DIY Pirate Treasure Chest Prop

Halloween decorations come in many flavors, and in this video, I'm breaking away from my cemetery aesthetic and building a treasure chest fit for a pirate-themed haunt or party. And the best part is it's made of foam and assembled with hot glue!

**CORRECTION: The plank color I use in this video is BURNT sienna, not raw sienna. It was late when I recorded the voiceover and I misspoke.

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• 1" XPS Insulation Foam

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[susanowen]

This turned out great! It's amazing how such simple techniques like rasping & dry brushing can completely transform the foam. The gaps in the lid planks really make it look like an old, dried-out wooden chest.

[Vro-]

That turned out awesome! I'm envisioning some eerie green light peeking out from between the slats on top, maybe a windshield motor that opens and closes the lid with a hand that pops out, ooh my imagination lol.

[wrendellajoens]

I made a treasure chest that was used as a prop for the door prizes table at an Expo held on International Talk Like a Pirate Day four days ago!
I bought a styrofoam cooler ($5 at dollar store, so not huge but big enough). Since it was styrofoam ball based, I diluted spackling compound with matte black acrylic paint to fill in the gaps between the balls and produce a uniform base coat. I carved grooves in the sides and top to emulate wood planks. I added baking soda to matte black acrylic paint to thicken it, and applied this mixture with a chip brush to create a wood grain. I purposely did not use a rasp or wire brush, since this type of foam will not withstand such abuse with anything resembling tact, much less grace. I sealed the painted surfaces with modpodge for durability.
I used cardboard strips for the iron straps (filled in the corrugated sides with spackle), and used upholstery tacks for the nails in the boards and straps. I loosely wrapped a 100-light strand of fairy lights (~16 ft) with red and gold sparkling tulle (~20 ft), and pinned that to the inside walls of the cooler with thumbtacks that I painted gold.
I wanted to add shells to the lid, but I was initially stumped on how to get them to stay put reliably without using gobs of hot glue. I finally decided to soak some paper towel in modpodge, wadded it into a ball so that a good surface area was in contact with the underside of the shell and squished it down onto the lid with books.
Then I decided to be a bit fancy, and stenciled on some swoops and swirls with a silver sharpie, then painted over the silver with teal acrylic paint, letting some of the silver show through to make it look gilded. I was ecstatic with the result, and received myriad compliments. :-)

[vickiemullen]

You make things look so easy. Thank you for another great tutorial!

[Craftlngo]

I would consider putting a flickering light in the Treasure Chest glowing through the gaps in the lid.

[progrocker]

That’s so good! A project that’s been on my “to do” list is a similar crate with spacing between the planks and a green light inside so it glows, maybe some monster claws under the lid. Maybe with your techniques I’ll be able to do it soon

[cem]

What a great project. It look fantastic. ( Especially since last Monday was National Talk Like a Pirate Day)
Congrats!

[travisgeurin]

I got some thermal plastic for another project and it didn't work out, it does however make a nice quick handle on a razor knife blade! Sometimes a bare blade is the best tool - having a little more girth is a finger saver!

[horsesby]

That foam chest turned into something amazing, well done 👏👏 ☠️☠️☠️💀🎃🎈🦇Thank you so much for sharing

[asmarteru]

Great looking treasure chest. I'm partial to pirate props so I could be biased but this is a a favorite theme. 😂 I've made a couple similar but used cardboard boxes as my base with foamcore and craft foam for the details.

[kurtkyre]

I bet you could make a neat looking latch for the front.

[TheTomar]

Love it, easy to follow and simple to do.

[rickhager]

Superb! Add some flickering or fading LEDs on the inside to shine through the gaps in the lid planks. Maybe even a shot of fog from the inside every so often.

[big_aL-vt]

Really cool! Have you tried beveling the top pieces at 15 degrees to get them to fit closer together?

[ashleya]

Using the rubber feet was genius! I love how you used them as something completely differently than what they're intended for. THAT'S creative genius, there! Once again, a great creation. I never get tired of seeing the stuff you come up with!

[goatelope]

Love it. Super cool, and pretty easy decor/prop

[Keeshunna]

This is awesome. I'm going to make it for an under the sea themed party. Thanks for the great work.

[capnskustomworks]

That turned out so awesome! I love how much ease of approach there is, being a box that looks cool with simple materials. That’d be a a craft for someone just starting out or younger kids even to handle, and is still lots of fun for experienced builders. Amazingly enough, I literally just minutes ago took a tray of Sculpey bolt heads out of the oven for another project, and of course I made extras, so I may be making another chest soon… 😆

[peterheynen]

As always I'm fascinated by the simple techniques and materials you use to create such convincing and realistic decorations. It looks fantastic. 🙂

[Justforthefoodofit]

I did my version of your treasure chest. I think it turned out great! Wish i could post a picture. Thank you for the inspiration!