A wooden coffin is one of the few graveyard props that makes a scene look finished, and you can build one from scrap lumber or two store-bought boards. Most of the supplies are easy to shop for on Amazon or pick up at a lumber yard. It anchors a graveyard scene the way a tombstone alone cannot. Below are two published builds so you can pick by budget, tools and look.

Which coffin build should you choose?

What supplies do you need?

Which items you need depends on the build you pick. Here are the common ones, linked as tagged Amazon searches or catalogued products:

• Exterior screws to assemble the frame
• Black hinges if you want the lid to open
• Work gloves and safety goggles for pallet teardown
• Dark wood stain or paste wax for finishing
• Stretch cobwebs and chain for decoration
• A poseable plastic skeleton to rest inside the coffin
• Color-changing LED strip lights for the glow inside
• A hot glue gun for attaching trim and fabric

How do you build a pallet wood coffin?

House Digest builds its coffin from four Europool-size pallets. You will need a hammer, a crowbar, an electric screwdriver, an electric saw, a tape measure and a pencil.

1. Take the pallets apart. Pry the boards loose with the hammer and crowbar and remove all the nails. The article calls for protective gear, since nails and rough wood can injure you.
2. Prepare the boards. Cut one of the longest boards and one of the shortest boards diagonally in half. These halves become the angled shoulder pieces.
3. Form the base. Lay three of the longest boards side by side with the diagonal pieces on the sides, then screw two horizontal planks across the ends.
4. Form the lid. Repeat with three of the shortest boards, with the diagonal pieces’ longer sides facing inward, add a horizontal plank and trim the excess.
5. Add the sides. Cut vertical side pieces to length and screw them to one of the coffin shapes, using short corner supports and three horizontal planks per side.
6. Attach the lid. Fix it with hinges, or leave it loose so you can lift it off for a scare.
7. Decorate. Stain or paint it, then add cobwebs, chains or leather handles.

How do you build a charred board coffin?

Crafted Workshop builds a more refined coffin from an 8-foot 1×12 and an 8-foot 1×8, with 1¼-inch exterior-rated screws. The article lists a circular saw, jigsaw or bandsaw, a drill, a miter saw, a jack plane, a router with a flush-trim bit, a propane torch, a wire brush and a stapler.

1. Cut the top and bottom. Cut both pieces from the 1×12 at 40 inches, mark the angles, clamp the two together and cut along the lines so they match.
2. Cut the sides. The longer side panels measure about 31⅛ inches. The shorter ones are about 9¼ inches, with a top side panel near 7½ inches and a bottom side panel near 5½ inches.
3. Assemble. Screw the panels together and keep the joints tight. Internal bracing is optional.
4. Flush the edges. Use the router if you want clean, even edges.
5. Cut the lid detail. The build uses a jigsaw to cut a cross shape into the lid.
6. Char the wood. The shou sugi ban technique burns the surface with a propane torch. Scrape the char with a wire brush, wipe with mineral spirits and apply paste wax.
7. Add light. Staple LED strips inside with fabric over them as a diffuser, or clip in a red LED bulb.

How do you light a Halloween coffin?

Light is what turns a plain box into a prop. The charred-board build tucks LED strips under a fabric diffuser so the glow leaks out around the lid, and it also suggests a clip-on lamp with a red LED bulb. For a deeper look at color and placement, see our guide to lighting your home haunt. Keep batteries or the power supply inside a sealed space, away from any damp ground.

How do you place a coffin in the yard?

• Prop it up at an angle. Resting one end on a bucket or brick makes the coffin look pulled from the ground. Test that it is stable before you leave it.
• Put a figure inside. A skeleton with a few cobwebs works, and our guide to how to corpse a skeleton shows how to age it.
• Pair it with tombstones. Add some DIY foam tombstones nearby so the scene reads as a graveyard.
• Weather. Neither source tests the coffin in rain. Treat unsealed pallet wood as a prop you may need to bring in during storms.

Ready for the rest of the yard? Build your graveyard scene or plan your home haunt from the start.