Thread: Early Setup and the weather...

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I would like to to start setting up some of my yard stuff but I'm worried about the weather ruining my work...any suggestions on weather proofing props?

What kind of props are you worried about? I find that foam skulls, gravestones, and rubber/cloth store bought items hold up without and issue. Now paper mache needs some sort of sealant.

I'm right there with you. I would like to start setting up, but I know what will happen. I look at it like washing and waxing your car. You know it will rain. Most of my props can handle the rain, but it's the high winds that come with it that I know will send my props to Oz. Yes, I have them anchored and staked and reinforced with rebar, but they still tend to fly away.

Originally Posted by Hell House

I would like to to start setting up some of my yard stuff but I'm worried about the weather ruining my work...any suggestions on weather proofing props?

I don't put out anything in the yard that can be harmed by the weather. If it can be, I generally know that I may lose it to the weather. I check the weather channel and weather.com like 50 times a day when my stuff is out. Be ready to keep your haunt safe from Mother Nature!

I have had to take my entire haunt down and put it back up MANY times during "the season." If I owned my own home and could rebar props in to the ground, I'd have an easier time of it.

My really nice jars, glass, ceramic pumpkins, etc, go out the day before Halloween.I still have breakage once in awhile- wind is not predicable.

Where I live, in Missouri, we had a Category 4 Tornado touch down unexpectedly last New Years Eve! It was totally unpredictable! I just baby my haunt, and expect some things to go wrong, get blown away, fall down and get broken, etc. Most stuff makes it thru ok, so good luck!

Definitely depends on the prop! Fencing, foam tombstones make with DryLok, even some cloth items like the plain hanging ghouls or giants spiders will dry out and be okay. I'd never put out an expensive electric prop all season without some sort of protection - be creative, you could build a mini crypt over a moving reaper or a littler shelter cover for fog machines. Do you have a porch or some other covering? Maybe put them there. My mom lives in colorado and has a ton of lights running all over her yard (floods, strings of skeleton heads, etc.) and keeps everything up, even through snow, and has no problem. As long as everything is outdoor rated, I think you're okay.

I design all my props to be in any weather. So far my only problem was the felt hat my Jeepers Creepers Creeper wears. I waterproofed the heck out of it, but it would be mishaped every morning due to the heavy dew we get here. I ended up sewing a heavy wire coathanger in all around the brim, and that keeps the hat in shape when it gets wet.

We had great weather last weekend here in north Fla. and I began to put tombstones and ground breakers out. Today I had to bring the ground breakers back in. It began to rain and is supposed to rain for the next 5 days.

If there is any rain in the forecast, I put the heavy duty (construction) bags over my props. It keeps almost all of the rain out and beats bringing everything in and out all the time. The really expensive animated props stay inside in the garage so there is no chance of being ruined by wind/rain.

Weather is always a big concern for me,but I can't wait until the last minute. I have to start setting up now otherwise I'll never get done. I don't get visitors until the day of, so I'll start setting up now but I use paint covers and tarps to cover my items in case of rain, of course wind can still beat the crap out of my props. Last year I had tarps flying everywhere.

You will learn each year by mistakes of what needs to be done.
Wind and rain are always big issues for me.
This year I did a pirate theme and everything is secure enough for the winds.
Lots of rebar and zip ties for the standing weather proof props.
Tombstones in previous years were a problem.I now use wooden dowels or metal stakes to secure them.
Any wiper motor prop is left outside.Other props with different motors would get pulled inside at night-secured with bricks when displayed.
The only things this year I have to bring in are my electronics everything else gets left out.