How to Make Halloween Tombstones From Upcycled Styrofoam

Transform leftover foam into spine-chilling tombstones for your Halloween yard display.

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Learn how to craft realistic-looking tombstones using recycled foam packaging, wooden appliqués, and paint. This step-by-step guide covers cutting, gluing, painting with a sponge technique for an aged look, and mounting with rebar and pool noodles. Perfect for creating a spooky graveyard scene at home.

Directions

Begin by collecting used foam from packaging—both the hard and soft types are suitable. Decide where to position the wooden appliqués and the epitaph text. We attached the appliqués to the upper corners of the foam board and arranged the lettering below. Feel free to copy one of our humorous epitaphs. Secure everything with PVA glue and let it set until dry.

Use another piece of foam to form a base that helps the tombstone stand. Slice the foam with a foam cutting knife. Be sure to leave a hollow space in the back pieces where the pool noodles will go. (Tip: An electric knife or a serrated bread knife can work, but expect lots of foam bits—work over a large bin to catch them.) Attach all foam parts with glue and wait for them to dry.

Slice an 8-inch segment from a pool noodle. Then split that segment lengthwise into two halves. Apply glue to each half and affix them to the back of the tombstone in the gap you carved. Position the noodles alongside each other with their cut sides facing inward. The rebar will slide into these semicircular channels to hold the tombstone upright.

Coat the front, back, and edges with black chalk paint. (Spray paint works on soft, squishy foam but will dissolve rigid foam, so stick with brush-on.) Let the paint dry completely.

Use a sea sponge to dab charcoal-gray acrylic paint over the black base in a random, blotchy pattern. Give the letters and appliqués extra gray paint so they stand out. Finish by brushing on a coat of polycrylic protective finish to safeguard the paint—do not use spray, as it may eat through the foam.

Drive rebar stakes into the soil, then slip the pool noodle channels over the exposed ends to position the tombstones. Decorate with eerie props to complete the graveyard display.