DIY lit Halloween Decoration Tombstone

 There is a materials and tools list at the end of the article

Introduction

I have been making these tombstones for about 8 years and finally feel I've figured out some pretty good methods to complete them. Still, I'm always open to improving, so if you think of a better way; please let me know by making a comment.  To see the 2013 vid. of several other light up tombstones follow this link: VIDEO

Make the front, back and sides

These tombstones are hollow with a Styrofoam front and a plywood back. Styrofoam strips are used as sides and the top to create a space between the front and back. I start with a piece of Styrofoam, plywood and cardboard that are all about the same size and as big as I need for my tombstone. The ones I've made for my yard are viewed from the road about forty feet away so I make a back row of big tombstones and a front row of smaller ones. The example for this article is a small one.

The small tombstone I'm making will use 3/8 inch re-bar and ½ inch PVC pipe. If I were making a large tombstones I would use ½ inch re-bar and ¾ inch PVC pipe.

To create a pattern I fold cardboard in half and draw the desired shape, then I cut that pattern out and trace it onto the Styrofoam. Folding the cardboard in half to make the pattern gives me the symmetrical look I desire, but I have to admit in the future I'll be trying some more funky looking tombstones I've seen online.

I cut the Styrofoam using my low-cost self-made hot wire cutters; one hand-held and one table cutter. There are many websites and videos about how to make or purchase your own hot wire cutter. Plus there are many different ways of cutting Styrofoam. 

If you make your own tombstone just use the method that is best for your situation. 

I always cut Styrofoam in a well ventilated place.

Now, I traced the shape on the Styrofoam onto the plywood and cut it with the jigsaw. This will give me a matching front and back. 

(The photo shows the front with the words already cut out, I'll be doing that soon.)

I take caution here to mark the INSIDE of the plywood so that later I put the strips on correctly.  This is especially important for asymmetrical tombstones.

I prime the back, plywood, painting both sides and the edges.

I cut several strips of Styrofoam, later I'll glue them to the sides and top edges of the plywood. They need to be uniform. I always cut Styrofoam in a well ventilated place.

 Cut the Script on the front

I use a computer create the script that is desired on the tombstone. Once it is printed I use a razor knife to cut out the letters and graphics, I cut out the spaces inside letters like “a” and “d” first. I'm careful to save these pieces.

Now I pin the stencil to the Styrofoam with toothpicks. The paper is a great guide because the hot wire will not cut through the paper.

I use my self-made hand-held Styrofoam cutter to punch a hole down through each letter, this will allow me to thread the wire on table cutter through each letter.

I cut out the inside pieces of letters like “a” and “d” first and save them.

 Create the sides

Now I lay out the sides and top by dry fitting them first. 

The strips, along the sides are easy, but usually several angle cuts are needed to create the top. The goal is to have most of the Styrofoam on the plywood, and have a little hanging over the edge. 

I don't worry about getting it just right because it will be trimmed off later.

What color with the script be on the finished tombstone?

There are two options when it comes to determining the color of the script; 

1. Paint the inside of the back of the tombstone the color you want the script to be. This option makes the color to fairly permanent, but is usually very bright even during the day.

 2. Leave the back white and use a colored light bulb to color the script. This option allows the color to be changed, but is only as bright as the light bulb I use. 

Special note here: I use a LED light bulb; incandescent will melt the Styrofoam. 

For this tombstone I'm using option number one and painting the inside back pumpkin orange. 

 It is important to do the next two steps before the tombstone's front and back are glued together.

Installation/mounting system

Okay, here's how I display these things in my yard. I pound two pieces of re-bar into the ground and then slide the tombstone's PVC pipes onto them, so I need to mount the pipe to the inside of the tombstone.

First, I trace a line along the inside of the Styrofoam strip, even though it is not glued yet, to act as a guide for where the PVC pipes will be mounted. I must leave a space for the strip of Styrofoam that will be glued to the sides and top. 

 I cut the pipes to the correct length, I spray painted the them orange. It is likely they will be seen through the script. I have brush painted them with acrylic paint after lightly sanding them and that worked. I always spray paint in a well ventilated place and with a good drop cloth, because spray paint sprays everywhere.

(Whenever I spay paint and do not use the whole can I hold it upside down and spray for a second; this clears the nozzle so paint does not dry in there and clog it.)

I use four bolts, nuts and lock washers to mount the pipe. I need two drill bits; one a little larger than the head of the bolt and one a little larger than the shaft of the bolt. 

The large bit is used first to drill a hole through one side of the PVC.  

(I wasn't paying attention and drilled a hole in the middle of each pipe. Just ignore them; they are unnecessary.)

I place the pipe next to the line that was traced to leave room for the Styrofoam side. Then put the small bit through the large hole and drill through the inside of the pipe and out the plywood at the same time. 

 Drill two in each pipe one near each end. 

Now I put the bolt through the pipe so it sticks out the back, hold it with a screwdriver, and tighten the lock washer and nut to it; for all four holes. 

The pipe will hold tight to the back and allow the re-bar to slide up into it.

Time to put those little pieces of Styrofoam back into the a, e and d

I do this step in a place that I can leave the tombstone for twenty-four hours undistributed. I am very cautious to make sure the front is face down. If the letters are backwards I know I have it right. 

Through the years I have done this many different ways: with toothpicks, with fishing string, with cloth. Today I will be using bailing wire. 

I think the reason it hasn't mattered what material I use to span the gap between the body of the tombstone and the little piece of letter, is because I use Mod Podge as the glue. (Whenever I use the word glue in this article I mean Mod Podge.) There are many different glues that will adhere Styrofoam, but I used Mod Podge on the first one I made, because I knew it would dry waterproof and I had some handy. It worked great.

I drive myself crazy using my finger to adjust the little pieces into the proper position, so I use a Popsicle stick to adjust them. 

I curled the ends of the wire to keep them from rolling around and add more surface area for the glue to hold on to. 






The Popsicle stick is now used to get as much Mod Podge on and around the wire ends as possible without dripping. 


















In my youth I would rush to the next step, now that I am older and wiser I wait twenty-four hours for the Mod Podge to dry.

 Glue the front, sides and back together

This is another step that needs to be done in a place where the tombstone can be left for twenty-four hours undistributed. 

I lay the front face down on a smooth flat surface. Then pour/rub Mod Podge all along the edge. 

I lay the strips and top Styrofoam pieces on the Mod Podge. Wiggle them around a little to ensure that the glue is covering as much surface as possible. 

Now, I put the glue on the strips and put the back of the tombstone on top of that. 

I make sure the PVC pipe is inside the tombstone, and put some heavy objects on the back of the tombstone to help hold it tight, without crushing, while the glue dries. 

 Trim the top

Once the glue dries, I take the tombstone back to the hot wire and trim the edges so the front back, sides and top are all even, flush. I always cut Styrofoam in a well ventilated place.

Sometimes there are gaps between the pieces that make up the top, I spread a little glue on wedge shaped slivers of Styrofoam and push it into these gaps, then trim them off when the glue is dry.

 Sometimes the hot wire leaves little ribs; I just sand those smooth.

Make a hole for the light

There are different ways to put a light inside, I drill a one inch hole in a spot so it is not visible through the letters.

 Add the decorations

I sketched the decorations I want on plain paper then cut them out; these will be my patterns. 

I make sure they will fit on the tombstone, and get out my thin, ¼”, Styrofoam that I save from different packages. 

I need two of the serpents, so I pinned two pieces of Styrofoam under one pattern and cut them out at the same time. 

Last I cut out the skull and then punched out its eyes. I always cut Styrofoam in a well ventilated place.

They're glue on, now.

Paint

There are lots of ways to paint tombstones; here's how I do it. I pick a color usually complementary with the inside color to use with black and white. 

I was going to use blue, but when I started looking for it, Kelly Green caught my eye. I trim down the original pattern piece so it will fit inside and slide it in to protect the orange paint. 

I sprinkle the white, black and third color (green) onto the tombstone; estimating how much it will take to cover. How much of each color I used depends on how dark or light or colorful I want to the tombstone to be. 

Now I drip the brush into clear water and spread the paints blending them together using only vertical strokes.

A small brush is needed to paint the inside side walls of the letters and other holes. 

 Installation

If you're wondering why I have such a heavy duty mounting system; it's because every year, no matter which weekend I choose to put out my graveyard, the next weekend a rainstorm with 55 mile per hour winds hits. In 2015 there was even hail. I've seen far to may of these tombstones shatter and fly away.

Lay the tombstone on its back so its bottom is at the place you want the tombstone to stand. 

Pound the re-bars into the ground by lining them up with the pipes in the tombstone. 

Leave enough re-bar sticking out of the ground to go almost all the way up into the tombstone. How deep I pound them depends on the type of soil, the size of the tombstone and the wind. I have sandy soil, large tombstones and strong winds, so I go at least one and a half feet. However, I'm careful because re-bar can be impossible to pull out of the ground if it is pounded too far.

I check to make sure the re-bar will not pop out the top of the tombstone. 

Then, I slide the tombstone over the re-bar making sure they go up into the PVC and carefully press it all the way down to the ground. 

 Install the light and plug it in. 

Happy Halloween.

Materials

Styrofoam this will be the tombstone front and sides

plywood this will be the back

card board or poster board or something a little bit firm but easy to cut and fold

re-bar, two pieces about 1 ½ feet longer than the height of the tombstone

PVC pipe, two pieces about as long as the height of the tombstone

primer

paint; a couple of different colors plus black and white, maybe a can of matching spray paint

Mod Podge

bolts, nuts with washers x 4

bailing wire or fishing string, or toothpicks

LED bulb with electrical socket

Tools

pencil or maker

scissors

Styrofoam cutter: hot wire or knife

jigsaw

saw to cut the re-bar; hacksaw

saw to cut the PVC/; pipe cutter or hacksaw

paint brush

razor style knife

toothpicks or stick pins

something like a Popsicle stick

drill and bits, including a 1” bit

Computer with printer and a favorite font

screw driver with an end that matches my bolts

paint brushes; 2 inch and a small one

hammer

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