Wooden Coffin Guide

Posted by Woodpeckers Crafts Sep 17th 2024

Wooden Coffin Guide

Wooden coffins aren’t just for the dearly departed — they’re also perfect for lots of fun and even spooky craft projects! Whether you want to add some eerie charm to this year’s Halloween decor or you’re searching for a dignified way to say goodbye to a beloved pet, wooden coffin crafts offer plenty of variety in size, style, and functionality. In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about wooden coffins for crafting. So, let’s get started!

What are wooden coffin crafts?

Wooden coffin crafts are small, coffin-shaped boxes made of natural wood. From Halloween coffin decorations to biodegradable pet coffins, these little wooden boxes can be left as-is or decorated to suit the needs of your project. If you shop at Woodpeckers, you’ll find that we have wood coffins for crafting in plenty of different sizes, perfect for everything from a small coffin ring box to larger Halloween coffin props.

It’s also important to remember that you can get wooden coffin cutouts if you don’t want to do a three-dimensional crafting project. Cutouts can serve different purposes, often functioning better for hanging decorations or signage. Either way, crafting with wooden coffins (cutouts or boxes) can help you create truly memorable decorations and gifts. They can also serve as a way to celebrate and show respect to pets you’ve lost.

DIY project ideas for wood coffin crafting

While coffins are a go-to for spooky decorations (we know that they give some people the heebie-jeebies!), they have tons of non-scary uses, too! We’ll cover a bit of both in this guide, but in the following sections, we’re going to look at our top DIY project ideas for wooden coffin box crafting, as well as ideas for coffin cutout crafting!

Halloween decor and props

When it comes to Halloween decorations, wooden coffins are an absolute must-have. You can make them part of spooky displays, use them to give out candy, or serve drinks with them while you watch scary movies! Here are just a few of our top Halloween-inspired ideas for crafting and decorating with wooden coffins:

Coffin candy box - Looking for a fun way to serve candy to trick-or-treaters this Halloween? A coffin is the perfect receptacle for Halloween candy. You can paint it or stain it black, add decorative images or stickers — bats, witches, you name it! — and then fill it with enough candy for the whole neighborhood!
Coffin serving tray - Are you planning a Halloween-themed dinner party? Then a larger wooden coffin (box or cutout) is perfect for a wickedly dark and on-theme serving tray or charcuterie board! Just remember that if you do paint or stain it, make sure to finish it with a food-grade seal before you start serving.
Gothic wall decor - Smaller, wood coffins are often light enough that they don’t require a lot of work to hang on the wall. These are great to put by the entrance of your home as a fun surprise for guests. You can decorate hanging, Gothic-style coffins with black paint, fake cobwebs, and even miniature skeletons!

Pet coffins (for a thoughtful goodbye)

At Woodpeckers, we love all things crafting, but we know that some crafts are meant for serious, even sad circumstances. It’s never easy to say goodbye to a furry loved one, but sending them off in a personally designed coffin can turn a sad day into something beautiful. For smaller pets like hamsters, gerbils, birds, reptiles, and even small dogs and cats, a biodegradable pet coffin made from natural wood can help you give them a proper burial. They serve as a simple but meaningful solution, allowing you to create a dignified resting place for your beloved pet.

You can leave the wood coffin box unfinished for a more natural look, or decorate it with paint, wood stain, or even wood-burning to make it personal to you and your pet. You might choose to add your pet’s name or a special message just for them. Since Woodpeckers’ coffins are sizeable and sturdy, you can even include your pet’s favorite toy.

Gothic-inspired coffin ring box

If you or your loved one are obsessed with all things Gothic or “alternative” in style, a coffin ring box is a great way to make a more dramatic addition to your jewelry collection or even for the moment you pop the question! These miniature coffins are the ideal size for displaying rings, especially for themed weddings, proposals, or Halloween events.

Decorating your coffin ring box is where the fun really begins! You can paint it a classic grey or black, perhaps with silver accents. You could also burn intricate designs onto the surface of the wood. To ensure that your coffin ring box is more than just a “box,” you can line the interior with velvet or satin. This helps it mimic the look and feel of a traditional ring box — or a real coffin!

Coffin cutouts for crafts

While three-dimensional coffin boxes are great for a lot of crafts, you may be looking for something a little more minimalistic and, well, flat! If you want a simpler crafting project for yourself or your kids, wooden coffin cutouts are an excellent choice. These flat, coffin-shaped wood pieces can be used for many of the same Halloween and Gothic-inspired projects as coffin boxes.

Here are some of the fun ideas we recommend for coffin cutout crafting:

Halloween signs - There are a lot of different ways to use flat coffin cutouts for Halloween signage. They can serve as fake grave markers in the front yard or hanging decorations on the door or around the house. You can decorate the signs with phrases like “RIP” or “Beware!”
Coffin garland - If you want a hanging decoration for Halloween, coffin cutouts are easy to string together with specific designs. These can be hung over a front porch or across your living room for a party. Either way, you can get creative with different themed images, like witches flying through the air or ghosts that appear to be rising from the grave!
Spooky Picture Cutout - Another great way to decorate a spooky setting is with old-timey photos. What better way to make these pictures even creepier than a coffin-style backing? You can simply adhere the photo to your decorated coffin cutout and add even more flourishes, like fake dust and signs of aging, to really make it a fun part of your decor!

Find the perfect wooden coffin at Woodpeckers

Need a small wooden box to serve candy on Halloween? Looking for a wooden coffin to say goodbye to a furry loved one? Or do you want wooden coffin cutouts to create fun gifts and decorations? If so, you can find all these and more at Woodpeckers. Here are some of our top-selling options for both 2D and 3D wooden coffins:

Looking for even more spooky crafting projects? Our Halloween wood cutout collection has everything you need — from Jack-o-Lanterns to haunted houses!

Did you enjoy our wooden coffin guide? Be sure to check out our wooden coffin craft shop to find the perfect gift for yourself or a loved one!