Bricks, Masonry, Asphalt and Concrete - repairing small marble tombstones

hello, I'm working on my eagle scout project, which is repairing/leveling old tombstones for my church. I was wondering what the best way to repair some of the stones would be. These stones have broken crosses or other decrative parts. Would plain mortar do the job? thanks for the help

Welcome to the forums

Sounds like a great project :thumbup: I don't know what the correct answer would be but have always thought that it would be wise to drill a hole in both pieces so a piece of rebar could be used as a dowel to help the mortar [or adhesive] make a stronger joint.

The best way would be to use an appropriately sized stainless steel dowel* with an epoxy adhesive. If the pieces are small, you don't even need the dowel. Mortar will not work to re-attach broken peices, but will be fine for re-bedding the stone on the base.

*The diameter of the pin should be less than 1/3 the width to which it is applied. That is to say, if you were re-attaching an arm to a cross, and the thickness of the stone was 1", you would use no more than a 5/16 inch dowel. As a rule, a 3/8"x4" SS dowel would be fine for almost everything, so long as the thickness is greater than 1-1/2".

This may sound funny, but how about Gorilla Glue? I repaired a broken stone which supports my neighbor's fireplace mantel with it, as well as many other items. It is incredibly strong, and says you can use it on stone. It is cheap, readily available, and easy to use. Just follow the directions, and be careful not to use too much because it expands as it dries. Good luck.

Pecos