[sandcracker21]

I tried a search but didn't find much...

Does anyone have any recommendations for Halloween tombstones to purchase? I do NOT have the skill or patience to make my own these days and the ones I've purchased in the past were awful quality. I've seen some on other websites that seem good but the prices can get pretty high. Before I drop what is fairly serious money I would like some input from people here that probably know more than I do on the topic.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Frankie's Girl]

Target has some nifty stones most years. I've seen some lovely examples that aren't too costly and they're generally made from plastic resin, so pretty durable and good quality. I have a few that are animated and made from plastic with electronics and have done well as long as the weather isn't damp (rain/snow).

 

[Engineerchic]

I tried a search but didn't find much...

Does anyone have any recommendations for Halloween tombstones to purchase? I do NOT have the skill or patience to make my own these days and the ones I've purchased in the past were awful quality. I've seen some on other websites that seem good but the prices can get pretty high. Before I drop what is fairly serious money I would like some input from people here that probably know more than I do on the topic.

Thanks in advance!

If you see one you like that isn't great quality/durability you can always add more strength and depth with an additional 2" thick XPS foam sheet. Then all you have to do is touch up the paint, which is a lot quicker than carving letters.

This is a before and after of a purchased styrofoam tombstone, it had some interesting carving detail but was the white beady styrofoam (too fragile for a month of display). When I added a thick piece of XPS I needed to paint them to match.

Last year Home Depot had a nice resin celtic cross that was about 4' tall, that was a nice purchase (I always wanted one but not enough to make one).

 

[Haunted Habersham]

Go to home depot online and search for tombstones. They have some nice ones I just purchased.

 

[HauntedHoosier]

As in most cases..... it depends upon what you want, and what your budget is. I have a combination of stones I bought and made. They are not hard to make, but do take some time, so if you're not the patient type, purchase may be a better route. But there is everything from the absolute cheapest dollar store crap for a few bucks all the way up to professional quality stones made of resin or foam filled latex costing hundreds. Style matters too. Do you want the over the top garish stones with skulls, spiders, and demon faces, or something more understated and perhaps realistic? The big box Halloween options typically have one or two nice resin or blow mold options that looks good and even have some effects if they suit your style. Spirit, for example, has a pretty decent out of the box Haunted Mansion replica stone. And a pop-up skull prop too. Home Depot has at least a couple decent options, depending upon desired style, I'd recommend the Etsy shop Cemetery Haunts for very nice CNC made foam stones. She has some really good HM replicas. They aren;t cheap, but not outrageous, and I think they are worth the cost if you like that style.

 

[Jenn&MattFromPA]

I think there are a lot of options, but also consider how you are going to stabilize them in the October weather (wind, anyone?!?). We have inexpensive tombstones that we like the look of, but they require chicken wire in the back as a sort of "cage" along with rebar to keep them from blowing away. I have a few of the smaller Dollar Tree tombstones that I put in the front of our cemetery to sort of force perspective (small in front, big in back), and they are flimsy as heck. But they serve the purpose we want. And then we also have that awesome Celtic Cross from Home Depot last year that doesn't require as much effort to put up and won't degrade or weather as fast, and a super heavy, huge tombstone we got on clearance somewhere that will probably survive a hurricane.

I don't know if it applies to you, but I also think that for a lot of haunters, the longer they set up a yard haunt cemetery, the more personalized & unique they tend to go. There comes a point where you have all the styles of tombstones that catch your eye and you want something specific... that no one seems to sell in your budget! So then a lot of haunters start making things on their own so they can get exactly what they want. Depending on where you are in your decorating (starting from scratch, got the basics already and want to branch out, or if you're packed full & only have room for something super amazing), let that influence you. It might mean buying one spendy tombstone that completely looks how you want, or buying less-expensive ones now to fill your space but they are sturdy options.

Anyway, that's my two cents! Welcome to the Forum!

 

[MR. Macabre 13]

I've built my own tombstones for years using 3/4" plywood. I glue/screw 2 pieces together so they are 1 1/2" thick, then build a base for each one, cut it to shape, and go from there. They'll last forever, but with the cost of material going through the roof, I won't be building anymore any time soon.

 

[DerfQT]

Buy any you see you like, then glue it to something to reinforce it. Every tombstone I ever bought ripped off the stakes when a mild breeze came through. Much easier to grab a scrap of plywood spray it black and attach it to the back and use that to attach a stake to.

 

[sandcracker21]

Thanks for all the responses! I'm looking at a few from etsy and a few from a store called "evil soul studios."

I want about four or so quality pieces but the shipping on some of these is insane! The "cemeteryhaunts" that HauntedHoiser recommended looks great too!

 

[blanckmortuary]

Steve's haunted props sells styrofoam tombstone blanks: DIY Tombstone Blank With PVC - Etsy

 

[SLCGirl]

Thanks for all the responses! I'm looking at a few from etsy and a few from a store called "evil soul studios."

I want about four or so quality pieces but the shipping on some of these is insane! The "cemeteryhaunts" that HauntedHoiser recommended looks great too!

I have a few from Evil Souls (that I found on Etsy) that are good pieces. They do nice work.

 

[bobby2003]

Steve's haunted props sells styrofoam tombstone blanks: DIY Tombstone Blank With PVC - Etsy

$42.00 for a blank template. 🙀 It's nice that it already has an embedded pvc pipe for mounting it on the ground, but it looks like regular Styrofoam, not the insulation foam I think most people, myself included, use. Although I guess the price includes free shipping.

 

[sandcracker21]

I have a few from Evil Souls (that I found on Etsy) that are good pieces. They do nice work.

Nice! I think I'll get one or two from them and one or two from cemeteryhaunts