Burial vaults are made out of concrete which is a porous material. A burial vault is manufactured with a plastic liner bonded to both the box and lid to minimize the possibility of water entering into box.  Further a tar based material called Integraseal® is used to form a bond between the lid and box to keep the vault dry. A concrete box has no liner and, in some cases, no sealer used for the lid. This will allow for water to eventually seep into the box often filling it depending on the water table in the cemetery.

A plastic liner is inserted into the vault mold.  Steel wire mesh is then placed over the outside of the liner. Steel mesh and rebar are in the lid to provide additional strength to the concrete that is then poured in the box and lid mold.  The concrete, when cured, is rated at a minimum of 5,000 lbs. per square inch.

Yes. We have multiple levels of protection:

1. The Durapreme® Liner is a durable high impact polystyrene based plastic which demonstrates a tough flexural strength.  Such plastics are found in consumer items such as tableware and appliance linings.
2. The Fiberlon® high density polystyrene liner
3. The Lustra-Tech® liner is made of ABS plastic and treated to simulate the look of marble in our Patrician® Vault.
4. Our Athenian, Lydian, and Bronze vault liners are pre-assembled by Doric and bonded to an ABS Fiberlon® liner
   1. The ABS Fiberlon® liner is composed of a super high impact ABS plastic with exceptional compressive strength. This type of plastic can be found in football helmets, telephone casings and snowmobile housings.
5. All liners have strengthening ribs to enhance the vault’s ability to  protect the casket

Each lid and box are constructed with a tongue and groove system.  The groove in the lid is filled with a tar based material called Integraseal® which effectively bonds the lid to the box and locking out any moisture from entering.

Several times a month, we receive requests to disinter vaults for the purpose of moving them to another location or to have the remains of those buried transferred into a mausoleum crypt or cremated so that they may be inurned with a loved one. In the former instance, it is comforting to know that the remains of the buried loved one have been properly preserved in a dry sealed vault.  If the vault has any damage due to product failure, the vault will be replaced at no cost to the family in line with the warranty held on the product.

Doric Vaults have the highest warranty in the industry due to the high quality standards used in manufacturing our vaults. The lengths of the respective warranties are as follows:

Our metal lined and Patrician vaults weigh approximately 2,700 lbs.
The Phoenix and Fiber Phoenix vault weigh approximately 2,500 lbs.
The Titan vault weighs approximately 2,300 lbs.

Similar to traditional burial, a concrete cremation vault protects the remains. If a grave is being opened for a second interment using a backhoe, the cremation vault will protect the container holding the remains from being damaged.

Further, a family may more likely disinter cremated remains for relocation than a traditional burial for transfer to another location because it is less expensive to do so.

Yes, the same materials used to make our traditional vaults are also used in making our cremation vaults.

The process starts with the funeral director calling our office to place their order.  Our staff double checks every aspect of the order to make sure we have the correct information.  That is then entered into our computer network to be used by our field crews to make sure that have the right information for the nameplates and emblems to be used with each burial vault. Creter Vault maintains a fleet of trucks equipped with booms to transfer the vault from the truck bed either directly into the grave or placed on an electric dolly that transfers the vault to the grave.  The crew then uses a tripod equipped with a lowering device to place the vault box into the ground.

The field crew then prepares the area around the grave to be ready to receive the casket and prepare for the arrival of the funeral party. Support boards are placed immediately around the grave to enhance safety and provide a platform for the casket lowering device.  Artificial greens are then place in the surrounding area to provide safe footing for those coming to the cemetery as well as enhance the appearance of the immediate area.  The vault lid is then displayed by the grave showing the nameplate and emblem selected by the family. If a graphic has been ordered for the vault lid, it will be displayed in lieu of the nameplate and emblem. An optional tent will also be put up when ordered by the family.

Once the interment service has been completed, the field crew will lower the casket into the grave.  The lid will then be lowered onto the box to seal the vault so that the cemetery crew can backfill the grave.

The goal is to provide a safe inviting environment for those who come to the graveside to pay their last respects.