How to make Tombstones 💀 DIY Halloween Props

[@chris15252]

Shout out to Black Magic Craft for this one, but if you don’t want to go the heat gun or torch route for stone texture, crumble up a piece of aluminum foil into a ball and roll it on the foam. It makes a very nice random stone texture and doesn’t require the tools.

[@WickedMakers]

Yes!!!! Love it.

[@davidturner1079]

Usually, you apply a tiny bit of heat and roll the crumpled aluminum foil on. In my opinion, it's less like stone, and much more like leather bend and crack.

[@kimberlygreer2240]

@@WickedMakers Would a hairdryer supply enough heat?

[@vanderhoff66fu]

@@kimberlygreer2240 a hair dryer did not work. I picked up a heat gun for 19.99 on Amazon

[@lindamoser6317]

Thank u for the suggestion since I have neither gun or torch.

[@chuckdickerson8200]

When i attach my stone to the base, i use wire coat hanger pieces to push into the foam. I also drill 1/2 inch holes thru the base into the top then use 1/2 " rebar hammered into the ground to go into these holes to keep the wind from blowing them over.

[@theblessed1561]

I tried this method with wooden dowels, I noticed if it got a little windy, the holes would widen around the dowels and it became less secure. Finding a method to plant these puppies into the ground and stay put has been such a pain in the butt.

[@ZacPensol]

@@theblessed1561 I've seen another maker, maybe Oak Lane Cemetery, drill out holes and insert pvc pipes covered in glue, and then that's what you slide over the dowels or rebar. That way the holes won't widen.

[@markwilloughbywood3868]

When attaching the headstone to the base draw and route out a little trough first. Add glue, set stone into base...

[@WickedMakers]

Ahhh good idea 😄

[@gingerd.7099]

Or for those that don't own a router, can cut it out with a knife.

[@brettdecker9416]

Just a tip for future projects, with spray paint its the accelerant that eats the foam so if you hold it further away you can get the paint on without the accelerant eating the foam.

[@MelRos29]

My sister and I used the foam eating property of the spray paint to create texture, and it turned out great. As you say, just hold it further away to reduce the amount it eats into the foam.

[@Jdee-n9x]

​@MelRos29 no pic?

[@nelsonparra3797]

Great video. It was a lot of help in making my tombstones. For my tombstones I found Styrofoam skulls at Michael's. I cut the face off the skull and glued the face to the tombstone. Once everything is painted with drylok it looks like a detailed skull was carved out of the stone.

[@missmosh]

What a great idea! Thanks!

[@pumpkinheadghoul]

My favorite part has always been painting the patina. I love watching it come to life with the layers of colors as it starts to look decades old.

[@bobaganoosh74]

bamboo skewers are great for holding foam pieces together while they dry! that's what I do at twin oaks manor haunt.

[@WickedMakers]

Excellent idea!

[@patrickdecanio5599]

You beat me to it!

[@haloweenuk2822]

Hi. Great recording on how to. But could you please give more info regarding how to create the lettering & sticky back stencil ? I have never seen such a thing. Many thanks and best wishes👍

[@patbo3577]

For future reference, push tooth picks in foam to help hold foam in place as glue dries.

[@WickedMakers]

Good idea!!!

[@llofdarkwater9152]

I also use wood skewers and coffee stirrers for holding together Styrofoam until it's dry. Painters' tape works on those tricky spaces, too.

[@Carolinaenergetics]

You could use wooden dowels to reinforce the top part pluss it, will give it a little more strength for when the wind blows and hold it up while the glue dries.

[@MoAndAye]

Self-healing cutting mats would be handy...also, if you use enamel spray paint through your letter guides the spray paint will self etch the letters, since enamel spray paint eats foam. Saves routing and creates a more ancient, weathered, look.

[@WickedMakers]

Yeah, definitely a cool look but less control overall. Lots of great options!

[@mattemond777]

Awesome job and video! The only thing I wished you had was more information on how you created the stencils and how you secured them in your yard.

[@hankventure2559]

I wondered this too!

[@schillhouse87]

These were made with a cricut machine

[@stephenvincentgiles1306]

I just wrote the words free-hand, then I used regular sytrofoam, so instead of a tool, I used a silver sharpie which melted the foam. Then painted the whole with with flat white latex paint. When it dried, I sprayed it with granite fleck-stone paint. But yours look AMAZING. I'm going to re-do my graveyard this way next summer.

[@toddmoss749]

I googled "pictures of cracks" and let's just say I will never be the same.

[@chips9263]

ruh roh raggy…

[@jjsrt8]

Hahahahaha thought the same thing look at pictures of cracks.... please specify cracks

[@yomigonzalez9870]

Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha send help!!!

[@WickedMakers]

Thank you for watching! 💀🎃

[@dianeessex300]

Use chopsticks or skewers like pegs to hold the top to the base as the glue dries.

[@kristiclothier277]

Great job! Don’t forget, also wear ear pro with your eye pro.

[@slartybartfarst1]

quick question if the heat gun opens up the words and cracks is it easier to do that texture first then do the words and cracks after that stage?

[@gordonramsay9303]

Where do you get the foam?

[@TheAtlantaparker]

@@gordonramsay9303 Lowes, Homedepot, Menards. With all the home insulation.

[@steves5982]

Long drywall screws plus 1" wood dowel rods to hold tombstone to base or router out a void for the tombstone to sit into the base

[@snidelywhiplash]

A suggestion: For additional strength and ease of assembly, make the bottom of the upright portion of the tombstone longer, and sandwich it between two pieces of foam. Alternately, a couple sections of 1/2" wooden dowel running through-and-through the base and a few inches into the upright might work. If you really wanted to get into it, you could glue a piece of 2x wood to the bottom to make a weighted base. Also: A 6" foam roller and foam brushes for details make the Drylok portion a LOT easier.

[@tink3716]

I followed your instructions and made the tombstones with the pvc pipes glued to the back. My tombstones survived 45+ mile winds without any problems. Thank you for making this video!!

[@aftanmccurdy397]

What glue did you use to glue on the pvc pipes? I live where it will storm either rain or snow and I want them to stay put

[@tink3716]

@@aftanmccurdy397 Hi! I used “Clear Gorilla Glue Bonds Virtually Everything.” It works very well!

[@alanohms]

My grandfather did this back in 1990 and was in the local news paper cause of the whole set up he did for halloween. Id bet anything he was the first.

[@sethgee970]

I found that some 3/16” zinc plated rod works really well for holding grave stones in the ground. Maybe use those to attach the headstone to the base? File the ends down to a point and you can poke them through the foam.

[@WickedMakers]

Nice, good idea!

[@theSundanceKid13]

the sound of cutting through styrofoam at 01:54 😱😱😱😱😱 that's enough halloween for me eeeeek... love the video thougy

[@donnaclements6085]

Abso Fantastico! I love, but .................. I sure would have loved to see how they look in your yard.

[@sonic_gloom]

Those look great! When I make mine I embed a couple of 1/2" PVC pipes in the center to mount them in the yard. How will you mount yours to keep them from blowing away, or otherwise "walking off?"

[@WickedMakers]

Yep, same! Pvc and some rebar, most likely. Depends where they’re going.

[@melodypetry-johnson2309]

How do you embed the pipe???

[@coreytlind]

You sandwich two layers of foam together. This tutorial shows how! kzbin.info/www/bejne/jqrJnnWCaq-ofpI

[@sonic_gloom]

@@melodypetry-johnson2309 instead of a 2" piece of foam, I use two 1" pieces and carve a channel into them. Glue the pipes in with some construction adhesive, and then use some Super 77 to glue the two sheets together. I use a Super 77 because it's fast, won't eat the foam, and will still go through a hot-wire cutter.

[@melodypetry-johnson2309]

@@sonic_gloom thanks!!!!

[@rosemarypaul6093]

We are planning on making several of these this weekend. Thanks for the easy & clear instructions. I do have a suggestion for keeping the stones together and it is what we'll do too. Take some 1/8" x 12" crafting dowel rods, cut them in half and when gluing, stick 1 of the 6" rods up into the bottom of the stones base and once you get your glue on the underside of the top stone, push it down onto the rods sticking up out of the base. If you have trouble with the rods being flat, just stick the ends into a pencil sharpener. It turns the rods into pointy skewers. This way the stones won't have to be held until the glue dries! Thanks again for the wonderful ideas!

[@WickedMakers]

Nice!!! That’s a great idea. 👊🏼👊🏼

[@ArmouryTerrain]

I use kitchen skewers for mine- nice and long and sharp.

[@dyh914]

Just a tip, it's actual better to cut out an insert in the bottom block to insert the tombstone into it. It makes it wayyyy more sturdy!

[@jdemuro1]

I was also thinking insert a couple metal rods, like straightened coat hangers

[@dyh914]

@@jdemuro1 ok if you are going to do that use rebar. It’s thicker and stronger and you can get short cuts of them at Home Depot. Drill 2 large holes on each end of the tombstone big enough to insert 1 1/2 inch pvc pipe in the bottom of the tombstone going straight up the tombstone. Then hammer the rebar into the ground half way and boom that thing ain’t moving with any amount of wind.

[@marcoesnaola5986]

What did you use to creat the stencil for the letters? Seems a lot easier than cutting all the letters out for yourself.

[@HollywoodHaunter]

Those Halloween Tombstones came out spooky awesome! Thanks for the shout out to VanOaks Props not only does he have an awesome channel with helpful tips, tricks, and inspirations Derek is such a generous and helpful member of our haunt community. I know you guys are having fun making all these Halloween props but be careful in the beginning it's always Ooh, ah,’ that’s how it always starts. But then later there’s running and screaming and where are we going to store all this stuff. 🤣

[@WickedMakers]

Hahah, yeah I can’t imagine your storage situation. 🤣🤣🤣 We already have a shed full of stuff and it’s only just begun.

[@VanOaksProps]

Thanks for saying that guys. The more Halloween we share, the more Halloween there is to enjoy!

[@Quint77Angelfire]

I made 4 stones last year with your guidance! After some try outs, The kids in my family made their own! Thank you we had a great time making these and will be using these again this year!

[@ScarMoonYT]

I love the Edward Hyde tombstone mainly because he's my favorite character from one of my favorite books

[@lindamoser6317]

Really loved this project. How would u stabilize for outside use?? Like from wind blowing over??

[@vesperious]

stakes

[@lindamoser6317]

@@vesperious thank u

[@Tuakie]

Instead of making a foam base, I would make a concrete one and create a space in the top while it's still wet to insert and remove the foam headstone, making it easier for storage.

[@lindamoser6317]

@@Tuakie Thank u!!! That's a great and easy idea.

[@kristinaostergaard1352]

totally awesome headstones! but you could go further by making the base heaadstone generic (not words, just blank) and then using a projector to reflect different "deaths". :) love your work!

[@Hempel1303]

8:51 i did this in the step before doing the texts. So the text also has the altered effect without gaps of flat/clear surface.

[@archangelstudios5758]

Those look just like Home Depot’s but half the cost! Y’all are so good at making props! And so much fun to watch!

[@heathera5362]

You can use wooden skewers to hold the tombstones on the base while glue is drying.

[@metalnmunchies9070]

I’m gonna give you guys a nickel’s worth of free advice. Instead of using water on the pink phone with your gorilla glue, try using baking soda and super glue together. What you’re going to want to do is have the baking soda on the base and the superglue up on your head stone. And when those two come together, it takes a mere three seconds and it’s completely set.

[@glenkersul8536]

You can cut some metal coat hangers rods and poke thru the foam to make sturdy joints.

[@erinsparrowroush2232]

These are awesome! I'm having a Halloween wedding on a VERY tight budget and this is a game changer!

[@DeeDust]

Wooden skewers are perfect for holding foam in place while waiting for glue to dry. Insert at an angle to pin the top to the base on each side. You can snap them off flush with the foam once the pieces are dry and then fill in any tiny holes with wood glue, spackling, or even paint. Gives a little extra support other than just glue as well.

[@WickedMakers]

Great tips!

[@forby_]

Wow these turned out GREAT!! The painting details are killer. Big fan of the names/phrases too. Reminds me of waiting in line at the haunted mansion disney ride. 😄

[@WickedMakers]

Thanks!!! 👊🏼😄 We’re HUGE Haunted Mansion fans so we pull a lot of inspiration from it.

[@spencermackel7800]

I made these this year, only I used a small projector to trace the outline for the lettering and graphics.

[@DistortionsUnlimited]

Great job Wicked Makers! Wishing you the best on your channel during this Halloween season! Keep up the good work and hello from the Distortions Unlimited crew.

[@WickedMakers]

Thanks!!! Means a lot coming from you. You guys do INCREDIBLE work. Have a great season!! 🎃🎃🎃

[@DistortionsUnlimited]

@@WickedMakers Thanks so much! Wishing you all the best as well.

[@gingrjeffy]

wood skewers would add strength and stability when connecting the base

[@StoneE4]

Would it be feasible to do the heat gun texturizing before you do the cracks and lettering detail so you don't melt those delicate details down?

[@moniquethe0G]

I just made these as well, and for the bases, I roughly routered out a channel for the top of headstone to fit into, then glued. A little extra durability.

[@WickedMakers]

Nice!!!

[@VanOaksProps]

Those turned out AMAZING! Thanks for the shout out, too!

[@WickedMakers]

Of course!! Thanks for all the killer inspiration.

[@jodiegrace2849]

I wish you guys were my art teacher at school would have made it more exciting. Wish more places could do more Halloween craft workshops.

[@c0pyimitati0n]

7:34 small Dowel rods would be perfect to help hold the base and top together while the glue sets

[@qossaq]

Great Video! Could you go into more detail on how you made your stencils?

[@rickarchambault4756]

I'm sure they have a Cricut vinyl cutter or a Silhouette.

[@davidhollenbeck9227]

In steed of using a knife to make the cracks you can get a bit for you drimel that does the same thing. You can also get textured spray paint that will speed up you base coat and I would add a weight to the bottom so it wont tip over to easy or a rod that can be pushed into the ground to secure it. Over all I really like it and think I will make a few of these for my yard this year

[@MKempICI]

A suggestion from the model railroading world: Whenever I need to wash that much surface area, I use a commercial spray bottle to mix and apply the wash. Use a matte varnish at the end, and you are golden. For those at home, here's the recipe: - 1 Commercial spray bottle. The big ones. - 2 parts water. If you have bubble/clumping issues with your washes, try distilled water. - 1 part Pledge Floor Shine. Basically, acrylic gloss medium. - Acrylic ink according to taste. You can see how dark a residue it will leave by mixing it in a plastic/glass vial, and tilting the container to the side a bit, then back to horizontal. The liquid left flowing down the side for a few seconds is what your wash will leave on the surface. Run this test before you add the flow improver. You can apply a lot of coats of this stuff very quickly, so I would strongly suggest going light on the ink and just applying another layer. - 3-4 drops of Finish Jet Dry. This is a flow-improver, that breaks the surface tension of water. it will prevent the wash from beading, and even out the coat. Stir gently, or slowly rotate the bottle to mix. You want to avoid bubbles. Spray on the wash, wait 10 minutes or so, and apply your next coat. Finish with a matte varnish to kill the shine.

[@WickedMakers]

This is great!!!!!

[@MKempICI]

@@WickedMakers I hope the recipe is useful. This really is a great channel, you two! Very few people manage to produce quality, creative instructional videos consistently for many years. Here's to many more!

[@StaciDavis]

Just curious as to what this would be replacing… Are your instructions for the painting portion being done at the very very end like after the dry lock is done?

[@MKempICI]

​@@StaciDavis The process I described would replace the brush application of the washes they start at the beginning of the "Painting" chapter of the video. The chapter starts at 11:03, right after they apply the Dry Lock. Brush application is slow, inconsistent and can result in a lot of coffee-staining problems. By adding the Pledge Floor Shine, which is basically acrylic gloss medium, you can avoid almost all of the coffee-staining and inconsistent color. The Finish Jet Dry makes the wash flow very smoothly out of the bottle, and prevents pooling and beading. The one thing to watch out for is that this recipe will produce a very glossy tombstone. Don't skip the recommended matte varnish at the end if you want to avoid the glossy look.

[@jaks5338]

Awesome tuttorial. I wish you'd specified the exact size of the foam insulation sheet you used though. Thinking it's 8x4 for 2?

[@garagehaunter8978]

Fantastic aging on the Tombestones! They look perfect!

[@WickedMakers]

Thank you!

[@BrittWhis]

How do you keep these standing in the yard? Any advice?

[@WickedMakers]

We covered that in our latest tombstone video

[@scotts9821]

WOW! I'm excited to get started. I have everything but the stencils. How did you make those? Cricut? On a side note, I made your Cauldron (my first Halloween DIY) and I could NOT be more happy. Thanks for great videos that entertain and educate. Keep it going!

[@scottythedawg]

when sticking the tombstone to the base....get a couple of old ballpoints or pencils and stab them into the base...remove them put some glue in the hole...stick them back in point up...put glue on the base as normal then offer up the stone press down onto the up turned pens/pencils.

[@AJ-mw4nb]

Great tutorial and nice timing! And also - OMG I want your shirts!! I LOVE THEM SO MUCH!!

[@WickedMakers]

Thanks!!! 😄😄😄

[@newzerozeroone]

Another amazing project. Couple of tips you may not have thought of... Bamboo skewers or popsicle sticks in the base work well to hold the tombstone up. Also I saw a hack the other day where the guy used a sharpie and air nozzle to mark the pattern on his metal. Basically makes an airbrush that might work for situations like this if you're mask is on tight enough.

[@WickedMakers]

Whoa that airbrush hack...haha! Going to try that for sure.

[@fripptricky5099]

I followed this tutorial this weekend and made a tombstone that I absolutely LOVE! Worked like a charm! While I get that the drylock makes the foam weatherproof, do I need to put on waterseal or poly to protect the paint? I worry that it will just wash off in the rain and I'll be left with a drylok form.

[@WickedMakers]

That’s great! Congrats. 👊🏼😄 We don’t use any sealer and wouldn’t recommend it over the paint. Acrylic will do fine in the rain, under normal circumstances.

[@rebeccaa3541]

You could, if it is not flat enough, you could just glue dowls to hold it to the base. It may also help if you live in a place that has some wind but not enough to loose your props obviously

[@WickedMakers]

That’s a good idea!

[@craigcox5586]

What did you use to anchor them to the ground so the wind doesn’t blow them over?

[@bethsmith5285]

I've used metal hangers to stick mine in the ground. Just cut a straight piece of hanger and stick it in the bottom of the tombstone and stick them in the ground.

[@claytonlafave9864]

Fantastic video and instructions

[@davidjibson4199]

You can use toothpicks or something like that longer for those bigger projects

[@WickedMakers]

Nice, good idea!

[@brandonj.9638]

What do you do to secure your tombstones so they don't blow away from the wind? I bought some cheaper foam tombstones last year that came with 3 inch stakes to go partially into the ground and also into the bottom of the tombstone, but they did not hold up. The wind caused the tombstones to move slightly which caused the holes in the bottom of the tombstones to continue to get bigger and bigger, making it move more in the wind and continue making the holes worse, until they no longer had a good hold and blew away. :( Any ideas what you guys do would be appreciated. Thanks.

[@brandonj.9638]

How do you secure your tombstones in your lawn?

[@FancyNancee-tu4rq]

I use garden stakes or pvc

[@emmetodonnell4002]

I tried this for Halloween and it was great. Brilliant tutorial, I didn't have all the tools and basically apart from buying insulation board about £15 for two 3mm pieces I was able to use whatever paint and tools I had. I used a butane gas burner, very carefully and had to carve with a blade rather than an electric tool but both headstones came out great.

[@seanb7101]

Great tutorial! The water spray bottle is such a great tool for blending! Thank you for posting this!

[@Kingnome]

Where and or how you get the stencils made at?? There another option available?

[@joepecko9072]

^^ also would like to know! Great work!

[@lover.of.dolls_]

I have been waiting for so long for you to upload a new halloween video!!

[@WickedMakers]

😄😄😄😄

[@tvannaman2000]

I always drew the cracks on mine and then used a soldering iron to melt the foam along the line.

[@petedevlin8268]

After years of wanting to do this myself, I've been making my first attempts at over the past month! Great work! I was beginning to think that the Drylock undoes some of the great texture you get from the heat gun. Seemed like an either/or sort of thing. Anything I used the heat gun on, I've just gone over with regular black paint, then dry-brushed over that. But I see you both got some of the texture to still show through the Drylock! Nice!

[@WickedMakers]

Yeah! We learned to go heavier on the heat gun texturing than you normally would since the drylock will fill some of it.

[@joehayward4545]

The tombstones look very nice. You can use some wooden skewers to help hold the pieces together.

[@WickedMakers]

Thank you!

[@Daleejr08]

What a rad project! So jealous of those amazing skills!

[@WickedMakers]

Thanks! Easier than you’d expect. Try it!

[@buzzmooney2801]

That little surform rasp and a good double-edged bread knife have been foam-carvingvstaple if mibe, for decades. They're awesome!

[@WickedMakers]

Yes!!! Love them

[@Starrera]

Love this! Question: where did you get the foam and stencil paper? Also how do you get your letters onto stencil paper?

[@WickedMakers]

Thanks! 😄 We made our stencils on a Cricut so it’s like a sticky vinyl.

[@chrispomianek3470]

Wicked Makers do you have a video on how you made the vinyl lettering?

[@123thebasics]

@@WickedMakers Great idea.. I haven't used my cricut in awhile and I have paper. Time to put it to work 😆.

[@jodiegrace2849]

@@WickedMakers which font did you use? Yours looks amazing

[@allanpennebaker1851]

I have used the spray paint to do the engraving while using stencils works VERY well and saved me HOURS

[@WickedMakers]

Awesome

[@wshnlc]

Awesome work! It always seems intimidating until you try it!

[@WickedMakers]

Yep! Thanks. 👊🏼😄

[@alannorthcarolina1776]

Have you ever used the plastic putty stuff from dentists offices, taken a mold, then cast in plaster with a steel support within? Also, use watered down or sprayed black light paint like a purple green mix.

[@mikesantos920]

How did you get them to stay in the ground outside? Van Oaks has a whole tutorial but not sure how it would work with the bases on your tombstones.

[@TwinBleaks]

Why did they like this reply but not answer the question?!

[@robtouart]

@@TwinBleaks Because they have a Patreon account where you can watch the finer details of how to complete the projects.

[@TwinBleaks]

@@robtouart Nah, it's because they already answered the question under another comment lol.

[@vidzkid76]

I haven't tried this method before, but it seems like you could use the heat gun to do the texture before you carve the words and anything else. That way you wouldn't have to worry about the heat gun messing up any carvings.

[@DistortionsUnlimited]

Also, we just subscribed! Its great to see how fast you were able to grow this DIY channel.

[@WickedMakers]

Thank you so much! We really appreciate it. 👊🏼👊🏼👊🏼👊🏼💀

[@flukeoutdrsy650]

Popsicle sticks work good to secure the top to the base as well as chop sticks. Toothpicks do better on holding small projects as it drys or if putting together foam boxes. Also if you want to place leaves or flowers at the base the you can use insulating foam to give a ground or rocks/stones texture to enhance.

[@KTSmasher]

My wife and I will be trying this for Halloween this year! Where did you get your foam boards from?? We can’t find any without some kind of covering placed on the outside.

[@jlrick628]

I have watched a few videos today and love how the two of you interact with each other especially with frustrations.

[@big-dan5512]

They turned out awesome!!! Thank you

[@CwbySpikeSpiegel]

You could some wooden skewers to hold the headstone to the base as the glue dries.

[@christinebillings36]

Awesome tutorial! How well does the paint hold up in the elements though? I love in Florida and I really want to be able to keep these out more than one night. How do I go about keeping them from getting ruined in the constant rain here?

[@WickedMakers]

It’s waterproof. We got insane rain in October too. 😄

[@Ease54]

I like to use a filet knife to carve foam. If you want some deeper texture, use a chip brush and dab acetone on the foam.

[@adriannabcustomfurniture]

VanOaks & Hollywood Haunters are 2 of my favorite Halloween Haunted Prop channels to watch on KZbin. You guys did an amazing job!

[@VanOaksProps]

Thanks Adrianna!

[@adriannabcustomfurniture]

@@VanOaksProps of course! You are super talented, down to earth, creative, humble AND you have the best voice for voice overs that I've ever heard 😂

[@adriannabcustomfurniture]

A few more awesome channels are Monster Tutorials, Monster Misfits, Cobwebs and Candlesticks, The Weird Kid Show... They are all so creative and make fun props.

[@WickedMakers]

Agreed on all points!!! 😄

[@adriannabcustomfurniture]

@@WickedMakers Hahaha!

[@danielmkubacki]

They came out so good.

[@topdog4614]

I think for Christmas you guys should make decorations to!!!

[@WickedMakers]

We might!!! 😄😄😄

[@JeffFrmJoisey]

Good job!! But can you see all that detail from the street? 30 or so years ago I had no idea what I was doing and made my graveyard from 1/2 inch expanded foam. The size of the beads made them look old when cutting them out since they would just chip away. I used a black magic marker to letter them then sprayed a light coat of either black or grey krylon on them. The paint ait away the smooth surfaces and aged them. For more aging, I sprayed on more paint. They lasted for a dozen years!!! The front yard of the place I lived looked spooky enough on its own with its trees and shrubs. The tombstones lit by a blue floodlight completed the job and made the yard super eerie and spooky.

[@JohnzyZombee]

Thanks guys! Love it 💀

[@gregoryleuelling3826]

You could also inlet on the base and slide your tombstone top into it. That would help in two areas, hold the top in place while the dries and be reduce the risk of the glue holding the top from failing.

[@bellanotteandco]

This looks so cool, we’re def gunna be attempting it! Quick question - what do you do for weather proofing these? We want to make an awesome spooky graveyard scene for the front of the house but are wondering if plywood or foam (like these) would be better to use.

[@WickedMakers]

That’s what the drylock is for. The paint won’t wash off.

[@mindifisher3074]

But what about sealing the paint that goes over the drylock? I would think that would totally wash off my n the rain. I’m thinking of spray painting mine but I’m don’t want that to eat away at all the work I just did. These are so awesome! I just want to protect my work

[@blacktowers11]

Looks great. I think dowels would help it hold together while the glue sets and would add additional support.

[@WickedMakers]

Ahhh that’s a great idea. Thanks!

[@ryanashley6241]

So what method would you use to lock the tombstones down when they are in the yard so they dont blow away and fall over?

[@goldenapples5494]

VanOaks Props has a great how-to on that: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oqbcm6OOasdoprM

[@midnyte13]

absolutely bad ass....any thoughts on a wire foam cutter for some of the shaping?

[@ericaterrones16]

These are amazing!!!! Great job guys!!!

[@charlestreadway6491]

A small hair dryer does good work at softening the edges and smoothing out the jagged edges. I use that technic on my model railroad with the pink foam.

[@valorickworkshop9761]

Love how these turned out! I would've never thought to use drylok and the weathering is perfect!!!

[@WickedMakers]

Thanks!!! Yes it works amazingly well. 💀

[@kaywilson3385]

Anything more than a slight breeze, and they’re gonna topple over. I glue 2 upright pvc pipes to the back, which can just slot over well anchored garden stakes. They never fall over then.

[@WickedMakers]

Yeah, that sounds like it’d work well. We mount ours similarly with a large wooden stake or a piece of rebar about a foot down.