Answers About Our Estate Boulders For Plaques, Signs

Here are questions that are commonly asked about the natural rock reproduction Estate Boulders manufactured by Valley Monuments, Inc.

These unique and practical landscape accents are quickly becoming the preferred way to showcase large, architectural-size plaques and signs at public parks, universities, resorts and golf courses, museums, private residences corporate offices, historical buildings, libraries, zoos and other locations.

They are the common sense alternative to the cost and difficulty of acquiring, moving and installing a real boulder weighing up to two tons for that purpose and then trying to professionally mount a plaque or sign on it.

• How are the Estate Boulders manufactured and shipped?
• How many years will they last?
• Do the boulders require special care?
• Is there a manufacturer's product guarantee?
• How are the Estate Boulders colored?
• What choice of natural colors are available?
• Who can we order the bronze plaque(s) from?
• Tell us about your free website marketing support
• How are the plaques or signs installed on the Estate Boulders?
• What shapes of plaques or signs can be mounted in the boulders?
• How many days before we receive my order? How will it be shipped?
• Should our customer worry about possible theft of their Estate Boulder?

How are the Estate Boulders manufactured and shipped?
The rugged castings are hollow, approx. one-inch thick, and open at the bottom. They weigh between
350-400 lbs. (but are exact replicas of rocks that would normally weigh two tons) and are manufactured from construction-grade GFRC cast stone to withstand freeze-thaw conditions and 9,000 psi (pounds per square inch) of pressure. They are crated on pallets and shipped via nationally-recognized common carriers such as FedEx Freight.

How many years will they last?
Due to modern high-performance polymers and other scientifically-developed, construction-grade admixtures, our GFRC cast stone replications are designed to last for generations--even in freeze-thaw conditions and in the face of mowers, watering and trimming--and typically wear in the same manner as, or superior to, natural rock.

The rocks are actually one of the few products that will look better with age as the elements (i.e., rain, sun and snow) give them an even more lifelike, weathered appearance with each passing year.

It's important to note that a national expert in the restoration of historical monuments made from marble and granite such as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery (who represents the firm that did most of the artifact restoration for the HMS Titanic) has estimated GFRC cast stone products will last 100-150 years before requiring any restoration work. In fact, he said that is about the same duration after which monuments made from other materials such as marble and granite need work.

Do the boulders require special care?
The only special care required is in climates with freeze-thaw conditions. Our cast stone formula includes moisture-proof admixtures and an industrial sealer has been applied to all surfaces. However, we strongly recommend purchasing from your local hardware or home improvement store a penetrating concrete sealer and applying it to the boulder (after gently washing it with mild, soapy water to remove dust) every 5-6 years for best protection against moisture intrusion and freeze-thaw cycles.

No chemicals or cleaning solvents should ever be used to clean the products. Care should be taken when unpacking, moving and installing the boulder(s), but if one should be accidentally scratched or chipped, the mark will likely disappear from view as natural weathering takes place over several months, similar to natural stone. However, easy-to-use scratch "kits" are available upon request.

Is there a manufacturer's product guarantee?
A 100% Satisfaction Guarantee is offered for the lifetime of each boulder if the craftsmanship is found to be defective in any way (with the exception of naturally-occurring adjustments in color). Customers with
a valid defective craftsmanship claim will receive an immediate replacement with an identical product once the claim is confirmed.

How are the Estate Boulders colored?
Since detailed latex molds for the boulders are tediously taken from actual rocks found in nature, our customers expect that the color process used for them match the realism of the replica castings.

Their demand for quality is met by skilled craftsmen who enhance the GFRC cast stone with permanent natural shades using a proprietary coloring process which requires no special maintenance in the future
(as previously mentioned, our customers are usually pleased to learn the three basic colors of the
boulders will actually appear more lifelike over the years with the helpful affects of the natural elements such as the sun, snow and rain).

What choice of natural colors are available?
There are three natural colors to choose: Slate Gray (popular in the Midwest and East Coast areas of the United States), Sandstone and Red Rock.

Who can we order the bronze plaque(s) from?
Most of our wholesale customers already have a preferred supplier for their bronze plaques (or have
an in-house foundry). However, if they don't already have a relationship with a bronze foundry, we can refer them to several reputable manufacturers.

Tell us about your website marketing support
So that your customers can gain a better appreciation for the benefits and beauty of our Estate Boulders, at no charge we can provide our active accounts with their own personalized website catalog including
3-D images of all our items which can be shown to customers by a sales representative in a
retail store or in an office with access to the Internet during a sales appointment.

See an example of this kind of "specialty" website at www.GasserOlds.RecognitionRocks.com which features the Estate Boulders and eight of our 20 different Recognition Rock models for plaques up to 25" (W) x 17" (H) in size.

We can have a similar personalized website available for any of our clients within a day or two. It can
be independent of their main website (with a link to the "specialty" website from the main site) or incorporated into their site after we mail their web designer a disc with the text and graphics necessary
to feature all the models with our 3-D "technology" (as seen on www.GasserOlds.Reco gnitionRocks.com), more details about the products, consumer-oriented answers to common questions, color choices, etc.

How are the plaques or signs installed on the Estate Boulders?
Once the plaque or sign is received by us, we will install it in a custom hand-chiseled recess in the chosen boulder with the customer's choice of industrial epoxy adhesive or hardware that can be screwed into the drilled and tapped reverse side of a plaque or sign after we drill holes into the boulder to accept it (the hardware must accompany the plaque or sign when it is received by us).

Customers who want the flexibility of being able to remove the plaque or sign in the future for whatever reason normally choose installation with hardware whereas the epoxy adhesive is a popular choice with
all others who want a permanent mounting.

What shapes of plaques or signs can be mounted in the boulders?
Since the hand-chiseled recesses are all custom crafted, we can accept ovals, squares or rectangular shapes.

How many days before we receive my order? How will it be shipped?
We ask that our customers fax us a completed order form for one of our GFRC cast stone boulders on the same day their customer places a plaque or sign order with them so we can prepare for the arrival of the sign or plaque from them or a particular foundry, Once we receive the plaque or sign, please allow 5-7 business days for its installation and shipping of the boulder by common carrier depending on its final destination in the United States (longer if elsewhere).

Should our customer worry about possible theft of their Estate Boulder?
Once customers see how realistic our 350-400 lb. rock reproductions are, they often agree it's unlikely anyone is going to bother with what appears to be a two-ton natural rock that would require incredible effort and a crane to move.

However, if they feel it's necessary in their area, we suggest the use of the heavy-duty rebar hook manufactured underneath each rock for anti-theft purposes.

To use this feature, a customer should purchase a length of chain of which one end is locked onto the rebar hook (with an inexpensive combination or key lock) while the remainder of the chain is pushed
into a cement-filled hole underneath the boulder where it can be left to dry to form a pillar for extra
anchor security.