Thread: Anchoring Tombstones

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Hi All!

New to the board and love this site! Lots of great info., ideas, and pics.

Just wanted to know how you guys anchor tombstones to the ground? I just have one, but would like to know how to keep it in place, since it is gonna be on a slight incline. It is a fairly thick foam 2 piece tombstone, a cross and a base.

Thanks.

Hi Crow! Welcome! I have a wierd way of keeping my leight weight tombstones on the ground. I put a chopstick for Chinese food halfway into the stone. The other half goes into the ground. I've had no problems in the past 5 years.

My way is a little more complicated, but I was able to withstand 30-40 mph winds last year between Oct. 17 - 31. First these are the materials that you need:

1/2" PVC
1/2" wooden dowels (sold in 4' lengths at Haunt Depot)
Liquid Nails
3/4" wood-boring bit
drill

I first drill into the bottom of the tombstone the entire length of the bit (usually about 5-6"), making sure that I keep it nice and straight...you wouldn't want to bore through the front or rear surface and ruin all your hard work. I then insert a length of the PVC, mark it where it bottoms out, and cut it. I then liberally apply the Liquid Nails to the outer surface of the PVC and insert it into the hole I've bored out of the foam. (Wait 1-2 hours for the Liquid Nail to set) Now, cut off a 8-12" section of the 1/2" wooden dowel, pound it in the ground, and place the tombstone over the dowel. I repeat this process 2 or 3 times per tombstone depending on the weight and height of the stone. This process works wonder because 1)you don't have to worry about the dowel puncturing through the surface of the tombstone 2)the PVC inserted in the tombstone reinforces it. There are several instructions out there that mention the use of rebar, but I just feel uncomfortable driving metal into my front yard...ZAPPP!!! Hope this helps.

-fly

Thanks a ton, guys! I appreciate all the help and I am definately gonna try out your ideas.

I use liquid nail to glue a 1x2 to the back of the tombstone, then i pound another , cut to length with a point cut on it, into the ground and screw them together. You might want to pre drill hole to avoid splitting.
I live in Florida and with strong winds have not lost one yet (knock on wood)or has any stolen (knock on wood again).

Wow nasty typing, but you know what I meant

I inserted 1/2" pvc pipe into my tombstones, up from the bottom. I then hammer a piece of rebar into the ground wherever I want the tombstones and just set it on top. The rebar goes into the pvc pipe. works great!