The must-haves of a trustworthy stonemason
Selecting the right stonemason is crucial for ensuring the final longevity and beauty of your monument or project. Oftentimes our work is sensitive and selected during an emotional time for families as they face the heavy burden of selecting an appropriate and monument for their loved one. This is why it is so important to work with a team with a proven history, a strong reputation, and most importantly, one that you feel comfortable with.
There are 8 key areas that you should consider when deciding to work with a stonemason:
Your trusted stonemason should have the support of a team of highly skilled tradesmen, managers and administrative staff. You should feel welcomed, and supported at each step, and your final piece should be a collaboration, guided by the expertise of your team.
T Wrafter & Sons excels in this area, with a workforce trained meticulously in the stone trade, using both traditional and contemporary techniques and technologies. We understand the gravitas associated with selecting a monument, both financially and emotionally. Our breadth of skill across our team, and decades of working with cemeteries and government departments ensures that every project is handled with care, precision and expertise.
2. Comprehensive stone services
It’s important to choose a stonemason who offers a wide range of services, including in-house manufacturing. Today, many businesses protect their bottom line by outsourcing many steps of their manufacturing to third-parties, or by importing pre-cut, processed stone and products.
Unfortunately, this limits the personalisation of your monument and inscriptions, and the customisations that are offered. You are only offered minimal choices that the manufacturer provides and often the materials are often processed and sub-par quality.
By working with a stonemason who crafts all of their products locally, beginning from the design phase, through to processing and manufacturing, and finally, installation, you can participate in the process and select from truly bespoke, personalised products.
Additionally, your stonemason should have experience across a breadth of applications. With a portfolio that not only includes monuments and memorials but spans across other applications such as:
Through these varied projects you will see a breadth of demonstrated skills and techniques that could be applied to your own piece.
This versatility ensures they can meet diverse needs and preferences, and the result will be truly personalised and of the highest quality finish.
Attention to detail and a focus on the intricate elements of the final design are crucial. Your stonemason should ask you as many questions as you ask them! This shows that they care to ensure that every aspect of your monument is considered, with no detail overlooked. It demonstrates their desire to capture all of your requirements and deliver them just as you hope. Every headstone, vault, memorial plaque or monument should be as unique as the person or family it is memorialising.
Furthermore, ensuring details are documented and recorded correctly will prevent errors or miscommunications. For example, if you choose to work with T Wrafter & Sons, your project is documented in Autocad format, aiding in permit applications, maintaining manufacturing accuracy, and providing future warranty references. This meticulous approach guarantees superior craftsmanship and prevents disappointments along the way.
Precision in workmanship and the use of premium quality materials should be the core of your stonemason’s business. The only “cutting of corners” should occur when crafting your stone into its final proportions and shape.
During your project, you will notice an unmatched level of precision in the T Wrafter & Sons factory. We strive for 2mm joints in all of our stonework, and we use only premium neutral cure silicones for jointing.
It is crucial to understand the methods your stonemason uses for fixing components to substrates, or themselves. Stonework should never be adhered or “stuck” to a substrate. All stone should be pinned.
When working with us, you will learn that all of our components are mechanically fixed with non-corrosive metal fixings, such as copper, brass, and marine-grade 316 stainless steel. This ensures the durability and stability of your finished monument.
T Wrafter and Sons pins all of our stone, and a single monument can have a minimum of 14 fixing points. These fixing points require holes into, and sometimes through, the stone components being fixed. This method anchors them properly to the substrate (concrete) to avoid movement after installation.
We achieve the fixing holes by diamond tooling to reduce the occurrence of cracking, sometimes caused when holes are drilled by percussion machinery. These are important details that you should be sure to discuss with your chosen stonemason.
You should be careful to consider the structural integrity and longevity of the materials your stonemason chooses to work with. All respected stonemasonry organisations should adhere to strict quality benchmarks and guidelines in their production processes. One way of demonstrating their commitment to quality is by aligning their work to regulatory standards. They should display and discuss these during their planning and consultation with you.
One example is when determining the thickness of materials and deciding when the use of piers is necessary. Australian Standard AS 4204 provides the necessary guidelines in establishing this selection process.
For instance, the standard requires that where piers are necessitated, they must be positioned below the bottom of the burial excavation. This ensures long-lasting support for the very heavy, and often intricate monuments.
By following AS 4204, and given that most burials are at 1800mm deep, we ensure that our piers are at 2400mm deep and reinforced. We always work to a minimum of four per single monument, and six for a double monument.
The thickness of materials is paramount to ensure structural integrity in stonemasonry, another consideration that is outlined in AS 4204.
All kerbing that is manufactured or imported by us is a minimum of 75mm thick, providing greater stability and more substantial depth for fixings. Your stonemason should never compromise on this as thinner kerbing is not as structurally stable as the thicker 75mm option.
Your stonemason should choose to only work with premium manufactured materials and 100% natural stone. Regardless of budget, the quality of work, as well as the ease of ongoing maintenance requirements are determined by this choice of materials.
T Wrafter & Sons takes the unique approach that all of the Australian manufactured materials that we use are 100% natural stone which has no product applied it to make it glossy or waterproof. They are selected for their proven track record for longevity, and resistance to water absorption.
We understand the need to keep your monument looking as pristine as the day it was installed with minimal fuss or expense. Our chosen materials are cleaned using a simple combination of warm water and detergent.
It is important to note that some imported materials are not suitable for monuments as their water absorption rates are extremely high, leading to delamination of the polished surface over the passage of time.
Be sure to discuss the choice of materials, and cleaning and maintenance options when selecting your stonemason.
Finally, your chosen stonemason should demonstrate an enduring commitment to excellence, and also to safety. They should take pride in our work and strive to exceed their clients’ expectations. Be sure to only work with a licenced QBCC contractor as you can be assured that their work adheres to industry standards and regulations at all times.
You will know you can trust your stonemason if they are proud to show their accreditations, such as this one, which indicates that T Wrafter & Sons are fully licenced in the class of stone masonry with QBCC.
When selecting a stonemason, be sure to consider their expertise, range of services, attention to detail, use of quality materials, and commitment to excellence. By posing the correct questions, and addressing all eight of the considerations we have listed in this article, you can be confident in your final choice.
It is important that you connect with your craftsman on a personal level too, to avoid challenges in communication and expectations. Working with a local, family-oriented team is vital. An experienced stonemason should also be willing to provide testimonials and reviews from their work with previous clients.
If you should have additional concerns that we haven’t addressed here, please reach out to our team, or visit our FAQs page for more information. We welcome all questions and a collaborative approach to ensure your monument is a treasured investment and the perfect memorial for your loved one, for many generations to come.