Community Brag Posts

Master Walk In Closet with Bookshelf Door

Submitted by valpal5 on Thu, 04/16/2015 - 20:26

We used an unfinished attic space above our garage that was connected to our bedroom to make a walk-in closet with great shelving.  This project took a lot of time but we are so happy with the results!  There is a side for my husband and a side for me.  Although it is hard to see we also incorporated a small door/bookshelf into the room to allow us access to attic storage space.

closet shelving
 

Estimated Cost
$500
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
White painted finish.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Three Pedestal Table

Submitted by AttyGuitar on Wed, 08/16/2017 - 12:17

Pedestal Table

Estimated Cost
$250
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Golden Oak MinWax polyurethane, Satin MinWax 3x clear coat
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Best Workbench I have ever had!!!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 10/05/2021 - 03:45

I have been searching for a way to maintain some neatness in my garage. Search stopped the second I found these plans. I am able to fit everything I need while keeping the garage neat and full of open space! I would most definitely recommend this build for anyone looking to save space, build something that is practical, and is completely customizable. Also, it took a buddy of mine and myself a day of hanging out to get the project done to include breaks for pizza!

Modified Washer/Dryer Pedestal

When Ana hacked Sausha's washer/dryer pedestal, I knew I had to have my own version.

This laundry center measures 34"H x 49-1/2"W x 21"D and provides the perfect place for corralling and sorting Mt. Washmore, and also gives me the perfect height table to fold and stack.

Estimated Cost
$130
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Kilz latex primer, two coats Behr semi-gloss in Calla Lilly, two coats Minwax Polycrylic on all surfaces except top and basket shelves which got four coats each
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Cabin Bench Swing

Submitted by dbergerson on Mon, 05/27/2013 - 15:15

An afternoon project that went great. Kids love it.

Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Jewelry Box Retirement Gift

Submitted by JoanneS on Mon, 04/20/2015 - 17:19

This jewelry box is a gift for a friend at work who is retiring.   It is a variation of the Easy Jewelry Box, with the following modifications:

Hinged lift-up top with mirror

Overlay drawer fronts from ¼” craft wood (Gold stencil on top false drawer front, and drawer boxes are 1/8” shorter than the shelf from front to back, to ensure the fronts sit flat against the box front and drawer back doesn't touch the box back at all)

The bottom is 2 pieces thick, to allow space for the drawer overhang and attaching the bottom moulding.

Solid wood back (instead of plywood)

Top and bottom edged with mini stop moulding to make the overhangs, and added feet made from lattice

Removable drawer divider tray and 2 heights of removable dividers for the top, made from dentil, lattice and screen bead mouldings

I really took my time on this build to get everything just right with the build and the finish.   Probably spent about 6 hours spread out over the last few weekends. 

 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
Cost: 1x8 and 1x2 Lumber and finishes were already on hand (left over from other projects) and I spent about $25 for the mirror, hardware, felt, mouldings, and craft board.
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
3 coats Clark & Kensington semi-gloss paint + primer in Crushed Peanut, sanded between coats. Stencil: 1 coat Americana Gloss enamel metallic in glorious gold. Soft wax on the shelf and drawer bottom.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Linda7

Tue, 04/21/2015 - 18:57

This is your best one yet, Joanne. Love it! :-)

JoanneS

Wed, 04/22/2015 - 18:29

Hi Linda, thank you for the nice comment! This was a fun build, and I'm very glad to say the gift was a big hit! :)

Chair Build with Loveseat Modification

Submitted by Joshh81 on Sat, 09/02/2017 - 12:26

Built the 2 chairs according to the plans, and then modified it for a bench that's 48" (our cushions are 23.5 x 23.5). Worked really well!

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

Comments

Seasonal And Holiday

Headboard with fold down table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 10/05/2021 - 08:50

I wanted my storage a little deeper so I used 2 X 6 instead of the 2X4s. I also added a footboard. It turned out great. I may put a tea stain on it and coat it with a polycrylic.

Comments

Outdoor patio table

Submitted by Sjhunt on Sat, 04/25/2015 - 16:23

My family of 6 needed and outdoor table that would fit us all. The weather in Arizona is beautiful right now, so I decided to build this so we could enjoy it before it gets too hot. A big thank you to Ana White and the Shanty2chic sisters for this beautiful table. 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
65.00
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Red mahogany
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Small version of the X coffee table

Submitted by ErinRN on Thu, 09/07/2017 - 10:01

I loved Ana's version of the coffee table but it was way too big for my space, so I scaled it down quite a bit and it fits perfectly!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax stain in Dark Walnut with several coats of semigloss poly
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

King Size Farmhouse Bed and Nightstands

Submitted by jck363 on Tue, 10/05/2021 - 22:07

This was the biggest project I have made to date. The plans made it almost easy. Thank you very much!

Comments

Playhouse Loft Bed with Stairs

I built this bed for my twin daughters right after Christmas. It was the first big wood project that I've ever attempted in my life. I was surprised at how easy it was to build and how great it turned out! It looks much harder to make than it actually was. We plan to eventually put a second twin mattress under the bottom, but for now that space is a playhouse. I put carpet on the storage stairs by cutting up a rubber-backed bathroom rug and using the pieces to cover each step. I hung Christmas rope lighting inside the play house. It took me about 2 days to construct the bed and about a week to paint and finish it (with 6 children under foot-otherwise could have been much faster!) Fun project and EASY plans! (Thanks Ana!)

Estimated Cost
just under $300
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
used the Disney princess paint colors (lavender outside, pink inside) from Home Depot
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

My BIG tidy-up coffee table

Submitted by Bunnie1978 on Thu, 05/30/2013 - 14:30

This is a little bigger than the plan, especially in height.... leave it to me to make things WAY more complicated than they need to be! The trundle is made from 3/4" plywood, but the faux drawers are done with 1/4" plywood. Everything is pine. I wanted to have a nice dark warm cherry color for the finish, but it didn't quite turn out the way I wanted. I am still very proud of myself, but next time I'll use a better wood, like maple or cedar maybe. It's not perfectly square, so if I try to turn the trundle in the other way, it sticks a bit. I like that I can shove it against the wall and plop some pillows on it and turn it into a bench if I have people over.

Estimated Cost
100
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Minwax red mohagany
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Farmstyle Table based on Ana's plans

Submitted by NaasMarais on Tue, 09/12/2017 - 02:03

This table is made out of Solid Oak and took me +- 6 weeks to complete.

Thanks to Ana White for the plans as I followed them to the "t" with some minor changes in the size

Final size is 10ft long x 47 1/4 inch wide and 29 9/64 inches high

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Rubio Monocoat Oil 2C - Natural Color
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Farmhouse Bench

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 10/07/2021 - 03:47

I used the plans from the site and it came out perfectly! Didn’t even make a wrong cut-pretty good for a super beginner.

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

My First Project

Submitted by mamiweber on Tue, 03/15/2011 - 19:08

Farmhouse coffee table. My 1st project! Took me a year to finally get the finish just right. We love it.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$50
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
1st stained with Ebony and then sanded some off and restained with a mahogony. Sealed with a high shine polyurethane.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Hello...Here's my version of the Kentwood Twin Bed. My first project!

Submitted by philliB on Sun, 06/02/2013 - 13:02

My first project using an Ana White plan and the first time using a Kreg jig (love that little blue thing!). The plan is pretty much straight forward. I had a great (but exhausitng) time building this bed for my 2 year old son. It was pretty easy and I did everything myself. Lowe's didn't cut my boards...I did! Bought a circular saw just for this project.

My only complaint is that 2'' wood screws are not on the posted "shopping list" and are needed for the side rails construction. It is listed in the step by step instructions, but if you are shopping for this don't forget to add this to your list of needed items. I got to the side rails and had to go back out for wood screws before I could add the cleats. Also, if I had to do this project over again, I would sand the plywood panels BEFORE constructing the head and foot boards. My reason being that I used wood stain. I've learned that plywood stains best when it is sanded to a smooth finish and pre-treated with wood conditioner. Once assembled, the slats on the head/foot boards make it impossible to sand the plywood with a power sander (too narrow). I had to manually sand between each slot...talk about tiring! No other glitches though! This was a fun project and the instructions were great and easy-to-follow.

I used Minwax water-based wood stain to finish my son's bed. I had it tinted at the paint desk to charcoal gray. In the store it looked very driftwoodish. However, it came out looking more blueish on the bed. I still like it though and my son loves it. I would wipe the stain on and keep it on no more than 20 seconds before wiping the excess off. I wanted the grain to show through really well and after many, many test pieces this seemed closest to what I was looking for.

In case anyone is interested, the striped fitted sheet, flat sheet and pillowcase are from Target (Target brand for $14.99 I think). The red, gray and black comforter are from Walmart.com (Style Lounge Reinforcements Grey/Multi comforter for $58). I had painted the room white with a fat black stripe shortly after moving into the house. I couple of years later we found out that we had my son on the way to we turned that room into the nursery. I primed part of the stripe and hand painted his first and middle name to overlap the stripe so that it all looked it was painted at the same time. The gray and black area rug was also from Walmart (we bought it in store about a year and a half ago...don't remember the style's name).

Thanks for looking!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$120 - This amount could have been cut significantly if we had more tools/supplies to start with...plus, I overbought some wood b/c I thought I would mess up some cuts (I didn't...yay!)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Water-based Minwax Wood Stain tinted a charcoal gray. Put on with a foam brush and wiped off excess with disposable blue shop towels.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Harriet Chairs (by me)

Submitted by Medickep on Fri, 05/01/2015 - 09:01

 

I'm pretty happy with the way these chairs turned out.  It was a fun project as I did a few first, which included going to the fabric store (long waits) and got to tackle some upolstery for the first time!  I did end up with a few glue drops that did not take the stain, so I'll be researching tips and tricks to prevant that in the future!  

 

Also, I made these out of Popular, which pre stain was a must for cherry stain.  Next time, I would use Cherry!

Thanks to Joanne S for the original post and consults regarding the upolserty!!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
80-100/chair (depends on materials used)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Golden Oak Wood Classics stain from Sherwin Williams. Tinted to match my existing chairs.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

JoanneS

Fri, 05/01/2015 - 13:29

These are spectacular! Beautiful build! Love the finish and the upholstery. Also I'm super impressed that you can't see any of the filled screw holes. Would love to know the technique you used to hide them so well - I'm going to copy that! :)
JoanneS

Medickep

Fri, 05/08/2015 - 12:48

Thank you both for the nice comments. I was please with the way these turned out too, despite some glue spots not taking up the stain. I plan on getting more disciplined in this area. For hiding the screws, I finally upgraded to a real countersink like this one: http://www.rockler.com/8-pro-tapered-countersink-bit at Rockler.

Instead of always forcing a dull one in and getting a crooked openings, this razor sharp one cuts beautiful holes with no effort! But watch out, I cut myself just adjusting the depth of the drill bit. I discovered these the last time I made some wine oak barrel chairs!

Medickep

Fri, 05/08/2015 - 12:53

Since I use Kreg screws for almost everything, (even non-pocket hole stuff)because they are self tapping and won't crack the would I sure my countersink matched the head of the Kreg screws and than purchased a plug hole bit. Can be used on a drill, but better on a drill press. You have to keep the drill perfectly straight or the plug can break and get stuck in the bit!