Community Brag Posts

Zach's new desk

Submitted by dinifam on Sat, 04/13/2013 - 13:28

I built this desk so my son would have a place for his old school tv and to do his homework! It was super easy and I love how the finish came out! His room is a huge work in progress but this is the first step:)

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
20.00 as I had scraps and finish supplies
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
I sprayed the bottom with satin black paint The top I painted white then sanded it down with 80 grit and rubbed on then rubbed and wiped minwax poly espresso stain until I got the look desired. Easy!!!
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Kid’s Adirondack Chair Project

Submitted by David_1962 on Tue, 07/20/2021 - 07:54

This little chair turned out really well. The only significant changes I made to the plans were to cut the back slats in an arch, round the corners on the arm pieces, and round-over all of the exposed edges.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
None, built from scrap deck boards
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Ipe is an extremely heavy, dense tropical hardwood. It’s primarily used for making decks but is also excellent for outdoor furniture. I just sanded lightly, and applied a penetrating oil branded “Ipe Oil.”
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Mudroom Bench with Hutch

Submitted by calliher on Sun, 09/12/2021 - 18:45

This is my laundry room and it is about 12x10. It looked so bare with only the washer and dryer. So I thought making this a mudroom also. I live in the mountains and have snow 3 to 4 months a year. This will be perfect. I purchased an IKEA cabinet built it in and added the Ana White plans with two bays.

Comments

Pool equipment fence refresh

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 07/06/2017 - 21:00

We love this fence refresh from the previous owner's solution to enclosing the pool equipment and a/c unit! It was the first time we fastened something to our house - drilling through stucco in the process. That was a big deal for us diy-ers! We made the frame out of 4x4's (which ended up being the most challenging part to the whole thing), applied the horizontal fencing boards and then used one of those $15 fence hardware kits - it was a great project that has made a huge difference in our backyard. Yay!

Estimated Cost
$300
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Adirondack chair

Submitted by Gsmit96 on Sun, 05/19/2013 - 18:38

The only thing I did different to the plan was add 4.5 inches to the back slats so I could round the edges and 3 inches to the right arm rest so I could cut out a track to rest a wine glass. One thing I highly recommend is to create a stencil of the stringer. I did and now I have it for the next one so the next chair will be consistent. Thanks Ana white, this site is very therapeutic for me. Already built 3 projects in the last month.

Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Haven't painted yet, will paint white soon
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

sorese

Thu, 06/06/2013 - 06:38

The mods on this make me now want to build a set of these, the wine glass holder is genius! love the rounded front and back, so much better than original plans, thanks for inspiration!

Patio chair

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 10/04/2021 - 16:56

I chose to make the chair which came out great although the plans were only for one chair I thought it waa easy to do.

Comments

Seasonal And Holiday

Mud bench

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 10/05/2021 - 04:12

My husband and I love to build together as our hobby so we always look to Ana White for different plans.
It all started originally when I came across Ana’s closet organizer a few years ago and we haven’t stopped! Thanks Ana!

Built from Plan(s)

Rustic X Bench

I adjusted the measurements for the console to make a bed bench. The over all length is 66.5", making each horizontal 2x2 26" long. The 2x4 legs are now 18" heigh. Love the end result.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$50-80 depending on supplies on hand
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Behr Shiny luster
Kona stain/poly
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Richard6959

Thu, 01/30/2020 - 09:49

What was used for the decorative circles at the bottom of each leg? Its not mentioned anywhere in the plans and I can't tell from the pictures what was used. Please explain. Thanks. 

Kitchen Tower Cabinet

This is our first Ana White project and we're pretty happy with the results. We modified the plans a bit to use 1/4" plywood for the sides instead of the heavy 3/4" ply. Specifically built for our kitchen since we couldn't find one that we really liked or could afford. Pottery Barn seriously sells this for $1200?!?! Score!

Estimated Cost
$70 + finishing
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
DIY chalk paint and wax - distressed.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Fancy X Desk, Or my Chunky Medieval Desk

Submitted by Labumy on Sun, 03/04/2018 - 14:27

We estimate that the cost of this project was right around $50, but we had a lot of tools and materials already.  This was a fun project and a great piece for the cost. I would suggest staining as much as you can before assembling those legs!  Staining and applying poly was a pain in the butt!  We used a dark mahogany Minwax stain and 2 coats of Minwax poly. It took us a while to do it because we have a 11 month old that keeps us on our toes. 

Estimated Cost
$50
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Minwax Mahogany and Minwax quick dry poly
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Planter Box with Trellis

My husband built the Planter Box with Trellis for his mother for her birthday. We planted one of our rose bushes in it. They are pink teacup roses and should look fantastic against this bright white backdrop once the buds blossom.

This was a great project that was easy to cut up beforehand and put together the next afternoon. I think I want one!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$50 with exterior paint
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
White exterior Valspar paint.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

mmhmakeover

Tue, 07/12/2011 - 03:59

Thank YOU, Tina! The plan was so easy to follow and we were just amazed that this thing came out looking almost exactly like the picture. Often times, we are not so lucky and "modify" the project at the time, or "modify" our expectations when it looks a little different. Not so with this one. It's perfect!

My First Build

Submitted by clarky316 on Sun, 03/11/2018 - 18:02

This was my first big furniture piece that I've built. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. I used 5/4 poplar for the tops instead of the 2x10s for the table and 2x6s for the benches that the plans called for. Finished the tops with Minwax Early American stain then 3 coats of satin oil based polly. Finished the bottoms with water based Minwax tinted River Stone then coated with water based polly. 

 

Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Brian Famous

Wed, 03/14/2018 - 06:18

You did a great job, especially for your first big piece.

I love the River Stone color you chose for the bases, beautiful combination.

My Craft Table

I used Ana's plan for the modern project table to create my craft table. I modified it just a bit by removing the "floating top" and covering the front to provide more hidden storage (a must for me). I used my brad nailer and gorilla glue to construct. I used all whitewood boards for the base and 3/4" mdf for the top. I love it! You can read more details at http://www.shanty-2-chic.com/2011/01/all-finished-yeah.html !

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
2 coats of Valspar Aquatic Edge and 1 coat of Polycrylic in Semi-gloss. I use 4" Whizz rollers on all my furniture painting.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

DIY Cornhole Board

I built a pair of cornhole boards following a tutorial on This Old House.  I used the Glidden Paint Team Colors line to get the a quart of blue and orange paint in the official Auburn colors.  I used my Silhouette Portrait machine to create stencils for the AU logo, Auburn tiger logo and "War Eagle" text.

Estimated Cost
150
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Glidden Paint from the Team Colors Collection
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Craftsman playhouse - in shades of blue

Submitted by richsea on Sat, 06/11/2022 - 21:58

I’ve been working on building up to this playhouse for a while. Just got the doors on and am pretty pleased with what’s my first project of any size. Built on top of a modified version of the playhouse deck with a to be added (hopefully) swing in front. Color selection by the end customer (who’s 8). Modified to add 12 inches for a 5’ doorway. Thankfully I caught that at the last minute for the kiddo. Still a menace if I forget to duck. But super roomy once inside.

Comments

Seasonal And Holiday

ADIRONDACK STOOL

We pretty much followed the plan with the exception of making the legs 28" tall and then removing the middle bar and then adding two additional supports 4" higher than the lower ones and put them on the opposite sides as the lower one. It formed a ladder like thing which we wanted since this was for kids starting at age 3. I hope that makes sense it doesn't really sound right to me but anyways moving one. It was really fun to make these I made three for my older sister since the walmart specials that she bought were horrible and falling apart after a short amount of time. They were easy two do probably about a day of cutting and assembling and then a day of staining and polying however if you were only doing one then it would be a day project at most. My other tip is that after cutting all the pieces I sanded them which made it nice after putting the top on and not having to worry about if the parts in between the two pieces touching was sanded enough not to give the kids splinters. And the best part was that I got a new tool which I love, the Kreg pocket hole jig. It was fun. I did have some splitting on the test wood pieces (scraps from cutting pieces for the stool) so instead of having the aprons flush I used an old cd case under the apron and attached them that way it was close to center but no worries about splitting and was super easy to do.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
10-15
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Dark Walnut and clear gloss wipe on poly
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Outdoor Daybed

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 08/08/2022 - 21:06

What a great project!! My private outdoor space is amazing. Thanks Ana!!

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Farmhouse Toy Box

Submitted by frmoody on Thu, 08/18/2022 - 15:01

My second build from Ana's toy box plan. I had my son use his CNC machine to carve boy's name into the front. Depth of the letters is about 0.25". Looks really good.

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Entry Bench

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 12/16/2022 - 06:51

I search many DIY entry benches and ultimately chose Ana White's, it was perfect what what we needed. Thanks for the vid, plans, post and tips that helped me build it. I'm currently browsing your other projects for the next one. Thanks so much

Built from Plan(s)

Comments