# My Cemetery Columns Work in Progress



## BIGANT (Jul 13, 2010)

You people that have access to foamular and the likes have no idea how lucky you are!!! Here are my columns so far these are something I have been wanting to build for awhile now. They are 6 feet tall and 2 feet wide at the top and bottom. Made completely out of wood I am sure they can survive a cat 5 hurricane! I plan to add some moss to them still around the corners and such. I am also looking for large black iron pieces to put on the front, perhaps some iron sconces or candle holders of some sort. I am also working on a surprise for the column that TOTs will have to walk past I will post more on that when I have it completed and working on top of the column. Let me know what you think or please post some suggestions as well.


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## Sawtooth Jack (Apr 9, 2011)

They look good for being 100% plywood. I know how hard that stuff is to work with as far as adding technique goes. Just add some aging with paint and maybe some monster mud texture and these should turn out awesome.


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## Pumpkin5 (Aug 8, 2010)

:jol: Wow Bigant, those columns are impressive! They are huge! Are they going to have a gate, or a skeleton popper, or are they just the entryway focal point? Either way, they are amazing! Please post the finished pictures too! I think moss is a great idea for some added creepiness.


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## Headless (Sep 4, 2011)

Nice job. Look forward to the finished product.


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## Haunted Spider (Sep 6, 2010)

Someone on here last year made columns and put a mache stone fascade on them. They looked awesome. No idea where the thread is though. That is an option too if you want the textured look.


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## Bone Dancer (Oct 7, 2005)

Looking good so far. They must weigh a ton. Hope you have lots of storage space.
You might want to check out plastic garden fencing. I used some for a topper that had a nice wrought iron look to them. Try doing a "search" here in the forum for pilars or columns and you will find stuff others in here have done. Looking forward to seeing more photos as they progress.


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

Spiderclimber said:


> Someone on here last year made columns and put a mache stone fascade on them. They looked awesome. No idea where the thread is though. That is an option too if you want the textured look.


Here's the thread Spiderclimber was thinking of:

http://www.hauntforum.com/showthread.php?t=23707&highlight=cemetery+column


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## The Watcher (Sep 13, 2008)

They are big, so they will be impressive. I would make sure you use a good primer. Most folks don't realize how important that is to protecting wood that could get wet. But most paints and texture products will start to peel of if moisture absorbs in the wood. If you wanted a cheap texture Drylock gives you a grit/grainy type of look. It is like 20.00 a gallon at Walmart.


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## BIGANT (Jul 13, 2010)

The plywood I bought was listed as exterior use, i sprayed a layer of primer on it then covered it with Stone Spray paint as well. hopefully that should be enough to keep them dry???


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## QueenRuby2002 (Oct 23, 2011)

As for candle holder hit good will. I found a bunch there that I liked. Then I painted them the color I needed. Walmart has Mitalic acrylics that look great. Or Lowes has a tone of spray paint in almost any color out there.


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## BIGANT (Jul 13, 2010)

I went ahead and covered both columns in a thick layer of kilz masonry water proof paint and I will be applying stone paint to them again soon. I also bought some candle holders off ebay and reworked them a little bit to make them into lantern holders for the front of each column


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

Oooh, really like addition of the lantern and holder!


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## Bone Dancer (Oct 7, 2005)

You do goooood work. Thanks for the photos.


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## Spooky1 (Aug 25, 2008)

Those are going to be some sturdy columns, I just hope you have some help, when it comes time to move them.  The lantern looks great on the column.


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## BIGANT (Jul 13, 2010)

Thanks guys! Yeah spooky1 it only took one day before I got tired of moving them and put wheels on them! Now they move around pretty easily


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## wandererrob (Aug 8, 2007)

Those are going to be cool! 

Have you considered making one of the sides hinged or otherwise capable of being opened? Come storage time, you could save a lot of storage space by storing smaller items inside them. My Grim reaper holds a stack of small boxes under his robes


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## mys197gt (Jul 7, 2010)

wandererrob said:


> Those are going to be cool!
> 
> Have you considered making one of the sides hinged or otherwise capable of being opened? Come storage time, you could save a lot of storage space by storing smaller items inside them. My Grim reaper holds a stack of small boxes under his robes


genius!


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## BIGANT (Jul 13, 2010)

wandererrob said:


> Those are going to be cool!
> 
> Have you considered making one of the sides hinged or otherwise capable of being opened? Come storage time, you could save a lot of storage space by storing smaller items inside them. My Grim reaper holds a stack of small boxes under his robes


that is a really good idea I will have to do something about that!


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## Pumpkin5 (Aug 8, 2010)

:jol: Bigant, those columns just keep getting better and better!


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## BIGANT (Jul 13, 2010)

Did some more work over the weekend still need to finish painting them and add some ivy and stuff to them


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## Hairazor (Mar 13, 2012)

Holy Moly! Nice work!


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## BIGANT (Jul 13, 2010)

My first attempt at dry brushing


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## fontgeek (Jul 24, 2006)

They look nice, though I think you will run into some problems with the lamps sitting as low as they do. I'm surprised you didn't put those above the columns rather than on the sides.


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## BIGANT (Jul 13, 2010)

fontgeek said:


> They look nice, though I think you will run into some problems with the lamps sitting as low as they do. I'm surprised you didn't put those above the columns rather than on the sides.


Im not sure I follow you, what problems am I going to run into? I didnt put them on top because its not where I wanted them to be and I have bigger plans for the top of them. Numerous people put their lights in the same spot I did?

as you can see from just a few examples others put them in the same spot?
















I mean those are just a few of many examples. Also I dont plan to actually hang the lanterns on them till the big night itself.


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## Troll Wizard (May 3, 2012)

I read that you used a primer for the base coat, was it a latex or oil based primer? If you are using these outside hopefully you used an oil based primer. Works better and last a lot longer than a latex. Your topcoat can be latex as long as it's exterior paint. These look really great though. I like the idea of using a stone based paint on them. I also like the lanterns, I don't have any lighting on mine. 

I made mine out of plywood and also used 2 x 4's for the framework. Needless to say they way a ton. I have to use a hand truck to get mine outside for my graveyard. I also took 1" foam and broke it up to make it look like stone shapes and then glued it on 3 of the sides of the pillars. The backside I left blank for when I haul them with the hand truck. I also bought 2 matching gargoyles with their wings spread out that sit on top of each of them.


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## fontgeek (Jul 24, 2006)

It's the big night itself that will expose those lamps to the most abuse. People, kids especially, will slap, hit, kick, etc. anything within range so having lamps down at their punching level, for little kids, and kicking level, for the big kids, is just begging for trouble. Unfortunately, kids and people in general are destructive and curious. Most have learned this the hard way with props, and if those lamps are illuminated by candles or something that will get hot, you will also have the potential for burns, or things set on fire because of them. Also, in real life the lanterns would be mounted as high as possible to be able to shed the light over the broadest area possible.
All the samples you have shown have the lamps significantly higher off the ground than yours appear to be, and even then I can imagine them having some problems if those lamps were within reach of the kids.
I hate to come off sounding like a pessimist, but after many years of working and designing haunts as well as doing work for the amusement park industry I tend to plan for the worst and hope for the best in people. It's nice to think kids won't poke, kick, or hit things, and that adults will actually act like adults should, but it's unrealistic, and put people in costumes or wearing a mask? They tend to get even worse in their behavior.
The lamps look okay where they are, visually, but for potential troubles, they are way too low.


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## BIGANT (Jul 13, 2010)

Troll Wizard said:


> I read that you used a primer for the base coat, was it a latex or oil based primer? If you are using these outside hopefully you used an oil based primer. Works better and last a lot longer than a latex. Your topcoat can be latex as long as it's exterior paint. These look really great though. I like the idea of using a stone based paint on them. I also like the lanterns, I don't have any lighting on mine.
> 
> I made mine out of plywood and also used 2 x 4's for the framework. Needless to say they way a ton. I have to use a hand truck to get mine outside for my graveyard. I also took 1" foam and broke it up to make it look like stone shapes and then glued it on 3 of the sides of the pillars. The backside I left blank for when I haul them with the hand truck. I also bought 2 matching gargoyles with their wings spread out that sit on top of each of them.


I went back and applied a layer base coat of drylok to them both and then repainted them. hopefully I should be good to go the fronts are stone fleck and the sides are just grey primer. after the dry brushing you really cant tell that the sides arent painted with the stone paint. I did that simply because the stone paint was too expensive.

after a day of trying to move them around i put casters on the bottom of them, makes moving them around so much easier now!


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## fick209 (Aug 31, 2009)

Your columns are looking great!


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## Pumpkin5 (Aug 8, 2010)

:jol:Wow BigAnt, your posts are amazing. Thanks so much for sharing and all of your creative talent to show us how it's done!!!! Your posts look just like stone, even though everyone who had read your thread knows it is wood. I am completely amazed and I just love them! Thanks again for the inspiration...I love your wife's video add ons. Very entertaining!


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## gooffy87 (Oct 18, 2011)

Simply M-azing!


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## BIGANT (Jul 13, 2010)

Thanks everyone!! I also made a quick video of the columns as well I will post that up shortly!


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## BIGANT (Jul 13, 2010)

I have posted the video in a new post in the showroom section since they are finished now.


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