DIY Halloween Cemetery Fence

Print How-To

DIY Halloween Cemetery Fence

Level:

Advance

How-To:

Home Decor

Seasonal Event:

Fall, Halloween

• (3) 48" lengths ½" PVC pipes
• (2) 42" lengths ½" PVC pipes
• (2) 6' 1x2 plywood planks
• (2) 5' lengths 2" PVC pipes
• (8) Flatbar "L" brackets
• (3) Garden Stakes
• Halloween Decorations
• Drywall Screws/drill
• Gorilla Glue
• Black Spray Paint Formulated for Plastic
• Brown & Orange Exterior Latex Paint
• Paintbrush or Spongebrush

Instructions:

1. To Start: You can choose to paint the individual pieces before you assemble the fence or you can put the fence together and then paint it. It may be easier to paint the individual pieces together. To create the "rusted" look of an old fence, you will start with a base coat of black spray paint. Use a special paint that is formulated for plastic. This will act as a primer base for the other paint colors and weatherproof your fence. Once that dries completely, take brown and orange exterior latex paint and with a brush alternate between colors, dabbling a little bit of each color in random patterns to create a modeled effect.
2. To assemble the fence, you will start with your Main Support Posts. You need a 2" PVC pipe 5 feet in length and a 3-foot long lawn stake. Attach 2 sets of flat "L" brackets to the 2" PVC pipe on either side of the PVC pipe; 2 on the top and 2 on the bottom, equal distant from each end.
3. Drive your stake into the ground with a mallet and place the PVC pipe over it. Repeat this the length of your yard, spacing the posts every 6 feet.
4. You'll need two 1x2's to create Horizontal Support Beams. With a drill and a ⅞th" bit, create holes spaced about a foot apart. This is where you'll put our smaller fence posts. Secure each 1x2 from the top to the "L" brackets on the Main Support Posts.
5. Remember the holes we drilled in the Horizontal Support Beams? We're just going to thread our Interstitial Posts through those holes. You can choose different lengths to give the fence more of a spooky character. I have two 42" ½" PVC pipes, and three 48" ½" PVC pipes.
6. We used plastic skulls from a party supply store. You can do pumpkins or spiders if you wish; we chose skulls.
7. For the archway posts, we took the same principles as our 5' Main Support Posts. We just used 8' posts instead to create the higher archway. Again, you can modify our measurements to meet your particular yard and desired look.
8. For the Fence Sign, use 2" Extruded Polystyrene, or Foam Insulation Board, to create the archway sign and a jigsaw. You can find this at any hardware store.
9. Trace whatever lettering on the Foam Insulation Board with a pencil. You can use any kind of stencil that you like. "Home & Family" has a free downloadable PDF available on our Pinterest page that says "Happy Halloween." Print it out and use it at a stencil on your Foam Insulation Board!
10. Following the pencil marks, cut out the negative space around the lettering with a jigsaw. If you are not comfortable using a jigsaw, then you can use any kind of cerated knife; it'll just take a little longer to complete.
11. Cut two 1x2's to extend beyond the height of the sign by 1½ to 2 inches on either end. Attach two 1x2's to the sign by running a bead of Gorilla Glue along the vertical sides of the sign and center on the 1x2's, essentially creating bookends to the sign. Secure the sign to the 1x2's with drywall screws and drill. Using wood screws and a drill, secure the 1x2's to the top of the 7' PVC pipe Supporting Posts.

Follow lifestyle design expert Paige Hemmis on Twitter @paigehemmis and check out her site www.paigehemmis.com.

Get more great recipes and crafts by visiting us on Pinterest at pinterest.com/homeandfamilytv and follow "Home & Family" on Twitter @homeandfamilytv and Facebook. Plus, check out our YouTube channel for backstage videos.