Faux Boards for the windows and front door

Well, I didn't have enough monster mud leftover to treat the two columns so I focused on making some fake boards to apply to the front windows and door. I think they turned out very well and are extremely cheap to make.

Supplies:

- black foam core with black foam (I bought mine at Michael's from the framing department; each sheet was 40"x60")

- wood grain contact paper (Home Depot)

- a black sharpie

- utility knife with new blade

Step 1) Apply the contact paper to the foam core.  I wanted my boards to be 40" wide, so I applied the contact paper across the short side of the foam core so the grain ran the right way. 

Step 2) Using the sharpie, go over the dark grain lines on the contact paper. Since these will be used outside, at night, this will make the boards stand out better and give them a weathered look. Don't worry about making the lines perfect since no one will be inspecting them up close. 

Step 3) Decide how wide you want each board to be and the cut the foam core into the individual boards. Again, don't try to make the boards too straight since the crooked edges give them a more natural and spooky look. I used a framing triangle that ran along the top edge to give me a rough target of the width (3.5") but let the knife wander up and down to give a wavy edge. 

Step 4) Notch the ends and cut out any knots in the middle of the boards to make them look even more weathered. 

Let me know what you think!

One board without the sharpie treatment and one with:

Here are a few sample boards:

A close-up of one end:

The final stack: