Painting Headstone Lettering
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- Опубліковано 24 кві 2016
- Painting in letters of a v-cut headstone so it can be read more easily. This headstone is made of a speckled granite, which makes the lettering hard to read in it's raw cut form.
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You’re very kind for caring for the headstone of your grandparents. Many people don’t take the time to care. I feel every family or even every generation has one person who usually takes up the cause of making their stones clean and remembered. God bless.
A wonderful restoration honoring your heritage! Families are not taking up the torch to care for these memorials. I struggle to care for our family lots. I pray the next generation will take over the caring. You are a blessing 🙏
Hi Brian. Don't let the naysayer crybabies here bring you down. You did a good job and I feel that you honored your grandparents by doing this. I've seen your headstone in person, as I do a lot of volunteer restoration and repair work in that section of the cemetery.
My great aunt is buried under that pine tree in the background; small white marble stone, with her name and dates hand carved by my great-grandfather. She died of influenza at the age of five, when the Spanish Flu circled the globe. (I won't say the name of the cemetery here) Keep up the good work!
For future reference, avoid anything metal when cleaning or detailing headstones. You run the risk of leaving scratch marks in the stone. A hard plastic putty knife will do the same thing, and won't leave marks.
Using a flat scraping razor won't scratch a polished surface. It's actually the go to method for hard alkali staining..
Thanks for documenting this! The result looks amazing. I'm sure anyone in your extended family who saw it would be very grateful for your work.
Thanks for your
Video Brian. The reason lettering no longer lasts is because before 1990s engravers used leaded paint; because of H&S concerns this is no longer allowed.
After watching a similar video I decided to tackle my mother and father's headstone. I simply painted over the lettering and removed excess with a cloth soaked in paint remover
(Tip: Hold cloth firmly so it doesn't get into lettering) I was very pleased with final result. As were other family members. Total time taken approx 15 minutes
Well Done Brian... I love to see Grandkids taking the time and making the effort. As long as someone is telling their story; they will never disappear...
Hello Brian, the headstone looks great! I am a professional cemetery headstone and monument restorer, and I just want to caution your viewers about some things:
1) This method worked wonderfully well because the surface is POLISHED granite. DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT attempt this method on a non-polished surface. Those surfaces are left best for professionals. With a non-polished surface, any paint you get into the letter will 'bleed' into the micro fissures on the outline of the letter, creating one big mess.
2) ALWAYS seek permission before making any change to a marker, even if that change is 'just' a cleaning. In Brian's case, he determined that no one in his family had been there and he wanted to make it look great, which it does now! But families are groups of people with opinions, so there may be problems in changing something that the deed-holder or heir doesn't want changed. (Deed-holder has FINAL say!) Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. For example, moss and lichen may look like dirt to you, but may look like art and history to someone else. I actually do volunteer work as well as my professional work, but I won't touch any marker until I have received permission from the deed-holder or the heir. If that information can't be found, I receive permission from the cemetery. If I can't get that, I won't do it. Additionally, many markers may fall into the 'historical' category, and even cleaning them without permission may get you into deep trouble with the local historical societies.
3) ALWAYS educate yourself on cemetery policies. There may be insurance issues, historical issues, burial issues (you don't want to be spray painting when a funeral is in the area), consistency issues (every marker should look the same), etc.
4) I simply love to see people excited about taking care of their loved one's memorials! Ask questions, seek permission, have fun! And call a professional when you need help! Thanks Brian!
You make really great points! The key is definitely to be be tasteful and above all respectful of other cemetery go-ers, those whose monument you are honoring (at least in your mind, lol), and those that have the right to make decisions on behalf of the people that the stone is for.
I also love seeing people excited about taking care of their loved ones memorials. It's sad to walk by an older section or a cemetery where all the monuments have been forgotten about after generations.
Jones Family do you think this method would be safe on Marble? Thank you in advance.
+Mala Rodriguez Hello Mala! Marble is extremely porous and will present with the same issues as non-polished granite. However, and this is a BIG HOWEVER, if the marble is completely smooth and polished, you may be able to use this method. But you'd have to carefully inspect the surface to make sure that there aren't micro fissures and breaks that would permit the paint to seep through. Once it's in there, it may never come back out again. I highly recommend having a professional look at the individual stone to assess the situation. Marble is much less forgiving to errors than granite. I hope this helps you! And have fun if you do it!
Jones Family it's not polished marble. Very porous, paint is chipped in the letters. Any ideas on how we can cut cost in doing it ourselves. This is my Nana s headstone. And it looks forgotten but I go every week. I live in S. AZ, VERY HOT. 115 SUMMERS. thank you
Mala Rodriguez You would be fine with the same method, but substitute a plastic razor. That wont hurt the surface at all
OH WOW!!!!! Wonderful job Brian, and some good tips on headstone letter restoration.
Great video! Shows lot of patience and care when doing this project. Very informative, too. I can't wait to try it on my ancestors buried in upstate New York. Thank you.
I thought I was one of few people who care about the legacy and history of their family. Im sure we are still a minority but it makes me happy to see so many people in the comment section resurrecting their family history and working hard to preserve it. I hit the legacy jackpot with my family. I found a great grandparent who was a wealthy businessman. Found photos of him. Met neighbors who knew him. Turns out he had a large professional legacy tomb made that was abandonded and starting to chip apart but with the majority of the foundation strong and intact. The country its located in only required proof of lineage and a cheque and they were happy to have someone paying them and also maintaining the tomb. Its large enough to fit several people and I plan on renovating it and keeping it in the family. Thats how I came across this video. Awesome video and your grandparents are no doubt smiling with joy in the after life at all your dedication.
So nice to see a younger family member taking care of those long gone. God bless you.
That was just amazing, you should not have felt bad about the situation. You have honoured your grandparents wonderfully, well done, impressed
Very nice video. I can't tell you how nervous I was when you were talking about using molasses, spray paint and razors on a headstone, but the results look very nice. I agree with comments left by Jones Family. It is all good advice. Believe me, some cemeteries would have a fit if they saw you doing this. Another thing to note... at the 26:25 point in your video, you start talking about making granite markers to put in the cemetery for other family members. That might be difficult to do because of cemetery rules, especially if you do not own the plot. Last year I bought a grave marker for a great-great grandfather after I found his burial place. I had to jump through all kinds of hoops to get it done though. He was buried in a pauper's grave with no marker of any kind, in a section of the cemetery that had very few headstones or markers and was not even mapped out. I spent several afternoons there, mapping out that section of the cemetery myself and finally located where his plot is. I had to get permission from the cemetery to buy a grave marker and have it installed there. I was fortunate that all deed-holders and contacts on file have been gone for many years and there was nobody left to contact. Being a direct descendant, they finally gave me the green light to go ahead and have a grave marker installed. However, I could only buy the marker from a company on a list of approved monument companies the cemetery gave me. It was time-consuming and expensive, but in the end, I'm glad I did it, and the marker looks pretty sweet. Now he is no longer forgotten to time.
PolarOwlBear, what a wonderful tribute to your great- great grandfather! I appreciate your dedication and determination to insure his life was indeed significant and you, Sir, are the living proof. God bless you, Elizabeth
If I was dead, I wouldn't mind you experimenting with methods of painting my gravestone to show others whether it works or not ;)...haha ...you are awesome...thanks for sharing...and thanks to your great great grandparents!
Brian Corey, great work! Your family must be very proud and grateful that you honored your ancestors in a beautiful way. Thank you for sharing this.
My husband and I used your method on our mailbox granite inlay on our numbers. It worked perfect! What a great idea! We could not be happier.
Thank You So Much,
Deanna
A lot of people couldn't do as good a job as this their first time. This young man may be either naturally talented and careful, and/or used to working with his hands. Not to say "don't try this at home!" It's your family's headstone. Respect.
It is true that it is best to talk to cemetery reps about doing something like this.However, your main concern seemed to be with the family, maybe, not liking what you did? I would say that your Grandparents were and still are busting with pride for what you did. It was truly noble. Time is to short for us all and doing this to honor your grandparents was an act of kindness and caring that is so seldom seen now a days. Myself I have never seen this done this way with molasses and love the idea. Would have saved me a bunch of time and a stiff neck and sore back after I did my parents markers with a black indelible marker. This is a very unique way of doing it and makes all the sense in the world. Job well done!!!!
Wow. Stumbled on this. That looks amazing. Great job!
I tried this proceedure cause I figured I had nothing to lose as you could not read the lettering on my great-grandparents/grandparents grave stone & it turned out AMAZING! I was so happy! Make sure to have some hot soapy water on hand (I had to bring mine as no water source at cemetary) cause it does get messy! Also, do NOT do it on a hot day as the molasses dries too quickly. I did one side on a warm day & went great but I did the other side on a hot day & had a much tougher time getting the molasses off! Thank you for posting this video as I am so appreciative!
You have done an amazing job! Proud of you for taking time to honor them this way.
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You are a wonderful young man. Thank you for caring for this stone and showing others how we can address ours.
Awsome job. Thanks for posting this. I’m going to do my great grandparents headstone.
Great video. Job well done. It was a labor of love to restore the gravestone so that their names and biographical information was readable.
Well done for thinking of those who had to leave us. ❤ 👏👏👏👏
I have relettered several of our own, all white!
I find it easiest to pop an old cushion into a garbage bag to sit or kneel on.... Permanent marker has worked well forvme and the acrylic artist brushes with white gloss paint is the go to method.
Removing any stray drops or marks I've used hand sanitizer on cotton buts or a small face cloth.
The best thing?? The peace and quiet in our graveyard.
Peace out everybody, always remember where we came from and the certainly of where we are going. Well done again Sir 👏👏
Such a great job and I admire you so much for caring to do this and honor your great grandparents. I am presently trying to clean my 2nd and 3rd great grandparents markers. Some as far back as early 1800's. It's a job but I feel so good to do it. The older ones are losing their letters as they made them raised instead of indented. I am thinking I could put paint on the raised letters and they will be readable. Thank you so much for sharing!!
Beautiful! Your grandparents have been well honored.
Good job..your great grandparents Im sure would be pleased that you care enough to do this...very sweet
A labor of love. I'm sure everyone would be pleased with your effort.
The best paint to use is lithochrome . It’s specifically engineered to stay on stone for years. I’m a stone engraver and lithochrome is best and standard for letters and designs
Whats the best way to do this to an old sandstone crypt door? Just use a brush and litho?
How do I use it on military white granite without messing up the white granite?
thank you for this video. I learned from it and restored the lettering on my dad's headstone today.
I didn't use molasses. instead I used liquid latex, which worked better when I tested it (obviously I let the latex dry before spraying over it). I found that once I'd done the lettering and the paint had dried, removing the masking latex came off a lot cleaner with a scraper. the stone I worked on isn't polished, and had a slightly coarse texture. so when I removed the latex, I first used a scraper, then water with a pumice stone to smooth out any scratches I left, then soapy water and a cleaning brush before rinsing off.
again, thank you for posting this video.
Great job Brian!!! Your Great, Great Grand Parents would be proud!
You have done a great job, looks fab.
Amazing! The end result is Beautiful and Professional looking. If I had not seen your video and walked by your great grandparents grave I would have thought the painting was done by a company. Wish I had seen your video sooner before I hand painted each letter individually on my brother's headstone. Thank you so much for your video. You have s new subscriber.
Very nice! Your great grandparents would be proud of you!
Good job, Brian! The headstone looks great!
what an awesome thing to do! I'm gonna do that for my dad and grandparents!
It looks brand new! Great job!
You are a very smart young man!!!! Great Idea. I love your thoughts about the stones letters
i just lettered my Fathers stone and your process worked great! Thank you
I enjoyed your video and I also am about to repaint my Grandparents (stone1) and Great Grandparents Headstones (stone 2). They are similar being made of granite with a polished surface. I too will be using 'Molasses' to repaint stone 2 with black paint but stone 1 is 'gold' lettering and think I'll use 'golf leaf' which needs a gilding paste/oil base. I've another 2 stone which don't have a polished surface which will need a slightly different approach. They needed very carefully cleaned, which I've started by just using water and towelling. I am now about to clean them with an approved headstone cleaning solution spray. I'm also gonna look deeper into the painting of the lettering because its different to the polished surface, When those stones are repainted and completely dry, I'm going to apply a wax coating. (However those stones are also needing their mounting repaired/replaced.) To scrape off the molasses covered paint from the polished surface you can use a diamond stone cleaning block or cuttlefish.
wonderful job your grandparents would be very happy with you God bless you never forget your loved ones
Well done.....good grandson, and very thoughtful!
Good job.. I am sure your family would be happy with your work. It really looks nice. Blessings to you and your Family
Don't use a common spray paint from Lowe's, they make a paint for carved granite. Lithochrome is the brand name, probably can find it online if not it will have to be a supply house that caters to monument industry
Granite city tool or Miles granite supply is where we order our litho
Such an excellent labour of love! 😀
The sorgum molasses does not need to dry. I apply lithocrome immeaditly after I'm done with the molasses. I allow the paint to dry for about 15 min then take soap and water and a scrub to clean the molasses off then use the cleaner stone to take off paint. Rinse and done.
Great job!! Very thoughtful and dutiful of you.
Looks great! Thanks for the video.
I am going next week to clean my parents big standing black marble headstone. I ordered a product called A-maze. from home Depot . the mortuary where I purchased headstone recommended that. I'm so scared to scratch it. The product came with a special type of sponge. I'm going to go purchase more hopefully at home Depot. It has water stains on it. I wanted to clean it tomorrow since it is my dad's Birthday tomorrow. but to much to do before I feel comfortable doing it. I will have my oldest grandson help me. because that stone is big and it has writing on front and back. I will call cemetery to make sure again that it's alright that I clean it. I think you did a beautiful job. and I know you never knew them and what you did makes it much more special. they are an extension of you. thank you for the video.
Hello Patricia. I've never used this product. However, if you did use it, would you please tell us your experience with it? Thanks!
Nice job. Seeking permission from the Cemetery is a great first step. Knowing the material you are working with & using the correct tools helps to preserve the stones for many more generations. The Cemetery where my 2x Great Grandparents are rest with 1x Great Grandparents and my Grandparents was established in 1889. The land was donated by my 2x Great Grandparents. The Church on site was built in 1919 by family. Huge family back then. My 2x Great Grandfather even constructed his own casket to be buried in as he was 7'4". Every year volunteers from the family get together to clean the cemetery, the church (which is never locked) and the stones that need attention. The care of cemetery has always been in the hands of family members. We restored the old Church using correct methods to preserve it. The only thing we changed was the roof went to metal. We've done such a great job, the County had decided they want a piece of the action. They wanted to raise the cost of a plot from $50 to $500. We must seek permission from the County for any changes or work even though they've never had the needed funds to keep the Church standing upright. All the funding & restoration was provided by family. We went to local media to express our concerns about the decision to raise the costs of the plots. After being exposed as blood sucking leaches, they backed off. Plots are still $50. There is a sign posted in big ugly letters on the side of the Church with a phone number to call prior to any installations. Only so the County can track who is buried there. Up until last year, family had always taken care of the records. We provided them with a copy of the records. There is a Community Hall just down the road in front of a huge lake that was named after my 2x Great Grandfather. He donated the land so the surrounding families could always access the lake for water & fishing. He & his wife along with their many children immigrated from the U.S. to Alberta, Canada in 1907. They were the first settlers in the area. Always ready to greet the next families with hot meals, a place to rest & guide them. We have been responsible for that Cemetery for over 100 years. We have done right by our ancestors. We continue to take care of it & resist Government from taking over just so they can line their pockets with money only to tell us they have no funding available. We have recorded history there. Including background information on those resting there including local neighbors & friends who chose to rest there. We held bake sales, silent auctions & family reunions to raise the needed money. My favorite time is when tours are conducted with younger generations so they too can learn about the Cemetery and why preserving it is so important. Imagine not only knowing who they were but where they had lived locally and what careers they had. It's like walking into a library of knowledge. Our goal is to get everything on line so it can be accessed by all who are seeking their pasts. The pandemic canceled our family reunion last year but we are rescheduling for 2022. Our family takes pride in our history.
You did a great job. Shows respect for your relatives.
You are amazing thankyou for sharing your ideas 🇬🇧🥰❤️👍
awesome job! seem like a great dude. thanks for sharing!👍🐢
Kinda slow going some times but this does get the job done very effectivly. I do jobs like this everyday and this little trick will save you time and money. Love the history lesson of your family also. Good Job.
Josh, you are very inspirational. One day I pray a loooooong time from now, our Lord will say to you and others like you who cared, “Well done, thou good and servant.” Thanks, Josh.
He did an amazing job, people will definately pay you for it.
So very well done!
a good tip when scraping like this with a razor blade,do it in a slicing motion instead of a plowing motion.good video,he did a good job.it really stands out and the deceased are smiling as they watched him.
If I may add: use a light touch when you begin, a scratch is unlikely but lasts forever. .
LOOKS GREAT!
You did a beautiful job!!
Here are some items you DO NOT want to use when cleaning tombstones as they may cause irreparable damage to the tombstone you are trying to preserve:
Wire bristled brushes or metal instruments
Acid or acidic cleaners
Household cleaners - soap (Ivory), detergents (liquid or powder), Borax, Clorox, TSP, Calgon, Fantastik, Formula 409, Spic and Span (or any other abrasive cleaner)
Pressure washers
Sealants of any kind
Bless your heart, I know you were a little nervous. Came out very nice, now I need to go to Forest Lawn Cemetery, and repaint the writing on my dad & stepmom headstone.
I watched the video that you learned this from and feel the same way as you (where it feels so wrong). I still haven’t had the nerve, but am sure glad to see somebody watched the same video I did and I found you doing this. It looks GREAT! Ours is right on a busy street...literally, I am sure I would get the cops called on me for doing the one I am still thinking about doing, simply becasue of it’s heavy traffic location. (I do have documentation to prove that they are my parents though...I’ve given it THAT much thought). Yours looks fantastic!
Beautiful!
That turned out great 👍
A beautiful job .
Brilliant job well done 😁👍
Hi Brian! I am a Wood of Syrian and Iranian descent also. We are probably related! You did an outstanding job on this project. I am doing something similar for an aunt's headstone. Salaam, akhy :)
Very finished looking ! Molasses is an incredible material for health... masking techniques and even mold making for metal. It will even de-rust any thing if left in a vat for 2 weeks.. 1 to 9 parts water the best !! mixed in sand you can make molds for casting metal.
I used it for making a fish tank back ground mold... Designed the back ground using mud stones etc. then sprayed it with molasses/ dried it with a torch then paper mi-shay with cloth and silicon calking... then backed up with insulation spray foam. Washed all the mud away and Vila One mold.The molasses was used as a parting agent to keep the mud in place like glue and create a surface that would not glue/attach to the silicone.... worked wonderfully.
I really liked the tip and your work keep it up friend.
Great job ,,,looked very nice
Good straight forward honest video.
Hi Brian, a liquid mask or thin layer of Elmer's school glue might have been easier than the molasses. With the layer of spray paint dried over it, it would peel off easily. Your results look terrific!
Amy, that’s such a great suggestion! I’d never thought of using Elmers School Glue. I must admit, I am wary of the molasses due to the bait factor. Don’t want anything to invite more critters. Thanks, Elizabeth
I actually am pretty sure the reason they don’t use glue is because some glues will bubble up when the spray paint hits it.
Really impressive!
You shouldn’t feel bad about this you should feel good about bringing the stone to it’s beautiful it is very thoughtful of you!
I know this is a seven-year-old video, but wanted to thank you for making it. Just did this today and your video made it go very smoothly.
Well done, good job.
Great work. I have always preferred Krylon spray paints as it dries fast, so allows multiple coats if needed without runs. In my experience with Rustoleum spray, it takes forever to dry, and more chance for runs & sags if you need 2 or 3 coats.
Don't use anything but monument paint . Lithochrome
That should be V-sunk lettering. you could tell for sure if there is a distinct line in the center of the letter. The craftsman who work on your stone would have use a chisel to smooth the sides of the letters and amplify the center line. when new those letters are quite readable. a good cleaning should have brought those letters back. With that being said, it is nice to see you careing for your family's monuments. Looks nice.
LOVE IT GREAT JOB I THINK I WILL TRY IT
Really great job
I t. Looks. Great. After. The. Molasses. Was. Added. The. Letters looked. Very. Clear I love it
Awesome! Thank you!
Nice video, the upper line was written in Arabic my friend, it says "Mary Jaleet Abu-Hatab". Abu-Hatab is a last name, well known in Jordan and Palestine. Hatab means wood in English, it was mistakenly translated, as you know the last names must stay as they are.
You're welcome!
Oh wow I totally missed this comment. Thanks so much for the translation. I love seeing this and getting context!
Seven Seas i
Thank you for explaining that. Could you possibly explain my last name which is said to be from Lebanon. It is Abboud Assal. I once heard it meant black honey but I'm not sure the person was being serious. Thank you
@@staciemckenty-assal8949
Assal means just "honey" without any specific type. Good name!
You did a great job
Brian, I don't read Arabic but I do know Arabic numerals. The topmost named person was born in 1895 and died in 1948 (what looks like an inverted "v" is the number 8; a stylized capital "E" is the number 4; and what looks like an "o" is the number 5.). Since they are the same dates as Mary Jollit Wood, it's probably just the original Arabic version of her name.
Great job - well done
Remember to always start your spraay pattern off the stone and bring the apray onto the stone. This way, you won't create any runs from starting the paint spray directly onto the stone and then trying to move without getting a run.
Brian, that's a fantastic job 👍. I live in the UK, and my granny and granda's headstone cost £250.00 to get repainted recently.
Me and my wife have got a really big problem we went and tried to clean her Mum,nan and grandads grave stone because they are all buried in the same plot but the cleaner that we brought on amazon has made all the lead lettering lose all the black colouring and it’s all running down the head stone and i tried to scrub it with a Brillo pad and made it way worse. So now we have got to find a professional to repair the lettering back to black and clean all the rusty looking crap and my parents just told us it’s going to be very dear! What a dear lesson aye? LOL.
this is great, well done
That is very cool. Thank you.
Thank you, I didn't know what to do!
Thank you that helps cause my mom head stone letters already faded that the lettering looks really dirty. It gives me an idea too cause its my first time plus its white paint. If i have the head stone guys do it gonna cost more.
Excellent job.
Remember lol intentions r what mean the most. And ur intentions were pure ur aurora was peaceful and ur video turned out amazing! They r honored for your time and restoring their significance to you
🌛🌝🌜
Brilliant man.
I enjoyed your video and your humor! If everyone only had your patience.
So nice that you care.
Thanks for your video, you did a wonderful job.
This is amazing and that’s beautiful Arabica words so much love well done
You need to watch Trae Zipperer's video on how to clean a headstone.