Thread: bulking up headstones - question

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I have a full cemetery of boring flat plywood headstones. While I am happy with the sizes & quantity of stones, I'd like to bulk them up to make them look a bit more realistic (I have some pics in my H'ween 09 album).

What I was thinking was to trace each stone on foam insulation, cut it out & glue it to the back of the plywood & repaint it all. However, I am concerned with where the wood & insulation come together at the tops. What could I use to cover that seam to prevent rain & such from seeping in?

monster mud? that would be my first thought.

I actually back all of my foam stones with plywood to strengthen them, so I have had to deal with the same problem. First, make sure you glue the entire surface of the wood to the foam. Do not be cheap the the glue. Cover the whole thing. Then use clamps to hold them together until they dry. After that I usually use elmers wood putty to fill any cracks and sand it smooth. Paint it with outdoor latex or dryloc and you are sealed.

i love your toe pincher!

I was going to try to do the same thing this season as well... most of our tombstones are made out of plywood and I just carved names into them with my Dremel. They're okay, but nothing to write home about. I want to do the same thing with foam. The Elmer's wood putty sounds like a good idea. I think I'll probably do that too. Good luck with yours!

I use paintable chaulk and seal it with 2 coats of grey drylok. The drylok has sand in it, so when you put it on it really gives it the look of stone. A little warning, i made my first tombstone out of pink insulation last year and i got REALLY addicted to making them. It's amazing how they look and you get the satisfaction that you made it. Plus it's cheaper then buying them if you have the time to make them. i'm hoping to redo all my plywood ones out of insulation. You should talk to Terra, she awsome at making tombstones. That's who I learned from.

I have made many tombstones out of styrofoam and I always use at least 2 pieces glued together to make a thicker stone. I usually take the thickest piece of white styro that Home Depot sells which is about 1 1/2 inches and then glue a piece of the pink stuff over the top. The pink stuff is easier to carve but it is more expensive and harder to come by. I use the adhesive made for foamboard or gorilla glue to glue the pieces together and then I put heavy weights on top and let them dry overnight. After the glue dries then I cut out the shape I want using a band saw. If you make the side of the stone l bit rough you will never see the seam after you paint it.

Elmers wood putty, cheap and very effective. Spread it on, dry, sand smooth the transistion and re-apply if necessary, repeat until smooth. Paint with DryLock and you are "goo to go".

I use Bondo an all my stones.

agree you should use wood filler. sand it down and drylock and or mm
haha didnt see the post above me lol. im silly