Painting Techniques for Halloween Tombstones

In this video, I show some of the different painting techniques that I use for a variety of Halloween builds.
FaceBook: / hauntforhep
We get our foam from: www.thefoamfactory.com/
(Polystyrene closed cell foam)
Music by: Midnight Syndicate
Songs: Awakening, Graveyard, Unhallowed Ground, Crypt of the Forsaken
Used with permission.
For more music from Midnight Syndicate, visit: www.MidnightSyndicate.com

[@ClaraSais]

Love the headstone quip 😂

[@AndrewLong]

Thanks 😂

[@josephmoniz4109]

Adding the brown and green paint really ages the tombstone and gives it an authentic look. I will do that to mine, well done.

[@AndrewLong]

Very much so! Glad I could help.

[@peterheynen]

The tombstone looked already good before the re-painting. But with the new coating and painting it is now it simple a MASTERPIECE! I love it!

[@AndrewLong]

Thanks! The first paint job was just fine for night time lighting purposes but I really wanted to hard coat it so had to repaint anyways!

[@peterheynen]

@@AndrewLong Thanks again for sharing. I was very useful!
I'm very curious and can't wait to see your Halloween decorations for this year. This is going to be great.

[@kayleybrkljacic7842]

loving the hair! and the tombstone! spooky!

[@AndrewLong]

I'll grow it out and get a mullet

[@NathanDean]

Thank you for sharing! A great painting/staining/aging tutorial

[@AndrewLong]

Thanks for watching and glad you enjoyed it!

[@HollywoodHaunter]

Bro this looks amazing

[@AndrewLong]

Thank you so much!!!

[@jwsams1369]

I used some of your techniques for my tombstones and they came out amazing!!! Thank you for the tutorial!!! Happy Hauntings!!!

[@AndrewLong]

Yay I’m glad they turned out great! Happy haunting!

[@RachGreene]

That’s amazing! Please do a video on how you make these!

[@AndrewLong]

Thank you!! I will do my best!

[@ryanjaneway7022]

Wow, excellent work!! Incredibly talented. Can you provide the specific shades of paint for all colors used? Thanks!!

[@sydneystickler4435]

so swaggie!!!!!

[@AndrewLong]

swaggie waggie!

[@MakeupMobster]

You made that??? Wow. Amazing

[@AndrewLong]

I did! Thank you!!

[@ThemeParkAvenue]

Cool video! You have good content.

[@AndrewLong]

Thank you!!

[@kimbarling4213]

Awesome dude !🤯😳
Movie studios should sign you up for prop making IF you're not already working in the industry.

[@AndrewLong]

Thank you!! And that is the goal someday!

[@sarahsavage7450]

however I will correct. very swag great work

[@AndrewLong]

super cash money

[@mrunderhillomega714]

Hi. Great work. What is the density of the foam you use? 1, 2, and 3 lb. options are offered by the Foam Factory.

[@JoanBishop]

Does Flex Bond help protect items from rain & sun... and help keep the paint from peeling off from sun? How do you deal with the elements and protecting outside props like this? You are amazeballs, by the way! Thank you so much for sharing your talents and knowledge!

[@AndrewLong]

Once the flex bond is painted is has no problems, it is a mortar so usually stays on just fine. We have a lot of trees so most stuff stays shaded but the props are not out for more then a few weeks and are taken down right after. Thank you for the support!

[@JoanBishop]

@@AndrewLong Thanks for the tips!

[@rylanchau3645]

Can you do a video on the vampire pneumatic animatronic in you haunt 2020?

[@AndrewLong]

Yes I can! I was planning on reprogramming it so I can definitely do a build video for it.

[@hughmungus8320]

Can you use spray paint if you don’t have a spray gun to get similar results? And what type of paint are you using?

[@AndrewLong]

The only problem with spray paint is that it eats away at the foam. It should be fine if everything is hard-coated but I would still only use it for small aging sections like the greens or brown. You can always use a paintbrush or roller for the basecoat. I am using water-based exterior paint which is basically the same stuff you would get to paint your house.

[@JaseKavHockey]

Hey how do you apply the flex bond to the tombstone ?

[@AndrewLong]

I like using a large paint brush and basically "painting" it on there. The flex bond should be at a consistency where you can spread it but not completely watered down. Also make sure to wash out your brush periodically to make sure the mortar does not dry in the brush.

[@DavidHurst2006]

Love it! Where do you order your foam?

[@AndrewLong]

Thank you! I just added the link to where we get the foam in the description, it is called the foam factory.

[@AndrewLong]

@Grim Graven Cemetery it is the 3” polystyrene closed cell foam! Should come in 4’x8’ sheets

[@user-bk8ib4gv6f]

Regarding hard coating. Have you used drylok? If so how do you think it compares to flexbond?

[@AndrewLong]

I’ve never used drylok, maybe you know more about it than I do? Flexbond has seemed to hold up pretty well though!

[@peterrusko6269]

@AndrewLong I've used drylok in the past. Distant past. Just getting back into it and always interested in new ideas and techniques. Thank you for responding.

[@floridagunguy8632]

Hey man, how well does the flexbond mortar hold up on the foam? I've been making and selling my gravestones for the last few years or so and I've just been applying several coats of drylok then latex paint, tea stain, dry brush and seal but recently I'd like to make them a lot more "concrete" and durable if they get knocked over or something. Does it withstand damage well? Does it chip over time is that why it needed recoating? How far does the bag of mortar last, home Depot is showing $32 for a 50lb bag.

[@AndrewLong]

Hey! Flexbond holds up really well on foam but it’s not indestructible. If you bump it really good it’ll chip a bit but definitely way better than the foam by itself. This tombstone did not have the hard coat before I put the flexbond on it but I’ve used it for my columns and they are holding up very well. One bag goes quite a long way so you can probably get 20 tombstones coated without running out, and all you need it water to mix it.

[@floridagunguy8632]

@@AndrewLong that is amazing! I'm working on new columns as we speak and I'm about to go grab a bag or two. When you say "hard coating" are you referring to the mortar or is there something you apply before the mortar?

[@ToilandTroublesDIY]

Another great video. I would really recommend using royalty-free music so you can start making money from these videos once you get monetized. One of my big regrets early on.

[@AndrewLong]

Thank you! Do you have any recommendations for royalty free music?

[@pitnatclem]

hello, you need mat or satin paint and does the paint hold up in rainy weather?

[@AndrewLong]

This is up to you whether you want no sheen or some sheen! If you use outdoor paint it will hold up just fine.

[@1BigPlug]

Hi Andrew, Do you add sand or grit to the FlexBond hardcoat? Is applied with a brush? Is it mixed thin? Thanks

[@AndrewLong]

Hello! I did not add anything to the flexbond other than water. I estimated the amount of water and just went off the thickness of the mixture. Not too thin that it's super runny but it should be thin enough to be spread with a brush.

[@1BigPlug]

@@AndrewLong Thanks for the info. I've used thinset before, but didn't know how you got the texture. Yours look fantastic. Thanks again.

[@AndrewLong]

@@1BigPlug thank you! Stippling with the brush helps to get a more rough texture

[@RachGreene]

Can you tell me what type of foam this is?

[@AndrewLong]

We get our 3” foam for the tombstones from www.thefoamfactory.com/
The 1/2” foam comes from home depot or Lowe’s.

[@dannyflanery7466]

How do you apply the flex bond may I ask.

[@AndrewLong]

I usually use a large paint brush

[@dannyflanery7466]

@@AndrewLong if I built some plywood columns how would I go about weathering them

[@AndrewLong]

@@dannyflanery7466 I would use a router, sander, grinder, or jig saw to chip away at the edges and make it looked aged. I would also still apply a hard coat on top of the wood to make it look more like a stone texture. Hollywood Haunter has a TH-cam video of them building tombstones out of wood.

[@AndrewLong]

@@dannyflanery7466 th-cam.com/video/VQdiS7EskRw/w-d-xo.html

[@AndrewLong]

@@dannyflanery7466 I realized you said Columns and not tombstone but the process will be the same. Here’s a video of them building columns out of plywood: th-cam.com/video/WCiG2ZvLZG0/w-d-xo.html

[@xdestructor]

What’s the foam called?

[@AndrewLong]

We get our foam from: www.thefoamfactory.com/
It's called Polypropylene closed cell foam!

[@AndrewLong]

Sorry, I meant Polystyrene closed cell foam! We get 3" thick

[@iamthenra1968]

Hi Again Andrew, not sure if you have looked at Distortions Unlimited "Monster Labs" on TH-cam... I have learned so much with painting technique from you and from them. Like making "Rub out" the rub out would help you with adding darkness to the recessed letters and cracks with rub out being mostly rubbing alcohol and using rubbing alcohol to remove the paint you don't want... which adds a ton of depth quickly. I also was watching how the paint would come off of the pool noodles on your columns and was thinking that maybe the Distortions recipe for painting latex masks or props would work good for something that is flexible... Here is a link to Monster Lab and their painting recipe... th-cam.com/video/te6lwLpGioo/w-d-xo.htmlsi=BCBvtmuqujgsyHnG , here is the tutorial for rub out which I found very useful on some of the props I have... th-cam.com/video/o8oL6sEeBq4/w-d-xo.htmlsi=CupLvWXglyq9QzQK Here is part 2 th-cam.com/video/rMmftBOT_fk/w-d-xo.htmlsi=Qb5_xaO3RME47-tYth-cam.com/video/rMmftBOT_fk/w-d-xo.htmlsi=Qb5_xaO3RME47-tY

[@sarahsavage7450]

sydney spelled swaggy wrong 🙄

[@AndrewLong]

whoopsie daisy