Thread: N4niner206 Cemetary Fence Columns

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This is one of my first "big" projects as a haunter, and I spent a fair amount of time working on these columns for my cemetary fence for the front yard. There are 6 total. I used wood and panel board for the carcus, and then used cardboard for the detailing. Then the whole thing got a coat of paper mache, followed by a couple coats of 50/50 mix of drywall compound and paint in the color I wanted(like a really thin monster mud) and then many sprays of black acrylic paint/water mix for the weathering. I'm happier with the end result and the "concrete" texture than I ever thought I would be, and I wanted to share some pictures!

Those look great. Awesome job.

Those are beautiful! You really took great pains to get that level of detail. Really impressive work! Love the candle sconces!

Oh, hell yea! Now those are awesome columns! Excellent work. Are you sure this is your "first" major build? Doesn't look like it!

I'm making columns this year too, and I may just have to steal your painting technique!

Originally Posted by Kubrickx

Those look great. Awesome job.

Thanks! It was fun making them, but I'm glad they are done!

Originally Posted by jdubbya

Those are beautiful! You really took great pains to get that level of detail. Really impressive work! Love the candle sconces!

You may be surprised at how little effort went into the detail, but I appreciate that you enjoy it! Basically, all of the raised surfaces are just cut up pieces of cardboard boxes. The crest (in the close-up picture) was also cut out of cardstock and glued on! Here is a picture of the assembled box with the cardboard layered on top.


A layer of paper mache on top of this helped add an interesting texture and give something for the paint to stick to. Plus it helped cover some of the seems where the panel boards meet in the corners. Pretty simple stuff. I'm anything but a carpenter, but I have a knack for shortcuts.

Originally Posted by TheGraveyardCareTaker

Oh, hell yea!

I'm making columns this year too, and I may just have to steal your painting technique! These look awesome!

Be my guest! I started to "wash" it with a brush, but I found myself not artistic enough to pull it off. I used roughly a 95% water and 5% acrylic paint in a water bottle... shook it up, and sprayed from the top down. It helps to get the paint run better if you have a bottle of clean water to spray down the entire surface before spraying on the paint/water mixture. Many many passes with the mixture to create a nice layer.

Those look awesome!! LOVE the age stains. I did cut outs, triangles, for my columns too However, mine were angled, thinner at the top and thicker at the bottom. What a mess that was, trying to fill in the gap between the cutout and the column. Trial and error...I tend to lean toward error haha

Wow awsome job!

Incredible!

I love the detail and the look of those. Very well done.

Originally Posted by Miss Phantom

Those look awesome!! LOVE the age stains. I did cut outs, triangles, for my columns too However, mine were angled, thinner at the top and thicker at the bottom. What a mess that was, trying to fill in the gap between the cutout and the column. Trial and error...I tend to lean toward error haha

Error is a life-long friend of mine. But I've learned that while sometimes the errors are discouraging, if you stick with it, the end result usually excedes your expectations! "Failure is the best way to learn"

They look fantastic, excellent job. I like your use of cardboard for the details(I will be using that trick). Will they stand up to the weather? Is your paint job waterproof enough? Most folks dryloc the monster mudd type projects.