DIY A Spooky Halloween Coffin From Old Pallet Wood

Making Halloween decorations can be one of the most fun and satisfying parts of autumn, but if your project requires wood, there are few things scarier than the price of new lumber. Thankfully, pallets can once again come to the rescue. These endlessly useful wooden structures are ideal for building Halloween creations, and even better, pallets can often be found for free. To create a decorative Halloween coffin, you'll deconstruct wooden pallets into wooden planks and form them into two coffin shapes — one for the base and one for the lid. You'll then screw on the sides and decorate your piece.

While there are many cheap and easy Halloween DIYs that are fast to create, constructing a coffin from pallets will take a bit more time. To create a large coffin for a Halloween decoration, you'll need four Europool or similarly-sized pallets. Wooden pallets are made of boards nailed together, and the first step of many pallet projects, including this one, is to deconstruct them. You will likely need a hammer and crowbar to do this. Be very careful, as the pallets will be full of nails and the wood will likely be rough and could potentially cause splinters. Wearing gloves, goggles, and other protective equipment can ensure that your pallet project doesn't end with a frightening trip to the emergency room. 

Once you've carefully taken apart your pallets and removed any nails, it's time to gather up your electric screwdriver, screws, pencil, electric saw, and tape measure. You should have different sizes of boards you've salvaged from your pallets. The length of each will depend on the overall size of your pallet. 

Begin by cutting one of the longest and one of the shortest pieces in half diagonally. Then, place three of the longest boards side-by-side and put the two diagonal long pieces on the sides. To connect all these boards together, screw in two more long planks horizontally on top of each end of the vertical boards. This is the bottom of your coffin shape.

To create the top portion of the coffin shape, take three of the shortest boards and align them the same way, adding the diagonal pieces on the sides. The longer sides of the diagonal pieces should face towards the middle of the coffin and be attached with screws. Add another horizontal plank at the other end of the shorter boards and cut off the excess wood from the three horizontal planks. Repeat these steps again to create another flat coffin shape for the lid.

Next, cut pieces of wood for all the vertical sides that are the correct lengths. Screw these side pieces into one of your coffin shapes. You'll stand up short pieces vertically as supports in the corners and the middle, while the rest of the planks will be horizontal but upright. Each side of the coffin should be three horizontal planks tall. Now, secure the coffin's lid with hinges or leave it unattached. To finish your project, stain it, paint it, or add decorative details like faux spider webs, chains, or leather handles. Prop the coffin up against a wall indoors or use it as part of an over-the-top Halloween yard display. Consider adding a plastic skeleton inside the coffin for an added spooky touch.