DIY Cardboard Tombstones for a Halloween Graveyard

To make DIY cardboard tombstones, cut a headstone shape from a sturdy shipping box, glue on a second layer for thickness, paint it gray with a darker dry-brushed texture, add a name or epitaph, then seal it and stake it into the lawn. One tombstone takes about an hour of hands-on time plus drying, and a whole graveyard costs little more than paint because the boxes are free.

Cardboard won't fool anyone up close the way carved foam does, but in the dark, with a little moss and a flickering light, a row of homemade headstones looks wonderfully creepy. This guide covers shapes, the stone finish, lettering, keeping the rain out and setting up the scene.

What You Need

• Large, clean corrugated cardboard boxes (appliance or moving boxes are ideal)
• Pencil, yardstick or long ruler, and a large plate or bowl for tracing curves
• Box cutter or craft knife, a cutting mat or scrap board, and sturdy scissors
• White craft glue or wood glue, and wide packing tape
• Gray, black and white acrylic or house paint (sample pots work well)
• A wide brush, an old dry brush and a household sponge
• Black paint pen or a fine brush for lettering
• Clear outdoor sealer (spray or brush-on), if the tombstones will go outside
• Wooden garden stakes, bamboo canes or straightened wire coat hangers
• Optional: faux moss, a little sand for texture, battery LED lights

Step 1: Choose and Draw the Tombstone Shapes

The easiest shapes are a rounded arch, a square top with a peak, and a cross; mixing all three makes a graveyard look more real. Aim for 18–30 inches (45–75 cm) tall for a front yard, or 10–14 inches (25–35 cm) for an indoor table.

1. Open the box flat and pick the cleanest, flattest panel. Run the corrugated "flutes" up and down so the headstone resists bending in the wind.
2. Draw a rectangle for the body, then trace half of a large plate at the top for an arch, or draw two slanted lines from a center point for a peak.
3. For a cross, draw a tall upright about 4 inches (10 cm) wide and a crossbar about two-thirds as long, set roughly a quarter of the way down.
4. Add a small chipped corner or crack line to one or two designs. A few imperfect stones look older than a perfect row.

Not sure about the size? Cut the shape from newspaper first and hold it up in the yard.

Step 2: Cut Two Layers and Glue Them Together

A double layer of cardboard makes each tombstone stiffer and gives it a thicker, more stone-like edge. A craft knife is the safest tool for clean cuts, used slowly and always by an adult.

1. Lay the panel on a cutting mat or a scrap board. Cut along the lines with several light passes instead of one hard push, keeping your other hand behind the blade.
2. Trace the finished piece onto a second panel and cut a matching back.
3. Spread glue over one piece, press the two together with the flutes crossing at right angles, and stack books on top until dry.
4. Wrap the raw edges with packing tape. It hides the corrugated ridges and stops water from wicking into the open edges later.

Step 3: Paint a Stone Finish

A convincing stone finish comes from layering: a mid-gray base, darker shadows sponged on, and pale highlights dry-brushed over the top. Plain flat gray looks like cardboard; texture is what sells it.

1. Paint the front, back and edges in mid-gray. For a gritty surface, stir a spoonful of fine sand into the base coat. Let it dry completely.
2. Dab a damp sponge into dark gray or watered-down black and press it lightly in patches, heavier near the base and in the corners where dirt would collect.
3. Dip a dry brush in white or pale gray, wipe almost all of it off on a paper towel, and skim it over the surface so it only catches the raised texture.
4. For age, add a little green or brown paint at the bottom edge, or glue on tufts of faux moss.

Step 4: Add Names and Epitaphs

Write the lettering in a black paint pen or with a fine brush, using simple capitals that can be read from the sidewalk. Pencil the words in first and keep them centered with a ruler.

• Add "R.I.P." at the top, a name in the middle and two dates at the bottom.
• For a family-friendly graveyard, invent silly names and puns of your own, such as a stone for "The Last Leftover Slice" or "Sir Forgot-His-Costume".
• For a spookier look, keep it simple: a single initial, a worn date or no words at all.
• To make letters look carved, paint each one dark, then add a thin pale line along the bottom and right side of every stroke.

A small silhouette at the top of the stone, such as a bat, moon or crow, finishes it nicely. Our free printable crow silhouettes are the right size to trace or glue on.

Step 5: Weatherproof Tombstones for Outdoors

Untreated cardboard soaks up rain and dew and goes soft quickly, so outdoor tombstones need a sealed surface. Sealing won't make cardboard waterproof forever, but it buys you the Halloween season.

1. Once the paint is fully dry, coat every surface, including the taped edges and the bottom, with a clear outdoor sealer. Follow the label's drying time and add a second coat.
2. Spray sealers in a well-ventilated area, outdoors if possible, away from children and pets.
3. Keep the bottom edge just off the wet ground by resting it on a flat stone or a strip of plastic.
4. If heavy rain is forecast, pull the stones up and bring them into a garage or porch for the night.

Step 6: Stake and Set Up Your Graveyard

Tape or glue two stakes to the back of each tombstone so they stick out about 6 inches (15 cm) below the base, then push them firmly into the soil. Two stakes stop the stone from spinning in the wind.

• Arrange stones in loose, uneven rows at slightly different angles.
• Mix heights, with the tallest stones at the back.
• Scatter dry leaves, faux moss or a little mulch around the bases.
• Uplight each stone from the front with a battery LED; a cool white or pale green light makes the gray look like real rock.

Indoors, skip the stakes and glue a folded cardboard triangle to the back as an easel stand.

Which Material Should You Use?

Cardboard is the cheapest and quickest choice; foam and wood last longer.

Material	Good for	Drawbacks
Corrugated cardboard	Free, quick, easy for kids to help with	Needs sealing outdoors; usually lasts a season
Foam board (poster board style)	Light, smooth surface for lettering	Bends in wind; some spray paints damage the foam
Rigid insulation foam	Carving deep letters and realistic edges	Costs more; needs a hot wire cutter or rasps and a mask for dust
Plywood	Many years of reuse	Needs a jigsaw and more time

Frequently Asked Questions

Finish your graveyard scene with black crow cutouts perched on the stones, a few mason jar lanterns along the path and some glow-in-the-dark crafts for after sunset. Our free printable Halloween crafts include more silhouettes and signs, and when the season ends, here's how to store Halloween decorations so your tombstones survive until next year. Browse more ideas in our Halloween decorations section.