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Need Halloween Help!!!!

post #1 of 9
9/2/02 at 12:25am
Thread Starter 
Every year we put a graveyard up in our front yard with 15 or so headstones...the headstones are made of cardboard boxes taped together around the outer edge, painted gray with various names on them (Dracula, Freddy Krueger etc) and put down over posts stuck in the ground...but these headstones are old and worn and I need new ones....does anyone have any suggestions to make these headstones more 3 dimensional? The cardboard ones are very thin and look very 2 dimensional.....I would like to make them out of the thick styrofoam, maybe the type that is put under floating docks, or maybe make cardboard boxes somehow shaped like headstones and give them a faux finish to look like stone???? HELP!!!!
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post #2 of 9
9/2/02 at 10:17am
My dh made ours with stryofoam. He painted his black because he wanted the writing on them to look like blood and really stand out. I have used faux stone paint on finishes on ceramics, but never stryofoam. They have the spray on finishes, but I have never tried them. Do you have a Michael's Arts and Crafts near you? Maybe someone who works there could tell you how those spray finishes would work. The only problem with styrofoam is some things cause it to melt. And staking it so the wind doesn't blow it over can be a trick.
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post #3 of 9
9/2/02 at 10:28am
If you use cardboard and make them 3 dim .... spray the cardboard with water (a fine mist) before you spray paint them ... but not too wet. Looks kind of crackled. You can use the CHEAP paint from Wally World!!
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post #4 of 9
9/2/02 at 10:52am
The faux stone finishes are expensive which is another reason why we used paint.
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post #5 of 9
9/2/02 at 1:35pm
I have heard there is a type of spray paint that does not melt styrofoam. I cannot remember the name but try contacting Michael's crafts to see if they have it.

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post #6 of 9
9/3/02 at 1:50pm
A friend and I used a grey speckled stone look spray paint on a project we did once. Don't know if you can use it on styrofoam though.
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post #7 of 9
9/3/02 at 4:25pm
There is a material called Artist's Styrofoam that is really thick. This is what the theatre uses to carve shapes out of. A friends of ours works for the Alley Theatre and the Houston Grand Opera and this is what he uses for making props. You should be able to get it at Hobby Lobby or Michael's, but it will probably be cheaper if you go to an artist supply house.

If you want something a little thinner that will still stand up well with being staked, try using Gator Board. It's pretty sturdy stuff.

You can seal them with something called SOBO before you paint them. Or you can use a wash of Elmer's glue and water. This will keep the paint from eating the styrofoam. Also, do not enamel paint - it will eat right thru this stuff. Latex paint will work much better.

Just a few tips! Hope you can use them.
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post #8 of 9
9/3/02 at 7:25pm
Thread Starter 
Brenda you are an absolute life saver!!! This has to be the stuff I have been looking for.....every year I admire the headstones at Six Flags and every time I ask, nobody knows where they get them, what they are made of, etc. I guess at minimum wage, you don't really care about Halloween props...but these are gorgeous headstones, they look so real and they are made of a type of styrofoam I know because I have climbed up and touched them before. Artists Styrofoam!!! YES!!! Now I need an artist supply store.....I'll call Michael's!!! THANX AGAIN!!!
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post #9 of 9
9/5/02 at 5:30pm
I have never used styrafoam. The one time we did it we had wooden head stones that we had cut out of plywood.
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