# Burial Grave Marker - what material would you use and how to install it ?



## John Smith_inFL (Dec 15, 2017)

I would use either redwood or teak. 3" thick and one solid piece, no laminations
with stainless steel pipe legs anchored into the ground and the wood marker itself above ground.
this works for private cemeteries and pet grave markers as well.










In my very personal opinion and experience, some woods such as cypress, cedar, pine, etc.
will rot if they are in the ground. I would prefer for the marker to be above ground firmly
anchored below for stability and deter theft.


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## patcollins (Jul 22, 2010)

I would use Ipe or Cumaru, the stainless pipe is a good idea but where the heck do you get stainless pipe?

I don't think the cement is needed, have you ever tried to pull out a pipe that is 2ft into the ground?


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## Luthierman (Jun 4, 2015)

I would go with hedge. I have pulled out 60+ year old corner posts that are still good. That shiz is crazy resilient against rot.


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## John Smith_inFL (Dec 15, 2017)

yes - I have pulled pipe out of the ground. if it has smooth sides it will pop right out.
I just removed 150 feet of chain link fence that had every other pipe post cemented and every other without.
the ones with no cement came right out, the ones with cement had to be dug out.
now - rebar is different. when it rusts in the ground, it cements itself into the surrounding dirt
and is a real bugger to pull up.
Central Florida uses a LOT of stainless pipe on boat rails. very common to find. same as aluminum.
of course the builder can use whatever is available to him/her (even PVC pipe filled with cement). its their project.
I am just illustrating how I would do it if I had the job.

and I agree that Ipe and Black Locust are very good candidates. 
just hard to find in big 3"x18"x24" chunks that I would use myself.
I have made a lot of bronze plaques during the 40 years that I was a sign maker.
quite a few were personal markers to be attached to an existing stone monument.
so I know my way around plaques, markers, etc. (and some of the regulations).


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## patcollins (Jul 22, 2010)

> yes - I have pulled pipe out of the ground. if it has smooth sides it will pop right out.


Suppose that the type of dirt needs to be taken into account, I am thinking about the clay heavy dirt in West Virginia where I could not pull a pipe out of the ground without mechanical help.


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## John Smith_inFL (Dec 15, 2017)

I lived in Summersville, Nicholas County County for 3 years.
you can not even dig a hole there - much less pull anything up.
as I mentioned - this is what I would do if I had the job…. I am now back in FLORIDA.
our sand is 500 or more feet before you hit bedrock. we do not have clay like you do.
again - each person will determine what method of install suits them best.

Pat - if you are talking about iron gas and water pipe,
yes, once a pipe rusts in the dirt and rocks, it can be very hard to pull up after 20 years.


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## marc_rosen (Sep 9, 2009)

I was asked to make a 9-11 memorial for some family members of one of our doctors and I used some leftover Ipe from a contractors job elsewhere on our campus (which I was fortunate enough to score several dozen board feet of 12×1 inch boards). It is sitting on the soil and I made some anchors from "All Thread" and set some nuts on the end to hold it in concrete. Some years later our ground's crew hit the memorial clearing snow. It only budged a few inches but it stayed in the ground. The Ipe is weathered gray but it still looks very intact.
Hope you all have a safe New Year's Eve celebration and several healthy New Years ahead.
Marc


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