Halloween Discussion Forums, Costumes, Horror!

i have some of those pre-made tombstones that come with the 2 stakes that you put in the bottom and then stab into the ground. they are about 2 ft tall. is there anyway for me to make them more secure and/or weather proof. they are very light weight so i am afraid they will fall over. also how do they hadle weather?

we used the stakes that came with ours last year- and they wound up in the neighbors yard/down the street etc.

This year we made our own and I secured them using metal hangers. I just cut an 8" piece, bent it in a u shape and looped it through and then stuck it in the ground. I'm using about 3 U shaped wires per tombstone. They're holding pretty well BUT I think they're something I'm going to have to maintain throughout the month because some do fall over- no matter what.

I think the key is to figure out which way the northern wind comes in to your yard. Then arrange the tombstone at an angle so the wind cuts around it- rather than having it facing (front or back) directly into the wind.

If you're a bit of a handyman, you can create a wooden base for it. This article (from Screaming Scarecrow Studios) goes into detail on constructing one - scroll down to "Attach a Wood Base."

http://halloweenalliance.com/howto/yard ... bstone.htm

For something less elaborate, the metal hangers definitely work. I asked a friend for his advice (he likes to call himself the Lurking Lunatic, so he asked to be referred to as such!) He wrote the article in the URL above, and he says this:

If the tombstone is made of stryofoam it will weather hot, cold
temps and water just fine as is. However, styrofoam breaks down under UV rays, so limit the amount of time they are displayed - in other words don't leave them out for months at a time. 2 to 3 weeks at Halloween time is ok though.

The last thing to keep in mind about the Styrofoam and UV rays is that the
paint on the tombstone will protect it somewhat from the rays. If the
tombstone has lots of paint on it from the factory it should be pretty
good, if it doesn't and you feel you're up to the task repaint it with
latex paint and have some fun with it!

We seldom buy something off the shelf and just put it into our haunts, we often amp them up a bit!

Hope this helps. Have fun!

wow, thanks stranger with candy, that is a good idea, and Halliance you sure know alot about these styrofoam tombstones. you had some awesome ideas!

Hi Halliance and welcome,

I hope you are enjoying our happy haunt!

The web link was fantastic I spent ages pouring over all the information contained in its pages!

I especially like the article on the "Buffet Table" some really good ideas on there!

Thank you so much!

Hi Halliance and welcome here. Love your avatar picture! Be sure to post in the new members threads so other members can meet you. Enjoy checking out the many threads and meeting all the wonderful spirits that roam our spooky little town. Look forward to chatting with you more

Waved right here:

http://halloween.com/bb/viewtopic.php?p ... ght=#17523

I'd love to take credit for the the ideas, but my friend is the Master (cue Darth Vader). I'm helping him construct his haunt, and having a lot of (ouch!) fun with prickly chicken wire!

Halliance, that link you posted is great! I espcially love the 'Happy Halloween Magazine'!

MUST HAAAAAVE!!!!!

so my tombstones have been a bit tricky mastering...the wind has been such a punk the last couple of days So, I've been using these little plastic do-dad's that I picked up last year on clearance..

one in the front (neck down) and one in the back seems to do the trick as far as flopping over goes, plus it gives a nice creepy crickety sound when the tombstones fall down and stand back up in the wind

I went to a craft supply store and bought some wooden dowels. I cut them each 8 inches long and then put 4 inched into the ground and 4inches in to the tombstone ( 2 dowel spikes per tombstone).. they have lasted pretty well and we have a had a couple storms since I put them in.... there was one I was a little worried about so I added a little glue to it.... I to had problems with my tombstones flying away last year.. just having a pole a little deeper in the ground and the tombstone seems to work.

Wicked tombstones!!! Witchy

A little late to this thread as it looks like you've got it figured out, but...

I made my own and to support them, I used 'L' shaped brackets that were about 6 inches long both ways. Then I added a wood board (1 foot) to the bottom and burried it.

That will keep them standing up against the wind, but you'll need support to keep them from snapping in half. Any straight pole will do.

These are the three I made.

are your tombstones wood? I've come to the comclusion I need to get ones that are more than styorfoam... they just fall apart to easily...

My problem with gravestones is that the stakes might rip through the back of them and they will fall over. I want to keep them up with something more than just stakes. I put a brick in the front and back of each one but I want some other way to keep them up. Is there a really good way to keep them up good that is not easy to see? You can see the bricks on the stone easy. But I want a way to keep them up that you can not see.

What I mean is, is there something I can use to keep them up that that you can not see? I used bricks but they are visible. I want to use something that you can not see.