You’ve seen them, haven’t you ... old marble gravestones which have broken and are now flat on the ground and encased in concrete? This type of repair can be found in most older cemeteries, and both distressed descendants and professional cemeterians have considered it their only alternative.

There are two very good reasons to avoid mounting a marble gravestone flat in concrete:

Rain and condensation will collect in the carved areas of old stones. During winter, the water will freeze and expand, causing the stone to crumble and rapidly deteriorate. Eventually the incised areas will become so blurred as to be illegible.

Low, flat gravestones are frequently driven over by riding lawnmowers. The blades "scalp" the stones causing irreparable damage.

If you want to repair an old marble gravestone, try this technique. It takes more time, but will result in a beautifully preserved and protected marker.

Materials you will need are:

	Akemi (epoxy available at monument companies)
	calcium hypochloride (swimming pool disinfectant) and soft bristle brushes
	5/8" plywood about 12 inches longer and wider than the gravestone
	pencil, straight edge, tape measure, carpenter’s square
	bender board 1"-2" wider than the thickness of the gravestone
	wood blocks or "L" shaped metal brackets to hold the bender board
	nails or screws
	mortar or 1/4" minus concrete
	concrete trowel

The stone will need to be removed from the cemetery and taken to a warm dry area. Be certain to carefully map the area where the stone belongs so that it can be returned to the right spot. If necessary get permission from the cemetery sexton to remove the stone. Notify interested persons (other family members, local historical society or genealogical society, or police or county authorities) of your plans and the repair location.

Start by thoroughly cleaning all sides of the stone. If it is broken into several pieces, be certain that the edges that will be joined are also clean. Use calcium hypochloride and a soft bristle brush for this cleaning, and rinse off all traces when the stone is clean. Then prop the pieces up in such a way as to allow optimal air circulation and let dry completely. This will take many days and should not be rushed.

Using Akemi and following directions carefully, reassemble the stone. Do not substitute hardware store epoxy for this process, as it is not formulated for outdoor use with stone. Be careful not to get any epoxy on the surface of the stone.

Build a form to encase your gravestone completely on the back, top, and sides. When completed, the mortar or concrete will extend approximately two inches on either side, above, and below the stone, and will be one to two inches deeper.

Lay the plywood on a hard flat surface, and arrange the stone on the wood so there are at least six inches of wood on all sides. Using the straight edge, tape measure and pencil, carefully trace an outline on the plywood which extends two inches beyond the edges of the stone. Keep the sides straight, even if the stone is curved or angled on the sides. If the top of the stone is squared, your form should be also. If the top is curved or intricately shaped, finish your form with a graceful and uniform arc, duplicating the stone arc if possible. The bottom of your form will need to be perfectly square.

Once the outline is completed, remove the stone and use nails or screws to attach supports along the outside edge which will hold the bender board. Measure the sides from base to the beginning of the top or top arc, and cut two pieces of bender board to that measurement. These will attach first to the side blocks on the plywood base, and the bottom and top boards will butt or rest against them. The bottom board should extend a few inches beyond the side boards, and the top board needs to be a few inches longer than the length of the top arc. Measure this by curving a metal ruler along your arc line. Attach the top and bottom boards to your form.

Mix the mortar or concrete and fill the form one to two inches deep. Place the stone on top of the mortar or concrete (it should now be level with the top of the bender board), and continue to add mortar or concrete until it is level with the top of the stone and bender board. Using the concrete trowel, smooth the surface.

After 24 to 36 hours (when you can no longer press your finger into the concrete surface) remove the bender boards. Allow at least another week before you remove the plywood or attempt to move the stone.

Once protected in this manner, your stone can be returned to the cemetery and mounted upright over the grave. A good base for such a stone is a large concrete block with a mortised slot three inches deep and about one inch longer and wider than the encased gravestone. Fill the slot with mixed Portland cement and insert the gravestone. Trowel off the excess cement, leaving a sloped surface to allow water run off.

Important Update on Repairing Marble Gravestones

A post card arrived recently from Lynette Strangstad, noted authority on the preservation of gravestones and author of A Graveyard Preservation Primer. Lynette wrote,

Thanks for keeping me on your mailing list. It helps keep me up to date on what’s happening on the West Coast.

Your recent newsletter (June, 1998 - Vol. 7, Issue 1) talks of encasing stones in cement/mortar to "preserve" them. Unfortunately, as I read the instructions, this method can be harmful to soft stones such as marble. In freeze/thaw or heat (expand)/cold (contract) cycles, the softer marble (or other stone) may give way to the harder mortar. Thus deterioration can be accelerated. Just thought I should let you know.

Naturally, we were very concerned that we might have given bad advice about a method of stone repair. However, the intent of the recommended repair was to provide an added level of strength to fragile stones that have been victimized by vandals. Remote cemeteries all over Oregon, as well as neglected inactive cemeteries in urban areas, are regularly visited by those who find some pleasure in deliberately breaking old tombstones. It was the preservation and fortification of such stones that prompted our article entitled "Repairing Marble Gravestones with Mortar or Cement."

We contacted Lynette and explained our concerns. We also asked if there was a safe alternative. Her response was, "I understand what you’re up against, but I have no really good ideas. One of those questions for which there are probably no good answers. Do what you think is in the best interest of the cemeteries concerned. … I would not ordinarily recommend those techniques for managed and maintained cemeteries."

We are very grateful to Lynette for her concerns and for taking time from her busy schedule to assist us with this problem. And, we agree that gravestone repair in managed and maintained cemeteries should be done by experts with restoration to original condition as the only goal.