Answers To Manufacturer, Retailers' Recognition Rock Questions

Valley Monuments' GFRC cast stone Recognition Rocks™
are ideal for bronze plaque, flag pole and trophy-award manufacturers and retailers who want to offer their customers a more practical, back-to-nature product line.

• How are the Recognition Rocks™ manufactured?
• How durable are the rocks?
• Do the Recognition Rocks™ require special care?
• Is there a manufacturer's product guarantee?
• How are the rocks colored?
• What choice of natural colors are available?
• Do the Recognition Rock™ prices include the custom bronze plaque?
• What if a customer wants to order a plaque that's larger than the standard size?
• Who determines the plaque layout? What if a mistake on the plaque is our fault?
• Is it possible to see a proof of the plaque layout before it is cast?
• How many days does it take for an order? How will it be shipped?
• Our customer has a ceremony in two weeks. Can they receive their order sooner?
• Can we get a display sample for our retail store?
• Once the Recognition Rock™ arrives, what's the best way to unpack it?
• Should our customer worry about possible theft of their Recognition Rock™?

How are the Recognition Rocks™ manufactured?
The rugged castings are hollow, approx. one-inch thick, and open at the bottom. They weigh between 50-60 lbs. (but are exact replicas of rocks that weigh 800-1,000 lbs.) and are manufactured from construction-grade GFRC cast stone to withstand 9,000 psi (pounds per square inch) of pressure. They are shipped to either the trophy-award retailer or direct to their customer via FedEx Ground in 350-lb. test, double-walled corrugated boxes using an industrial foam-in-place packaging system.

How durable are the rocks?
Due to modern high-performance polymers and other scientifically-developed, construction-grade admixtures, our GFRC cast stone replications are designed to last for decades and typically wear in the same manner with only minimal maintenance and care (primarily in climates with freeze-thaw conditions).

Recognition 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 Recognition Rocks™ 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 monument 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 product is returned and the claim is confirmed.

How are the rocks colored?
Since detailed latex molds for the monuments 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. (In fact, as previously mentioned, customers are usually pleased to learn the three basic colors of the memorial rocks 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. Examples of these colors are available elsewhere on this website.

Do the Recognition Rock™ prices include the custom bronze plaque?
Bronze manufacturers and retailers supply their own plaques (they normally ship the completed casting to us for installation in the rock they ordered before we ship the whole package to their customer).

Flag pole and trophy-award manufacturers and retailers can order a Recognition Rock™ with or without a handsome bronze plaque sized 7 1/2" (W) x 5" (H) which can feature their customer's choice of up to 10 lines of text with as many as 46 characters per line. Although 10 lines are potentially available, it's not necessary that all lines be used if a customer prefers to have less text appear on the plaque.

Remember, eight of our Recognition Rocks™ can handle plaques up to 11" (W) x 8 1/2" (H) in size which of course will accept more text.

The maximum number of characters per line is 46 for the 7 1/2" (W) x 5" (H) plaques (each letter, number, space and punctuation is a character that should be counted in this per-line total). As you know, the more characters and words on each line, the more the individual characters must be reduced in size to fit the final layout.

Once the plaque is received from the bronze foundry (usually 15-20 business days), it is pre-installed by Valley Monuments into a chiseled recess in the Recognition Rock™ before being shipped to its final destination.

What if a customer wants to order a plaque that's larger than the standard size?
Recognition Rock™ models CGD1-CGD6 and CGD9-10 can accommodate 11" (W) x 8 1/2" (H) bronze plaques, but they have to be special ordered from us so we can create a larger custom-chiseled space--at no charge--in the desired model.

Who determines the plaque layout? What if a mistake on the plaque is our fault?
If the plaque is ordered through us, we reserve the right to determine the style, size, capitalization and layout of the text provided according to the plaque space available to ensure the most professional appearance possible unless a specific request is received from a customer for a particular layout at the time of ordering. Most importantly, we are not responsible or liable in any way for misspellings or errors in fact contained in the information submitted by customers.

Is it possible to see a proof of the plaque layout before it is cast?
Absolutely! Just make your request known at the time of ordering and a proof of the text layout for the plaque can be e-mailed or faxed for your approval. After an actual or electronic signature of approval is received the plaque will be sent to the bronze foundry for casting.

How many days does it take for an order? How will it be shipped?
Once your order is received, please allow 15-20 business days for production and pre-installation of the bronze plaque and 3-5 business days for shipping depending on its final destination in the United States (longer if elsewhere).

Since they can weigh between 50-60 lbs., all Recognition Rocks™ are carefully packaged in 350-lb. test double-wall corrugated boxes using an industrial foam-in-place system to protect them during transit. They are then shipped via FedEx Ground.

Our customer has a ceremony in two weeks. Can they receive their order sooner?
Yes! Customer sometimes ask that their Recognition Rock™ be shipped before the plaque has had time to be cast by the bronze foundry. In that case, it is possible for the rock to arrive in as early as 6-8 business days from the order date when requested by the customer.

If a ceremony is scheduled and a customer wants to have a temporary plaque visible in the chiseled inset of their rock for the event, at no charge a computer-generated replica bronze plaque on photo paper--mounted on FoamCore™ and sealed with acrylic spray--can be shipped along with the order. The temporary plaque will have the exact same text as the original which will arrive separately within the normal 15-20 business days.

Please note that, although there is no charge for the replica plaque, there is an additional $20 charge for separately shipping the original plaque--once it has been cast by the bronze foundry--and a tube of epoxy adhesive (with installation instructions).

Can we get a display sample for our retail store?
Absolutely! Industry professionals who see our realistic and durable products at trade shows agree "seeing is believing." That's why, for first-time customers, we offer a 50 percent discount on one or more Recognition Rocks™ of their choice with a permanently affixed fictitious bronze plaque for display purposes only (shipping is extra).

Once the Recognition Rock™ arrives, what's the best way to unpack it?
First, it is the customer's responsibility to check for damage in the unlikely event something happened to it during shipping. (On the rare occasions there is damage, the customer must contact Fedex at 1-800-GO-FEDEX to make a claim before contacting the retailer from whom it was purchased to discuss a replacement).

Once the package is opened, the industrial foam-in-place packaging system material can be removed by breaking off or carefully cutting it away from the memorial piece-by-piece and disposing of it. (Note: Traditional bubble-wrap or "peanut shell" material isn't suitable for shipping products as heavy as the Recognition Rocks™). Cutting and tearing off parts of the corrugated box often make it easier to access the hardened foam for removal.

Please remember, the manufacturer is not responsible for any damage to the Recognition Rocks™ when customers unpack or place them.

Should our customer worry about possible theft of their Recognition Rock™?
Once individuals see how realistic the 50-60 lb. memorial rocks look, they often agree it's unlikely anyone is going to bother with what appears to be an 800 lb. natural rock that would require incredible effort to move.

However, if they feel it's necessary in their neighborhood, we will suggest the use of the heavy-duty metal eye bolt manufactured underneath each Recognition Rock™ for anti-theft purposes. To use this feature, a customer should purchase four items from a local hardware or home improvement store: 1). An inexpensive key or combination lock, 2). A small sack of "just-add-water" quick-drying cement, 3). A five-gallon plastic bucket if they don't have one, and 4). A three-foot-long piece of sturdy 2/0 or 3/0 straight link chain (75 cents-$1 per foot).

They then dig a hole directly below where the Recognition Rock™ will be finally placed, use the lock to secure one end of the chain onto the metal eye bolt, mix the cement in a bucket, fill the hole with the cement slurry, push as much of the remaining length of chain into the cement, and rest the rock over the hole where the chain can dry in the cement and serve as an anchor.