[BIRDDAWG]

Hello,
Please give me your opinion on the foams you use for crafting your tombstones, I plan on using great stuff expanding foam so I can fully customize my own tombstone, I don't know if you guys have a better preference but if you do comment and tell me why please
Thank you and happy haunting!

 

[StanFam3]

I've made tombstones for the first time this year. And I'm loving doing it!!!

I have used a two inch thick foam insulation board I purchased at local Lowes store. So far I've made five tombstones out if it and I have enough left for several more.

 

[BIRDDAWG]

I thought about using insulation board but I was told that if you try to spray paint it it will melt and I don't want that to happen to several hours work.

 

[StanFam3]

I thought about using insulation board but I was told that if you try to spray paint it it will melt and I don't want that to happen to several hours work.

Indeed... Simple. Do NOT spray paint!

I have used a base coat of Rustoleum's deck product Restore 10x on mine, then I follow up with acrylic paints.

 

[tworwo]

How do you stand them up? The wind is wrecking my tombstones year after year.

 

[StanFam3]

This year, I've drilled holes up into the stones and glued in pieces of PVC pipe. I plan on sliding those over metal posts in the ground

 

[tworwo]

Nice idea! Thx StanFam3

 

[StanFam3]

Nice idea! Thx StanFam3

Sure! The great folks here on HF taught me that trick.

 

[BIRDDAWG]

I do like spray painting though, to me it i'm able to get effects that acrylic paints do not get me, but if i did you the insulation foam and put on a layer of latex foam do you think that would prevent melting of the foam?

 

[StanFam3]

I do like spray painting though, to me it i'm able to get effects that acrylic paints do not get me, but if i did you the insulation foam and put on a layer of latex foam do you think that would prevent melting of the foam?

If the foam board insulation has a really good coat of latex paint, then yes, you can spray paint.

Here's one of mine done as I described:

 

[ScaryMars]

Last year I made a few tombstones out of the sheet foam insulation. Although they turned out pretty nice I thought they lacked depth. So this year I've been chunky-fying them with cardboard and paper mache.

 

[GobbyGruesome]

They look awesome, Scary Mars! I think depth does help a fair bit, at least if you have a few like that. Looking forward to seeing 'em done.

 

[The Undertaker]

I would recommend watching Terra's tutorials on making and painting tombstones. Also do a Youtube search on making/painting tombstones out of foam. There are almost as many different ideas as there are paint colors. I personally prefer Terra's methods combined with little things I've picked up in the process of making my own.

 

[Intellagirl]

I use foam board and stack it to get the depth I want. My base coat is drylock (gray) and then I paint it any way that I want. Both of these are made in this manner.

 

[ScaryMars]

Intellagirl - Those are AMAZING!

 

[GobbyGruesome]

Wow! I don't want to know how long these are taking you. It took me a while to realize that divers helmet wasn't real. The bar just keeps getting raised on these things. Amazing.

 

[CFD318]

I started a few years back and now I can't stop making them... if you want to see what I made so far check out my page! I'll just post the one I did this year. You can find my step-by-step process for it.

 

[Intellagirl]

Gobby, Scary: They didn't take as long as you'd think. A little dremel work, some gorilla glue...and voila! You should see them lit up! I'll be putting them out soon so I'll post a pic of them with their lights on.

 

[BIRDDAWG]

They all look great guys I'll keep you posted on when I make mine for the next Halloween season, I need to get to work on my costume for now.

 

[ryanlamprecht]

What I use for tombstones

Hello,
Please give me your opinion on the foams you use for crafting your tombstones, I plan on using great stuff expanding foam so I can fully customize my own tombstone, I don't know if you guys have a better preference but if you do comment and tell me why please
Thank you and happy haunting!

This is just my personal preference, but I love the 1.5 inch thick white bead Styrofoam board. Home Depot has it in full 8' X 4' sheets, but I usually buy it in 2' X 4' sheets, just because it fits in my small SUV. I usually glue two sheets together to make a 3 inch thick board, which is perfect for most of my tombstones. The reason I love the white bad Styrofoam is because you can crumble and tear away areas with your fingers, and it leaves a texture that looks like broken stone. After the drylock, painting, and a little dry brushing it looks like a slap of old stone. Here's a couple of Happy Halloween ones I made for my neighbors. Also a few I've made for my yard. All of them out of the white bead Styrofoam. I guess if you're going to do some really intricate carving, then it might be better to use the pink or blue foam board, because it's denser.