Guidelines for Cemetery Conservation - National Trust of Australia

GUIDELINES FOR CEMETERY CONSERVATION
PART FOUR -- APPENDICES
7. Spalling, fretting and delamination of monuments
Rising damp (particularly near the base of the stone)
Improve drainage at the base of the stone.
Note that re-setting stone monuments improperly in concrete will accelerate this
deterioration and any such work should be avoided unless it is strictly in accord with
the procedures outlined in Section 2.3.1 of Part 3.
Where significant monuments are already so set and deteriorating, the
monument should be lifted and re-bedded in sand and fine gravel. Ifit is possible
to remove some or all of the concrete this should be done, but only if there is no
danger to the stone.
Stones should be reset vertically if they are leaning, especially if the inscription or
decorative side is facing the ground.
Salt accumulation (particularly under mouldings)
Ponding of rainwater (particularly on shoulders and
carving of monument)
Remove loose and flaking stone. Fill cracks with acrylic resin.
Remove overhanging branches which trap airborne dust and salt particles and shed
them upon the stone.
Repair pointing to prevent entry of water if it is a compound monument. Ensure that
water is drains well off the monument.
8. Inscriptions fretting on the monuments
See (7).
Also abrasion by vegetation in a wind
Treat cause as in (7) above, but first record as much of inscription as possible and
photograph with the sun slanting across the face of the stone. Lodge a record with the
local History Society and Society of Genealogists.
As a general rule, inscriptions and decorations in stone which are of interest because
of their style and character should not be recut. In such cases a small stainless steel
plate with a copy of the inscriptions may be fixed to with water-proof epoxy resin
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