How to Make Halloween Tombstone Decor Out of Scrap Wood


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About 7 years ago, I replaced the stair treads on the steps to our outdoor deck.  It was the end of the summer and I left the old wood in a pile planning to place it curbside for Big Trash Pick Up Day as our town waste department comes through in October and hauls off any large items that don’t fit into your trash can.  As fall settled in and October started, I realized that I could use that old weathered wood for Halloween decorations.  We kinda go overboard at Halloween.  My mom was an avid decorator for every holiday.  Consequently, so am I.  We just replace our deck as noted in my recent post How to Start Decorating a New Deck.  So I now have more old stair treads!  I thought I would show you how to make Halloween Tombstone decor from scrap wood.

Here are the old tombstones:

The Blue Building Antiques Shopatblu scrap wood tombstones el muerte

The Blue Building Antiques Shopatblu scrap wood tombstones Scared E Cat

 

The Blue Building Antiques Shopatblu scrap wood tombstones grim

The Blue Building Antiques Shopatblu scrap wood tombstones ichabod

The kids and I had fun deciding what to put on the tombstones.  Here is how we made the tombstones.

Cut the Wood

Some stair treads are larger than others.  Ours were 40 inches long which would make the tombstones way too tall. 

The Blue Building Antiques Shopatblu scrap wood tombstones stair treads

Since they are thick, shorter wood would be easier to stand upright.  So, I used my miter or chop saw to cut them in half. 

The Blue Building Antiques Shopatblu scrap wood tombstones miter saw

While more contemporary tombstones are rounded, it would be difficult to cut through this wood that is 1.5″ thick.  So I opted to make an angled cut at each corner which gives them a rounded appearance.

Decorate the Tombstones

We had a gallon of exterior grey paint in the garage so that is what I used to paint the original tombstones.  For these new tombstones, I used Rustoleum spray paint. 

The Blue Building Antiques Shopatblu scrap wood tombstones rustoleum

                                                                 

Rustoleum 2x has become my go to spray paint.  It has paint and primer in this one product and coverage is superb.  Here are the tombstones with two coats. 

The Blue Building Antiques Shopatblu scrap wood tombstones two coats

For an epitaph, you can google ideas.  We simply chose our favorite characters and created a catchy phrase.  I simply used acrylic paint.  I sketched the saying with white chalk and painted over them.  when the paint dried, I wiped the chalk away with a sponge. 

The Blue Building Antiques Shopatblu scrap wood tombstones writing

Old tombstones are weathered and thus the lettering is not crisp so you don’t have to worry about perfect lettering.  We had some ghosts and gobblins to place in front of the tombstones.  I’m a big “after holiday” shopper.  So when items go on sale, I try to stock up.  I need a few more of these head and hand combos. 

This year, I added the strobe lights in front of the tombstones.  They are hard to see in the dark and the blinking lights add some excitement.  

Comments 7

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  1. Leslie Watkins says:

    You have to be the Halloween hit of the neighborhood! How clever! Loved hopping with you!

    1. thebluebuilding@charter.net says:

      Thanks Leslie. It’s always a fun loverly hop!

  2. Leslie Watkins says:

    I bet you are the favorite house on Halloween!! Loved hopping with you!

    1. thebluebuilding@charter.net says:

      Haha. We are definitely have the most Halloween spirit! Thanks Leslie!

  3. Juliet | A Loverly Life says:

    Sue, the tombstones are so fun! I always get a kick out of the clever sayings.
    Such a sppoky fun way to dress up the yard for Halloween.
    Thank you for sharing such a great tutorial and Thank you for joining the hop again this week!
    Oh, and you picked out some gorgeous pumpkins this year 🙂
    Sending much ove to you, my friend!
    Happy Halloween!

    1. thebluebuilding@charter.net says:

      Thanks J! I always enjoy your loverly hops…and pumpkins!

How to Make Halloween Tombstone Decor Out of Scrap Wood

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