The majority of memorials you see today are made of durable granite, whereas many older cemeteries have headstones made from materials like marble, limestone and sandstone. These materials often do not withstand the effects of time, weather and continuous visitors, ultimately leading to entire headstones cracking and crumbling if not properly maintained.
Many cities turn to cemetery restoration services to protect and preserve the invaluable history that their cemeteries represent. However, it’s important to choose a trusted provider to get the job done right.
To ensure you’re getting the most out of your investment, ask these six questions to potential cemetery restoration providers before making any final decisions.
1. What Cemetery Restoration Services Do You Offer?
Cemetery restoration services can include a variety of projects, completed for both single memorials and full cemeteries. Make sure the restoration provider you choose can accomplish the scope of work your cemetery needs.
At Milano Stone & Restoration, we offer the following cemetery restoration services:
- Cleaning headstones.
- Realigning headstone rows.
- Fixing broken monuments and memorials.
- Re-doing or resetting headstone foundations.
- Digging graves.
- Re-leveling the graves.
- Landscaping, cutting grass, weed whacking and trimming headstones.
- Relocation and removal of monuments and statues.
Keep in mind, a full-service cemetery restoration company, like Milano Stone & Restoration, can do all of these services by themselves, without bringing in a subcontractor or third party. Service providers that require external contractors may be more expensive and take longer to complete the work.
2. What Experience Do You Have with Cemetery Restoration?
When considering cemetery restoration providers, make sure this isn’t their first project. Consider asking for past customer testimonials to see the type of restoration work the provider has done for others. Any provider will stand by the quality of their own services, but customers often provide the most honest feedback for work that was done.
Milano Stone & Restoration has over 50 years of experience in stoneworking and memorial restoration and cleaning. We are one of the few memorial providers that offer full cemetery restoration services and have worked with a variety of cemeteries and community parks to restore their headstones and monuments back to near-original condition. To view some of our cemetery restoration work, click here.
3. Do You Have the Proper Equipment?
It’s important to know if your chosen provider is going to be using the proper tools and equipment when restoring your city’s cemetery. Unreliable equipment can be dangerous and lead to poor-quality restoration work. Additionally, providers that rent equipment from a third party may pass those extra costs onto you.
Milano Stone & Restoration, for example, is equipped with all of the commercial equipment needed for cemetery restoration projects, including:
- Multiple crane trucks.
- Heavy, commercial-grade equipment.
- A bridge saw that can cut up to 14-in thick and over seven feet in length.
- A repair shop located in Cleveland at the Milano Monuments manufacturing facility.
4. Have You Worked With Other Area Cemeteries?
It can be advantageous to work with a local company as opposed to an out-of-state cemetery restoration provider. Local companies are often able to coordinate projects quicker than out-of-state providers.
A local cemetery restoration provider is also more likely to know the rules and regulations of the cemeteries in your area—you won’t have to worry about violating any rules or any damage being done to your property.
5. How Long Will the Cemetery Restoration Project Take to Complete?
Cemetery restoration projects can take anywhere from one day to 12 months—the duration greatly depends on the type of work involved. The time it takes to clean a monument or reset a headstone varies depending on the level of work that needs completed for that particular restoration project. Keep in mind, a local provider will often be able to complete projects quicker than a non-local company. For an accurate estimate, it’s best to contact your chosen cemetery restoration provider.
6. How Much Will My Restoration Project Cost?
Cemetery restoration projects can vary greatly in cost, depending on the size of the cemetery, the number of memorials in the cemetery and the amount of work that the headstones need. Full cemetery restoration projects may cost anywhere between $5,000 to $250,000 and are typically paid for over the course of several years.
It’s also important to note that cemeteries aren’t necessarily expected to raise the money themselves to restore the memorials within their grounds. Instead, they may be able to acquire funds from city street and road budgets, or from surrounding universities if their grounds are used for historical educational purposes.
There are also a variety of grants available to aid in these types of projects. Click here to learn about a few of the grants available to cemeteries located in Ohio.
Learn More About Cemetery Restoration Services
If you’re still a bit hesitant about which provider to choose, we recommend becoming more familiar with the restoration process—this may help you make your decision. Visit our page to see how our cemetery restoration services can return your property to its historic beauty.
