Thread: Making a inexpensive picket graveyard fence (and how to make politics useful)

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Greeting from the far north (Alaska) fellow haunters. There are just so many great tips and how-to's around I figured I'd add my humble project.

We're going to put politics in their place...the graveyard... fence that is. With the end of recent election goings on, you may have noticed tons of ad campaign signs all over. From front yards to sides of highways to bus stops. Since elections are over, these things are everywhere, and this will be a great way to recycle 'em. Just round up as many as you want on the sides of roads (these ones are fair game) trust me your doing people a favor by cleaning them up. We're going to make a inexpensive picket fence in segments for our graveyard.

List of materials-

stack of ad signs of our 1" X 2" posts, (bundles are cheap at the hardware store if you cant use ad signs)
batch of survey stakes ~$13 at hardware or lumber store
grey spraypaint or primer ~$5 from anywhere
pile of Wood/drywall screws or plain nails

Heres our pile of raw materials. This is just a small part of all the signs I found knocked over or blown around by the wind along my local roads. Since elections are over, grab 'em and put 'em to good use. You can also get used survey stakes at any construction yard or site, just ask if they have any junk or old ones.



Remove the signs and arrange the longer ones as the end posts and cross-bars. Use the smaller stakes as the center pickets. I liked them to look a little off kilter, so I arranged them crooked and not in line, giving it a bit of a creepy crazed look.


A single coat of grey primer gives it an aged look like old worn out white. Then just screw/drill/nail all the end posts, cross-beams and center pickets together. Since all the posts have the pointy side up, I sawed off an end of the survey stake and attached it downward as a ground spike.


Add any kind of after effects you like. Break a few pickets, spatter some blood on a spike or two, cobwebs are a must, whatever you can think of. These two were made after painting in 20 minutes or less.


Plant in yard around your graveyard and light up. I only got two segments done for this halloweens graveyard, but next year will have a whole fence around it.

Unlit



And lit with creepy lightning.

what a fitting way to reuse those signs!!! Great job

Great idea! The fence sections look really nice!

Your fences turned out great.......and that is the best use of political signs that I have ever seen....!!!

Good job. Looks great! I use the metal Ushaped sign holders the politicians put their signs on as tombstone holders. I zip tie the styrofoam tombstones right to the metal frame and push right into the ground lol!