Community Brag Posts

My boyfriend and I wanted a calm relaxing beach feel at our Florida vacation home, however with kids in college and two getting married, we were on a tight budget.  We found these plans on Ana White's website.  He made the headboard and bench and I distressed it to make it look weathered.  We used Minwax Dark Walnut as a base,  let it dry over night,  and lightly wiped it down in the morning.  We then used Rustoleum "Chalked" in White Linen and applied it with a large stencil brush we found at Michaels craftstore.  We applied it almost haphazardly,  purposely making it look rough.  The chalk paint dries quickly.  We then brushed on some clear Americana creme wax.  We are very happy with the end result,  it was our first project build, and we nailed it.  Thanks. Ana!!!

I was looking online for a spinning DVD rack to buy when I stumbled across a picture of a custom built rack. I decided to give it a try and this is the result. This is the first project I've done outside of basic shelves and it was a great learning experience. The overall fit and finish isn't quite where I'd like it to be but overall I think it turned out pretty well. I was able to find a 12" lazy Susan at a hardware store that supports over 300lbs and worked perfectly for this project.

I used pocket holes for the shelves, finishing nails for the top and screws for the bottom and lazy Susan. I also used pocket holes to attach the shelf backs and hid them behind the shelves. One thing I definitely won't use next time is spray paint/enamel. The finish isn't nearly as nice as I wanted and it cost far more than I was expecting.

This is also my first time using SketchUp and I'm really impressed with it. I've uploaded a copy of the plans.

Criticism and suggestions are appreciated.

-Dan

When Ana posted these plans just before Christmas, I had to make one! I still don't have a use for it but I love it anyway! I made a few small changes and it was super fun to build! I can't wait to make a miniature one for my little guy!

Easy project. I needed this bench a bit smaller due to space constraints so this is 28" x 42". I kept the height the same and finished the surfaces with some thick polyurethane. It should be noted my cost was a bit higher due to buying a sanded plywood, coated self-tapping screws and a more expensive polyurethane. I also went a bit slow on this project and it took about 2.5 hours including application of the single coat of poly.

Built from planked wood sideboard plan

Used you basic 2x4 bench / couch plan but added a sloped backrest and more 2x4s across for more support.

Jerry

This is my extremely altered double loft bed. My sister needed a custom sized double loft bed, I figured I could use this plan and make two beds in an L shape, but the space I had to work with was smaller than these plans so I had to re-design most of the bed all together, I ended up attaching two sides of each bed to the wall with legs only on the outer pieces. She wanted a "fun" looking bed so I added a splash of color, just simple enough for me to make.

My wife and I were looking for a new dining table, the one we had was a bar height which worked well for our daughters high chair, but she was going to be transitioning to a booster seat . We shopped around and had sticker shock at the cost of a dining room set. We enjoy playing board games and I had been looking into possible buying a board gaming table, but those more expensive and some had long lead times as well. I tossed out the idea that I could make our table and my wife agreed but gave me a deadline. I had built a few smaller pieces before but nothing like this. I based my plans off the farmhouse table for the top and used store bought legs. The top needed to be sturdy since it is not attached to the base, I did add blocking on the back so the top doesn’t move around and it is heavy enough that it doesn’t flip up if you lean on it. I moved the typical supports down to the bottom of the side rails and added a ¾” piece of MDF that I had for the gaming top. We used spray adhesive to attach some batting and used blue suede for the gaming surface since we are fans of Doctor Who. I added handles to the top on the inside to help when it is moved off the table for gaming. I built the bench too and made it so we could slide it under the table to save on space when we did not need it. The other chairs are hand me downs and Salvation Army finds that we spray painted. The only addition that I have to make is to build some sort of cup holders.

Ana's greenhouse plans modified to fit two vintage windows in the front.