I used Ana's Freestanding Shelf plan and customized it to fit my needs. I incorporated laundry and recycle storage, a rolling bench and built in for our chest freezer. If you want to see it being built with some added tips, that video is available here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8w7XGiVMbs&t=258s
I have been wanting garage cabinets for a long time but couldn't afford them. When I saw these shelves I knew it would be easy to add side panels and create doors for the sections. The size is 8'x8' with the 4'x3' under the ceiling rack. I put a 2"x4" in the middle to divide each section, measured and cut doors from 5mm lauran plywood. I also cut the stiles and rails from the same material to give it interest but mainly to make it thicker to avoid warping as much as possible. I added 2"x4" to create a facing for the doors to rest on. Also used overlay hinges to simplify the hanging as much as possible. I was able to follow the design plan and the only thing I did was add a shelf at the bottom. The cleats were definitely not necessary, it's very sturdy.
Making the doors
The first thing is to learn how to measure for cabinet doors. There are plenty of sites and YouTube videos showing how to correctly measure. If you are doing the same type of doors like I have, with no middle divider, then be sure to pay attention how to correctly measure for those instead of a single door.
The easiest way to make the doors will be getting 1/2 in sanded plywood and use a table saw to cut each door to size. Skip the shaker style trim and put the hardware on and be done. Make sure the hinges will be able to hold the weight of the door.
Unfortunately, I didn't have a table saw but I did have a router and a jig saw, and found a great video on YouTube on how to use a router to cut straight edges without a table saw. I measured out one door and used that outline to cut two identical doors. It turned out that each section was slightly a different width so I had to do two at a time. However, if you have a circular saw you can rig it to make a table saw and make a guide to rip the doors. It all depends on what tools you have available to you.
I have a compact plunge saw and was able to cut the 3 inch strips for the shaker style with it. Honestly, that was the most tedious part and most time consuming by far. That also had to do with the fact that because the plywood is only 5mm thick I cut strips for both the front and the back to make it over 1/2 inch thick to help minimize warping and give the hinges something to grab.
I used the miter saw to cut the stiles and rails to size and a 23 gauge nailer with 1/2 nails and glue to get them on the door. I glued and nailed the front and the back of each side at the same time because the nails are a bit longer than two pieces of plywood. I then turned it over and nailed the other side. The great thing about using a 23 gauge is that I didn't have to fill any holes because they are so small you can hardly see them at all.
The last thing is to use your sander to ensure all of the pieces are even. I used a 60 grit and then followed it with a 220 where needed.
If you want to avoid cutting the strips but still want to have the shaker style, Home Depot sells 1/4 thick Polystyrene flat moulding that will add vertially no weight to the door but the cost can easily add up if you have a lot of doors.
Lastly, if you are wondering why I got such thin plywood that ended up creating more work. The reason is because I wanted to save money on hardware and I didn't trust the inexpensive hinges I got off eBay would hold a heavy door for many years.
Wed, 06/19/2019 - 13:20
What kind of paint did you use? Looks really nice, the whole thing!
Thu, 07/18/2019 - 10:28
This is amazing! Thank you for sharing so much detail on your project too.
Wed, 06/10/2020 - 13:14
Can we get detailed plan of how you made this from the start to end like a material list and cut list.
These chairs were soooooo easy to build and are stunning in any light. The stark white makes them look like we spent a fortune on a new set but we're smarter than that lol. Thanks for the plans and continued home improvement inspo Ana!!!!
Finished it in one weekend, but worked all days, both days. My little clients are beyond happy with the results.
Ana White inspired Rustic X Coffee Table finished with dark walnut stain and Annie Sloan graphite chalk paint.
Built by Kelly Flood Gugliemoni, shared on Facebook.
Sliding barn door hardware is DIY, cabinets are DIY - tutorials linked below.
OK, I think this build may be my biggest project yet! It is definitely the heaviest. With the strong winds we can get here in Florida we needed substantial outdoor furniture.
I did make some modifications along the way measurement-wise so the sofa would fit my front porch better. All in all, this took 2 full days. I built the sofa first, stained it the next day and then decided (due to trying to get stain in all the nooks and crannies) to stain the chair pieces first before putting it together.
I am so happy with the results and so far, almost a year later, this furniture looks great and hasn't moved an inch in any of the thunderstorms we've had! Thank you Ana!!
I wanted a bunk bed for our daughters, it needed to be easily moveable like the "classic bunk beds." I also wanted stairs like the "Sweet Pea Garden" bunk bed because we have toddlers in the house. I modified the classic bunk bed to put the ladder on the end, then built the Sweet Pea stairs to fit to the opening (I think the only difference in dimensions was a 20" top stair. I didn't want the unfinished ends of plywood so I got 4'x16"x3/4" pine boards from lowes which happens to be the width of the stairs in the plan. Instead of using the 1x2's as trim on the ends of the shelves I put two of them together, one all of the way down the front of each stair and one resting on the top of the stair (screwed together) so I wouldn't lose lateral stability. I then spaced 2x2's in between to keep it "simple" looking instead of the heart shaped decorations from the sweet pea bed. I used some 1/4" paintable composite board to provide a backing to the stairs. I bolted the stairs on to the bed with some flat bar stock cut to size and 3/8' in hex bolts cut to length. I used pocket hole joints wherever possible and countersunk all other screws and used 3/8" dots from lowes to fill the holes. I painted it with a coat of primer and a coat of Glidden Trim and Door paint in antique white from the Easy Vintage Step Stool project.
Mon, 06/23/2014 - 06:39
This is absolutely beautiful! Did you modify the size for toddler mattresses?
I would love to do the same for my kiddos - is there any way you could send me your version of the plans? [email protected]
Thanks so much!
Modified the classic bunk bed plans to fit crib size matresses for our 1.5 & 2 year old girls, loved how my toddler bunk beds turned out!
Mon, 08/01/2016 - 17:27
Hi,
Could you email me the change in measurements you used for the crib mattress?
It would help me out so much. I want to build a similar one for my boys.
Thank you.
Danielle S.
This was super easy to do. Thank you for the inspiration and sharing the plan.
The better way to garden! I built the original, and then the fish got too big for the 55gal tanks below. Had to upgrade to 2 300gal IBC containers. Now I have 50 tilapia that are ready to eat, adn enough vegatables to feed us for the year.... awesome!
Built this over the weekend for my girlfriends sister. It was a great project and the whole family was able to work together on it, sanding and waterproofing it before assembling. The loveseat plans need a little tweaking. We ran ran the slats the same direction as the chair plans call for so we added a middle support for extra stability. We also pitched the seating down towards the back by 5* to make a more natural sitting position.
We used the shoe dresser instructions with some modifications to make it longer
My first project of this size. I think it turned out great! Did a gray weathered stain and drybrushed bright white over the base. Sanded the top 60, 120, 220, 320, and just for fun I finished it with 1000 grit. Stained dark walnut, finished with three coats of poly, sanding 320 in between coats. Love this table!!!!
I made this table smaller to fit in my entryway. Fun project, got my son and husband involved. Love how it turned out.
Great Plans. I extended the back with an extra 1x10 and it works great being that I'm 6' 4". Also used a router to round the arms, front seat board, and the top back board. Just need to stain and waterproof for the patio. I'm new to woodworking (besides home trim work). Your plans are great as is or for just getting started. I'm trying this out as a hobby for retirement (sometime in the next 5 years). Buying the equipment now as needed. Thanks so much for the plans and videos.
Potting sink loosely based on the Simple 2x4 Potting Bench plan, using scraps I had on hand and an old kitchen sink. One of the uprights is warped, so I used a lattice back and curved outer brackets to detract from that. I was trying to keep this zero cost.
Tue, 09/21/2021 - 15:43
That turned out awesome, especially considering using what was on hand!
I'm James Farquhar, designer, and fabricator. This is the second set of cornhole boards I built this year. This set is the regulation size of 48" x 24" according to the American Cornhole Association. It is made from fir 2 x 4 s and pine 1 x 4 s (6 per board). Each board is glued with Titebond II and countersunk Torx top screws (#8 1-1/2 inches). It is coated with Minwax polyacrylic (8 layers sprayed on) and Howard's bee's wax (3 layers). The boards are secured with 3-inch toggle latches in pairs. Kayak carrying handles with four screw ports; I used the same Torx Screws I used to put the boards together, extra for strength. The total weight of the boards is 60 pounds. I used a Texas Flame Thrower to Shou Sugi Ban (Yakisugi), as a finish.
Hi friends!
Jen Woodhouse here from The House of Wood.
Take a good look at this round marble side table. Would you guess that isn’t real marble? It’s contact paper! Yep. It’s true. We’ve been wanting to put a table here between our sofas for months now, so I’m thrilled to have this project finally crossed off the list. This sleek side table cost about $50 to make!
I built this table in about 3 hours – the super simple yet sleek, modern design is beginner-friendly so if you’re wanting to tackle your first project, this is a great one for you.
Be sure to tag me @jenwoodhouse if you share photos of your build on social media. I'd love to see it!
You can get all the details for this build on my website jenwoodhouse.com.
Tue, 10/03/2023 - 14:40
Thank you so much for your help, I am learning a lot at least. I for one have learned a lot from this.
I built this case for my Grandma when my Grampa died. I wanted to be able to display the shells as well. The design is a combination of a few I saw and like different aspects of.
Super easy and fun project! We altered the original plans to build a loveseat and had zero issues. We did add some extra support below.
I did not find 25”x25” cushions within our price range so I settled for 25”x22.5” and they work but ultimately 25x25 works best.
