Community Brag Posts

Rustic X Console with changes

Wanted to make shelves to put on both sides of our fireplace but had to alter the dimensions. So I added another shelf and made it shorter in length. I was a bit nervous because I’ve always just built per the instructions. It turned out perfect! Just don’t look too closely at the X’s!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$80
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Classic Gray
Paint-some leftover white I had
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

childrens garden arbor bench

Submitted by jarsofclay on Sat, 05/03/2014 - 17:55

I been wanting to make this for a long time and today I just went out to my work shop and did it. It was fun to make. I didnt have any 1x6s so I used 9 1x4 and 1/8" spacing it worked and looks amazing!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
I used a pale green. Unintentionally the exact same color as picture.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Wood Headboard, Queen Size

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 08/08/2016 - 08:11

This was my first building project. It was a easy build even for a beginner. Make sure you measure your bed frame and that it will fit into your headboard. 

Estimated Cost
75-100
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Dark Walnut
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Fancy X Farmhouse Table - modified

We used the wonderful Fancy X Farmhouse table plan with modifications. We needed the table to be shorter for our space, so we shortened it by 12" - this brought the angled pieces closer - we chose to do this instead of altering the angles. Also, we used 4 X 4 posts for the double 2 X 4's and also the cross pieces and angled pieces. I posted two blog posts about the process with lots of pictures, including how we rounded the ends per the plan. The finish is a equal mix of dark walnut and classic grey, finished with Trewax.

Great plan - we are so pleased with the results, and the price tag!!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$150
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Equal mix of Minwax Dark Walnut and Classic Grey. Finished off with Trewax and buffing.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Dananichols

Thu, 07/19/2012 - 07:45

Thanks Whitney - we are lucky to have access to untreated 4 X 4's at our local orange store. I tend to buy an extra one every time as I am afraid they will stop carrying them!

Barbara burns (not verified)

Mon, 07/23/2012 - 15:12

I am a newby to wood working and am in love with this table. I have all the pieces cut for the sides, will also be changing the length and will make those cuts later. I am a little insecure on the nailing/screw directions...placement, size, where to hide?, etc. would love to know where yours are placed and what you used. (I did purchase a Kreg jig for pocket screws).
Thanx for any support you might have.

Barbara burns (not verified)

Mon, 07/23/2012 - 15:14

I am a newby to wood working and am in love with this table. I have all the pieces cut for the sides, will also be changing the length and will make those cuts later. I am a little insecure on the nailing/screw directions...placement, size, where to hide?, etc. would love to know where yours are placed and what you used. (I did purchase a Kreg jig for pocket screws).
Thanx for any support you might have.

Dananichols

Mon, 07/23/2012 - 18:31

Barbara -

I posted a link above to my blog - I have two posts about the table and lots of pictures, including pics of where I placed the screws. The only place I used the pocket screws (great purchase by the way, have used mine so much!) was to attach the 4 X 4 cross beams (you can use them on 2 X 4's as well if you are following the plan). Hop over and have a look - lots of pictures - and hopefully that will help with you questions!

Thanks - and have fun!

Dana

Kristine Faldik (not verified)

Mon, 07/30/2012 - 03:37

Dana,

This table is just gorgeous! My husband and I are building a house and have been looking to find the perfect table for weeks now. Just stumbled upon yours and fell in love! We are going to try and use your modifications to the original plan as well, thank you so much for sharing. Hope we can do this too!!!!!

Thanks!

Kristine

valery (not verified)

Sat, 10/27/2012 - 06:45

NEED one of these...
I've NEVER done a project like this and i'm not even near crafty but this is the first thing I see on Pintrest that made me even want to attempt doing it!

Is it wide enough that the cross beams don't annoy you when you are sitting?

TammyLGK

Wed, 02/12/2014 - 11:20

Dana thanks to your informative blog detailing what you did for the rounded legs you have saved my project! I really did not want to resort to the the angled leg cuts. I just could not figure out the 30 & 45 degree cuts. I as well was originally trying to make them on the same piece. THANK YOU!

Weathered Gray Fancy X Farmhouse Table With Extensions

This is our attempt at the Fancy X Farmhouse Table. My husband and I built this over a weekend. We modified our table from the plans, making ours shorter and wider. We also added extensions and changed out a few boards for a bit of a different look from the exact plan. We created a custom finish with a few cheap and easy steps to get the look we wanted. Our table is 84" long by 46" wide. The original plans for the table called for it to be 96" long by 37" wide. We added a fifth board to our table top, thus making our tabletop 9.25" wider (since a 2x10 is actually 9.25" wide.) To account for this, we simply increased the width of the base boards by 9.25". As for the length, since our table was 12" shorter than the plan, we decreased the length of the two support boards running between the bases by 12" to account for that. We had to adjust the length of our decorative pieces somewhat, because of the wider base and shorter length. It was bit of trial and error but we were happy with what came out of it. For the center base post, instead of using 2x4's we used one 4x4 which was clean, square, and straight. We were happy with how things turned out for the base. Perhaps our biggest alteration was the fact that we added extensions to each end. To do this, we cut out 3.5" slots in the top of the base so a 2x4 could slide in. We then took two 2x8's and used pocket holes to bring them nice and tight. With the extensions in place, our table is nearly 10 feet long! As for the finish, we wanted a weathered gray color and were able to come up with it through a three step process. Its really beautiful in person! Thanks again for the plan

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$80-$100
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Custom!
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Darcy Taylor (not verified)

Tue, 08/07/2012 - 03:10

Could you possibly give me a detailed explanation of how you finished this table? I love, love, love the color and want to replicate it.
Thanks!
Darcy

Jennifer Nealy (not verified)

Tue, 09/25/2012 - 09:06

Beautiful table, but I really want some information on the 3-step process you used to get the weathered gray look. Can you please provide that information? Thanks!

SawgrassHomeGirl

Sun, 04/07/2013 - 20:40

Thank you for your interest in the finish....we used regular pine from Orange and Blue. We used a mixture of steel wool and vinegar in a glass jar, let it sit for a night or two, then brushed it on evenly over each board. We then let that sit for a night or two and then proceed to whitewash the entire table (two parts water one part paint.) After that, we took Dark Walnut Stain and wiped it over each board, then quickly wiped/scrubbed it off after just a minute or two. That's how we did it!

Id suggest practicing first with some scrap , esp. with the steel wool mixture so you can see how the wood changes. :)

FLKS

Fri, 09/23/2016 - 15:24

Hi Emily! 

 

        I love your table. We are about to make one and love your stain. Would you be so kind to give me details of what you used to achieve the look? I read the above post, but could you give me brands and colors? I don't understand what is steel wash- is that the color? 

Thank you so much!

 

FLKS

ajdriscoll08

Mon, 09/09/2013 - 11:40

but when we brushed on the steel wool/vinegar mixture, the holes on the table top and base that we had filled in with putty didn't really stain...did you run across the problem? I don't see any areas on the top of your table where you can tell where the holes were??

rmf

Wed, 04/09/2014 - 09:05

I'm curious if you made the extensions permanent or if they can be removed and added as you need? I love this table!
Thanks,

Jenni2526

Wed, 08/13/2014 - 11:50

I am not understanding how you made the extensions from your description and then looking at the end pictures... Would you please explain this a little further and how they are stored and placed for use and how this works? Thank you!

Ren.K777

Tue, 10/07/2014 - 17:39

LOVE the finished product! I aim to get the hubby to make this one at some point!  But for now, we have just a bench in our kitchen that he made and I'd like to apply the same finish you did.  I've looked at a bunch of different tutorials but I like yours the best.  Here's the question...how long after I apply the paint/water mixture to I apply the walnut stain? Do I apply the water/paint and wipe off right away?  A few seconds later?  A minute later?  Do I allow the applied/wiped water/paint mixture to dry completely before adding the stain or do I want to apply the stain before it's throughly dry so that it mixes a bit for a softer look?  Thanks so much!  

 

Board & Batten Inspired Headboard

Our guest room finally has a headboard! I put together this queen size headboard using what I had learned building my daughter's headboard (and consulting the plans for the Reclaimed Wood Headboard) using the remainder of the plywood sheet from her headboard project, 2x3s for the legs, a 2x4 to join the legs (and connect to the metal bed frame), furring strips, and a 1x3 to top it off.

Our plywood had been cut to fit our car, so the first vertical furring strip was placed to hide the seam where I joined the two pieces back together. Then we evenly placed them from center as just looked right to us.

We had a great time seeing this come together as we didn't follow a specific plan, but were able to be a bit more creative inspired by various plans.

Estimated Cost
$45 including hardware & paint
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
We painted with Martha Stewart's Stratosphere in a flat finish, distressed and rubbed on Minwax Provencial stain. Unfortunately, the stain gave the headboard a very green tint, so after a lot more sanding, we were able to finish the project with two quick coats of Minwax water based Poly.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Canned Food Storage

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 03/04/2024 - 11:46

Made this for my dry closet. Super easy to construct and it works perfect. I just wish there was something similar to use for paper towels.

Built from Plan(s)

Phoebe's Castle bed

Submitted by acopier on Mon, 05/26/2014 - 19:51

With thanks to others that had posted before me. I took my inspiration from all the Castle beds I could find and customized this Castle Bed for my Granddaughters room. We made the bottom bed full size and the top twin size. She has a closet on the inside and two bedside tables. The slide lifts for additional storage. We made a cloud ceiling filled with a moon and stars that all glow in the dark. I used 3 18' rope lights that operate By remote control. Since I did not have enough space to add the stairs in the room I built the bed, I made the arched window on the right side to be used as a ladder. The steps are next. This took 8 months, 10 sheets of plywood and ultralight MDF. a few hundred board feet of pine, 5 gallons of paint and primer, 350 biscuits. About 1,500 Grandma and Grandpa hours of pure love.

Thanks again for everyone's inspiration.

No plans I measured as I went.

Estimated Cost
$750.00 material only
Finish Used
Satin paint, Peralcoat spray over colors
Recommended Skill Level
Advanced

Comments

Veronica P

Mon, 05/26/2014 - 20:12

Absolutely beautiful right down to every little detail! What a lucky little girl to not only have that amazing bed but to have such devoted loving grandparents! You really can see how much love went into every bit of that build!

spiceylg

Tue, 05/27/2014 - 10:06

This is utterly amazing. What a beautiful build and what a blessed little girl.

Dinning Table

Submitted by LacyLou on Sun, 08/12/2012 - 19:08

I decided to make this table about three weeks before this plan came out! I wanted a dinning table so I found one at William Sonoma that I loved and figured I could take several pieces from other table plans to make this one from WS. Then sure enough out comes this one after I had already started my plan! So, its not exactly the same but it is close and I do love it so much. I was afraid it wouldn't be secure enough with just the top boards running across the legs so I added a frame to support underneath like one of the other table plans does. This was yet another learning process so it took awhile and the boards aren't as perfect as I'd like them to be but I think that adds to the character I tried to give it! Overall, not an awful project.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
100.00
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
antique treatment of tea and vinegar/steal wool followed by honey oak stain and satin polycrylic.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

LacyLou

Sat, 11/10/2012 - 07:18

Remember I was copying a table I fell in love with, so I ripped 2x8's down to exactly 6 inches for the inside boards and the outside boards are 2x6's ripped to 5 inches. I know that sounds wasteful but I did use all the scrap from the 2x8 boards on other projects. This is obviously not necessary. I insisted on having an odd number of boards so I could have a middle board that showed the heart of the pine, but I needed to keep my dimensions as close to the original table (so I felt). This was one of my first projects for my little family so I got a little sentimental! You could very easily use four full 2x8's in the middle and two full 2x6's for the outside pieces and the table will only be an inch wider then mine. I'm so thrilled you like it! Let me know if you have any other questions.

JLP (not verified)

Sat, 11/10/2012 - 21:07

I really do love your version, and thanks for taking the time to respond! One more question, did you use 4x4s on the legs? They look a little beefier, but it's hard to tell from the photo...

LacyLou

Mon, 11/12/2012 - 15:44

I did! But I, again, ripped the angled sections down until they looked right. Wish I could tell you what the measurements came out to but I just cut until I liked it! It was something like 3.25x2.75 or pretty close. Leaving all the peices of the legs the standard 4x4 looked too bulky to me but I thought 2x4's were too thin so I made my own something in the middle!

Modern round table

Extended round tanke with a middel section and a cross skapes leg structure. Loves working with the table top. I Sander down the old tanke top, jigsawed out the desired shape, brunt it with a blow torch, Sandnes and oiled with a stain. So satisfied.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
5$
Recommended Skill Level
Advanced

Farmhouse Bench in 1 day

Submitted by vickitee on Wed, 06/25/2014 - 08:27

This was my first build from your site! Farmhouse bench.
I was a little confused with the miter saw instructions "bevel cut at a 10 degree angle off center". I had to google to figure out what you meant. In the end the bench looks awsome and I feel very empowered with my tools.
(still need to stain the finished project, bought all the wood and built in 1 day)
Thank you Ana for sharing your plans!! I love your site and I love my Kreg Jig!
Vicki
(Canada)

Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
going to use walnut stain.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Cedar Spa Bathroom Step Stool

Submitted by Tea Granny on Mon, 06/30/2014 - 20:44

After searching the town high and low for a 10" high wooden stool, I decided to make one. Ana had the perfect stool pattern to modify for our needs - A little shorter, a little wider.....et Voila!

It's the perfect height for little ones to reach the taps in the bathroom, as well as helping out in the kitchen from time to time. And, the cedar smells wonderful.

Finished height: 10"
Top measures: 11.25" x 16.5" (2 boards, cut 16.5" long + a space in the middle)
Footprint: 12.375" x 17.375"

I also lined up the rails (instead of staggering them), similar to the Harriet Higher Chair plans. The joint will be weaker, but I prefer the cleaner lines on such a short step stool.

Thanks Ana for the great plans!

Estimated Cost
less than $15 (cedar)
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
No finish added, exposed screws.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

$12.00 Cedar Fence Picket Planter

I followed the plans exactly. The only difference is I used my Ryobi Airstrike brad nailer instead of stapler. Lowes was slightly higher in price than the $10.00 on Ana's post but at $11.97 it wasn't too far off!

Estimated Cost
11.97
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
No finish
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Fancy x farmhouse table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 10/13/2016 - 19:40

Barnwood fancy x farmhouse table.  

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Barnwood sanded down to achieve that golden brown, while leaving the aged texture in the cracks. Left natural.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

A-Frame Chicken Coop

We took Ana's original coop plans and diva'd it up a bit to suit our needs and our climate. We added a pop door and decided to split the roof panels into four, three of which open up. We put the hinges on the top of the roof panels so we could easily prop them open. We also added a brace across the bottom of our ladder for support. Since we added a door I believe our ladder is a bit more steep than in the original plans.

Because we put our hinges on top we added lattice strips inside on the top of the door panels that go just under the 2x4 of the roof peak to keep the rain out. We also used a roof cap for the same reason. We went back and added silicone to the strategic places to prevent water leaking into the nesting box while also being careful not to affect the necessary ventilation.

We used OSB for our roof panels instead of T111 because it's what we had on hand and also because we were going to be painting it.

Finally I added handles to each of the hinged panels to make opening easy. And cute!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
I used a no VOC exterior paint from Valspar (green) that I found in the mistinted section at Lowe's. The pink (ladder) is Very Berry by Valspar and is not an exterior paint.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

anniejw17

Wed, 02/27/2013 - 11:11

Love your coop! It's so cute! I need to find a weather vane. We ended up adding a roof cap of sorts - just aluminum flashing really. It does still leak in the nest box, though, which just encourages me to change out the bedding for fresh straw, which is a good thing I guess!

Southern Revivals

Wed, 02/27/2013 - 13:24

Yes mine leaked, too. We added the roof cap and some silicone but that still didn't stop it. So I finally went in and added some screen molding behind the panels in the nesting box. It still isn't quite "leak proof" but it is better. I will share if I figure out how to make it leak proof! Thank You!

billd333

Mon, 01/13/2014 - 09:45

These were great plans, thanks for sharing!
I'm new to having chickens so since it's cold now is Massachusetts I'm holding off on getting a couple of hens. The 2 main questions I have are where did you end up mounting the roost? And where did you end up putting the nesting box? I only put a floor on half so was thinking the roost board could be suspended above the ground on the open side. That leaves the 1/2 floor to hold the nest box?? Please any comments on the roost, nest box, watering and feeding systems are welcome.
thx..Bill

Southern Revivals

Mon, 01/13/2014 - 10:03

Hi Bill,

I am actually in the process of writing another blog post about this coop. I have gotten so many questions about the modifications we did and have lived with it long enough to know what I would have done differently. You doing the 1/2 is great and is one of the things I would do differently if we had it to do over again.

I will post an update here as soon as that post is live. In the meantime, feel free to contact me directly at Jamie @ Southern Revivals.com

Thanks!
Jamie

Used picture ledge directions to build spice shelves

Submitted by Cricquette on Tue, 10/02/2012 - 15:15

Used the instructions for building a picture ledge and instead used the shelves for spices. Only cost $10, already had the stain and polyurethane at home. Didn't do pocket holes, as I don't have a jig, just drilled/screwed directly into the pieces. Would have been done in less than an hour, but the coats of stain and polyurethane took over 24 hours to dry/reapply.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$10
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
English Cottage stain
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

modern farmhouse bed frame with matching end tables

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 07/30/2020 - 10:13

Bed frame - Husband and I built and assembled over a weekend. We love it!
Only variation from the plans were that we used 1x8 shiplap boards for the headboard (because the options were nicer at Home Depot).

Nightstand 1 - This I built myself, it took about 5 hours.
Followed the directions and the drawer worked the first time!

Nightstand 2 - This I also built myself, took about 4 hours.
This one I had about 17" to work with. The only measurement that changed was the front and back cut to 10".

Estimated Cost
Not sure about the bed frame. We purchased some tools for this project.
about $70 per nightstand
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Wood Finish
Semi-transparent
Ipswich Pine - 221
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

okstout4

Mon, 10/19/2020 - 19:42

Very nice! I'll have to look into this color as Im loving it!

Perfect End Table

Submitted by mykane on Thu, 10/11/2012 - 22:01

This was the first furniture building project for my husband and me. We changed the table height to 28 inches instead of 24 and used plywood for the top, like Jenn did in her post. It took us a little longer than we thought since we are not experts (yet!), but we made it work and love how it turned out! This is such a classic and stylish table. Perfect for a beginning project!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$70
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Olympic Latex Flat in Heirloom Lace for the base (primer first, then at least two coats). Varathane Wood Stain in American Walnut for the top. Three coats of polyurethane on the top and then one more coat over the whole thing.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner
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