# Tombstones blowing away



## stick (Apr 2, 2009)

Tombstone support * Question


What do you do to secure your prop tombstones to the ground? The mini plastic stakes they come with are useless, last year I used paint stir sticks and duct tape which worked fine. But this year it's extra windy and it's not working too well. Thanks!




www.halloweenforum.com




This may help you.


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## idahojack (Mar 20, 2017)

DrDoomBuggy said:


> Hello everyone, new here and sorry if this topic has already been posted.
> 
> So how in the world can I try and anchor my Styrofoam tombstones into the ground w/o mother nature coming through and ripping them out?
> The useless plastic stakes do no good and I've tried everything from E6000 Glue to Duct tape...and no go.
> ...


i glued a left over political sign to the back with hot melt glue, and the spikes on the sign have held them in place. i also used zip ties to bind the tombstone to the political sign to ensure attachment and have survived the Idaho wind for three seasons so far with no sign of weakening.


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## Amadaeo (Oct 22, 2012)

DrDoomBuggy said:


> Hello everyone, new here and sorry if this topic has already been posted.
> 
> So how in the world can I try and anchor my Styrofoam tombstones into the ground w/o mother nature coming through and ripping them out?
> The useless plastic stakes do no good and I've tried everything from E6000 Glue to Duct tape...and no go.
> ...


I get camping tent stakes from Walmart..spray paint them black, then hot glue them to the back of the tombstones. The foam may melt a bit, but its solid once dry..then just push into the ground. Really inexpensive way to fix it


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## Illysium (Jul 15, 2016)

I use these metal tombstone stakes from Party City. 3-5 per tombstone, facing different ways, sometimes with one to support the front and back. They've held up great over the years, and we get some crazy wind in Colorado.


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## goneferal (Jul 2, 2010)

idahojack said:


> i glued a left over political sign to the back with hot melt glue, and the spikes on the sign have held them in place. i also used zip ties to bind the tombstone to the political sign to ensure attachment and have survived the Idaho wind for three seasons so far with no sign of weakening.


Where in Idaho? I'm in Boise.


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## nattylife (Oct 9, 2012)

for larger tombstones, i gorilla glue like 6 inches of 1/2 to 3/4in pvc to the tombstone and then hammer some rebar into the ground and put it on that.


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## Detour (Oct 31, 2017)

The goal is to get a stronger structure in place. And for most, that is some combination of a stronger stake that goes in the ground and securing the tombstone to that stake, while preventing more stress on the foam stone. The link above covers the variety of approaches -

1 - Attach/insert PVC pipe sections to the stone and slide those over rebar pounded in the ground You need two to prevent the stone from just spinning around the rebar. Some have glued PVC pipe to the back of the stone, others drill holes form the bottom and insert them into body of the stone. The PVC is essentially a sleeve that protects the stones from being pierced by the rebar.

2 - Strenghen/repair a stone by glueing it to a rigid material, like treated wood, and then attach your PVC to new rigid material (usually to the back).

3 - Use a U-fence post to secure the stone to using zip ties (this is my method). The flat side of the U-fence post should be flush to the back of the stone and carefully add two small holes through the stone for the zip tie to go through. Don't pull the tip tie so tight that is starts to pull through the foam. The flat side keeps the stone from spinning in the wind. I haven't lost one yet.

In all cases where your mounting modifications are visible, give them a coat of grey and/or black paint to match the color of the stone so that they aren't as visible. Be cautious of what kind of paint you use if it comes in contact with the foam - as some kinds of paint will melt foam.


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## gemmydoge73 (Feb 24, 2018)

DrDoomBuggy said:


> Hello everyone, new here and sorry if this topic has already been posted.
> 
> So how in the world can I try and anchor my Styrofoam tombstones into the ground w/o mother nature coming through and ripping them out?
> The useless plastic stakes do no good and I've tried everything from E6000 Glue to Duct tape...and no go.
> ...




I've found it best to hit Menards or any hardware store on clearance and pick up a bunch of small rebar pieces, I pound them into the ground like a stake and with black yarn, inflatable tether or rope I tie the tombstone to the bar, They move a bit in the wind but it's held up for me at least.


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## Chris D. (Oct 7, 2021)

DrDoomBuggy said:


> Hello everyone, new here and sorry if this topic has already been posted.
> 
> So how in the world can I try and anchor my Styrofoam tombstones into the ground w/o mother nature coming through and ripping them out?
> The useless plastic stakes do no good and I've tried everything from E6000 Glue to Duct tape...and no go.
> ...


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## Oak Lane Cemetery (Sep 5, 2011)

idahojack said:


> i glued a left over political sign to the back with hot melt glue, and the spikes on the sign have held them in place. i also used zip ties to bind the tombstone to the political sign to ensure attachment and have survived the Idaho wind for three seasons so far with no sign of weakening.


I discovered this method this year. I used some super thin steel wire to poke through the tombstones and secure them to the sign posts. I only did the cheapo store bough ones I'm slowly phasing out with this method. Background tombstones only. MY tombstones are up front and all have pvc inserts and get rebar stakes.


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## kiltguy2112 (Oct 8, 2021)

DrDoomBuggy said:


> Hello everyone, new here and sorry if this topic has already been posted.
> 
> So how in the world can I try and anchor my Styrofoam tombstones into the ground w/o mother nature coming through and ripping them out?
> The useless plastic stakes do no good and I've tried everything from E6000 Glue to Duct tape...and no go.
> ...


What has worker best for me is to take some Vigoro plant stakes and cut them into 18" pieces. Now use some Loctite PL 300 Foamboard constuction adhesive and glue two lenths to the back of each tombstone with about 8" sticking out from the bottom. It is important that the stake go up about 3/4 the length of the tombstone , or the tombstone will break at the top of the stake. After they all dry, lay them out in the yard where you want them. Now take a piece of .5 in rebar and hammer it into the ground 8" where your stakes line up at wiggle the rebar and pull it out of the ground. Slip the stakes into the holes made by the rebar. You could use another stake instead of the rebar, but it doesn't hold up to a lot of pounding. I have used this method for years now. Some of my tombstones are 8yrs old at this point.








Vigoro 4 ft. Green Colored Steel Core Garden Stake ST4VG - The Home Depot


Support your plants with the Vigoro Garden Stake. The 4-ft. garden stake is perfect for supporting trees, vegetables, fruit and blooming flowers. It helps plants grow straighter and taller. A supported



www.homedepot.com






Amazon.com


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## HillCemeteryCaretaker (Dec 28, 2020)

I 3D printed a bracket that I glue to the back of my tombstones. The bracket simply slips over a piece of 3/4” PVC. i can screw the bracket to the PVC but haven’t needed to yet. Then I drive some 18” rebar into the ground and slip the PVC over the rebar.


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## The MaskDoctor (Jun 3, 2021)

DrDoomBuggy said:


> Hello everyone, new here and sorry if this topic has already been posted.
> 
> So how in the world can I try and anchor my Styrofoam tombstones into the ground w/o mother nature coming through and ripping them out?
> The useless plastic stakes do no good and I've tried everything from E6000 Glue to Duct tape...and no go.
> ...


I attach a piece of PVC pipe to the back of the tombstone with spray foam (in a can), then pound short stakes of rebar into the ground where I want
the tombstone, and lower the pipe and tombstone onto the rebar.


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## GrinningReaper (Aug 28, 2019)

Because almost all our tombstones can be seen both front and back, we don't have the option of showing off a backside with PVC pipe and rebar. Some of our tombstones have the pvc pipe buried in the middle ala Terra's tutorials on You Tube. 






But we're not big fans of rebar in the ground as most of our tombstones come in at night, and they pose a tripping hazard for those of us with crappy night vision. What we do is put a wooden lip around all our tombstones and then use that lip to secure the tombstone to the ground with nail stakes we get from Harbor Freight. 
























It works in our Oregon soil, but might not be such an easy task with more gravelly and rocky soils. We also have the benefit of lots of leaves and wood chips to hide the stakes, even those we place in front of the tombstones. "U R NEXT" has two stakes in the front, but they're buried under the wood chips. It allows us to hammer the stakes that secure them, without that stake actually being glued to the back of the stone. We have totaled a few stones in our day where we glued the stake to the back of the stone, and then missed the stake but hit the stone. Adding the wood surround is the way we do it from the cheapest, smallest stones we have, to the largest three and four foot tall tombstones. Not a one has shifted from where we put them through some very rough weather.


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## DQ13 (Sep 22, 2020)

DrDoomBuggy said:


> Hello everyone, new here and sorry if this topic has already been posted.
> 
> So how in the world can I try and anchor my Styrofoam tombstones into the ground w/o mother nature coming through and ripping them out?
> The useless plastic stakes do no good and I've tried everything from E6000 Glue to Duct tape...and no go.
> ...


Good Evening...I have found huge success with black pvc, cut to size, and angle cut one end for easy ground penetration, spray paint flat black...drive in pvc at the angle you want the tombstone, approx 6 to 8 inches, use gorilla tape to secure pvc to tombstone...


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## TechGirlMN (Nov 9, 2021)

HillCemeteryCaretaker said:


> I 3D printed a bracket that I glue to the back of my tombstones.


would you be willing to share the .stl for that part ?


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## HillCemeteryCaretaker (Dec 28, 2020)

TechGirlMN said:


> would you be willing to share the .stl for that part ?











PVC Stake Bracket by srumberg


I use PVC sleeves over rebar to hold my halloween tombstones in place. However, many of the store bought tombstones are too thin to put a piece of PVC inside of them. This bracket fits either 1/2" or 3/4" PVC and is clued to the back of the tombstone.




www.thingiverse.com


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## Cephus404 (Oct 13, 2017)

HillCemeteryCaretaker said:


> PVC Stake Bracket by srumberg
> 
> 
> I use PVC sleeves over rebar to hold my halloween tombstones in place. However, many of the store bought tombstones are too thin to put a piece of PVC inside of them. This bracket fits either 1/2" or 3/4" PVC and is clued to the back of the tombstone.
> ...


That comes back 404.


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## HillCemeteryCaretaker (Dec 28, 2020)

Try again I think it’s working now


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