# Help with ideas for building walls



## rachelfoxy (Jul 24, 2020)

I am doing a haunted house you have to go through to get to my party which is then a disco. I think I finally found a really cool venue to do this, but my problem is it is just a huge open space. So my question is...How do you create walls for the haunted house? What is the best and cheapest ideas. I will need some to be strong to hang things on. But I would appreciate any ideas on how I can achieve this....I am a amateur but really want to make this happen. The venue will use a lot of my budget, so I am wanting easiest and cheapest because I am going to have to create this there. Is this unrealistic to think I can do this? I appreciate your help and thank you in advance!


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## PumpkinBoo79 (Jul 22, 2021)

rachelfoxy said:


> I am doing a haunted house you have to go through to get to my party which is then a disco. I think I finally found a really cool venue to do this, but my problem is it is just a huge open space. So my question is...How do you create walls for the haunted house? What is the best and cheapest ideas. I will need some to be strong to hang things on. But I would appreciate any ideas on how I can achieve this....I am a amateur but really want to make this happen. The venue will use a lot of my budget, so I am wanting easiest and cheapest because I am going to have to create this there. Is this unrealistic to think I can do this? I appreciate your help and thank you in advance!


These days i just do a yard display but back in my high school days we would do a haunted trail and use pavilions as mini haunted houses. We used Black Tarps to build the outer walls and inner hallways. We used staple guns to do so so check with your venue if you able to use any sort of staples or nails. If so you could go that route and get some scene setters (dollar tree has a couple) do add decorations to your "walls". the rest would be whatever props you got that dont need hung up. and of course the lights and sounds.
Hope that helps.

Edit to add:
Are these walls going to be for a one and done sort of thing or are you planning to keep them for use next year?
Also are you having help with the install at the location or is it just you?
personally that would be my deciding factor on what type to build if cost is a factor.
Lizzyborden gave some really great options as well.


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## lizzyborden (Sep 17, 2009)

Congratulations on your new venue! It's definitely not unrealistic to think that you can do it.

I'm sure others can chime in with more about the wall construction as I've only built small sections to use as photo backdrops. Pink and blue foam is great for carving details but can get pricey pretty quick. Dark sheets or plastic tablecloths can be used to block off areas where not a lot of detail is needed. If you are artistic, you could paint the sheets as well to blend into your theme or use the plastic scene setters instead. The main thing is to make sure that any walls you build will be secure. Make sure there's adequate bracing as you don't want all the walls to come down if someone were to stumble into one section. 

I have made two brick walls out if white Styrofoam which is cheaper to use but takes a but of a learning curve to use. One wall was constructed of the sheets (1'x4' I believe) from Lowes that came 5 to a pack and I just carved in the mortar lines. The other was made of scrap Styrofoam picked up at an appliance store. I sliced and shaped each brick individually and glued them onto an old sheet of paneling and used cheap caulking to create the mortar joints. I also pick up those Styrofoam coolers that are used to ship frozen foods and medication any time I see them as they can be roughed up a bit and painted to look like cut stones or boulders. Depending on your location, you might be able to pick up corn shocks for free or reasonably priced and can use them to block off areas. Hay or straw bales could be used in the same way though that could get costly as well.

Good luck!


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## rachelfoxy (Jul 24, 2020)

PumpkinBoo79 said:


> These days i just do a yard display but back in my high school days we would do a haunted trail and use pavilions as mini haunted houses. We used Black Tarps to build the outer walls and inner hallways. We used staple guns to do so so check with your venue if you able to use any sort of staples or nails. If so you could go that route and get some scene setters (dollar tree has a couple) do add decorations to your "walls". the rest would be whatever props you got that dont need hung up. and of course the lights and sounds.
> Hope that helps.
> 
> Edit to add:
> ...


Well I don't mind investing in quality and then I could use them again. I guess since I have never done this, I want something that is reliable and sturdy that wont get tipped over. 
If I could find someone that knows what they are doing, I would hire them to help for sure! Especially since I will be getting charged by hour to set up!


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## rachelfoxy (Jul 24, 2020)

lizzyborden said:


> Congratulations on your new venue! It's definitely not unrealistic to think that you can do it.
> 
> I'm sure others can chime in with more about the wall construction as I've only built small sections to use as photo backdrops. Pink and blue foam is great for carving details but can get pricey pretty quick. Dark sheets or plastic tablecloths can be used to block off areas where not a lot of detail is needed. If you are artistic, you could paint the sheets as well to blend into your theme or use the plastic scene setters instead. The main thing is to make sure that any walls you build will be secure. Make sure there's adequate bracing as you don't want all the walls to come down if someone were to stumble into one section.
> 
> ...


I am starting to think that maybe going with just hallways may be the easiest to do? But that may be stupid too....I guess I really need to find someone in az who will help me!!


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## PumpkinBoo79 (Jul 22, 2021)

Don't get discouraged, 
Just need more information.
Is the venue inside or outside?
Is it a warehouse or a ballroom/conference area or a picnic pavilion?
Layout of the venue would really help you flush out your idea Disco space vs haunted house space.


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## rachelfoxy (Jul 24, 2020)

PumpkinBoo79 said:


> Don't get discouraged,
> Just need more information.
> Is the venue inside or outside?
> Is it a warehouse or a ballroom/conference area or a picnic pavilion?
> Layout of the venue would really help you flush out your idea Disco space vs haunted house space.


It is an inside venue that is 7,000 sq ft of open space. So I will have plenty of room to do both. Hence why I posted because there aren't even walls only Pilars that I could possibly attach to to make the haunted house. Any suggestions?


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## Restless Acres (Apr 21, 2016)

rachelfoxy said:


> It is an inside venue that is 7,000 sq ft of open space. So I will have plenty of room to do both. Hence why I posted because there aren't even walls only Pilars that I could possibly attach to to make the haunted house. Any suggestions?


I am going to disagree and say that based on the info I am seeing, walls will be too much time and expense. For a one and done party? Don't even consider it. What I would do instead is create a path with different diaromas and points of interest along the way. At certain locations you could make a short section of faux wall, but I'm talking a six or so foot long section that topped out in the middle at six or eight feet, but was only that height for a couple of feet before tapering down. For those sections I would use 2 inch insulation foam board (if available in your area) for the vertical, with 1x2 strapping for the bottom, feet, and support on the back. I would face them with decorative plastic sheets from Oriental Trading of stone or brick or whatever. They could support lightweight decorations like fake plants, webs, light props, etc. And again, I would only make two or three of these sections to provide corners or focal points. Even as I described it is a decent amount of work. Screws with very large washers are good for attaching foam to wood.


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## lizzyborden (Sep 17, 2009)

Are the pillars close enough that you could run a rope between them to hold up sheets, scene setters or a tarp?


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## Engineerchic (Sep 6, 2017)

My first thought was super cheap EZ Up canopies that you can attach panels to (10x10' canopies are like $90), and then I thought about rental fencing. It isn't cheap, unfortunately but often does come with labor to install it.

If you had a cheap structure, something like this could be an inexpensive screening material:








Amazon.com : Royal Shade 6' x 25' Black Fence Privacy Screen Windscreen Cover Netting Mesh Fabric Cloth - Cable Zip Ties Included - WE Custom Make Size : Patio, Lawn & Garden


Amazon.com : Royal Shade 6' x 25' Black Fence Privacy Screen Windscreen Cover Netting Mesh Fabric Cloth - Cable Zip Ties Included - WE Custom Make Size : Patio, Lawn & Garden



www.amazon.com





It isn't totally solid but looks like it would wear well. Read the dimension info closely, 6' tall panels are actually 5'9" tall.

How long do you want the walls to be for the path? Is it 50' long, longer? Do you envision a lot of turns? If it twists and you want to restrict view past a turn then strategically placed walls might be the way to go (sort of like how a shed can block view of a big part of your yard even though the shed is just 12' wide).


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## rachelfoxy (Jul 24, 2020)

I appreciate your advice! Some great ideas! My husband and I even talked about renting some scaffolding too...I'm wondering if I should just trying to do scary hallways instead??? I really was hoping to set it up like a house from the 70s with different rooms, but maybe i just Wind hallways back and forth? Thanks again!


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