# Cemetery Fence - Haunt Fence



## Ms. Wicked (Nov 14, 2006)

We finally got started on the cemetery fencing today!

The crate wood, which I still love, unfortunately wasn't the right stuff for the fencing I had in mind. We purchased 6 ft. treated fencing panels for a $1.40 each.

The shaped tops were sawn off.

Then for the fence rails, we sliced each 6 ft. length vertically.

For the pickets, each length made four pickets after sawing in half, then again vertically.

I drew out a simple, Gothic shape for the top of each picket and made a template. The jigsaw was used to cut the shape to the top of each picket.

To construct each panel, I started on each side and measured to make sure the rails were the same distance apart. Then I nailed in the pickets to each end.

For spacing in between pickets, I just used another picket. I randomply placed lopsided ones by placing in the "correct" space. I then put in one nail and pushed the top to the desired spot then nailed in place.

I used two nails on a diagonal at both the top and bottom to secure.

The boys suggested leaving one whole picket out on each panel, to make it look more like it's falling apart! I took their advice and I love how the "missing" panel gives a more dramatic lean to those pickets!

When finished, the fencing will run across the entire front of my house (along the sidewalk) and turn up the driveway to the pathway. I still need to figure out the posts for the ends and the corner. The fence panels will "tuck" behind the neighboring panel and they will be secured into the ground with rebar to make sure that they are very secure.

Each finished panel uses four of the purchased 6 ft panels, for a cost of $5.40 per completed panel (excluding nails and paint)... one down, twelve to go! They will be painted black, of course, to co-ordinate with the rest of my display.

One whole fence panel prior to cutting:









Cutting the lengths for the pickets:









Template for picket tops:









Nailing/spacing the pickets to the rails:









The first panel!


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## Ms. Wicked (Nov 14, 2006)

Mr. W posing with the first panel; you can see the height:










An idea of what it will look like in front of the house:


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## MotelSixx (Sep 27, 2008)

Great job! That makes me consider changing my fence!!!!!!


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## Lauriebeast (Feb 27, 2007)

Very nice MsW, I really like the randomness and missing picket.


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## smileyface4u23 (Apr 1, 2008)

That looks great!


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## Just Whisper (Jan 19, 2009)

great job. It will be a terrific addition to your haunt.


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## Spookineer (Aug 20, 2006)

Very nice work Kellie (and Tony)! If I didn't already have 90' of the standard PVC cemetary fencing, I'd do it exactly like yours. Can't wait to see it all painted.


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## Mr_Chicken (Nov 26, 2008)

Nice! Makes me wish I didn't have a permanent picket fence!


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## scareme (Aug 29, 2006)

Great looking fence. I've yet to get a real fence (I just use a wire garden one). This will give me some good ideas.


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## Draik41895 (Oct 25, 2008)

that looks great,the fact that its uneven makes it perfect


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## IMU (Apr 8, 2009)

Yep! What they said ... nice!


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## Ms. Wicked (Nov 14, 2006)

Thanks so much!

I'll update as I progress! This is a fun and easy project!


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## Hauntiholik (May 17, 2006)

Looks great MW!


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## Demon Dog (Mar 30, 2009)

I like it; and different from the norm to boot.


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## hpropman (Jul 27, 2008)

I use Pallet wood to make my fence you do not have to cut each picket but you do have to take them apart. It will save you some $$$. Here is a picture of mine. I also make a fence with just sticks lashes together. most pallets can be found for free.


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## hpropman (Jul 27, 2008)

some more




























adding dead branches and bugs, crows, and owls really set the scene especially at noight.


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## Black Cat (Aug 20, 2005)

Great looking fence Kellie. Can't wait to see it all painted.


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## Wyatt Furr (Jun 5, 2006)

Very nice, MS W
Similar to what I did a few years back


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## Bone Dancer (Oct 7, 2005)

Nice job Kellie. Tell Tony you need a nail gun for your birthday.


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## Just Whisper (Jan 19, 2009)

That really looks great Ms Wicked. The little extra work you put into making the tops pointed again finishes it off. It looks very authentic. Looking forward to seeing the finished product, and also seeing it set up for the haunt. thanks for sharing.


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## Ms. Wicked (Nov 14, 2006)

Thank you all so much!!!

Bill, you crack me up! But I agree, I need a nail gun!

I've been having a blast making this. Today, we got into production mode on it. Mr. W sawed, I traced the picked tops, Mr. W cut tops and I did all of the nailing.

We finished five more 6 ft panels today for a total of 6 out of 13.

Here's a picture of what it looks like on the back, where the rails meet. On one end of the panel, I left space that equals the width of 1 and a half pickets. On the other end, the rails end half way across the width of the picket.

This way, when the rails meet, the spacing remains uniform from the front, with no awkward joins. We will put rebar on both ends of each panel to secure.

Back where two panels meet:









Six 6 ft lengths of fencing! Seven more to go!


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## kprimm (Mar 14, 2009)

Good job, always nice to have a fence to keep visitors out of your prop area.


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## Joiseygal (Sep 3, 2008)

Looks great! I'm going to make a wood fence this year and was debating if I should put the point on the top. I can see by the look of your fence that I will definitely go that route. Oh and I thought Mr. W wasn't going to help you on any projects this year??????


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## Sunkenbier (Jan 5, 2009)

Great job on the fence. IT will look even better when you age the wood to make it look older.


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## Revenant (Mar 17, 2007)

Sweet, Kellie! When that's all painted black it's going to look great with your Edward Goreyesque silhouette scene. You have a beautiful sense of composition.

Oh, and love the heavy-duty construction skirt. Rugged yet stylish.


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## spideranne (Jul 17, 2006)

That is going to look great. Awesome work.


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## Just Whisper (Jan 19, 2009)

Getting it done...keep it up. I noticed in the first few photos that you have all your halloween haunt schematics drawn out on the driveway in chalk. Looks like Mr W was in charge of the planning this year???? j/k


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

A woman who can sew _and_ use power tools - does your husband know what a treasure you are?

Oh, and if you can build sheds, we could stand to get ours replaced


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## Ms. Wicked (Nov 14, 2006)

You all are too kind to me! I'm really not a big prop maker, but enjoy making the pieces that I do attempt. Our house here is perfect for fencing and I think it will set off the display well. Fingers crossed!



RoxyBlue said:


> A woman who can sew _and_ use power tools - does your husband know what a treasure you are?
> 
> Oh, and if you can build sheds, we could stand to get ours replaced


Hee hee Roxy - Mr. W probably would like to have a talk with you to clarify things. 

I assume you want a shed that will stay standing?  If so, you may want to solicit somebody else's handy work.


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## Ms. Wicked (Nov 14, 2006)

Yay!

We just finished building the last four panels so all 19 panels are now constructed.

The next step will be attaching the rebar brackets to the back then painting them black to tie in with the rest of my display.

Yay!


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## JohnnyAppleseed (Apr 8, 2009)

Ms W, you may want to consider a broken or missing picket or two for that really run down and worn out look! Great job on the fence, can't wait to see it in action.


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## Systematic Chaos (Sep 7, 2008)

JohnnyAppleseed said:


> Ms W, you may want to consider a broken or missing picket or two for that really run down and worn out look! Great job on the fence, can't wait to see it in action.


I believe she does have a missing picket per section.

I think it looks awesome! Can't wait to see pics of the whole haunt. Thank you for the how to too. lol


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## saint paul mn (Jun 6, 2009)

totally going to steal this idea


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## Hallowennie315 (Sep 5, 2007)

Wow! The fence looks really good! However, i agree with Johnny Appleseed. You should try kicking a few pickets in or sawing one in half and re-applying only one half. The fence still looks great, though!


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## Warrant2000 (Oct 8, 2008)

Spooooky!


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## Night Watchman (Aug 15, 2009)

Ms. Wicked
I liked your idea so much I called the lumber yard and registered for this forum. A couple of questions hopefully you can answer. Are you going to attach your sections together with screws, nails etc..., and how are you going to attach the rebar. I think I am going to use a "u" shaped saddle clamp. 2 for each rebar. In the corners I think I am going to put a 4x4 and attach the sections to it. I am going to anchor the 4x4 with rebar. My sections will be 8 feet long because the wood comes in that length and 32 inches high, again because the wood comes in 8 foot lengths. I am thinking of putting a gargoyle or something on the corner 4x4 posts to dress them up. 
Thanks again for the idea and how to. I am so excited to start on the project.


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## Ms. Wicked (Nov 14, 2006)

Night Watchman, I'm so excited that I've actually inspired somebody with one of my props!

Welcome to HauntForum!

For attaching the rebar to the back of the fence, I will use the "U" shaped saddle clamp which will hold the tubing in place. There are straight pickets on each end of every panel which is where I will put the bracket/tubing. I've attached a picture of one of my witches in which I used this method.

I've not planned to attach the panels together. I've placed the end pickets' spacing so that one end picket extends half way over the rail and the other ends' spacing is the equivalent to one and a half pickets. That way, the extended part will hide behind the neighboring panel's picket. I've attached a picture of the back that shows this.

I'm hoping that with the rebar being on each end of every panel, this will keep the panels secure and it won't require any type of attaching.

I hope this helps! I'll post pictures when mine is complete and please post pictures of yours!

Again, Welcome!

Rebar and brackets will be done like this:










Back of panels where they meet; you can see how one rail is long and "hides" behind a picket:


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## Night Watchman (Aug 15, 2009)

Thanks again for the idea. The saddle clamp is exactly what I thought, and am going to do. I wasn't sure if you would attach the sections, but I think you are right with rebar at the end of 2 sections it should hold them snug together. Lets both hope so!!! Like I said in the corners where the fence changes direction 90 degrees I think that I am going to put a 4x4 post anchored with rebar. I feel I need to give you something back because the fence is such a great prop idea. When I get it done I will try to figure out how to get a picture on here. Like you I probably could use a nail gun, but will warm up the arm for some hammering.


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## Eeeekim (Aug 14, 2009)

Ms. Wicked, is that a "Martha" Witch? My father-in-law made one just like that.
That Fence looks Ways spooky. I was thinking of doing that same thing and was wondering about how to attach it to the grown. Thanks for the rebar idea.
YOU ROCK OUT!


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## Decrepit Desecr8shun (Aug 10, 2009)

Great work! Luv the crooked spindles! I wld like 2 make a suggestion if you intend 2 paint them. Don't paint them until after the wood is fully dry. Put them inside,like maybe in your garage & let them dry for a while,depending on humidity that can take a few weeks 2 dry out otherwise you will have dry rot issues in the future. Staining is however,not a problem @ all as moisture can still leach into & out of the wood.


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## Ms. Wicked (Nov 14, 2006)

NW, I like the idea of posts for the corners. I'll have one corner and this sounds like it will work well! I can design some sort of finial for the top.

Decrepit, thanks for the advice about letting it dry. It's currently sitting in the garage waiting for the next step - how long do you suggest?

I'm excited about having made this fencing. I think it will pull in and frame the whole display and also will direct the TOTs down the pathway with less cutting across the lawn (and tripping on the cords).


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## Spooky1 (Aug 25, 2008)

Love the fence Ms. W. Can't wait to see how it looks painted. I'm sure Roxy only had innocent thoughts with the power tool comment.


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## DoctorShadow (Sep 18, 2008)

AWESOME fence!! The last two years I've been wanting a fence. I was about to make the pvc type but budget wasn't going to let me. I believe this will work and really be GREAT on the budget. Now, to get busy.


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## Night Watchman (Aug 15, 2009)

*If imitation is the most sincere form of flattery*

I just finished my fence today. I connected rebar to one piece to see how it worked and the set up did the job. Hopefully I have figured how to post the pictures. I had to prop up the two sections to the left with pieces of wood and some rebar. Now that I know the rebar attached to the back will work I have to get more clamps and finish the rest of the sections. I made enough sections to go up the driveway and to the corner of the house on the neighbours side. It was not that expensive and took me about 2 days to finish. I think about 56' in total. & 8' sections. I have to think of something to put on the corner posts. I think that I might try to find some skulls and put LED tea lights in them. Might be a good effect.


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## Ms. Wicked (Nov 14, 2006)

Excellent!!!!

And yes, I am flattered! I'm thrilled that one of my props has inspired people! This is what HauntForum is all about!!!

I'll be waiting to see the posts, too!

I love it! (Of course, lol)


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## TNBrad (Sep 10, 2007)

Dear Mis Wicked
LOL
Hey just an Idea; I noted on one of the DIY Network show (Yard Crashers) they used a pump up sprayer, like for in the garden use. and filled it with water and Baking Soda. after they sprayed the wooden fence they made the wood took on a really aged, old, GRAY, weatherd look in just about an hour or so and they said it could get dark with another spray or two.
Great job though.


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## DarkLore (Jan 25, 2009)

Do you have a link or photos of the baking soda technique for making wood look aged? I found a comment about it....but I can't find the discussion of it.



TNBrad said:


> Dear Mis Wicked
> LOL
> Hey just an Idea; I noted on one of the DIY Network show (Yard Crashers) they used a pump up sprayer, like for in the garden use. and filled it with water and Baking Soda. after they sprayed the wooden fence they made the wood took on a really aged, old, GRAY, weatherd look in just about an hour or so and they said it could get dark with another spray or two.
> Great job though.


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## Night Watchman (Aug 15, 2009)

DarkLore, when I built my fence I also tried to look for that link but was unable to find it. I searched wood aging and found an idea to put steel wool in white vinegar. You have to leave it there for at least 24 hours. The steel wool will begin to rust. I tried it and painted the solution onto my fence and it aged it. I put the idea in a Prop How To threadcalled "Aging Wood". There is a picture of my finished product there if you want to see the outcome. My fence was made out of Spruce.


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## dynoflyer (Oct 8, 2006)

Great looking spooky fence!


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## Mortarlover123 (Oct 4, 2009)

looks nice how much did it cost to make that?


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## Night Watchman (Aug 15, 2009)

Ms. Wicked had a price for hers at the beginning of the thread I think. I made 56' of fence. The 1"x3" came in 8' sections and were 99 cents. I think I used 50 of them. 8' sections of fence and I cut my pickets at 32" to get 3 from each board. The brackets to hold the rebar were 7 cents each and I put 6 on each section. Rebar cost me $1.22 for a 2' piece and I used 2 per section. The 4x4 cost me $9. I think the whole fence total cost me just over $80. The fence post finales I got at the dollar store. I bought plastic skulls that I put an LED tea light in. They were a dollar each. It took me a couple of days to finish it. I also aged the wood when I was done which cost me a toal of $3. It was easy and I didn't think it was too pricey. Ms. Wicked deserves all the credit it was her idea and I used her instructions from start to finish. The only original idea I had was the post and the skull on top.

Finished Corner with Skull on post.


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## JohnnyL (Aug 17, 2006)

Looking great! Can't wait to see more.


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## Uncle_Daniel (Oct 2, 2009)

This is a very good idea and not spendy either! It looks great so far. Can't wait to see it painted and set up!


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