Create an outdoor display for your front yard
Вставка
- Опубліковано 25 сер 2024
- Learn how to create a display for your front yard. In this video I'll so you how to handcraft your very own display figures from start to finish... even if you don't have any artistic ability! You don't have to stick to a Christmas display. Use this information to turn your front yard into a scary, yet fun, Halloween haunt that kids are sure to love. Enjoy seeing car after car slow down to view your creations for Christmas, Halloween, Easter, Valentine's Day, 4th of July, even birthdays and anniversaries!
How to create Superman character found in Planet Christmas Magazine: www.planetchri...
Background music provided by Larry Bryant: www.larrybryant...
1000's of background music files by Larry Bryant: www.gettyimage...
Thank you. Saving me a lot of trial and error
You are most welcome and I'm glad my videos have helped you out. I hope to see your creations in a video some day!
Wow. Amazing. You are super talented. I love this video!
Thank you for the very kind comments. I hope that maybe you've been inspired to make something of your own? If so, I'd love to see what you create!
muy buen tutorial muchas gracias lo felicito, ojala siga haciendo tutoriales como este
Gracias por las amables palabras. Lo aprecio. Espero estar sacando otro video en un futuro cercano.
I love love your work. Where you get the go sheet of Coroplast?
Good morning Sandra! I'm glad you enjoy the creations I make... making people smile is the whole reason I put the time, effort and money into making the displays. When I first went searching for Coroplast, I called a sign company to see where they purchased their Coroplast. I explained to them that I wasn't going into business as a competitor... and that I just wanted to purchase Coroplast to make Christmas decorations. They gave me the name of their provider. I bought from that place for a couple of years until I discovered a local supplier that sold it for HALF the price. So, I purchased from them for the last 10 years. Unfortunately, they went out of business during COVID. Last year, I found some at Home Depot and ended up buying from them. I would check at any big box store to see if they carry it (Menard's, Lowes, Home Depot... etc.). You could also do what I did and call a sign company and explain to them why you're needing some Coroplast (to assure them you're not another sign company) and they might give you the name of their supplier.
Good luck with your project. And, as always, I really enjoy seeing pictures or videos of the completed projects people come up with!
Someone reached out to me with the following question:
"I use the flat exterior white as the base coat for painting as you specified and Within a month it started flaking from the base coat and almost crumbling in areas. Have you found a better alternative yet?"
I can't find that question within the comment section, so I'll just answer here.
The ONLY time I've run into that issue was when I didn't clean the oily residue off of the Coroplast before I began painting. I ruined an entire set of characters by not taking the time to clean before painting. If you cleaned the Coroplast with Naptha or paint thinner and used a flat latex exterior paint... then I have no idea what might have gone wrong. So, to answer your question, no... I haven't found a better alternative yet because I haven't had the need to look for a better alternative. I've been using Coroplast for 15 years now (I believe) and, as I said, the ONLY time I've had that issue was when I didn't clean off the oily residue left on the surface from the manufacturing process!
I'm sorry that happened and I hope you don't give up on making yard decorations! I know EXACTLY how devastating that can be... but please don't give up on your decorations!
Hi John! I think you've convinced me to try this vs plywood this year. What thickness coroplast are you using? I'm worried about wind.
The Coro I use is approximately 1/4 inch thick. But the thickness of the Coro isn't really that big of a deal. The trick to combating the wind is the wooden frame you build to attach to the back of the Coro. We have wind gusts up to 40 and 50 mph at our location and the worst thing that has happened to my characters has been they've blown over. Good luck with your project. BTW... I'd really like to see pictures or videos of what you create!
Hey 0206ashley... the Coro I use is approximately 1/4" thick. But really, the thickness of the Coroplast really doesn't matter a whole lot. The thing that will make the difference is the frame that you make to attach the Coroplast to. A good frame that covers the main portion of the back surface will keep the Coro from bending or folding over. Using the washers in conjunction with the screws will keep the Coro from ripping away from the frame.
We have really high wind gusts here at our house (up to 40 mph) and the worst thing that has happened has been that my figures have blown over. Well... there was one exception, I had an animated arm blow off of a character once... but I know longer animate my figures. Anyway... with the proper frame, you really shouldn't have any trouble with the wind. Just find whatever thickness Coroplast is readily available around you. Good luck with your project... and I'd really like to see pictures or a video.
One more question: Do you live in a milder climate with mild winters, or do you get some bitter cold and a fair bit of snow? Asking to know if the plastic can withstand colder temps, high winds, and snow. I appreciate your answer and time. 😊
Hi Heather. I live in a fairly cold climate. During the time period, of having my display out, we probably average in the mid 30's during the days and sub-freezing temperatures at night. Sometimes getting down into the teens... but that doesn't usually happen too much until later on in January after my display has been taken down. We have a LOT of very strong wind in my area... gusts up to 50 and 60 mph. If you make the wooden frame correctly, you shouldn't have any difficulty with using the Coroplast. It is EXCEEDINGLY durable.
@@jrbryant0136 Thanks so much again! Our weather sounds very similar, so that's encouraging! 😃
How would you do a huge image that is larger than an 4x8 sheet? Have you connected sheets?
Great question... and the answer is yes! In fact, I used to connect four 4x8 sheets of Coro in order to make a backdrop for each scene that I created. Unfortunately I had to stop using backdrops when I moved out to our house 12 years ago. It's so windy, they just acted as large sails!! YIKES!!! I've also made several characters that are larger than one 4x8 sheet. I've been pondering doing a video on that very subject... perhaps you've prompted me to do so. My written answer probably won't be as easy to follow... but here it is. Basically, instead of building my wooden frame so that it runs a few inches inside of the edge of the character... I run the wooden frame right at the very tip of a straight edge where I need to make the connection. The adjoining piece of Coro is done the exact same way... the wooden frame runs RIGHT ALONG the straight edge. In order to join the two pieces together... I simply butt the two wooden frames up next to each other and drill three or four holes all the way through both pieces of the wooden frame. I then put some 5 inch bolts through the two pieces of the frames and tighten them all down really good. When you're setting up a larger piece, that is made up of 2 or more sheets of Coro... make sure you put guy wires at those connection points. That should help keep everything aligned properly! I know my written answer isn't that great... and I'll try to put together a video real soon to show you what I'm talking about. This year's display piece was EXACTLY that... three pieces of Coro attached to each other. But I didn't think anyone would be interested in seeing that. DOH... that's what I get for thinking!!!! I think you've created the subject matter for my next video. Thanks for spurring me on!
That mr potato head in the background is awesome hahaha
AAaaaaaaaaah... good ol' Mr. Potato Head. He's currently on display in the front yard for Christmas. He's a part of a set from Toy Story that I made a couple of years ago.
Can you see the ridge lines of the corrugation once painted? I'm about to take the plunge and try it.
Good afternoon, and that's a good question! If you're standing within a couple of feet of the Coroplast, you MIGHT be able to see the lines... but even within a few feet it's difficult to notice. Once it's painted and you've got floodlights shining on it at night... you can't see the lines at all! Just make sure you use FLAT paint or else you're going to get WAY too much glare! OH... and MAKE SURE you clean it before painting. If you don't, you won't get good adhesion! Good luck with you project! I don't think you'll be disappointed with using Coroplast at all!
Great job. I was contemplating going with exterior grade pool plywood. Was worried about weight and storing them overhead in the garage. This is an excellent option. Thanks for the informative video.
Hi KKGOJazz... sorry so long in replying. I actually just saw your reply today! YIKES!!! Did you get around to making any characters? I'd love to see what you've come up with. How was your experience using Coroplast?
I'm looking to attach my display to the upper cross beams of the front entryway of my porch. I plan on framing it, as you explained, but do you have any thoughts on the best way to attach to the beams without damage to the house?
Good morning! I can share with you the way I've attached some of my figures to my brick exterior walls. Maybe it'll be a method that you might be able to employ??? I simply used a French cleat. If you're not familiar with a French cleat, you might have to look it up on UA-cam or in Google. But, basically, you take a board and rip it the entire length of the board at a 45 degree angle. You end up with two boards that can fit back together at that angled edge. You then attach one board to your display piece with the sharp edge facing down and the pointy side out away from the back of your piece. Then, attach the other board to your porch crossbeam and have the sharp edge facing up with the pointy side out. Then, simply slide the display piece into the support piece and it SHOULD hang there without any issues. This will leave you with 2 or 3 screw holes in your crossbeam... but you're going to have to have some sort of connection point and three small screw holes isn't too bad (in my opinion)! I know I didn't write my description very well... but if you look up "French cleat"... I think you'll understand what I'm talking about. I hope this helps out and I'd love to see pictures of what you come up with. Good luck with your project!
Very informative! Would it be possible to stake down the cutouts with rebar instead? If so, how?
Thanks for the compliment! I would drive the rebar into the ground until it feels firmly planted. My guess would be about 10 to 12 inches into the soil. At least that's approximately how deep I'd probably drive it into the ground here at my house. I think you'll be able to feel once the rebar has made it down past the loose top soil and is firmly seated into the compacted soil beneath. BTW... my daughter bought be a stake drive for my birthday last year and it worked GREAT in driving the stakes into the ground! I'd highly recommend getting one if you're going to be driving very many stakes. I'd love to see pictures of your display after you've put it up. Thanks again!
How are you cutting the coraplast around characters heads ect curves
Good morning! I'm using a jigsaw with a metal cutting blade in it (less aggressive than wood cutting blade). Also, for some of my figures, I'm not actually cutting right at the outline of the head (or other body areas). When I have areas such at Superman's hat... I'm avoiding cutting out the intricate details because I don't want to have to try and build my frame to support such small pieces of Coro. So, instead of cutting right on the outline... I cut out a "blob" (again, see Superman's hat) that I can easily support with the wooden frame. I paint that "blob" area a dark grey (background) color and it just disappears at night when the spotlights are shining on the figure.
I hope that helps... and good luck with your project
Whats the cost and where is best place to get corplast
The company where I USED to buy Coroplast went out of business, so I had to do some searching. I now purchase it at the local orange big-box store that has the initials of HD. It goes for about $30 per sheet in my neck of the woods. If you don't have one of those nearby, try another big-box store... maybe you'll find it there. If that fails to produce results, see if you can locate a local sign making company and ask them where they get their Coroplast from. (Coroplast is what they use to print all those political signs that you see in people's front yards... so they'll know what you're talking about) That's how I found my first supplier! When I called the sign making company... I made sure that I explained what I was doing (making Christmas displays) so that they didn't think I was going into the sign making business and would be competition to them. They even offered to sell me some... but, of course, they marked it up in order to make money. I can't blame them... but I was able to buy it directly from their supplier at a lower cost. Good luck with it!
OH... if you DO have a HD store near you... you can look it up on their website as to whether they have any in stock or not. I did a search for "Coroplast corrugated plastic sheet" and got several results of different size sheets. I go with the 48 x 96 x .157 (4 mm) sheets. Just MAKE SURE you clean off the oily residue before priming and painting... VERY important and easy to do! Just use some Naptha or paint thinner or any degreaser would probably work.
Great video! How long do they last? How often do they need touch-ups?
Hi Heather! Thank you for the compliment. I have been making a new display vignette, out of Coroplast, every year for between 15 and 20 years. My oldest display is almost 30 years old and was made out of hardboard (which I DON'T recommend). I continue to use ALL of my Coroplast scenes that I've created through the years. The only time I've ever had to do any touch-up painting was when I was negligent in moving a piece or putting it into storage and scraped off some paint. Other than that, they have held up remarkably well over the years. Generally, I create ONE new scene (each year) and display it along with 5 or 6 other scenes. I rotate all my different scenes each year so that I keep my display looking fresh. I'll usually put out between 5 and 7 vignettes each Christmas season... which typically means around 20 to 35 characters. As long as you don't rough them up yourself... they should last you many, MANY years like mine have.
@@makeitfunMonkey 💖 Thank you very much!
Would you fill in the edges with a silicone or caulk?
Good question... but the answer is no. That's one of the beauties of using Coroplast... no issues with water whatsoever! I usually have the "tubes" running vertically and I've never had a single issue. The water just leaks right through and out the bottom... never an issue with it freezing and causing swelling or anything like that. Now that I think about it... I've got a couple of characters where the "tubes" are running horizontally and have never had an issue with them either. I used to use Masonite and had to ensure every nook and cranny was completely sealed. And there was usually a small spot here or there that I overlooked and it would swell with water as it got wet. With Coroplast... no issues at all. It's plastic... so impervious to water. If you've been making characters out of any type of wood product... I'd HIGHLY recommend trying at least one character out of Coroplast. I'm THRILLED that I made the switch years ago.
@@jrbryant0136 thanks! I have an entire peanuts gang from wood and want to try the cloroplast. Very tired of resealing and repainting every year. Too much work.
@@NoName-ze7xq You're welcome and I understand your pain in having to reseal and repaint. I'd definitely give Coro a try. Another plus is that it is SO much lighter weight and easier to move around. I'd love to see what you come up with and hear what you think of Coroplast!
Hreat job wish you erte my neighbor. Fo you do these for other ?
Good morning Sharon... that was a very sweet comment... thank you! To answer your question, no... I don't make these for other people. I'm getting up there in age and it's about all I can do to create something new for my own yard each year.
Can I use dremal to cut designs out?
Hi Leah... good question! In fact, your question intrigued me enough to make me head down into my shop and give it a try! I had a cutting wheel (spinning flat disc) already setup in my Dremel... so I gave it a try. The cutting wheel worked rather well in cutting through the Coroplast. HOWEVER, I could not achieve cuts that were quite as intricate as using my jigsaw (small curves, inside corners... etc). AND, the cut edge of the Coroplast wasn't quite as smooth as using a metal cutting blade in my jigsaw.
With that said though, I wouldn't hesitate to use the Dremel with a cutting wheel. The reasons I say this are:
1. The cuts you're going to make for these larger type figures don't need to be intricate. You are generally not making sharp curves and inside corners when cutting out a figure.
2. The edge the cutting wheel left behind on the Coroplast was only SLIGHTLY rougher than what I achieve with the jigsaw and metal cutting blade. No one would EVER notice the difference when looking at your cutouts from 30 feet away whilst sitting in their car! The ONLY issue with rougher edges is when you are outlining the figure with your black Magic Marker. I've had PLENTY of rough edges and it's really no big deal to overcome.
If you don't have the jigsaw available... I would not hesitate to use the Dremel and cutting wheel! Hope this helps and inspires you to give it a try. I'd love to see what you create!
My paint isn’t sticking?!
Hi Travis... sorry to hear you're having difficulty...let's see if we can figure out what might have gone wrong. First of all, are you talking about the white, outdoor primer or the color paint on top of the primer you're having difficulty with? What type (brand, exterior/interior, latex... etc) and did you properly clean the Coroplast before applying the paint?
Do you do these for others people ? LET E NOW
Hi Sharon, as I replied on your other comment... no, I don't make these for others. At my age, I'm lucky to be able to create stuff for my own yard!
Intellectual Copyright ©️ Infringement.
Look it up!
It can save you thousands in legal fees. Just saying.
Thanks Stephen, I appreciate the heads-up. Merry Christmas to you!