I've heard that marble should not be (laser) engraved for an outside plaque; granite is the stone of choice when it'll be exposed to the weather.

I was wondering if anyone could put this into perspective.
I read somewhere (laser) engraving in granite will last for a couple of hundred years.

How long will a marble engraving last? What will happen with time? There's a big difference between 1, 10, 30 and 50 years. I am trying to get a feel for the trade off in photo quality and longevity.

How long should a pet memorial last?

Last year I had a marble plaque, one of the greens piece from JDS, come back. It had been laser engraved by the previous manager of my department and was being used outside as a pet marker.

There was no paint fill. It was just the glossy surface of the polished marble against the frosted engraved areas. If you paint something the longevity is only as good as the paint.

Anyway, the areas that were engraved had weathered in such a way that they were again glossy and blended in with the surface of the marble. If you tilted the piece in the light you could see the engraving perfectly because of different reflection, but dead on it was invisible.

Sei

Sei,

Thank you, guess I won't be using marble for outdoor use. It appears that the marble will last, look at some old buildings, but the laser engraving won't last long. (I wasn't planning on painting.)