Flat Gravestone maker

Designing the Perfect Flat Gravestone

Your loved ones left a legacy behind when they passed away. That legacy was built on the stories of their victories. The victories of the best times, and the truly unique and memorable moments that make us smile just thinking about them. Your loved one’s flat gravestone should tell their story to the fullest. It should depict as much detail as possible and really show off who they were. When you engrave that story in stone with Bras & Mattos Monument Co. you know that the story of your loved one is set to last for generations.

In this article, we will cover everything you need to design the perfect flat gravestone for the memorial of your loved one.

Come By Our Memorial Design Studio

Bras & Mattos Monuments

26359 Mission Blvd, Hayward, CA 94544

Choosing the Right Granite COlor For Your Loved Ones Flat Gravestone

What was your loved one’s favorite color? Did they preferrer lighter tones or darker? What was their personality like? All of these questions can help you choose the right granite color for your loved one. We highly recommend letting this be your first of many design choices because it typically guides us through the rest of the Flat Marker design.

With a flat headstone or “flush, grass level, memorial” you only have the top face to design and engrave with the rest of the stone being buried or set in concrete. With limited design space, a couple of granite colors can specifically bring a higher level of contrast. India Red, Black, and our Pacific Grey color all possess an interesting polished attribute. Each of their unpolished interiors is much lighter than the polished finish. This allows us, the gravestone maker, to engrave on the colored surface in a shade of white which is naturally hued.

Granite Color Options

Tier 1

Tier 2

Tier 3

Tier 4

Common Sizes For Flat Gravestones

Single Person Flat Headstones:
24″ x 12″ x 3″ thick

Large Slab Single Person Flat Headstones: 28″ x 16″ x 3″
(Perfect for Bronze Inlaid Memorials)

Extra Large Companion Flat Headstones: 36″ x 12″ x 3″
(Great size for a loving couple)

Half Ledger Gravestone:
49 1/2″ x 48″ x 3″
(Covers half of the memorial plot)

Full Ledger Gravestone:
49 1/2″ x 96″ x 3″
(Covers the whole memorial plot, head to toe)

The Subtle Difference Between a Flat Headstone and a Flat Gravestone.

While both styles are flat memorials, the gravestone speaks to the style in general, where a flat headstone speaks primarily to the smaller single person, and companion headstones. We specify these as headstones because they are placed in the “Head” or top of the memorial grave plot. Flat Gravestones cover half or a full portion of the whole plot itself.

Source: wikipedia

Understanding this slight change in terminology will allow you to also make better design decisions. Knowing that a Flat Headstone or “Flat Marker” is placed at the top of the plot might make you want a larger font of the text used. Being that it is seen as disrespectful to walk over the actual plot, you will want to be able to read your loved one’s story from a respectful distance.

For information and the next steps regarding your loved one’s memorial, please reach out to Ryan at our design studio in Hayward, CA and he will be happy to assist. Most memorials can be built over the phone. Call us today and reference any memorials you might have taken inspiration from.

"A quality Flat Gravestone Design requires a quality Gravestone Maker"

At Bras & Mattos monuments, we pride ourselves on delivering Flat Gravestones at affordable prices. In fact, no matter the monument or memorial, you can be sure that with your help on the design, your loved one will be remembered with the perfect gravestone for their memorial plot. Thus allowing future generations to remember the legacy and story through their quality memorial.To learn more and see our full memorial design process, please view our Youtube Channel

We cannot wait to help you memorialize your story. 

Schedule time for a memorial design session