FAQ-aftercare
Written by: Annissa Cole
Published: 23rd September 2026
It’s natural that J.Gumbrill receives many customer questions about memorial aftercare. The commissioning of monumental masonry is a significant investment that comes from a lot of thought. Therefore, once the memorial has been placed, there is a desire to ensure it is looked after well.
Here, we have collected some of the questions our team is asked most frequently, together with the answers.
Customer questions about memorial aftercare
It’s natural that J.Gumbrill receives many customer questions about memorial aftercare. The commissioning of monumental masonry is a significant investment that comes from a lot of thought. Therefore, once the memorial has been placed, there is a desire to ensure it is looked after well.
Here, we have collected some of the questions our team is asked most frequently, together with the answers.
Q: How do I clean and maintain the headstone?
This depends on the material the memorial is made from. Different stones require different cleaning methods. For example, nothing abrasive at all, even a brush, can be used on slate as it will scratch. We also advise taking care when cleaning painted or gilded lettering, as scrubbing and rubbing could cause the paint or gilding to come out. When your memorial is installed, we will send you a memorial care leaflet. We would generally say, if in doubt, a gentle clean often is better than an occasional one where you need to apply a lot of pressure.
J.Gumbrill offers a cleaning service if you are unsure about cleaning the memorial yourself, or are unable to. We will visit it to appraise its condition and provide a no-obligation quote for the time we think it will take.
Q: I see people online getting dramatic results with a pressure washer. Is this the type of service you offer?
No, it’s not how we would clean a memorial. Although it’s possible to have a striking ‘before and after’ from use with a pressure washer, this can also cause damage to the stone, especially softer natural stones. It can also dislodge lettering. We instead use professional chemicals and tried and tested manual techniques.
Q: Do you offer restoration or repair services?
Yes, both. We have a wide range of services from cleaning and restoration to repairs of significant damage. What can be achieved is incredible, memorials which might have been thought to have needed replacing can often be made to look good as new. The renovations page of our website has before and after images of just some of the amazing transformations we have carried out.
If your monumental masonry is in need of TLC, please get in touch. Our memorial mason will carry out a free assessment of the memorial and suggest a way forward. We will never recommend replacement of a memorial if we think it can be restored. Sometimes, it may be difficult to tell how much work needs to be done in total before initial stages have been completed. For example, the memorial might need to be cleaned before we can tell if the inscription is able to be repainted or if it also needs to be carved again first. In cases like this, we will discuss the implications with you to ensure you are fully informed, and we will never carry out any work without your prior approval.
Q: Do you keep records in case we want to add inscriptions later?
Yes, we hold records of memorials we have produced in the past. When an additional inscription is requested, our monumental mason will go and assess the stone, so we can include any recommended restoration in our quote. If the original memorial was created by another mason, this is not a problem. We can usually obtain all of the information we require to create an additional inscription by appraising the stone. Our expert letter cutters are able to match previous lettering styles to create a seamless result.
Q: What happens if the memorial becomes damaged or unstable?
Unfortunately, memorials can become damaged. This can be accidentally, for example by groundskeeping staff in the course of maintaining the burial place. More gradual damage caused by weather or other environmental conditions is also possible. Prolonged exposure to rain or prevailing winds, or nearby plants, can take their toll. Older memorials can lose stability over time. This is because the techniques and materials that were used to fit them were less developed than those we have today. For example, iron was often used to secure memorials into place in the ground, but this can degrade over time in damp conditions. This can lead to instability or collapse.
Even quite dramatic changes in stability, or major damage, can be fixed. Please contact us and our memorial mason will go and inspect the memorial and establish what repairs can be effected and their likely cost. Please don’t assume nothing can be done or the memorial is beyond repair. The new techniques we have available today, together with our masons’ skills and experience, means all kinds of restoration is possible.
For any other questions you may have about care for your memorial, or any other aspect of monumental masonry, please contact our friendly team. We’ll take some details and help you through the process from start to finish.
Thanks for your time, Annissa.
