Flat Headstones, Gravestones, and Memorials
Designing The Perfect Flat Headstone
Of all designs for a loved one’s memorial, a Flat Grass Headstone is by far the most common and least expensive. Although being the most common choice to memorialize a person’s life, Flat headstones also offer the most customization at value.
Flat headstones typically come in 4 distinct sizes: Single Flat Markers, Medium Flat Markers With Vase Holes, Double (Companion) Markers, and Large Flat Ledgers.
In this article, we are going to talk about each flat marker design. We will outline an estimated price range for each type, and help you to decide if a flat grass marker is the best way to commemorate your loved one.
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Flat Grass Markers or just Flat Headstones are a specific type of headstone used most often in cemeteries all over the Bay Area. They incorporate a polished upper face with sawn sides. The stone itself is buried in the ground, when set, leaving the polished upper face flush with the grass around it. The sizes available can also be labeled as Single Flat Markers, Medium Flat Markers with Vase Holes, Double (Companion) Markers, and Large Ledgers that cover either half or the whole of the grave plot.
Traditionally, a Single Flat Marker will most commonly be 24″ x 12″ x 3-4″. This giving you a 2′ design area, which is just enough to tell a brief story of a loved one lost. The Single Flat Marker is buried in the ground only showing its upper designed face and can have a host of beautiful design elements within. Any stone technique can be used on that front face which includes the name, dates of birth and passing, and other messages, quotes, or scenes from their favorite things in this life.
A Double or Companion Flat Gravestone is one that typically will bear the family surname in the upper middle of the headstone as well as the first names of those memorialized. Their first names will be engraved on either side of the bottom, right and left, portions. On many companion markers, the first names and dates of birth and passing will adorn the left and right portions with an adjoining custom art piece engraved in the middle. Since this monument is used for multiple memorials in one, it is also typical for this style of marker to be 3′ to as large as 6′ wide.
A Large Ledger Grave Marker is one that is also buried in the ground with the difference being it covers the whole grave plot. Ledgers are commonly 89″ x 36″ x 3-4″, so you have a huge amount of space to tell the whole story of the life of your loved one. Ledgers are common among graves in the Bay Area, but we highly recommend checking with the cemetery to know whether or not you will be allowed to have such a large memorial.
Medium Flat Headstones With Vase Holes
The Medium Flat Headstone is a common hybrid utilized in much of Northern California. Typically 28″ x 16″ x 3-4″, these medium markers will also have a 3-4″ hole cut out of them at the top to allow for flowers to adorn the grave. Given the larger top polished face, the design can incorporate much more detail when telling just one person’s story. We call this a hybrid stone because in some cases you may be able to limit the amount of custom design to utilize the space as a companion stone; hosting two names and all 4 of their impartant dates.
Granite Color Options
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Choosing Your Material
This is always a good place to start. Throughout North America, the most chosen material to build these types of memorials is granite. Granite is a natural stone mined from select portions of the world.
Granite is long-lasting and tough. With proper engraving techniques, you can expect your chosen memorial to last for an industry average of 7 lifetimes.
Other but far less common materials used for Flat Grass Memorials are sandstone, limestone, and other natural stones. Being less common, you will likely pay a pretty penny to build your chosen memorial in anything other than granite.
More Flat Headstones: Design Ideas
"Designing Quality Flat Headstones Requires a Quality Monument Builder"
At Mattos Monuments, we pride ourselves on delivering Flat Gravestones at affordable prices. No matter the size or shape of the monument or memorial, you can be sure that with our help on the design, your loved one will be remembered with the perfect headstone for their memorial plot. Thus allowing future generations to remember the legacy and story through their engraved words. To learn more and see our full memorial design process, please view our Youtube Channel