if it had been left natural plaster finish. This base was replaced with a granite base and plinth and the inscription re-whitened.

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The family wished to inter other family members in this existing plot so we replaced the concrete base with a new base made from granite. We chemically cleaned the existing headstone and re whitened the inscriptions. Using an existing plot is a good idea as it saves land and is one place to visit in the cemetery instead of several different plot locations.

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In this case the family did not want to totally remove the foundations so we re-concreted the top and mounted the granite plaque on a more upright angle, this will ensure the lettering remains readable longer as when a monument is flat or very slightly sloping, water and lawn clippings sit in the inscription and it won’t last.

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The family wished to inter another family member in this existing plot. While there was room on the plaque the family chose a lower maintenance option ~ replace the concrete base with a new base made from granite. We chemically cleaned the existing plot and re whitened the inscriptions. Using an existing plot is a good idea as it saves land and is one place to visit in the cemetery instead of several.

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The granite headstone is in good condition only needing a chemical clean and the lettering re-whitened. The concrete was in poor condition so it was removed and the headstone mounted on a new foundation at the head of the plot. With lawn seed sown in fresh topsoil the grave will look good for many years to come as the local authority will mow the lawn being more than one plot.

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The granite headstone is in good condition only needing a chemical clean. The concrete which has been painted is not so good and cracked so was removed and the headstone mounted on a new foundation at the head of the plot. The lettering was not re-whitened as in this type of engraving it is not necessary to do so to read the inscription.

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The granite headstone is in good condition only needing a chemical clean and the lettering re-whitened. The concrete which has been painted is not so good and cracked so was removed and the headstone mounted on a new foundation at the head of the plot. With lawn seed sown in fresh topsoil the grave will look good for many years to come as the local authority will mow the lawn being a double plot.

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