# anyone use wood for tombstones?



## halloweengirl (Aug 23, 2006)

I have seen several houses that use wood for theyre tombstones.But all of the online sites say to use foam.What are the advantages and disadvantages of each?Is one better to use than the other?I would think that wood would hold up better,wouldnt it?


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## gypsichic (Jun 6, 2006)

most folks use foam due to being lightweight

wood's heavy and harder to store esp in the attic


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## jim6918 (Aug 18, 2006)

My first dozen tombstones were made out of particle board. Easy to cut and takes paint well. They are sturdy and store nicely laying flat on each other. Still there is something sort of sterile about them that I can't quite put my finger on. I can't draw a straight line with out a ruler, so I must use templates for the styro tombstone I am working on now. I can get pretty windy where I am and I dont think that the typical mounting system (holes up thru the bottom of the foam) would work. I am considering poly gluing a 2x4 on the back and using either long spikes or re-bar.


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## edwood saucer (Aug 21, 2006)

I think advantages would be that foam provides the best outlet for creative freedom. It's easy to work and provides the most realistic representation. 

Disadvantages are probably weight and some lack of ability to backtrack should you make a mistake.

I think probably folks get a kick out of making a "movie prop" - styro seems to be the best vehicle for that.


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## gypsichic (Jun 6, 2006)

i live in oklahoma ...........you know where the winds come sweeping down the plains at 60+ mph anytime it wants.........lol

i've always used the styrofoam and we use the ole' pvc glued on the back slipped over a piece of rebar

not the most realistic obviously .............lol............and if time permits i'll work on that this year


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## halloweengirl (Aug 23, 2006)

I think that I will go with the foam then.I want a very realistic look.With carvings and all.Thanks for the replies.


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## Beepem (Jul 17, 2006)

well if i can just throw this in, wood is a unbelievably cheaper. and its spray paintable. foam has to be sealed with latex paint then sprayed


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## jim6918 (Aug 18, 2006)

Beepem is right. I was shocked to find that 4x8x2" sheets of blue styro are $30/sheet locally. Particle board is half that.


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## Beepem (Jul 17, 2006)

if you do go with foam, id get the 1", its like 15

i went with foam, its really neat, and theres a really cool way of etching foam with spray paint


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## Hellrazor (Jun 18, 2006)

I like foam better too because I think you can be more creative with foam. I find wood hard to work with for me as I am not mechanically inclined.


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## Hellrazor (Jun 18, 2006)

Beepeem I just paint mine with latex, I dont spray them.. and you can get pink foam for 11.99 Canadian a sheet so thats probably 9 bucks a sheet US. 

If all else fails, I have also used white foam. As i "chip" out my letters, it works fine for me at 9 bucks a sheet Canadian so thats what... 7 US?

Look around a bit, I think you are pricing the wrong stuff dude.


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## Beepem (Jul 17, 2006)

oh, im saying that i have like green latex paint, so i paint them with that then use 99 cent spray paint to make em gray

hellrazor, pink foam is 15 bucks here 4x8....1". everyone says that. bead foam is easy to get for free though


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## halloweengirl (Aug 23, 2006)

The cost is definitely an important factor.I will just have to price the foam.If its to much,We have alot of spare wood sitting out in the garage.That will be my plan B..lol. Do i just use regular Ol' latex paint,that I can get at walmart or where ever?

Beepem...what is the really cool way to etch the foam with spray paint?


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## Beepem (Jul 17, 2006)

ok. this is partially mine, partially someone elses. whos name escapes me.

basically, you take peice of thick THICK paper, like for presentations. not cardboard. and you draw/trace a picture onto it. say a bat. you use an xacto knive to cut the bat out.

now take doublesided tape and go around the edges of the bat very very well. you dont want the spray paint to bleed. now put it onto your grave and spray it with black spray paint, white gray whatever. just get the 99 cent cans. the spray will eat away at the foam. spray it generously 2 or 3 times. the key is to do an overly good job getting the tape right against the edges. that way, the spray only eats away what you carved out of the paper.

any pumpkin stencil would work too. i did it with mine, its wicked amazing, but be warned. if you spray it like 5 times, it will eat all the way through to the other side. then let it dry for a few minutes and you can remove your paper and tada.

i did it to 6 of my 7 graves, its awesome.

get 1" foam.

edit: i just made this grave a few minutes ago from 1" foam.


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## mrklaw (Nov 11, 2005)

The advantages of styrofoam are:
easy to carve with simple tools
looks more like stone with a simple coat of paint (no wood grain to deal with)

disadvantages
fragile
can't use spraypaint directly

advantages of wood:
cheap
abundant
durable
can look good if you have a router

disadvantages
needs woodworking tools (router, jigsaw, etc)
wood grain shows up unless you use something like drywall compound on it


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## Hellrazor (Jun 18, 2006)

Halloween Girl. I recommend Exterior Latex paint for all of my props. I always keep an eye on the mistints and pick up colours when they suit my fancy...

All of my paint is mistints and I have about 8 gallons of all kinds. If you are nice and the retailer is nice sometimes they will retint it for you too.... smile pretty...


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## Blue Flame (Aug 22, 2005)

I use both. I use the foam beacause it's easier to carve then I trace the tombstone onto 3/4" plywood and glue the foam onto that. It ad's depth like a real tombstome would have and it gives it a little wieght so that it's not so fragile. I can also mount it a lot easier.


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## Lilly (Jun 13, 2006)

I actually did like making wood tombstones either cutting them out myself or using dresser drawer front ,they are already beveled like so just need to engrave them with a dremmel or router. i have not made any for quite some time but may start again. i also used reg house paint(grey color) mixed with sand for stone look and they are still holding up. I scatter these along the house 
I use real stone for gravemarkers now..
if interested look here... these are the smaller ones i have used, also an old picture

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j136/imdiamondlilly/graveyardstones.jpg

personally i dont like the foam because of breakage and being blown away.


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## slightlymad (May 25, 2006)

I like both and have both for me wood is actually better i come from a carpentry background and know how to fix ANY mistake i make


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## jdubbya (Nov 6, 2005)

If you haven't seen these, they're worth a look, even if pricey.
www.hauntedheadstones.com

Carnage Complex is a distributor.


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## halloweengirl (Aug 23, 2006)

Lilly...I really like your idea of using real stones.That looks good! It looks like a real old, run down cemetary.Great idea!!
As for me...Im going to try to run out to home depot this after noon and buy a sheet of the foam.I will experiment on it first to see how I like it.And if i dont...wood it is-lol


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## Beepem (Jul 17, 2006)

OH halloweengirl, unless you have a big truck to haul this thing, youre gonna need a steak knife stowed away in the glove compartment to cut it up to fit in your trunk!


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## -blank- (Sep 10, 2006)

I actually had 2 pieces of wood taht were shaped exactly like a standard rounded top tombstone. They had the rigyt dimensions too 
cant remember where i got tho...


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## NickG (Sep 12, 2006)

I use wood for my tombstones, because I got almost all of it for free. we got a pallet full of fiber-board shelves that I think were cut the wrong size by a furniture company a guy at work's friend works at... the other people at work took a couple, but there were about 250 or so on the pallet... the boards are about 2.5' long and 6" wide. Last year I made 15 cross-type tombstones with them... this year I've made 12 additional stones made from 3 boards put together to form rectangles, and I'm also going to add some single boards standing up as markers. (rip, initials, and date) I painted them all gray with latex house paint and a roller, I have 2 different shades... and painted on the words with flat black latex paint and a small paint brush. I know they're not really sposed to be gray but it's easy to read black on gray, and they more resemble stone tombstones that way... at least the idea of stone tombstones. All I had to buy was the paint and furring strips (1x2s) to make the stakes out of.. when I'm done in a couple of weeks I'll have a total of ~ 30 tombstones for $15, and there are still about 150 boards left at work... I really would like to make the foam ones but I had a hard time finding 2" foam last year (ie, didn't find any at all) and I think I'd have to special order it... I'm not very artistic and I probably wouldn't be good at weathering them, but I'd like to "take it up a notch" in a year or too because they look amazing when done well. Mine are obviously fake, but folks do so little around here tots are impressed by them.


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## Dr Morbius (Sep 21, 2004)

jdubbya said:


> If you haven't seen these, they're worth a look, even if pricey.
> www.hauntedheadstones.com
> 
> Carnage Complex is a distributor.


$100-$200 a stone?!! Yikes! I'll make my own. They do look nice, though, thanks for the link..they look very "copy"able!


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## Wildomar (Aug 30, 2006)

The foam gives a better 3-D affect since you can carve, scrape and alter the shape easier. This is also important for allowing a 3-D stressing to the tombstones (cracks, chips, etc). Not to mention carving of the various epitaphs. If you were to try this with wood you would have to either use a router or dremel and then it might actually take a little longer to carve. Lastly, the various dings that can happen to your Foam Tombstone over time often just adds to the stressing. To me that is often why Wood stones can end up looking "sterile". Of course like anything, if you are willing to spend the time, wood can be made to look as good as the foam ones and will last longer. It just seems to me that foam is definitely easier to work with. Just my $0.02.


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