Halloween Mausoleum From Styrofoam

Intro: Halloween Mausoleum From Styrofoam

This is a prop built for my daughters haunted house at her school. We used styrofoam to create the mausoleum.

STEP 1: Materials & Tools

Materials:

2 x 8 Blue Styrofoam for side pillars
4 x 8 Styrofoam for Capstone
Spraypaint
Latex Paint
Black Acrylic Craft Paint
Water
Foam Adhesive
Sandpaper
Decorative Moulding

Tools:

Saw
Dremel Tool with Router Attachment
Paintbrushes
Hot Wire Foam Cutter

STEP 2: Cut Styrofoam

I cut the blue foam into two pieces measuring 6 feet by 1 feet wide each. i cut another piece out of white styrofoam to make a triangular capstone. I prefer working with the blue styrofoam. It is easier to cut and shape and stronger overall than the white stuff.

STEP 3: Routing

Using the Dremel tool with router attachment, we made a channel along the edges of the styrofoam pieces. I also cut out two alcoves and backed them with leftover pieces from the capstone.

STEP 4: Weathering

Each piece was sprayed with spray paint. The spray paint melts the styrofoam and creates texture. I used the hot wire foam cutter to make the crack in the capstone. I used sandpaper to roughen up the edges and the channels.

STEP 5: Painting

I painted the pieces with offwhite latex paint. While it was still wet i painted the routed channels with the black craft paint. The black paint was watered down to help it look more like a stain. I let it dry and then painted it with a gray latex paint. While this was wet i used the watered down black paint as a wash to antique it more. Then i added the wood moulding to simulate a decorative element.

STEP 6: Final Look

Here is the final mausoleum with battery operated lights in the niches. We added spanish moss to the mausoleum later. We also added the foamcore gate that we had from an earlier project.

STEP 7: Attached to Our Door

After the carnival we added it to our front porch decorations.

Comments

[TilTherWasU]

You have given me my NEXT Halloween decoration project! I am in to Halloween big time and I LOVE to decorate! What an awesome idea! I have never done antiquing but I am sure there is a video out there to tell how! LOL Thank you for the inspiration!

[propgirrl]

Nice work! Do they survive from year to year? I'm always afraid I'll put a lot of work into it and they'll be ruined by the following year. Guess I need to be a little more lady like when it comes to putting the props away!! LOL!

[mma belle]

This is awesome!
How did you hang it on your door/front porch?

[macleod1]

Great work. We also do a Haunted House each year. Last year had 450-500 trick or treaters come through. It's all outdoors wrapped around trees and such. We've always used a wooden Mausoleum front which we had to retire last year. This new much lighter weight version could be just what we need. One question - how did you attach to your door frame?

[GhettoEngineer]

This looks like a great project to distract me from my midterms! Great work!

[jangorenn]

Awesome! Just happened to find this. Great job. Mind if I borrow this idea? my kids would love this in the house this halloween.

[tinker234]

wow ver y nice i wonder if i could use pvc and foam and make a mauslim thats full size

[trekerbear]

great idea! i can make a smaller version to place infront of the arbor at the entrance to the back yard.

[yardhauntcreator]

wow this looks great. I make a haunted house every year an my front and back yard. I think I will have to try this this year for the doorway to a crypt great job!!!

[bryansierra]

Thank you. I just looked at the big sheets of blue board in my attic and was wondering what i am going to create this year. I think a broken obelisk. Let me know what you end up making..... Bryan

[topperpowr]

where did you find the 4 x 8 sheet of styrofoam?

[bryansierra]

It's called Dow Blue Foam. I found it at Allied Building supplies in Fullerton, CA. You should be able to find it at any Home building supplies company.

[robodud3]

where do u get thos skulls

[watermelonhead]

my friend got a rubber skull at universal studios :P

[mowie]

wow this looks great i live in australia were no one serbrates halloween so its not really any use to me but great work