# Cemetery Column Build



## JohnnyAppleseed (Apr 8, 2009)

Hello all, thought I'd share my cemetery column build which will be an upgrade for my display this year. There is a complete set of photos in my album under my profile with discriptions.

Supplies for frame and sheathing:

3- sheets of 1/2" exterior grade plywood
10- 2x2's
2- 1x2's

Trimmed with exterior grade wood moulding and two 1x4's for top cap. 1 tub of Bondex joint compound (left over from home renovation). paints used was Kilz latex sealer tinted gray, 1 quart each of Walmart brand Colorplace latex paint in Chimmney black, Steel gray and Berkshire white.

Some photos of the build:

Sheathed and trimmed (side by side with framed second column framed)....










Plastered and sealed.....










Aged and distressed:


















With cemetery entrance sign added:










Thanks to Raven Manor for the basic idea of the build and to Terra for pointers of aging techniques.


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## scream1973 (Dec 23, 2007)

Looks good


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## Joiseygal (Sep 3, 2008)

Thanks for the pictures on your work. Very nice!


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## scareme (Aug 29, 2006)

Your pillars look great and I love your aging process. Should look great in your haunt this year.


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## beelce (Jul 21, 2007)

Very Nice....


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## Dixie (Feb 18, 2009)

I just love the paint, JA... you really did a nice job on these, man!


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## Mr_Chicken (Nov 26, 2008)

Very cool, Appleboy!
I tell myself every year I'm gonna make some of these, but I still haven't gotten around to it.


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## Merlin (The Quiet One) (Feb 23, 2006)

Looks great , love the sign.


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## Jaybo (Mar 2, 2009)

Looking good Johnny! You guys in Washington all working together or something? Every time I turn around there's another one of you guys completing a project!


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## HalloweenZombie (Jul 22, 2007)

Looks great. Plus it's really heavy duty. Great job.


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## IMU (Apr 8, 2009)

Very nice ... and heavy duty too! Are you going to do a gate as well?


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## Lady Nyxie (Aug 30, 2006)

Great job.


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## Tyler (Jul 17, 2008)

Great job on the aged look, very realistic!!


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## JohnnyAppleseed (Apr 8, 2009)

Not sure about a gate yet....still thinking about it. I have been busy, couple of pics of the new fence support columns:



















The lower back panel of the small columns is removable also, possibly a good place to hide a pinspot or colored flood.


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## DarkLore (Jan 25, 2009)

Looks sweet. Where in hell do you store them? Or is that where the home renovation comes in?....you had to add a new wing to the house for storage. 

If I can just convince Jaybo to store some at his place I'm all set.


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## JohnnyAppleseed (Apr 8, 2009)

I plan on storing them at Jaybo and Dixies! I hear they have plenty of space, so I'll just send them down there via UPS....getting them back is another story altogether. I do have a corner of the garage set aside for them.


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## DarkLore (Jan 25, 2009)

JohnnyAppleseed said:


> I plan on storing them at Jaybo and Dixies! I hear they have plenty of space, so I'll just send them down there via UPS....getting them back is another story altogether. I do have a corner of the garage set aside for them.


A corner? Just a corner?

You need to build cabinets in them to store other props.


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## JohnnyAppleseed (Apr 8, 2009)

Each one of them have a removable back panel, although it was designed to allow access for electrical, adding a fog machine or even hiding speakers or a pin spot, they do allow access for storage. Also, the largest standing side by side form a flat counter top, I have a piece of plywood that is placed on top of the 5 1/2 footers and that is a little wider then the columns and will support the smaller columns side by side stacked on top, with the second set stacked opposite on top of the first set. Once they are completed I'll take a pic of how they store compactly until they are called out for duty in October!


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## mechagrover (Oct 2, 2008)

Very nice! Thanks for the pics. I'm planning something similar for next year.


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## IMU (Apr 8, 2009)

Oh, those look nice! Doing a great job on these JA!


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## Ghostess (Aug 21, 2005)

Really nice work!


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## JohnnyAppleseed (Apr 8, 2009)

Thanks all, the four smaller columns should begin plastering on Thursday this week, pics to follow soon.


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## Sunkenbier (Jan 5, 2009)

I like the paint job you did for the aging


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## dynoflyer (Oct 8, 2006)

Those really look terrific! Nicely done.


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## Bone Dancer (Oct 7, 2005)

I would like to see the storage pic of those things. Moving those columns must be a treat too.


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## turtle2778 (Jul 9, 2006)

My pillars look jsut like this and YES storage is a HUGE problem. I did manage to get ALL my tombstone (40) inside and all the connector poles for the fencing AND anything else i could shove in there. I too have the open panels and it really helps. I orginally did mine with styro and that was great, but over the last few years the styro has become SAD so after seeing this I want to ask how much do they weigh with all wood? Mine were heavy enough with just pegboard and styro walls. They look really nice i think you did an excellent job.


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## scream1973 (Dec 23, 2007)

Buy a handcart and you can move em around really easy T.. I built 2 columns that are around 7 foot tall completely out of 1x lumber and 7/16 OSB and they weigh a good amount but moving them with the handcart makes it easy and then a 66lb bag of stone goes into the bottom of them to wiegh them down even more so they dont move in the wind


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## JohnnyAppleseed (Apr 8, 2009)

turtle2778 said:


> My pillars look jsut like this and YES storage is a HUGE problem. I did manage to get ALL my tombstone (40) inside and all the connector poles for the fencing AND anything else i could shove in there. I too have the open panels and it really helps. I orginally did mine with styro and that was great, but over the last few years the styro has become SAD so after seeing this I want to ask how much do they weigh with all wood? Mine were heavy enough with just pegboard and styro walls. They look really nice i think you did an excellent job.


Thanks turtle. With the wind here and the amount ot ToTs we get, I didn't feel comfortable making them out of foamboard. The are a lot lighter then they look. I can easily pick one up and move it by myself although the size makes it awkward. I would say they weigh under around 40 lbs each. I also have about 400 sqft of unfinished storage in a room in my daylight basement. This is where I keep virtually all of my props. The only thing not down there currently are a couple of short concrete columns from a local nursery, my scarecrow, couple of lengths of fence (active build) and the columns (active build). I can also store the columns in a corner of the garage as the design allows them to stack flat (this includes the four fence columns). I think I owe a pic of them stacked so when they are all finished I'll stack them and show the set-up.


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## JohnnyAppleseed (Apr 8, 2009)

Ok, just got back from Baltimore and pushed out the last of the painting on the fence columns. Decided to check out the front of the cemetery with a dry run yesterday. I am now working on a gate for the entrance made up of a similar style gothic picket but thinner, curving upward from the middle to the large entrance columns. The cemetery entrance columns will have up lights on the columns in blue or green, so I may have to push them back in a few inches to accomodate the spots. I'll decide that when I do a trial night run in August or September. Here's the front:


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## jdubbya (Nov 6, 2005)

Very very nice! Your work and attention to detail really paid off. Be sure to post night pics of them. Awesome job!


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## Jaybo (Mar 2, 2009)

Looking good JA! Definitely need some night shots with the lights on the columns. Are planning on putting a topper on the two main columns? A couple of gargoyles with lights under them would look sweet on those!


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## Bone Dancer (Oct 7, 2005)

For toppers on the main columns you might want to consider lights. Something in the style of old square street lamps. With frosted glass in them you could use any normal light source (led lantern). Looking forward to seeing the gate.


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## lbgreen (Jul 6, 2012)

I love them!! Good and Sturdy and can be used for the next year! Did you use monster mud on them or is that just the paint that you layered on them? We made some last year out of styrofoam and needless to say they did not survive storage. I was looking for something more sturdy and you have come up with the gold!! Beautiful work! Happy Haunting!:jol:


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## OlliausHamm (Jul 26, 2012)

Wow looks nice ... I build my column whith styrofoam ... Thumbs up


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## Daddy's Little Corpse (Sep 7, 2006)

Very nice. Can you come over and build _me_ a couple?


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## Spooky1 (Aug 25, 2008)

The columns look good, and I like how you aged and textured them.


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