How to Make a Wooden Pet Headstone
Pets are close companions and their owners often experience sadness and grief when a pet passes. You can commemorate your pet by making a wooden headstone and placing it in your garden or wherever the pet is buried. The headstone will remind you of your beloved pet.
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Things You'll Need
- Mosaic pattern
- Tracing paper
- Wooden plank
- Chisel
- Sandpaper
- Wood preservative
- Tiles of different colors
- Tile cutter
- Tile glue
- Safety goggles
- Work gloves
- Grouting powder
- Protective clothing
- Mask
Instructions
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Shape the top part of the wooden plank using a chisel. It can have a rounded or square shape. If you are good at woodworking, you can opt for a more ornate shape. Sandpaper the edges to smoothen them out.
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2
Treat the wooden plank with a pentachlorophenol-based wood preservative. This is available in hardware stores. The preservative will protect the wood from degrading outdoors due to moisture, rain, fungi and insects. Pour the preservative into a container large enough to hold the headstone. Immerse the headstone into the preservative and allow it to steep for a couple of days. Take out the wood and let it dry before using it again.
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3
Select a pattern for the headstone. You will want a pattern that represents your pet. You can even make a mosaic of your pet, if you like. Photocopy the pattern to make it as big as the wooden plank. This will give you the right dimensions when tracing it.
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Trace the pattern on the wooden plank using tracing paper. You can even use carbon paper for tracing the pattern onto the wood.
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Put on the safety goggles and work gloves and cut the tiles into various sizes with the help of the tile cutter. The color of the tiles will depend on the pattern and the colors you would like to include in your design.
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Place the cut tile pieces on the traced pattern on the wooden plank. Once you are satisfied with the tiles placement, begin gluing individual pieces onto the wooden plank using the tile glue.
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Apply the grouting powder between the tiles to close small gaps. This will give a smooth appearance to the mosaic and keep dirt from entering between the tile pieces.
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Place the wooden headstone into the ground where your pet is buried. Dig a few inches to insert the headstone in the ground and pack dirt around it to keep it steady.
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Tips & Warnings
The size of the plank will depend on how tall and broad you want the headstone to be. It is advisable to opt for waterproof and treated plank, so that it can withstand the rigors of the weather.
Mix water to the grouting powder to make a paste, as directed on the label. Alternatively, you can use a ready-made mix.
Make sure the wood is dried before applying the preservative.
Add a ceramic portrait of your pet onto the headstone, if you want to decorate it further. Ask the local funeral home if they can make a ceramic portrait of your pet. Otherwise you can order from websites that offer this service.
Cut the tiles outdoors to prevent shards from flying and hurting anyone.
Wear protective clothing, goggles, boots and mask while using the wood preservative, as it is toxic. Follow the instruction label carefully.
Wear protective gear when using the tile cutter.
References
- Photo Credit Hemera Technologies/PhotoObjects.net/Getty Images
