Common Columbarium Terms
- Columbarium: An above-ground structure designed to store and protect cremated remains.
- Cremation Garden: A designated area featuring multiple columbaria, along with benches and planters for a serene setting.
- Side or End Wall: The end panel of the columbarium that does not contain niches.
- Cap, Roof, or Coping: The top panel that covers the columbarium, typically with a rain drip line to direct water away.
- Peaked: A roof design where the top comes to a central peak.
- Gabled: A roof style with sections that form a triangular shape.
- Rain Drip: A groove cut into the underside of the roof to guide rainwater away from the front of the niches.
- Base: The bottom panel on which the columbarium stands.
- Doors/Shutters or Fronts: The external panels that cover and protect the niches.
- Security Door: An inner aluminum door, powder-coated, that secures the niche behind the outer door and supports materials like stone.
- Security Tool: A tool containing the necessary bits to access the niche.
- Fluting: Decorative engraved lines in the stone, often highlighted for visibility.
- Highlighted: Paint applied to engraved areas to make them more noticeable.
- Matting: Rubberized mats placed inside niches to provide padding and act as a barrier between different metals.
- Rock Pitched: A stone finish with rough, rock-like edges.
- Polished: A finish that is smooth and shiny.
- Honed: A smooth finish that is not shiny, achieved by sandblasting the stone.
- Flamed: A finish similar to honed, created by applying flame to the stone surface.
- Sawn: A finish that may display marks from the saw blade.
- Sawn Smooth: A sawn finish that has had blade marks removed for a smoother appearance.
- Foundation or Footing: A concrete base that supports the columbarium.
- Flatwork: Concrete or paver surfaces that provide access around the columbarium but do not support its weight.
- Ossuary: A place where cremated remains are mingled together.
- Memorial Wall: A wall used to display additional names, often on a separate panel or at the end of a columbarium.
Back ↵
