DIY Tombstones from Scrap Wood – Simple Halloween Graveyard Décor
No Halloween yard feels complete without a few eerie tombstones scattered among the witches and ghosts. These DIY wooden tombstones are quick, inexpensive, and a great way to use up leftover plywood from other projects. With a little paint, texture, and clever mounting, they go from scrap to spooky in no time.
🌧 Why We Switched from Styrofoam to Wood
You can absolutely buy styrofoam tombstones anywhere — and for years, I did. But after one too many October windstorms here in Upstate New York, I got tired of chasing tombstones down the street and patching up broken foam. The fishing line, ground stakes, and constant re-anchoring were more trouble than they were worth.
That’s when I decided to switch to plywood tombstones. They’re heavier, sturdier, and hold up beautifully in wind and rain. Once you’ve made the switch, you’ll never go back — these stay put, season after season, without any mid-storm rescues.
✨ Materials You’ll Need
Leftover plywood (any thickness works; we used ¾”)
Jigsaw (for shaping)
Sandpaper or power sander
Primer (Kilz Multi-Purpose Primer)
Stone-textured spray paint (we used gray — about $20/can at Michaels)
Optional: gray spray paint as a more affordable alternative
Black and brown spray paint for aging
Marker, paint, or CNC router for lettering (optional)
½-inch round PVC pipe (for stakes)
U-clamps + ¾-inch panhead screws
Drill or powered screwdriver
Exterior sealant or clear coat (optional, for longevity)
🪚 Step 1: Cut & Shape
Using leftover plywood, draw and cut out your desired tombstone shapes with a jigsaw. Classic rounded tops, pointed Gothic arches, and even cracked or broken edges all add character.
Sand rough edges until smooth.
Apply a coat of Kilz Multi-Purpose Primer to prep the surface for paint.
✨ Pro tip: Mix up the sizes and shapes — variety makes your “graveyard” feel more authentic and aged.
🎨 Step 2: Paint & Texture
We painted ours two different ways for extra depth:
Back side: flat black paint for a clean silhouette.
Front side: stone-textured spray paint to mimic aged concrete.
This paint looks amazing but can be pricey (around $20/can at Michaels). A cheaper option is gray spray paint, layered with light spurts of black and brown to create that aged, mossy feel.
✨ Budget tip: Uneven, misty sprays of black and brown across gray paint give the same timeworn look as the textured version for far less cost.
✏️ Step 3: Add Lettering (Optional)
You can finish your tombstones however your Halloween spirit inspires you:
We carved ours using a CNC router for engraved lettering.
You can hand-paint your wording with acrylics or a bold black permanent marker.
Or skip the lettering entirely for simple, shadowy stones — equally spooky and stylish.
🌙 Step 4: Mount & Display
To keep everything cohesive with our witches, cats, and owls, we mounted our tombstones using ½-inch PVC pipe and U-clamps.
Cut the PVC pipe to your desired height.
Line it up on the back of the tombstone.
Secure with U-clamps and panhead screws using a drill.
Push the PVC into your yard or garden bed for easy, weather-stable display.
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🎃 The Final Effect
By day, the texture catches the light and looks like real stone. By night, the matte black backs fade into the shadows while the gray fronts softly glow under your Halloween spotlights. These are the perfect low-cost way to fill out your yard scene and tie your coven, cauldron, and critters together — no chasing, no cracking, just classic Halloween charm that stands strong through the storm.
💀 For our set, I wanted to capture a little of that classic Haunted Mansion feel — so our tombstones pay tribute to Gus, Ezra, and Phineas, the iconic trio of hitchhiking ghosts.
🕯 These particular tombstones were just for our personal yard display, not for sale. I downloaded the SVG designs from an Etsy shop and carved them on our CNC router — if you’d like to make your own, Etsy has tons of great options to choose from!