Memorial Re-Lettering

Letting Their Name Be Read Again

Sun, rain and frost do quiet damage: engraved letters fade until a name on a headstone becomes a shadow of itself. Re-lettering brings those words back — the inscription, the dates, and often, peace of mind.

Close-up of reinstated golden engraving and lettering detail on dark polished granite

The Craft

Reinstating Faded Lettering

Using headstone-specific enamels, faded wording can be reinstated and brightened — carefully worked in the memorial’s original style and spacing.

A full clean almost always precedes re-lettering: washed and softened as it is first, the stone is ready for its words to be traced back home.

Fresh flowers at the base of a granite headstone with crisp, inlaid gold lettering

Gold, Silver & Colour

23.5ct Gold Leaf and More

Where appropriate, lettering can be finished in 23.5ct gold leaf — the traditional memorial finish — or in silver, black or white. Vanessa will advise which finishes suit the particular stone, its weathering and the detail that can safely be achieved.

Not every inscription is a candidate: suitability is confirmed with you before any work begins, using photographs or a first-hand look.

Weathered grey granite headstone with lettering faded almost to invisibility before re-lettering

Before You Commit

Suitability & Honest Quotations

Granite lettering in particular varies with the depth of the original carve. As part of the free, no-obligation discussion, you’ll be told plainly what can and cannot be achieved on your memorial — and re-lettering is quoted alongside any cleaning the stone needs first.

All work is covered by full industry public liability insurance and carried out adhering to COSHH (2002) regulations, within local authority and Diocese cemetery guidelines.

Real Results

From Unreadable to Unmistakable

A genuine granite restoration — drag to compare the same memorial before and after cleaning and re-lettering.

Granite headstone after re-lettering, every inscription sharp and clearly legible — Granite memorial — cleaned, then re-lettered; photograph supplied by Goldfinch.

The same granite headstone before work, its inscription faded into the stone — Granite memorial — cleaned, then re-lettered; photograph supplied by Goldfinch.

Re-lettering must be permitted on the memorial in question — some churchyards and cemeteries set conditions. Vanessa checks the relevant guidelines and arranges permission where required before any work.

Could your memorial’s lettering be restored?

A clear photograph is usually enough for Vanessa to tell you — without obligation.

Ask About Re-Lettering

Their name, legible for another generation.

Send a photograph for honest advice on whether re-lettering will suit the memorial.

Request a Re-Lettering Quote Message on WhatsApp

or telephone 07485 555 882