# Bust (fake) holes in your walls! Cheap!



## marcus132

I've often noticed that good creepy houses (real or manufactured) always have holes cracked in the plaster, revealing the laths beneath.

Here is an extreme example from the Winchester Mystery House:










I wanted to bust some holes in my walls for Halloween without incurring the wrath of my landlord, and here's the solution I came up with. The whole thing cost me about $5 in materials, and made enough for three rooms.

First I got four sheets of black posterboard for $.59 each, and a roll of "knotty pine" self-adhesive shelf paper (Contact paper) for about $3. Here's a shot showing the texture of the paper:










I cut the shelf paper into 1.5" strips and stuck it to the posterboard. This was really easy, as the backing on the paper has grid lines printed right on it. After it was all stuck down (I put a vertical cross beam at the seam where I taped two posterboards together), I painted shadows and stains on the "boards."










Once it was all painted, I cut the big sheets into cracked hole shapes and then painted some shadows around the edges. And that's it! Instant lath and plaster damage. I hung them up around my house to see what they'd look like. They look great, even in a currently unhaunted house. :jol: (UPDATE: I put up a larger photo here.)


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## Frighteners Entertainment

Looks great!


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## ScareShack

very cool idea.....and looks good too.


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## Bone Dancer

amazingly inovative and cheap. nicely done.


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## trishaanne

Very cool idea. I may just have to "borrow" that one!


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## Vlad

Hey Marcus, great idea. I moved the thread over to the How To section. It deserves to be there.


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## dave the dead

good job Marcus! Thanks for sharing!


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## Lady Nyxie

Great effect for a great price. Thanks for sharing.


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## dubbax3

Wow this is brilliant! Def gonna try it this year. Thanks.


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## Zombie-F

Nice job! I too may try this one this year.


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## slightlymad

Nice Marcus


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## drea11

This long time lurkers asks...how did you hang them?


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## drea11

drea11 said:


> This long time lurkers asks...how did you hang them?


Sorry, probably wasnts supposed to ask that on this thread...cant find the edit/delete button! This is why I lurk!


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## scareme

Love the look, and the price. Good question drea, how did you hang them?


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## slimy

Great Idea!!!!!


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## Lauriebeast

Excellent idea and very well executed. Thanks for sharing this.


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## marcus132

drea11 said:


> This long time lurkers asks...how did you hang them?


They're just hung up with little loops of masking tape stuck to the backs.


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## Cassie7

What a very cool idea! Simplicity at it's finest  I love it!


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## CraigInPA

Brilliant!


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## turtle2778

Thats a wonderful idea. Good thinking.


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## drea11

marcus132 said:


> They're just hung up with little loops of masking tape stuck to the backs.


Thanks! It looks great!


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## Hellrazor

Wow, awesome idea!!!


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## Silent Requiem

that kicks butt,man.


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## Revenant

That is freaking _*awesome*_!!! Very, very nice marcus.

I was a plasterer for several years and have seen an awful lot of that. Makes me think of money when I see it lol

If you wanted to add extra detail you could even take some small bits of white foam, dirty it up a bit, and glue it in the spaces between the lathboards to look like the chunks of broken off plaster that stay behind when the plaster falls out... and scatter lots of little chunks of it on the floor beneath the holes. Man, those things look so real it's scary... add low light and and a bit of haze and holy cow...!

Edit: I just noticed after posting this... very nice how you lined up the join line with the edge of the doorway where the wall stud would be! Little details like that totally sell an illusion of that nature... even a repair guy would accept it as real from several feet away cuz it just looks right.


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## marcus132

Revenant said:


> If you wanted to add extra detail you could even take some small bits of white foam, dirty it up a bit, and glue it in the spaces between the lathboards to look like the chunks of broken off plaster that stay behind when the plaster falls out...


Oooh! Great idea using foam! I thought about putting some white paint on there to simulate the remaining plaster, but foam would look way better. Thanks!



> very nice how you lined up the join line with the edge of the doorway where the wall stud would be!


Thanks for noticing! I'm all about the attention to detail. 

That said, I don't know what old timey building codes were like, but I probably need more verticals in the really big holes (every 18 inches, perhaps?).


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## The_Caretaker

Most wall studs are 16 inches on center


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## Lilly

those are very good marcus..
if someone wanted to do a cabin look in the inside of the house this idea would work too, only make the slats log looking


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## CreepyCanmore

So simple and so effective. Well done and very creative.


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## Revenant

The old lathboards don't just go from stud to stud, they were as long as manageable by the crew that installed them. So you'd generally find floor-to-ceiling join lines quite a few studs apart, at starting points, with lots of shorter butt-jointed laths scattered throughout. They wouldn't have bothered cutting them at 1-stud length; there would be no reason for all that extra work.

Oh, and if you wanted to get _ridiculous_ with the amount of detail, you could stick some fibrous stuff throughout some of the plaster chunks. They used to mix hemp fibers and horsehair in with the basecoat that went over the laths. (And please don't bother doing that... absolutely no one would notice... that's just me flaunting my plaster knowledge... snooty little blue collar know-it-all that I am...  )


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## NoahFentz

Thats just great!! Now what do I do with all the slats I saved from my renovation. Very cool effect.


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## mymania

I like it! I'll haev to try that this year


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## marcus132

Revenant said:


> (And please don't bother doing that... absolutely no one would notice... that's just me flaunting my plaster knowledge... snooty little blue collar know-it-all that I am...  )


Show off. ;-)


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## NickG

that's impressive - great work.


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## Night Owl

I am continually amazed by the creativity I've come across on this site... What a cool idea!


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## SpectreTTM

Way cool Marcus132.

Would you happen to have any close up photos?


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## beelce

-Yes Marcus..nice looking... great idea!!


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## marcus132

SpectreTTM said:


> Would you happen to have any close up photos?


The photos I posted were the only ones I took before I packed these away until Halloween, but here's a larger version of some of the holes.


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## Revenant

Heh... even got wall studs behind 'em... marcus yer too much...


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## Eyes_in_the_dark

WOW, I just love this idea and it can work so well with so many themes. This will be part of my “Horror Rock Café” party decorations this year and I’ve book marked the thread so I don’t lose it. Thanks marcus132, outstanding idea!!


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## Sickie Ickie

Don't you love the wood contact paper? I've used it on stage myself many times for giving the impression that pvc, etc is wood!


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## randy2084

Absolutely brilliant!

Marcus - I can tell you painted in the nails, but how did you do the
wall studs? Is that contact paper behind the horizontal strips or is
that painted too?

Sickie Ickie - When I was looking at the pictures, I was thinking how
great this technique would work on stage!


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## SpectreTTM

Thanks sooo much for the close up pics Marcus123

Yes. Painting techniques would be nice.
What type of paint you used.
How you got the shadows.

Please 

This is one thing that my wife would let me put in the house.


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## marcus132

randy2084 said:


> Marcus - I can tell you painted in the nails, but how did you do the
> wall studs? Is that contact paper behind the horizontal strips or is
> that painted too!


Yes, the studs are just another strip of Contact paper running vertically. I painted them in darker so they would look more recessed.

For the nails, I just made big dots with a Sharpie marker and then very quickly smudged them with a paper towel in the direction of the wood grain. Since the "paper" is actually a sort of plastic, it takes the Sharpie a split second to set, so it gave it a little bit of smudge that made it look more like old, countersunk nails.


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## marcus132

SpectreTTM said:


> Yes. Painting techniques would be nice.
> What type of paint you used.
> How you got the shadows.


There is no technique, really. In fact, my "real" artist friends would scoff at my shadows.

All I did was paint a dark line at the top and bottom of every "board" and then water down the paint and do messy brush strokes over the whole thing to stain it and make it look less perfect. Then once the holes were cut out, I just went around and put a dark outline of "shadow" around the edges.

The paint is just regular brown acrylic paint. You can get a cheapo tube of it at a hobby or fabric store for about 99 cents.

The illusion doesn't really stand up if you stand there and analyze it, but as they say in TV set building, "If the viewer is analyzing the background, somebody else isn't doing their job." :jol:


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## Haunted Bayou

Brilliant!
Why can't I think of things like that???


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## naberhoodhaunts

great look very good job. will use that in a few of my rooms!


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## Wildcat

Awsome idea. And economical too. Nicely done.


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## Lotus

Going to be putting this in my room soon


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## KimilyTheStrange

Great idea! Much easier than... plaster, lath, plaster, paint, etc.


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## Sickie Ickie

randy2084 said:


> ...Sickie Ickie - When I was looking at the pictures, I was thinking how great this technique would work on stage!


You are not kidding! I wish I thought of this when we has done Annie!


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## dynoflyer

Excellent, Marcus, thanks!


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## Bondo

I've been looking for a way to do this forever but could never find any tutorials! Thanks a ton! Now if i could only find a way to simulate ripped wall paper!


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## joker

Holy Crapoly!! Marcus you're a genuis...You have no idea how much time/money/and brain cells you just saved me. I've been looking for a way to do something similar in my garage to go along with my additional walls. This will be a great way to tie them together.

Thanks again!


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## Bilbo

I just ran out and got my supplies to do this last night! I am making a TON of these for both home and work. IMHO this idea ranks right up there with the fog chiller and the FCG!!

Take your spot up there amongst the Halloween Haunt greats, Marcus.



Bondo said:


> I've been looking for a way to do this forever but could never find any tutorials! Thanks a ton! Now if i could only find a way to simulate ripped wall paper!


Bondo... can't find where I found this idea, but there is an easy way to do this too. You have to have scraps of the same paper that's on the walls to use. You need to layer (unattached!!) the wallpaper to a plain piece of paper or even better, the simulated exposed lathe board that Marcus invented. Then you CAREFULLY tear one side of BOTH the wall paper and under piece so they are exactly the same shape. Then attache the other side of the wallpaper to the under piece. Picture a piece of 8x10 paper, folded in half. One side of the paper will attach to the wall (this would be the Marcus Lathe Special), the other (the wallpaper) would "peel" away from that piece, exposing the "wall" underneath. Of course if the paper has a pattern you would want to make sure the "torn" piece matches the pattern...

I wish I had pictures to show, but my searches are coming up empty. I'll PM them to you if I find them!


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## Zombie Manor

Great idea. And well executed. This would have saved me some time


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## iHalloween

That is very cool! Seems like a product that would sell!


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## Criss

Fantastic idea , its the basic stuff that we never think of that is most effective and creates lots of atmosphere . 

Im now on the hunt for wood grain contact , thanx again for the inspiration . 

While we are talking about basic ideas heres one i do each year 

Blue tack Black streamers from the roof to floor a few cross ways and you have a instant cage or jail . Sounds like crap but we do this at the end of a hallway put a dummy behind plus a few led lights . Super basic but looks fantastic once the lighting is added takes a minute to make costs almost nothing no storage etc .


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## corner haunt

This is brilliant! The shadowing and depth of the studs behind the lath is great! :jol: We salute you inventor of "the illusion of exposed lath boards"


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## pennywise

Wow. That's awesome! I was going to try to hand paint this effect, but you saved me! I'm a little unclear about how you put the cross beam in. Can you explain how you did it? Great job.


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## marcus132

pennywise said:


> Wow. That's awesome! I was going to try to hand paint this effect, but you saved me! I'm a little unclear about how you put the cross beam in. Can you explain how you did it? Great job.


It's just another strip of the shelf paper turned perpendicular to the others and cut into tiny pieces (to fit between the slats). That's it.


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## debbie5

I am stealing that as we speak. Off to Target to buy shelf liner!!


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## Decrepit Desecr8shun

Very sweet, thanks 4 the how to!! Impressive green one!


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## Warrant2000

Great job, wonderfully original!


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## Desmodus

Thats one of the best original ideas I've seen in a while! Nice


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## KStone

Very ingenuitive! Great work.


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## doggieshop

Very cool, simple and cheap effect. Thanks!


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## The Bloodshed Brothers

very nice!


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## Master-Macabre

Woah It's absolute genius  Thanks for sharing


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## hexerei

This is friggin rad! I have an existing crack in my plaster because of constuction on our building. I have been trying to think of a way to just include it in my deco! Thanks!


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## Erebus

I have been working on this. Got 2 rolls of that paper at an estate sale for $1. Took forever to cut the little strips so I am going to cut the whole roll with a bandsaw. I will post pics when I finish mine. Just wish there were a little more detail on the shading and stuff.


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## darkrosemanor

Absolutely *brilliant*!!!


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## Bilbo

I made a batch of these last year for my workplace and the effect KILLED! Of course it didn't hurt that the morning I hung them we had workers on our roof making a ton of noise. Had six coworkers think the construction people knocked the plaster loose.


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## buck249

*awesome*

thats is a truly unique idea high praise to u


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## Hallow

This is a great idea


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## Brainfrt

What a great Idea and that looks great.


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## buck249

i tried it is as simple as he stated and looks great


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## Mortarlover123

thats a really awesome idea


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## operatingnurse

This is brilliant! I am so doing this trick. Thanks for a quickie to add to my haunting laundry list.


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## Dreamreaper

great idea.


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## DixieMom&Dad

Love ur Idea! Great thinking. This will be our ( my Husband's and I ) 3rd Annual Halloween Party and are looking for New and different ideas to keep each year unique and fresh! Plus in-expensive....We will definitely be planning on this one! :jol: Thank you for sharing....


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## MaryShelley

Wow! Thank you so much for sharing this project! The hubs and I are hosting our first Halloween party this year, and we want it to be amazing. This will definitely make an impression! And, I love how inexpensive it is!!


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## bentneedle

Ooooo! Oooooo-hoo-hooo-hoooo! *crafty laughter*
Just try to hold me back from the dollar store and my airbrush now!!


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## STS95

Great effect. Deffinatly going to use that one this year. Very cheap and takes up a lot of space without looking tacky. Nicely done!


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## theundeadofnight

Hi marcus132,

Here is my version of your fake holes in wall , thanks for the great idea.


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## marcus132

theundeadofnight said:


> Hi marcus132,
> 
> Here is my version of your fake holes in wall , thanks for the great idea.


Wow! Those look better than the originals. Nice work! :jol:


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## Lambchop

Good idea.


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## diggerc

I may try this on felt of some sort. Better for storage I think.


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## Palmdale Haunter

Great idea!


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## dudeamis

diggerc said:


> I may try this on felt of some sort. Better for storage I think.


thanks for the bump, this is going in the to do list.


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## Jaybo

Attach these to black vinyl and you could probably use these outdoors.


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## matrixmom

Thanks Jaybo! Another to do on the list....



Jaybo said:


> Attach these to black vinyl and you could probably use these outdoors.


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## Sista Witch

That is a Great Idea - Thanks for the info - may def borrow the idea!


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## circe257

Thanks for sharing this fantastic project. I think I'll use it to transform my office.


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## goblinqueen

*Thanks for the great idea!!*

I realize this post is years old. However, upon doing research online on how to make my house look like a safe house for the zombie apocalypse I came across this post on how to make walls look like theyre falling apart. Love it! I went and bought the supplies and did it this past weekend. I am not sure how to attach my pictures on here...hopefully this works.







h.


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## Japy

great idea that I can hopefully use to transform our store a little bit to have a zombie theme!


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## swede5342

Nice.........


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## Fright Boy

*Great idea. I live in house with plaster walls and I will be doing this for sure. Thanks for the post.*


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## kittensbutthole

That is pretty awesome. Looks great! I applaud your creativity. Looks so *darn* god


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