Community Brag Posts

Castle Bed

A big thanks to FSMumford for drawing this in Sketchup. I had to re-draw it to take into account metric wood dimensions and bed sizes here in NZ, and also to remove a foot or so from the length.

We just gave it to my daughter today, and already I need to make some modifications. I immediately put some vertical grab rails at the top of the steps and slide. The steps are too big for a toddler (she's 3 today) and I didn't take into account how thick a pillow top mattress is! I really needed to make the end guards higher. In fact, were I to make it again, I'd probably make the towers taller and lower the height of the bed by 8-12 inches. While this would lower interior room, it might make the steps a more reasonable height for a littlie. If you're building for a 5 or 6 year old, this may not be an issue. Also, it would make the angle of the slide shallower (it's a bit steep, I reckon). I used 7 sheets of 16mm MDF but if I'd laid them out like FSMumford did in her plans I would have used less. Our (one car) garage is too small and the whole build process, including painting, was a royal pain in the bum. Fun, but a pain. Speaking of painting, next time (riiiiight) I'd try to paint as much as possible before assembling. I built mine in modules but even so it's hard to get a nice coat of paint on the insides of things. Edges of MDF need to be painted and sanded at least twice to look nice. Don't underestimate the time needed to get a good finish - I spent a third of my build time finishing (mostly, again, due to limited space). A narrow foam roller is great for cutting in but doesn't seem to get enough paint on to cover well on larger areas. In places I have three coats and can still see my pencil marks. I used Dulux Aquanamel.

Estimated Cost
Don't get me started....
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Dulux Aquanamel.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Chineselyons

Wed, 06/05/2013 - 10:47

This is gorgeous! I know there are modifications to take into account but it's stunning none-the-less.

inside corner wall cabinet

First cabinet in my kitchen remodel.

 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Sherwood by Sherwin Williams. Special purchase 5 gallon minimum. Water based lacquer. Dark Mahogany stain, HVLP sprayed on lacquer.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Alaskan lake cabin bench

Im building these for a friend to sell at alameda county flea market. It takes me a couple day to do one if its on spare time

Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
One was painted with chalk paint cut in half with semi gloss black and clear laquer. Other is all clear laquer
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Distressed Milk paint technique

My client wanted a distressed paint look for these custom doors that I built . Not knowing how to do this I immediately looked for some tips from Ana White . I found a link on your page to do this using gel stain and milk paint . It worked very well , I had to do a couple trial and errors do get the exact desired effect we were looking for but in the end I would have been lost with out your tips .

Thanks Tony Curtis
FB @ Rockwood Designs Rustic Furniture
Instagram @ Rockwooddesigns_TonyCurtis

Comments

Country Rustic Shelf

We just bought our first home a few months ago.  It is taking me a long time to decorate, because I am more picky about what goes on my walls.  I saw this shelf and I knew I had to build it.  It was really simple to do.  I even did it without my husband, and that is huge for me. I have step by step pictures on how to make this shelf on my blog.
supersaturdayldscrafts.blogspot.com

Ana's Barn Beam Ledges are very simular, but I turned them and added molding to the front.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
20.00
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
For the finish I used dark walnut gel stain, and then after the stain dried, I painted it with Home Depot Vermont Cream. When all the paint is dry, you sand the outside so the stain shines through to give it a more rustic country look.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

flag garden bench

wife and I call this our memory garden bench. our son passed away last year he was a SFC in the us army. we sit upon to remember all the good times.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
stain and 3 coats of spar
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Dresser with Changing Table

Submitted by dhoop31 on Sun, 10/15/2017 - 05:52

Was asked to build this with an added changing table on top.  Built it for my neice her first child.  

Estimated Cost
350.00
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Acrylic paint
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Toilet shelf

Submitted by Lukilla on Fri, 10/22/2021 - 17:54

We had someone ask us to make one of these for them, and we couldn't resist making one for ourselves. Fun easy build and adds some style to our bathroom.

Minwax early American stain on the finish

Comments

A bathroom cabinet for all that stuff!

Overall measurements: 24x40. I followed the same basic steps as the nursery armoire, but on a much smaller scale and with a 1x3 added to the back for hanging the cabinet on the wall. I sketched this out on my own and built it to fit above the toilet in my girls' bathroom.

For the first time, I used my table saw to route a space for the 1/8" MDF cabinet backing and drawer bottoms. I will probably use the same method again, but the MDF has to be absolutely square for it to work.

Also a first for me, I used a shelving jig to drill perfectly spaced shelf pin holes on the inside of the cabinet. I love the jig and the accompanying drill bit (from Woodcraft -- orange and blue do not carry it) and I'm looking forward to using it a lot more in the future.

The white latex paint finish is covered in Krylon "crystal clear" spray, which is (sadly) not actually crystal clear. I really like its durability and ease of application (re-coat after only one minute!), but will only use it on darker colored projects in the future. I'll have to sand, paint again, and recoat with my old standby, Minwax Polycrylic, to get rid of the yellow tones in the "crystal clear" Krylon spray.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$125
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Spray primer followed by Sherwin-Williams ProClassic semi-gloss white (which I applied in several thinned coats). Krylon not-so "crystal clear" topcoat.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Queen Size Farmhouse Bed

Submitted by Yodannos on Sun, 06/09/2013 - 13:28

Modified Queen Farmhouse for a rental unit that we have. I changed the heights of the head/footboard to give it a taller look.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$200
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax ebony (3 coats). Antiqued by sanding various edges. 2 coats of satin polyeurethene.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Full Size Bed Headboard

Headboard with tongue and groove boards for the face.

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

Barn Door Storage Wall and Trestle Desk

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 10/23/2017 - 10:14

 

Some of my first builds... I built this wall unit with sliding barn doors and the desk in front of it.

By Kraig Faulkner

Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Modern Farmhouse Bed

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 11/05/2021 - 13:34

After living in a 19ft travel trailer and touring the country, moving every three months as a travel nurse, for four long years, it was awesome to build our bed frame!
I swapped out the 1x4s on the headboard with pallet wood, and finished the whole thing with 000 steel wool and vinegar stain.
Absolutely love it! And man! Do we sleep well now!!!

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

PICNIC TABLE THAT CONVERTS TO BENCHES ~ Cedar Finish

Submitted by Tonya P on Mon, 06/10/2013 - 19:50

I saw a type of this for sale at Costco for $109 (for just ONE bench, not a pair). It' looked nice, and I almost bought it, but it had metal legs and trim and I wanted more of a natural look to go with my Cedar theme that I have going in my back yard garden/patio/greenhouse area. After seeing it in the store, I did an online search to see if I could find something a little more organic in nature... imagine my surprise when Ana's version of the bench/table came up! I looked over the plans and thought... well, I made the modified Farmhouse Table via her excellent instructions, I can surely do this! I did make a small change, I cut small pieces of wood to use as stops for the backs of the benches, instead of using holes and bolts to hold the backs at an angle that is comfortable. You can see this in the pictures, they are just beyond the back of the seat boards, on the leg supports. Thank you Ana! It was easy, quick, and they look SO good on my patio. I will be making more, maybe even selling a few because so many have asked me if I might :) I figure the cost was about $65 for both benches. A great deal and a fun project! Patrick really has to refrain himself from wanting to "help" me, but I am determined to do it myself... and low and behold! With Ana's generous free plans and inspiration, no problem!

Estimated Cost
$65 for the two
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Cedar Stain. The project was not stained until the benches dried out for several days. They were built using green treated lumber, so they needed to dry out well before staining.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Kabarie

Wed, 07/17/2013 - 13:11

Oh, great job!! I love it. The back stops for the bench is a great idea because those bolts are expensive! I'm going to do the same. Thank you for the idea!

Seasonal And Holiday

Farmhouse table

Submitted by Chalkie on Wed, 11/10/2021 - 16:49

We moved into our house 2 years ago that was built in 1935. We recently decided to knock a wall down separating our kitchen and dining room to make it 1 large kitchen with a dining table. While removing the wall, I decided to repurpose those old 2x3 wall studs into our dining table. The wall also contained random 4x4s, which was perfect for the legs. It took a while for me to figure out what kind of leg style would work with the amount of wood I had to use. The fancy X farmhouse table was the perfect leg design for what I needed. I must say, wood from the 30s is MUCH different than the wood today.

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Farmhouse table & bench!

Submitted by jamie_C on Sun, 04/03/2011 - 19:42

This was quite the project- took us several weekends to finish (we don't have a garage or really any good working area- we rent.  Oh and we also have a toddler).  We assembled the table in the living room, stained it on our front sidewalk, did a couple coats of poly in the backyard, and finished the last coat of poly in the dining room!  (we know how heavy this table is, that's for sure!  We modified the original farmhouse table dimensions so that this table would fit in our oh-so-tiny dining room.  As you can tell, we also decided to build a bench to go with it.  We are extremely pleased with the results!

Estimated Cost
$125
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Used wood filler on screw holes, and did LOTS of sanding. Used two coats of Cabot Early American stain. Followed by 3 coats of polyurethane, and 2 coats of Minwax Polycrylic on the table top.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Home Depot Adirondack Chair

Submitted by Seth on Wed, 06/12/2013 - 12:07

A few weeks ago my wife said she needs a footstool for our rocking chair while she rocks the baby to sleep. Being a sneaky husband, I quickly began planning to build her one because I knew I wasn't going to be able to find anything commercially sold that matched our baby room colors. A week later I have 2 Adirondack chairs, a table, a bunch of tools I didn't have before, and no footstool.... So about the chairs...The plans were super easy and well thought out. I learned a few things about cutting angles, which if you look closely you can see the seat portion does not extend to the front legs. Instead of wasting more wood, I simply adapted the plans. This makes the backs of the chairs sit upright more, but I actually like it because I have a bad back. We sanded it with 150 grit sand paper, and should have done a second sanding with a finer paper, but we didn't. I primed the wood with a basic multi purpose primer and then painted with BEHR outdoor white semi-gloss. I wanted to seal it with a poly, but Home Depot did not recommend sealing with with Poly, and I could not find a Poly in Home Depot that did not warn AGAINST using it on painted surfaces. Oh, and make sure you wear eye protection! Dust in the eyes is brutal. Fortunately I have a kind wife who washed them out for me. :) Now I have a nice pair of clear glasses.

Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
BEHR white semi-gloss exterior paint

They only needed 1 coat of primer and 1 coat of paint. This paint was really thick.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

Fireplace surround for electric fire pit

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 11/21/2021 - 09:25

Except for adding a bottom support in the center, and modifying the top to compensate for the larger crown molding, (and adding 2 inch wide putty to compensate for poor miter skills), I followed the plans that were given.
The mantle is approximately 15" X 60", and will be covered soon with a Nativity scene.
Thanks for the plans. Made an ideal Christmas gift for my wife and she is very happy!

Comments

Easy Clip Art Rails

Submitted by MeghanAnn on Tue, 04/05/2011 - 05:37

I had been holding onto some Martha Stewart Alphabet Cards since my, now 3 year old, son was a baby.  Some of them had been drawn on : ) so I couldn't hang up the alphabet, but I got creative with spelling some words out instead.  I am so thankful for Anna's plans, I finally found a way to hang these without buying a lot of picture frames!  My son loves them, and hangs his paintings and photos often.

Built from Plan(s)
Finish Used
Luscious Green spray paint by Valspar at Lowes.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project