Fake wrought-iron fencing can add to spooky Halloween decorations.
Spooky yard decorations for Halloween have become a tradition for certain families. Many people decorate their lawns as cemeteries, and what cemetery would be complete without a wrought-iron fence? You can construct your own inexpensive, fake wrought-iron fence out of boards and PVC pipe. Make as many sections as you like and add to it every year.
Instructions
1. Measure 6 inches from one end of a 1-by-3 board that is 8 feet long. Position a mark exactly in the center of the board at this point on the 3-inch side. Measure another 6 inches from the first mark and make a second mark in the middle of the board. Continue measuring 6 inches from each mark and placing additional marks in the center of the board until you have 15 evenly spaced marks down the length of the entire board.
2. Drill holes centered on each mark with a 13/16-inch wood spade bit. Repeat the marking and drilling process on a second board. Now you have two 8-foot fence rails.
3. Drill a small hole using a 3/32-inch bit on one of the 1-inch sides of the board at the center of each hole. Do this for all the holes on both rail boards.
4. Tap a thin-wall, ½-inch-diameter PVC pipe that is 3 feet, 6 inches long into each large hole in one of the boards. Position the pipes so that they are level and each juts out 6 inches from the board. Stand the PVC pipes on end with the board near the ground. Tap the other board onto the upper ends of the PVC pipes so that 8 inches juts past the board on each pipe. This is your 8-foot section of cemetery fence.
5. Drill two pilot holes in each PVC pipe using the 3/32-inch holes you drilled in the boards in Step 3 as guides. The hole should go through both sides of the PVC pipe and a little way into the board on the other side. Screw a galvanized 1 5/8-inch deck screw into each hole to secure the PVC pipe in place. The screw should not stick out the other side of the board. However, do not screw the bottom of the third pipe from each end. These pipes will slide over the rebar stakes and should not be obstructed.
6. Prime and paint the entire fence with primer and two coats of paint designed for PVC. Paint it black, gray or rusty brown. Allow the primer and paint to dry completely between coats.
7. Lay the sections of fencing on the ground where you want to install it. Drive a rebar stake into the ground at the third pipe from each section end. Stand the section up and slide it over the stakes.
Tags: inches from, from each, center board, each hole, each mark
