Our Halloween Decorations are extensive. We have been building them since around 2020. We had a phenomenal side yard in our community that was on heavily trafficked corner. So we leaned in. This Coffin built entirely from pallets was a great addition. It is also pretty easy and only took about 2 hours on a weekend to build. It is a great addition to any Halloween display, right alongside my other easy Halloween DIY crafts. The best part. . . it is free to get the pallets, its not complicated and it can be done alone.
If you have watched our full video tutorial, this post is your companion cheat sheet. You can keep it open on your phone while you work, and I have listed every tool and material so you know exactly what to grab. We believe DIY is an empowering act so I want to give you the tools I wish someone had given me before my first time trying a great beginner project like this one.
The short version: To build a 66″ L x 30″ W x 7″ D pallet coffin, break down 3 to 4 free pallets, cut a matching top and bottom into a coffin shape sized to your skeleton (mine was 66 inches long), attach eight 16-inch edge supports, then screw pallet slats around the sides. It takes about 2 hours and the only thing you pay for is a box of screws.
- Time: about 2 hours
- Cost: free, other than a box of exterior screws
- Skill level: beginner friendly
- Materials: 3 to 4 free pallets
- Tools: circular saw, drill, speed square, tape measure
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Can you really build the coffin by yourself?
The answer is yes, you can build it, definitely this can be a solo build. However, an extra pair of hands will make it go a bit faster. The one part where you really want the help is lifting and positioning the top and bottom, and carrying the finished coffin out to the yard, since it gets awkward to move on your own. The building itself you can absolutely do solo.
Here are the steps, start to finish:
- Break Down Pallets
- Get Your Measurements
- Build Top and Bottom
- Cut Top and Bottom to Size
- Cut the 8 edge supports and attach them
- Build Sides
- Put it in the Yard
Broken Down Pallet Wood 
Extra Long 1 x 4 Broken Down Pallet Wood 
Setting Up Mr. Bones on Table 
Getting Measurements 
Cutting Top and Bottom to Coffin Shape 
Placing Coffin Side Supports in place 
Attaching Long Shoulder to Feet Sides First 
Attaching Coffin Head to Shoulder Sides 
A custom DIY pallet coffin Halloween Decoration A custom Halloween Decor DIY pallet coffin with Skeleton lighted
Tools and materials you will need
Here is everything I used. A big question mark is how big are the pallets you are getting. Most standard pallets are 48″ x 40″. Finding the pallets and storing them until September is a little tricky. Other than that you only need a few tools to make this build happen. If you are still building out your kit, these are my go-to beginner DIY tools.
Materials
- about 3 to 4 pallets worth of wood.
- Any extra wood you have laying around
- 1 -1/4″ Exterior Wood Screws
- Mr Bonez Skeleton
Tools
- Hammer
- Pry Bar
- Circular Saw or Miter Saw
- Drill
- Speed Square
- Tape Measure
- Pencil
- Table or sawhorses with a plywood top
- PPE: Safety Glasses, Mask, Work gloves
Step 1: Break Down the Pallets
Get a hammer and a pry bar and go to town. This may be the hardest part of the whole build. A circular saw helps too, for those difficult top pry apart pieces. It’s also be a good idea to wear eye and ear protection.
Step 2: Get your measurements
I just used a skeleton from our current Halloween decorations to get our measurements. Most skeletons you can buy are around 5 to 5.5 ft. (~60″) I would just set the width at the top and bottom the same to keep it simple and then measure the width of Mr. Bones shoulders (~24″) and just go a little wider than that. My measurements were 66″ Long and 30″ width at the shoulders and ~10″ at the top and bottom.
Step 3: Build Your Bottom and Top
We got lucky and had some pieces longer that 5′, but most pallets are not that big. I would recommend laying across 3 cross beams and making sure all the places the ends butt up against each other are covered by the cross beams. Lay out all your vertical pieces so that you have enough room for the. Since most pallets are made out of 1×4, you should have 6 full length and then add a couple on the sides up by the shoulders. Once you have one then you can repeat the process for a second and now you have the rough top and bottom of your coffin.
Step 4: Cut Top and Bottom to Size
I just drew the rough shape I wanted right on the top and then used a circular saw to cut it to size. The other thing I did was laid the top and bottom on each other was put several screws into them so they were functionally one piece. Then you can cut them together and get the exact same size for your top and bottom. BEFORE YOU CUT, make sure to check your blade path and remove an screws that may be in the way. It would not be fun to catch a screw when cutting the top and bottom out. If you have a piece of plywood or table this is a great time to use a clamp.
Step 5: Cut the 8 edge supports and attach them
The Coffin only needs to be about 7 to 8″ deep. So take your pallet base runners and cut them to this length. Measure the first length and then use the first one cut to measure all the rest. Put two at the head, two at the shoulders, two halfway to the bottom and two at the feet. Use two screws per support.
Step 6: Build Sides
The sides are around 7 to 8″ tall since that is what you cut your supports to. That should be ~ 2 pieces of pallet tall ( 3.5″ x 2 = 7″) it is actually good to have small gaps because if you light the pallet it will let the light out. Once you have your supports it is as easy as measuring the distance in between each support. Make sure to measure the longest side of the coffin first, measuring from the shoulders to the feet (my measurement was 43″) and cut your 8 pieces (4 for the left and right) to this length and attach them on the right and left. Then measure from head to the shoulder support and cut 8 pieces to this length and attach them on the left and right. Finally, cut 8 pieces of pallet for the top and bottom. The head and feet are about 10″ wide attach them with a screw with 4 pieces at the head and 4 pieces at the feet. It is not a problem if there are gaps or if it looks shoddy. This is okay and will actually make the coffin look great!
Step 7: Put in in the yard
Get a light and put it inside and put Mr. Bones in there as well. Stage it in your yard and you are ready for trick or treaters. To finish the scene, I like to set a few DIY crystal skulls around the coffin.
Mistakes I made so you do not have to
- I measured the cross beam too low. Make sure to have the sides part of the coffin at the shoulders of Mr. Bones
- I made the bottom too wide for the feet. The top and bottom width should be narrow and the same.
- I only used saw horses instead of putting down a piece of plywood or something like a table. DO THIS it makes screwing and organizing the slats much easier.
How much does it cost and how long does it take?
The best part about this decoration? It is free. Screws are your only cost. It took me about 2 hours to build and I filmed the whole thing in one afternoon. It is definitely a beginner friendly project.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I get pallets?
This will be critical to your build. However, there are actually a lot of places to get free pallets. First place to check is the shipping a receiving at area at your place of work. Ask around if you have a facilities department and you can find them pretty easily. In addition the following places are also good: hardware stores, local garden shops, furniture retailers, big box stores. Essentially, any big store that gets large shipments daily. I got most of mine from a local nursery that had a huge selection of pots for plants and got shipments weekly.
Is it difficult?
No. If you can use a drill and a circular saw you can build this project.
I am worried it won’t be sturdy?
It won’t be. That is okay. This project is better when it looks old a beat up. Just put as many screws into it to maintain its shape and then put it out there.
Why build this when storing it will be a pain?
There are three solutions here. First, remove all the screws and burn it or throw it out. It didn’t cost you anything, so nothing lost here. Second, use the coffin as a box to store the rest of your Halloween decorations. Load it up and store it in the garage or a shed. Third, disassemble it. This is what we did. We just took out all the screws and left the top and bottom in tact, then we taped it all together and put all the screws in a baggie and taped that as well. It stores basically flat. We stored it outside a shed because the more run down it looks the better!
That is the whole process. If you want to see any of these steps in motion, watch the full video tutorial, and tell me in the comments what decorations we should do next. Happy Halloween!
Until next time,
Happy DIY-ing and happy Halloween!
Mua-ha-ha-ha 💀
xoxo,
Selene + Devin
