Community Brag Posts

Farm House Dining Room Table

So I went off most of the specs on this table except I didn't want the brace on the bottom. Instead we braced it under the table with extra 2/4s. The longest part of this was the staining and poly due to it being cold as heck in Washington.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
120.00
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
2 coats Min Wax Red Mahogany 4 coats of Poly
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Janelle Kay (not verified)

Sat, 04/21/2012 - 21:03

Hello,

I love you table! It is beautiful. I too would like to build this table without the brace at the bottom. could you maybe add some photos of how you did the bracing??

thanks!

Sheryl (not verified)

Mon, 05/14/2012 - 12:32

I have been looking for a table that I like and that won't break my pocket. Haven't found one so I want to build this. Can you tell be the measurements of the wood pieces that I need. Thank you I would really appreciate it.

A First Woodworking Project - Adirondack Chair

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 07/09/2023 - 17:22

Dual tone: painted frame with stained slats! Final finish with spar varnish and epoxy packed feet. First woodworking project, thanks Ana for the plans! You rock!

Overall took a long time due to the sanding and multiple coats of paint, stain and varnish. The plans were easy to follow and cuts were easy to make. A belt sander really helped with cleaning up some of the messy 2x4s! Looking forward to my next project!

 

Paneled TV Console Table

I wanted a TV console table but didn't need all the bells and whistles of cabinets and drawers. I actually couldn't quite figure out the "Rustic X" design so I decided on side panels instead. Plus, I didn't really want to see all our stuff from the side anyway. 

I used 1x6s for the top, 1x12s for the middle and bottom shelf, 1x3s and 1x2s for the side panels, and 1x3s and 1x2s for the trim. I used 1/4' plywood for back support and to hide cables. 

This thing is solid! I live in CA and I'm not fearful of my TV falling with "The Big One" coming. 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$70
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Penetrating Stain and Minwax Polyurethane
White Cabinet paint by Sherwin Williams
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Outdoor Pool Cabana

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 10/31/2019 - 20:21

I wanted a huge cabana for my outdoor pool area to have a place guests could kick back and relax if they weren’t swimming. I took the plans from the one arm and armless outdoor sofas and modified the plan to include posts and a lattice top for shade. This inspired plan was finished off with cushions from at home and features seating comfortably for 9. Everyone loves this area in the backyard to kick back! At night we have solar lights twinkle at the top and they complete the project perfectly with a soft twinkle.

Estimated Cost
$250 before cushions
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Nothing yet. Needed to wait for the pretreated wood to finish drying out.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Seasonal And Holiday

Modified 6 cube, we call it Console Doce

Submitted by tracysmith on Mon, 03/12/2012 - 06:50

I built this for a friend of mine - also a client - built it to her needs and come out with a really cool bookshelf/tv console!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
We finished it with just three coats of Satin Polycrylic
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

ehansen25

Mon, 07/15/2013 - 08:16

This is exactly what I want to make with this plan, but are you worried about sagging in the middle. Did you put extra support underneath?

ehansen25

Thu, 07/18/2013 - 09:27

Sorry it's me again, my husband and I have decided to use your model for our cube shevles and I just want to verify to get the new dimensions you just doubled the legths for the top, the shelves and and the side shelf trim correct? We are new builders and just want to get everything as close to right as we can! Thanks!

tracysmith

Thu, 07/18/2013 - 14:04

Not a problem at all, I don't mind answering questions. Yes, I just doubled the length of the original plan. If you click on my picture, my user info should come up and you can email me and I'd be happy to talk to you in a more direct fashion about this project and if I still have it on my computer in the form of a sketch up file, I will share more details with you. Maybe even a cut list and shopping list. I build everything in sketch up first. :-)

If you have any troubles contacting me, let me know and I will just get you my email on here. :-)

Vmc107

Fri, 07/19/2013 - 07:13

This is exactly what ive been looking for toy storage in my living room! Is it possible to take off the tiny legs, and just keep the entire thing on the floor? I was looking to add some cushions on the top for seating as well. Will it be able to support the weight?

Vmc107

Fri, 07/19/2013 - 07:13

This is exactly what ive been looking for toy storage in my living room! Is it possible to take off the tiny legs, and just keep the entire thing on the floor? I was looking to add some cushions on the top for seating as well. Will it be able to support the weight?

Newbie- so I forgot to add the height of the shelf to my calculations...

Submitted by Red wicked on Sun, 03/27/2016 - 10:16

I forgot to add the height of the shelf when I measured for the placement of the two by two shelf supports, but it still turned out well. 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$90 beacause the hinges were soooooooo expensive at Rockler
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
None
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Rustic X Bench for Entry

Made 2 changes to the plans which was using a 2 x 4 as a center top board to add some variety to the board width and also decided to go with breadboard ends which also used 2x4

Thanks for the plans!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$50
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)

DIY Farmhouse Cabinet

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 08/10/2023 - 15:53

The inspiration for this piece came from an Instagram post. We decided on our overall dimensions (36" tall, 18" deep and 60" long), then more or less guessed what the size of the pieces for the face frame would be. We recreated it as best we could and I think it came out incredible. It has soft close drawers on top and the hand-made sliding shelves are also soft close. The raised panels for the doors were made on a table saw. The doors have soft close hinges. The cabinet is made from maple plywood, oak plywood, yellow pine and poplar. The top is made of cypress and stained with Minwax "fruitwood" color and semi-gloss urethane. Next step is to make the shelves which will be 48" tall overall.

Dave Patterson

Modern Farmhouse Bed

Submitted by itsmagic on Sat, 12/14/2019 - 15:32

Hi Ana,

We build the Modern Farmhouse Bed frame in Australia. I had to convert the plans to metric and change the width to Australian King size dimensions(who knew there were so many bed sizes). I also modified the plans to have a LED light strip in the top of the head board for reading. A fun project that everyone is impressed with. 

My wife and I lived in Tok for about a year, and love seeing the animals, and landscapes around Delta in your videos. 

Thanks for your hard work,
Jim & Kylie
Gold Coast 
Australia

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
"Coal" Stain, and Antique White
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Kitchen Island with Farmhouse Table Top

Submitted by JoanneS on Fri, 03/30/2012 - 17:57

I’ve wanted a new island for awhile but wasn’t quite sure what I wanted it to look like, until I saw Ana’s cabinet plans for the Momplex kitchen! We wanted a fairly large island, so we did two 24” base cabinets “townhouse style” (from Ana’s Kitchen Cabinet Base 101 post) plus we added a little extra space at both ends, so Hubby could install some electrical outlets and we’d still have plenty of room for the drawers. The old island had power already, so he got the outlets wired pretty fast. Behind the doors are some deep pull-out drawers to hold all the stuff you’d usually have to bend down and reach for. Now it’s so convenient! I built a Farmhouse Table top for it and love it! We built flat doors and trimmed them up to match the island sides and back (also matches our pantry and dining room). This project took us about 40 hours to build and finish, and it was so worth it! Ana, you are a rockstar in our house! We now have a real showpiece for our kitchen, thanks to Ana White!

Estimated Cost
$550
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Cabinet: 3 coats of Ace Royal semi gloss in Crushed Peanut, sanded between coats. Top: 2 coats Minwax Color Express in Walnut (1st coat brushed on, 2nd coat rubbed on), plus 3 coats of Minwax Oil Modified Water Based Polyurethane in Satin (sanded between coats); and on the drawer boxes, 2 coats of Minwax Polycrylic in clear satin (the clear water base poly doesn’t add any color to the natural pine)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Brigitte (not verified)

Fri, 03/30/2012 - 21:14

Absolutely stunning! I'm in the process (sooo sooo close to being done) of making a banquette seating area with the creamy colored drawer base and the top stained in walnut. I put the same half round trim on my drawer fronts too. I saw a vanity on display at Lowes with this detail and had to copy it. I love the look! I am also building a trestle table from plans from www.thisoldhouse.com to match. I bought some beautiful matching chairs from Target.com. I can't wait to get it finished. I'm about to go paint the drawers right now. The table components were just primed 15 minutes ago. :-)

JoanneS

Sat, 03/31/2012 - 08:04

Brigitte and Pam, thank you very much for the nice comments! :) I'm having a ball building projects from this site. This is our favorite one so far (we say that every time haha). I have to smile and run my hand across the top whenever I walk past it - I guess when the novelty wears off I'll stop doing that :) Now I'm ready to add those door dampeners to all the cabinet doors in my house (so cool not hearing a slam when you shut them). Brigitte, your project sounds beautiful, can't wait to see the pictures of it!

mebohn

Sat, 03/31/2012 - 18:57

Absolutely gorgeous! I really love the colors. I've never tried the color express stain - and I have to try it now! The top is so seamless. Love it!

JoanneS

Sun, 04/01/2012 - 05:33

Mebohn, thanks very much for the nice comment! You'll love the color express when you try it. Walnut is my favorite and I've used it for lots of projects. I like brushing it on to get a nice dark first coat, and then on this one, rubbed on a 2nd coat (needed to wait an extra hour for the first coat to dry). I used lots of wood glue and Kreg screws to assemble this top (it's 5 pieces of 1x10, 3 across and 1 at each end) and then added 1x4 underneath (around the edges and across the center for attaching) to make it 1 1/2 inches thick. Then a whole lot of sanding :)

guest (not verified)

Tue, 04/10/2012 - 21:37

This is soooo beautiful! And the top is so seamless ans glossy. You should be so proud! Great job!

Mariah Papaya

Sat, 05/26/2012 - 06:25

Wish I had enough room in my kitchen for one of these -- would definitely copycat this! Love it!

JoanneS

Sat, 05/26/2012 - 06:46

Mariah, Thanks very much for the nice comment! I'm really happy with how this turned out. Now I want to re-do all my kitchen cabinets with Ana's plans. :) PS -- I saw your jugsaw puzzle table this morning on the brag board -- super creative!!

Washer Dryer Pedestals

Submitted by Kvnpalmer on Sun, 04/17/2016 - 13:57

We have a very small laundry room and we wanted some additional room to put shoes when we walk in. We also couldn't have the pedestal be too tall or our washer and dryer would hit the shelves we put in over the laundry room. For this reason I modified the plans to remove the bottom and adjusted the height of the plans to just fit. I was worried about the stability, but made this super strong.

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

Outdoor Grill Station

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 09/05/2023 - 09:21

 

This rolling bar was inspired by Ana White's plan.  It is used as a bar and conceals an electric smoker and a grill.  I added handles for moving and some hooks on the sides.  I stained the salvaged 2 X 6 's and brushed on clear oil based poly on the new Cedar fence boards.

Billie

Folding Work Table First Project!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 09/12/2023 - 09:52

This is my very first project. I have no other tools yet besides the drill, so I had to make all the cuts with the hand saw, but it worked out well :) As I am in Europe, the imperial metrics mean nothing to me. The wood they sell here is of different sizes. That is overall not an issue, although I had a tough time calculating the holes for the legs. Luckily, only one error hole, and all came out level on the first try. No waste of wood! I also had a good helper.
Thank you, Ana

Ventsi

Sweet Pea Bunk Bed Plans turned into a dream for our Little Girl

Submitted by ShushiGirl on Thu, 01/30/2014 - 09:01

We loved the Sweet Pea plans so much but we didn't need bunk beds. We turned it into a loft bed with a playhouse underneath. We also inverted the shelves on the stairs to be inside the playhouse due to her room size. Added a second roof and window boxes. This project was fun and took us 10 days to complete. Thank You so very much for sharing these AWESOME plans!!

Estimated Cost
$1100.00
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
We used Baer Premium Paint sold at Home Depot
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

junior2725

Sun, 02/02/2014 - 22:11

I am looking at making this for my daughter and I also want to do a playhouse on the bottom as she is a single child. Did you just extend the opening to the bottom bunk to the floor and then extend the bottom windows down some to let in more light? Also, I love the idea of switching the storage from the stairs to inside the playhouse. If possible could you elaborate on how you did this. Thank you.

ShushiGirl

Tue, 02/04/2014 - 15:46

We omitted the bottom bunk and took it straight to the floor. We left the side panel clear but the frame until we built the stairs then added trim & side boards around the cubbies.

nadia37

Sat, 05/24/2014 - 07:51

First of all, what an amazing job on your build! I was looking for ideas for a playhouse and I will be modifying the plans for Sweet Pea Bunk beds and your build let's me know how get it can be. But what colors did you use? The look great together!

E81firegirl

Sun, 07/17/2016 - 14:49

I love the changes on this!  I had a question.  What did you use for the roof and is the lower roof section built to the same specifications as the upper roof?

Rustic X Console Table

Loved how this entry table/ sofa table turned out! 

Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Stain and paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

3 Square Picnic Tables!

I built 3 of the square picnic tables, as we have a large extended family. I enjoyed the project and the results. I did end up adding a cross brace and some metal clips, they added a little more strength for the table when it was full of people.

Thank you for sharing your plans.

Rick

Built from Plan(s)

DIY Wood Coffee Table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 09/25/2023 - 09:18

My husband and I (with some help from a friend at various points) built this coffee table and are so pleased with the final product! It was so manageable thanks to the already-made plans for it, and it had given us confidence to try out more plans on this website. We are so excited!!

Laura

Truss Shelves for Boy's Room

We needed storage for my son's room, and this project provided the perfect shelves for all those legos.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$50
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Rustoleum Wood Stain in American Walnut, Rustoleum Satin Poly
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Rustic Bookcase

Submitted by kristyzed on Sat, 02/15/2014 - 10:35

I wanted to build a piece for my living room that I could add onto later with other matching pieces. This was perfect since it has the matching coffee table, side table, and console table. It was my first time making angle cuts, and not tricky like I thought it would be. This is a very solid piece and fits in nicely with my decor.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$120
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Stained with Minwax's Espresso stain.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

dbraa

Mon, 04/13/2015 - 18:24

Knotty Pine 2x boards aren't available here. Could you provide more specifics about what you used for each type of board?

Happier Homemaker Outdoor Firepit Benches

I built these benches out of cedar, which added considerable cost to the job.  The total cost for four benches (including stain) was about $240.  I used clear cedar and Sikkens outdoor stain in chocolate brown.  I also modified the plans slightly to create stronger joints, using rabbet and mortise joints and Titebond III (waterproof) glue.  This only slightly changed the dimensions, but I think it will make the benches last for years to come.  It did add some time to the plans, as I think butt joints would've taken only 2-3 hours total before sand and finish. 

Estimated Cost
$250
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Sikkens ProLuxe Semi-Transparent Chocolate Brown
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner
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