Monument signs in general conotate dignity and magesty. Nothing drives home that message like a Natural Stone Monument Sign. There is so much positive symbolism with building an organization on a solid rock foundation. This is why so many outfits are gravitating to Natural Stone Monument Signs by Natrual Rock Designs.
Most of our stone signs are of colorful Sandstone. Another option we offer is a hard, durable limestone. We also do some granite. Many people mistakenly assume that all sandstone is soft and will deteriorate over time. The actual hardness of sandstone varies from being so soft you can erode it with your hands to nearly as hard as granite. It all depends on how much heat and pressure it has undergone during formation. Most of our stone comes from our quarry of quartzitic sandstone. This is the hardest type of sandstone, composed of grains of quartz with silica being the cementing material. It is an intermediate stone between normal sandstone and quartzite, which is the metamorphic version of sandstone.
Normally these stone signs come in a reinforced concrete base. If you prefer to save some money up front and have yours shipped to you without a base, we can do that too. Most of our customers prefer it to come in a base because all that is needed to install them is to set them in the place you have prepared. If you want to hide the base, so the rock looks like it is just coming out of the ground, you can cut a hole in the surface the size and depth of the base for it to set down in. Some people leave it like that and others cover the base with rock or mulch ground cover. You can also set it on the surface, which exposes the base, but adds a few inches in height. Either way works. Those who have the rock sign ship without a base save the cost of the concrete base and the absence of the extra weight on the concrete base will save you on shipping costs.
The concrete base itself is reinforced in such a way that the sign can be transported across the country without damage. The process involves drilling holes in the bottom of the rock from front to back and inserting rebar through those holes, so the pieces of rebar stick out the front and back enough to longer strips of rebar parallel to the face of the rock all the way around. Concrete is then poured around the bottom of the rock to form the base of the sign.
You stone sign will most likely come by way of a freight company on a truck. If the destination is less than about 100 miles from our shop, there are other options. If it weighs about 800 lbs or more, you will likely need a fork lift or crane there to offload and set it. If it weighs less than that there is an option of using a lift-gate truck, which lowers it to ground level where you can use a dolly to place it. When using a fork lift you can just use the forks or use straps to lower it into place. Either way can work. If you need further assistance on how to handle this, you can call our office and someone with experience can advise you. That number is 208-847-1774.