Consultation: Before embarking on a preservation project, it is essential to establish a clear and comprehensive scope of work. Professional assessments and master plans help you identify high-priority needs, evaluate tasks suitable for volunteers, and select qualified contractors—even if you choose to partner with an organization other than Stone Revival Historical Preservation.
We advise against accepting generalized bids that lack specific details regarding project scope and costs. Detailed project planning should always follow a thorough evaluation. We assess and document every feature of the property to provide a complete picture of its current condition and long-term preservation requirements, ensuring you have a strong knowledge base when consulting with contractors.
Comprehensive Assessments Our evaluations include detailed condition assessments and treatment recommendations for every grave marker, historic fence, structure, and associated historic or modern feature. We also evaluate potential risks to monuments caused by tree encroachment and burrowing wildlife.
Master Planning A master plan, rooted in a complete assessment of all cemetery features, provides the foundational roadmap needed to move your project forward. Master plans outline urgent interventions as well as long-term maintenance strategies following restoration. By clearly prioritizing needs against limited funding, a master plan serves as the ideal starting point to determine the appropriate scope of any future restoration work.
Documentation: Every project completed by Stone Revival Historical Preservation is thoroughly documented, including comprehensive before-and-after photography. Upon project completion, clients receive complete digital records optimized for both online publication and printing.
Historical Research and Record Creation: We provide comprehensive historical research to establish a documented narrative for cemetery properties lacking established records. Additionally, targeted genealogical and historical research services are available to uncover the stories of individuals interred on the grounds.
Mapping/Database Creation: We utilize high-precision GPS equipment achieving approximately one-centimeter accuracy alongside advanced geographic information systems (GIS) to generate professional cemetery maps. Our digital mapping integrates comprehensive burial records and high-resolution headstone photography directly into the spatial data, fully tailored to your organization’s specific requirements.
Clients save on overhead by avoiding expensive proprietary cemetery management software. Our maps are produced using free, open-source QGIS, which can be installed locally on your computer for seamless, independent record management and updates. All spatial data and mapping are performed in-house without the use of third-party subcontractors.
Custom relational databases are also available to organize, track, and manage any specialized historical or genealogical data your project requires.
Burial Listings: We generate comprehensive digital burial records in PDF format, systematically organized by section, row, and plot location. Each document includes a complete alphabetized index for quick and efficient reference.
Cleaning: All monument cleaning is executed strictly by hand. Stone Revival Historical Preservation utilizes specialized solutions such as D/2, ReVive, or Wet & Forget for the safe mitigation of biological growth. Complex conservation challenges—including gypsum crusts resulting from environmental pollution, paint or permanent marker graffiti, ferrous metal staining (rust), and bronze oxidation—require targeted intervention. Because cleaning protocols depend entirely on lithology and the specific nature of the staining, treatments are evaluated and determined on a monument-by-monument basis. To mitigate permanent discoloration, graffiti removal is prioritized as rapidly as possible.
MECHANICAL CLEANING METHODS ARE NEVER USED BY STONE REVIVAL HISTORICAL PRESERVATION.
We employ zero power tools, pressure washers, or abrasive blasting techniques. Our conservation methodology relies exclusively on appropriate chemical treatments and natural-bristle brushes. Aggressive mechanical methods accelerate stone degradation by stripping microscopic layers of historic material, thereby shortening the lifespan of the artifact. Because such practices are widely condemned by professional preservation and conservation standards, we adhere strictly to non-destructive, conservative cleaning ethics.
Read more about cleaning grave markers.
Resetting and Stabilization: Restoration protocols are tailored specifically to the structural typology and lithology of each marker.
Multi-Piece Stacked Monuments: Each individual component is reset and secured using specialized lime mortar. Following assembly, all joints are neatly pointed to ensure a uniform aesthetic and to establish a watertight seal, effectively mitigating freeze-thaw degradation—one of the primary drivers of monument displacement and failure.
Tablet Markers (Unbased): These markers are set with approximately one-third of their total height embedded securely in the ground. The foundation is stabilized using a carefully compacted mixture of pea gravel and sand, backfilled with thoroughly compacted native soil.
Tablet Markers with Socket Bases: These markers are meticulously reset into their historic socket bases using historically accurate natural lime mortars. Stone Revival Historical Preservation exclusively formulates these mortars utilizing Natural Hydraulic Lime (NHL 3.5) and graded mason’s sand.
Repair: The complexity of repairing fractured or broken markers varies significantly depending on the nature of the damage. Structural repairs are executed using specialized epoxies and traditional lime mortars selected for their material compatibility. Stone Revival Historical Preservation utilizes professional-grade conservation adhesives, including Akemi Akepox 5010 and Tenax Eliox, to ensure durable, structurally sound, and historically sensitive repairs.
Stone Consolidation: Advanced structural degradation often requires stone consolidation treatments to arrest active disaggregation—commonly referred to as “sugaring”—and mitigate other forms of material loss, thereby stabilizing the monument for safe cleaning and repair. While marble, sandstone, and limestone are particularly susceptible to this type of deterioration, conservation protocols are tailored individually to each artifact. Stone Revival Historical Preservation utilizes industry-standard consolidants, primarily selecting Prosoco OH100 or LimeWorks Waterglass, to ensure material compatibility and long-term structural preservation.
Stone Fragments: When severe deterioration leaves only a small portion of an original grave marker, traditional repair may be structurally unfeasible. In such cases, we construct a period-appropriate brick box foundation featuring a secure capstone designed to receive and display surviving stone fragments. This approach elevates the remnants off the ground, protects the remaining material, and preserves the integrity of the gravesite.
To maintain historical accuracy, bricks are sourced exclusively from architectural salvage companies to match the era of the cemetery. Whenever feasible, the capstone slab is crafted from Indiana limestone; otherwise, it is formed using cured concrete.
Base Replacement: When structural replacement is necessary, new concrete foundations are poured and allowed to fully cure prior to monument installation. Where historic integrity dictates, original limestone bases can often be replaced with authentic material sourced from southern Indiana, contingent upon the availability of appropriate stone matching the original specifications.
Historic Fencing: Wrought and cast iron fencing, prominent architectural features of the Victorian era, can be meticulously restored through targeted structural repair and protective coating. Comprehensive historical research is conducted to determine the original paint color of the fencing; when original finishes cannot be definitively identified, tailored color options are collaboratively reviewed with the client.
Prior to painting, a specialized rust conversion primer is applied to arrest oxidation. To ensure maximum precision and protection of the surrounding landscape, all painting is executed strictly by hand to prevent overspray. Furthermore, all adjacent grave markers and monuments are carefully draped and secured prior to the application of any primers or coatings.
Landscape Restoration: Landscape remediation encompasses clearing brush and vegetative debris, as well as carefully backfilling sunken graves where a tangible marker is present. Depressions associated with unmarked graves are intentionally left undisturbed, as the depression itself serves as the historic marker of the interment.
When structural tree hazards or declining health threaten the site, professional arboricultural consultation is recommended. To prevent accidental impact or disruption to rehabilitated monuments, all necessary tree removal operations should be completed prior to the commencement of stone restoration work.
Ongoing Maintenance Services: Tailored to address these specific, smaller-scale needs of previously restored cemeteries. These services include:
Targeted Resetting & Stabilization: Re-plumb and secure isolated stones that have begun to lean or shift due to seasonal freeze-thaw cycles or settling soils.
Biological Growth Management: Gently remove damaging lichen, moss, and atmospheric staining from vulnerable markers using safe, approved treatments that protect the stone substrate.
Minor Mortar & Joint Maintenance: Inspect and repoint hairline cracks or failing joints with period-compatible lime mortar before moisture intrusion causes structural failure.
Condition Monitoring Surveys: Conduct periodic check-ins to catch new weather damage, fallen limb impacts, or vandalism early, allowing for proactive, low-cost interventions.