Community Brag Posts

Guest Room update

Submitted by nlaupp on Wed, 05/25/2011 - 15:18

Our guest room had to be ready for some friends coming in town for the week. Before this room had no shelves and worse yet; no head board. Turned this boring room into...well a less boring room. In the picture are my first two projects; the Ten Dollar Ledges and the Reclaimed-wood headboard.

Estimated Cost
$200
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
The ledges were just painted with a glossy white and the head board was painted with a flat charcoal, distressed, and finished with a mahogany gel stain.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

"Ameri-shelf"

Submitted by omarNY on Tue, 07/16/2013 - 18:19

My 8-year-old and I built a shelf for his room, based on the Rolling Cubby Bench plans. (The paint job is all him. He originally suggested trying to paint a picture of an eagle on it, we ultimately settled on a partial flag.)

I'm fairly new to woodworking, and this was my second of four projects I've built using plans from this site so far. Cutting and assembly was just a couple of hours, but finishing stretched this out into a several-night project.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Benchright Farmhouse Table

Submitted by dhoop31 on Mon, 02/05/2018 - 13:08

I built this table for my wife as a surprise 50th birthday present.  She had been wanting me to build her a farmhouse table and I loved this design.  I allowed her to pick out the colors of stain/paint that she wanted for the finish after she unwrapped it.  I actually went into sketchup and designed my own table, based on these plans, to fit into our smaller dining space. By designing it, I was also able to modify it to fit our chairs.  The top is Oak with a red mohagany stain.  The legs and aprons are pine and chalk painted in drop cloth...her favorite paint and color.  

Great table.  I already have people asking me to build them one.  

Estimated Cost
$400
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Stain (minwax red mahogany) on top and paint on the bottom. We used Dixie Bell chalk paint. My wife is a distributor.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Kids Shoe Organizer Castle

My son needed some encouragement to keep his shoes in one place.
I made him a castle shaped shoe holder with a drawbridge door,
including an air venting back so his shoes will dry.

See link below for my youtube video of the construction...

Comments

Corner Cabinet--Perfect for practicing corners

This was my second project. I wanted to get practice working with corners so I could do a media cabinet eventually and this was a great starting point. This cabinet is a great addition to our dining area too! My little helpers were never far away :)

Estimated Cost
$150 (higher costs thanks to island living)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Randomly mixed (flat interior based) paints in a shade of green (left over from another project).
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

20 Second Office

I am in the process of remodeling/redecorating my tiny house. I started with the kitchen and am now moving into the living room. The two rooms are connected so I needed something that would match the "beachy feel without being obvious" style I am trying to accomplish. I also needed a place for my files, printer, etc since I don't have an office. My house is very small so I have to consider function in every piece of furniture I own. This table was the PERFECT solution! It hides my seldom used but definitely necessary office supplies while looking super cute and brightening up the room.

As you can see I made a few slight changes to the look of the trundle. I made it look like three "drawers" instead of the two in the plans, and used manila rope instead of handles or cutting out the shape in Ana's design. I also lined the inside of the trundle with felt to protect my computer, etc. from the hard surface of the wood. I couldn't help pick my favorite color, since you can't see it while the trundle is closed. Though not pictured here, I added a bracket for files as well (they didn't photograph well). I picked it up from a woodworking specialty store for $15.

All in all it was an easy second project for me, I had it built and nearly finished in a weekend.

Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
I used 3 coats of Minwax's Polyshades Classic Oak, sanding with 220 grit VERY lightly in between. This was my first time using a combo product and didn't find it to be as great as I thought it would be. It was easy to apply but was very runny so I had to triple check every nook and cranny for drips and pile ups after and even then still missed a few. I could have achieved a similar look in half the time using traditional methods. I'll finish the can but probably won't buy it again.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Camp Grandma

Wed, 08/13/2014 - 07:29

for our house at the beach. Thank you so much for sharing your design and your experience. We are just finishing up a 7 piece outdoor set for the deck. Your table is next, going right to the top of our "To Build List".

My first build - for my 7 year old

Submitted by jeriehuxel on Mon, 07/20/2015 - 18:51

I needed to adjust the width of the dresser to fit  - and it was may first build by myself... Already have a second one ready to paint!
 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$200
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
White Latex paint, pink lace from Walmart, and Modge Podge
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Iron Board Holder

Submitted by Sunny4 on Sat, 02/17/2018 - 14:58

I had all that was need in my scraps:) Great project for this rainy day!!

Thanks Ana!

 

Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Briarsmoke
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Dining Set

Wyldwood 42-square-inch pine table is finished with red mahogany stain and matte varnish, with black painted legs. It's paired with four of our custom dining chairs.

Comments

Modified & Far from Perfect Corner Unit

We were in desperate need of a corner media unit. I just know that Ana will post something incredible for this soon, but we just couldn't wait any longer. SO...I 'TRIED' to modify her lovely Cabin Collection Media Console & Hutch. Her plans were great, and I pretty much followed them step-by-step and just modified corners and things to fit my need. I'll emphasize...it is NOT perfect by any means and is probably not 'done-by-the-book', but it hides all of my hubbies gamer items (rockband guitars and keyboard, wires, controllers, games, etc). AND, I built it with growing room for his biggest wish, a new t.v. :)

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$300 (higher prices of lumber on an island)
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Nuwood poly stain-Walnut. 2 fulls coats of stain, lightly sanded between coats.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

WIDE CABIN DRESSER METAL SLIDES

Submitted by daddydrew on Fri, 07/19/2013 - 12:03

This was my third or fourth project and it was pretty tough. I started out with the basic build which was pretty simple and then I got to the end where everything was built except for the drawer slides and boy was it rough. I think that i spend half of the time on this project doing the drawer slides and half the time doing the build and the finish. I don't want to discourage anyone from doing this project but make sure you don't get in over your head. Check out my profile I am willing to do builds for people for an inexpensive price.

http://ana-white.com/users/daddydrew

Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
minwax jacobean oil based stain
minwax polycrylic clear coat finish
Recommended Skill Level
Advanced

Comments

Man Cave Chair from Reclaimed Wood

Submitted by JoanneS on Sat, 07/25/2015 - 13:06

Man cave chair for my Hubby, made entirely from reclaimed/scrap wood.  This took a long weekend to build (includes time to rip down the reclaimed wood, and a couple of tries to get the padded arm rests right). 

This build uses the Simple White Outdoor Chair plan, adjusted to fit smaller cushions and use my scrap/reclaimed wood. 

The seat cushion is covered with marine vinyl, and the back cushion is covered with fabric from a curtain already on hand.  The covers are done in a simple box style.  The seat cushion closes with ties at the back, and the back cushion has an envelope back.  

The end result is a sturdy, comfortable chair that’s not too heavy, and is decked out with colors from Hubby’s favorite football team.  I’m very pleased to say that Hubby likes his new chair!

Estimated Cost
Cost: $75 for cushion materials (high density foam and vinyl). Everything else was reclaimed or already on hand.
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Finish: 2 coats gloss black (Valspar Ultra paint + primer). The bottom surfaces of the legs are covered with some adhesive backed felt for easy sliding.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

End Tables

I changed the size of one of the tables to fit the space. Otherwise they are built from the plans. Turned out very nice.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$100 for Both
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Simple bench from pallets

I had some left over wood from pallets and I really liked the look of the simple outdoor bench. One pallet was made out of some type of red colored wood and I decided the slats for the seat would look good in the red colored wood. The rest of the bench was from a lighter colored pallet. I used nails and glue to attach the seat slats so that my daughter could help. She loves to help, but does not like my drill even if she has hearing protection. See more at http://www.makeitlovely.com

Estimated Cost
Free
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Early American wood stain (1 coat)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Reclaimed wood look headboard

Submitted by DogDoc25 on Sun, 07/21/2013 - 18:39

Fun project! This headboard is HEAVY and sturdy. Mine ended up being more expensive than other people have reported theirs to be...about $100 total for wood and 1 box of nails...not sure why that happened, but I got the cheapest wood I could find at Lowes and that's still what it ended up being. Overall, I'm happy with how it turned out and am excited to add it to my pair of nightstands that I made from the site. Thanks Ana!

Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Jacobean
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

DIY POTTERY BARN "ADDISON" STYLE HEADBOARD

It took us about 2 days to cut, assemble, and paint.  

 

http://www.whisperingwhims.com/2015/03/diy-pottery-barn-addison-style-headboard/

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$150
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Loft bed

I really enjoyed making this.. I used Anas plan for this. I changed a lil bit.. but it was easier than i thought... My 1st time using kreg jig so it took me a little longer to build.. I did mess up a few times which is why i changed things lol. My Daughter loves it! Wife wanted it white.. i also  made a chalk board and put it at te head of bed

Estimated Cost
220.00
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
White paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Mudroom Locker & Bench Completed Version

I had previously posted a work in process version, this is the completed project. Very happy with the results of combining the Easy Three Cube Bench and Small Locker Cabinet plans. If I had to change anything, I might widen the dividers to get a little more width, but this suits what we were trying to accomplish.

Learned something on this project, I hate painting! In the future when I know I am going to paint the completed project, I'm going to paint as much as I can before assembling.

Comments

Surf and Beach Themed Bedroom

This project started with my son having the need for a loft bed. I began building the framing with some 2x4s and my imagination took over. The more I built, the more ideas and details I thought would be cool for whole theme. After finishing the "surf shack" loft, i moved to creating custom made fan blades, switch plates, placards, etc to fit the theme. It was all finished off by installing built-in shelves and painted walls.

Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Watered down black paint applied and then wiped off to bring out grain and knots. Finish coat of Minwax Weathered Gray Stain.
Recommended Skill Level
Advanced

Comments

spiceylg

Wed, 07/24/2013 - 09:24

That came out really nice. Love all the added touches. Good use of that corner with shelves. We had a bigger niche like in our kitchen where we put shelves as well. The icing is the custom fan blades! Very clever!

smcoplan

Tue, 05/12/2015 - 13:25

I LOVE THIS and want to make it for my son!! I don't see any plans attached - do you still have them?? I made your other surf shack loft bed for my other son and it was a hit!!!