# Best Way To Hold Up Tombstones



## ShadyHallows (Jun 14, 2006)

Just a quick question here, whats the best way to secure foam tombstones?


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## lowdwnrob (Jul 2, 2008)

Put a hole in the bottom and stake it down with rebar. You can get it at Home Depot.


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## Gory Corey (Nov 17, 2006)

Be careful drilling the hole in your foam!


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## Sickie Ickie (Jun 20, 2006)

some people put pvc tubes on the back of their stones and slip that over the rebar.


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## Gory Corey (Nov 17, 2006)

We drill it bigger and glue the PVC inside the holes (3/4" grey conduit PVC), plus I tap the PVC and add an allen set screw to hold them secure...makes stealing the pretty difficult


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## kciaccio (Jul 27, 2007)

I place rebar or small rods directly on both sides of tombstone and rap fishing line around the whole thing. They do not go anywear after that and people don't notice.


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## berzerkmonkey (Oct 31, 2006)

What we did last year was cut a piece of plywood a few inches larger than the base of the stone. Then I drill out four holes in the plywood - two within the confines of the stone's base, and one on either edge of the plywood. Next, I line up the plywood board with the tombstone bottom.

Next, I take four large (8") nails - you can get them at Home Depot - and stick two nails from the bottom up into the tombstone. I used a little Liquid Nails on the plywood and the nails, just to make sure it held. The other two nails go through the outer holes in the board down into the ground.

Obviously, we painted the plywood a shade of gray to match the stones. I've got pictures here http://www.portablezombie.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=65 so you might get a better idea of what I am talking about.

I like this method better than the rebar and PVC, as 1) it is way cheaper, and 2) you don't have to deal with rusty rebar.


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## joker (Sep 25, 2007)

Last year I took small sections of 3/4" pvc and cut them at a sharp angle on one end and drove them into the ground. Then drilled a 7/8" hole in the bottom of my tombstones and slipped them over. They stayed put for the whole month of October.

I should probably mention that my stones are made of 3" foam.


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## thegothicprincess (Jun 10, 2008)

I have a problem with the wind snapping my tombstones in half because they are so flimsey. I am glad to see this thread, I will try some different methods of securing, getting pretty expensive replacing my stones. I am also upgrading to larger foam.


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## mymania (Jun 12, 2007)

I've used duct tape and rebar. Seems to work. LOL


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## widowsbluff (May 24, 2006)

Here is a pic of the rebar/pvc method. We can get some strong storms in October and the stones have weathered the abuse of the season.


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## Stratusfear02 (Oct 1, 2006)

I basically do the same thing as the rest except no pvc i just twist the rebar into the foam. They have held up to 40+mph winds with little movement


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## EMU (Dec 4, 2007)

lmao ... i use shish-kabob sticks they work amazingly ...


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## dynoflyer (Oct 8, 2006)

Always looking for the simple, quick way. I gorilla glue a small piece of 3/4" plywood scrap 8" x 8" (or so) to the back of the tombstone, let it dry. Then pound two sharpened 1" x 2" x 12" wood stakes into the ground where I want the tombstone, and drive a couple of 3" drywall screws through each stake into the plywood. Haven't lost a tombstone yet (haven't seen any vampires hanging around, either).


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## Spookineer (Aug 20, 2006)

I have a wind problem also. What I do is make a 1/2 ply backing for the foam tombstone, full size and shape. Then I take two 5/16 steel rods about 12" long and stick them into the bottom of the predrilled backing about half way with adheasive. I also mount a handle on the backing so I don't have to push or pull on the foam when setting up or taking down. When the whole thing is painted with latex it's weather resistant and adds a little thickness to the tombstone.


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## Hellvin (Jul 6, 2008)

berzerkmonkey said:


> What we did last year was cut a piece of plywood a few inches larger than the base of the stone. Then I drill out four holes in the plywood - two within the confines of the stone's base, and one on either edge of the plywood. Next, I line up the plywood board with the tombstone bottom.
> 
> Next, I take four large (8") nails - you can get them at Home Depot - and stick two nails from the bottom up into the tombstone. I used a little Liquid Nails on the plywood and the nails, just to make sure it held. The other two nails go through the outer holes in the board down into the ground.
> 
> ...


Interestingly that is what I do with my "light" stones (ones that dont mass sufficient mass to keep themselves up). The 8" spikes are about 12 to 15 cents per piece. I cover the plywood base with grass and or leaves.


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## Phil (Sep 2, 2007)

ShadyHallows this thread is great. There are a wealth of good ideas here. I love this place. Thanks everyone.


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## ubzest (Jul 1, 2008)

tonight I noticed in the seasonal clearance section of walmart, they have green stakes for holding up your plants at .40cents (about 2 feet long) The six foot stakes were a buck. I usually use rebar too, but this looks like a good buy and lighter than rebar and won t rust.


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## Fetch (May 16, 2008)

Just be sure not to leave exposed rebar, spikes, skewers, etc. sticking out of the ground. It's an impalement waiting to happen...unless you're "into" that level of realism in your display. ;-)


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## Gothic Nightmare (Jul 19, 2007)

Wow, you guys are ambitious. I just pound stakes made from furring strips or other scrap wood, pipes, whatever I have, and duct tape the back of the tombstone to them. Mine are only up for a day, but it holds up fine, even in the wind. I've used this method for many years.


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## widowsbluff (May 24, 2006)

We paint the exposed, above ground, part of the rebar (when the tombstone is not in place) with florescent paint. We have had tornados in October and will pull all the stones in when a watch is in effect or a particularly strong storm coming. The paint helps to alert the mailman and others the next morning of the location of the rebar.


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## slightlymad (May 25, 2006)

We use a method similar to rebar but with old sign mounts. The election type signs that are just paper or corrugated plastic. These things are fair game after the election is over and they almost never picked up. I can pretty much stop at any busy intersection and pick some up when needed they are mostly just laying there most times without the sign they started with. And they also make great dow rods


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## edwood saucer (Aug 21, 2006)

I second the stakes - except with zip ties. As long as your not nuts with them - the zip ties won't tear through the foam. It's not an elegant solution - but it works and is fast.


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## halloweengoddessrn (Feb 14, 2007)

I use wodden stakes in the ground and then secure the tombstone with fishing line- you cant see it at night. Works for me!


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