Community Brag Posts

Potting bench

I made this with leftover lumber after my mom helped me make a swingset for my kids. It's the very first project I've ever done by myself and it turned out GREAT! 

Estimated Cost
About $60 worth of wood, a other 10-15 in screws and other supplies.
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
I'm not going to finish it probably.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

2x4 Sectional , table, and chairs

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 04/14/2023 - 04:57

Your easy to follow 2x4 proje ts turned out amazing. My outdoor set is complete. The chairs, also, came from your plans. I built all of it by myself in one weekend. Thank you

Comments

Barn wood frame

I made the barn wood frame for less than $30 (the plexiglass alone was $23!). It's better than the $80 they were going to charge me at the frame shop for the same style! I used an opaque black stain to both hide my not so accurate miter cuts and give it a modern feel. I'm very satisfied with the results!

Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Cabot solid color acrylic deck stain in black. This stuff takes forever to dry, but I prefer this to black paint.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

Guest (not verified)

Sat, 02/18/2012 - 09:24

I need a large frame for a family photo. I cant spend the money right now. This has been very helpful. Great job

Media Stand

We built this media stand for our home and we had many that followed. We put a backing on ours to hide the cords and such. It makes it feel a lot classier & takes under 5 minutes to add! We used 1/8" particle board and we used our neumatic nail gun. 

All in all, this is a super easy beginner project that adds a big bang to the space!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
80.00
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
This is our custom beachwood stain. A few stains from Minwax mixed together.
We then Distressed it & applied 3 coats of semi-gloss polyurethane
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Laundry Station

Submitted by docfin02 on Sun, 01/22/2012 - 19:14

My original plan was for a laundry cart or stand for laundry baskets. I ended up building one that is pretty big for 4 baskets, a shelf on top, and elevated 10" on the bottom for our Roomba vacuum to be stored.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$80 + paint
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Wood Sideboard

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 10/03/2019 - 12:22

My wife and I originally saw this Ana White planked sideboard and knew it was exactly what our dining room needed! We had the perfect spot for it! The plans were generally easy to follow and it was actually my first time installing drawers! It turned out amazing and we all love it! We love the added storage it provides for dishes and other kitchen accessories.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$250
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
We wanted a unique distressed finish, so after sanding everything good I actually used a black spray paint on most of project (mostly cracks and edges). After the black spray pain dried I Brush painted the entire project with Behr ultra paint (sorry I cannot find the color anywhere!). After the paint dried I sanded in random places, especially the edges to let the black come through, as well as some of the bare wood. This way it had a very rustic worn look of the three different colors (red, black, raw wood).
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

From Logs to Famhouse Table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 10/13/2019 - 18:45

So this DIY Farmhouse Style Table has been on my “make it” list for a while now. And what better time to make it than now, since we just got a saw mill. Check out the blog link below to read all about it.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Early American Stain
Minwax Polycrylic Clear Sealer
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate
Seasonal And Holiday

Round Farmhouse table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 11/28/2019 - 05:48

I took on a little bit more than I could chew with this one, but after a little R&I(Resourcefulness, and Ingenuity) I was able to figure it out. I love how it turned out though! Thanks for the inspiration!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$120
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Dark Walnut with Matte poly top coat
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Our master closet from this plan!

Submitted by jec on Sat, 01/11/2014 - 07:18

We built this master closet using the simple closet plan. It looks wonderful and wasn't too difficult to do once we determined the measurements we needed to use to fit our closet. My husband does not have much building experience at all, but he was able to do this with Ana's fabulous plans. Thank you so much for saving us hundreds of dollars! We have real wood in our closet and we love it!

We used plywood and painted all surfaces with indoor latex trim paint.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Painted with interior latex trim paint from Porter Paint. Used 2 coats.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

imortison

Sun, 01/12/2014 - 19:02

It looks very nice. May I ask what dimension of the plywood you used?
They look more than 3/4'' thick to me, right? My husband and I are planning our very first project!! Any info /advice would be highly appreciated.

Farmhouse Table-First Project = Big Success!

Submitted by dianek on Wed, 03/28/2012 - 20:43

This was our first project; and definitley and inspiration to do more. I am so excited to have this in our dining room. Project took about 8 hrs to build and 4-5 days to stain and poly. We used a Gunstock stain with 2 coats of Walnut over that.

Overall cost was about $150 with wood, stain, materials and poly. We ended up working with 2 types of wood (yellow & white pine) which proved frustrating as we tried to match the stain color. All ended up OK after a couple of trial and error on some scrap wood.

I can't wait to make the matching benches. Thanks Ana!

Estimated Cost
$150
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Stained
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

ferbit

Fri, 03/30/2012 - 10:01

Gorgeous table!!! I can't believe this is your first project! Yay! Now it'll never end! Ha! My husband thinks I'm nuts - I want to build everything!

I wish I had used Pine instead of Hemlock. I made a table very similar to this, but my HD only carries 2x stock in hemlock. Apparently Lowes carries 2x pine. I like the sharp square edges of pine better. Hemlock has rounded edges. Blah blah blah, your table looks awesome!

DIY Campsite Outdoor Storage and Grill Station

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 08/31/2023 - 11:28

We made the grilling station to keep at our seasonal campsite and it's absolutely fantastic! We have since added some L brackets and 2 shelves, and this is where we store our extra cases of water, soft drinks, outdoor cooking utensils plus an air fryer! Super easy plans, with well written instructions for even the novice (me and hubs) diy builders!

Ali W.

Beach Bench

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 04/16/2016 - 14:26

Thanks for the plans, Ana!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Weather Gray stain with a white paint finish for the bottom.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Sandbox with benches

Submitted by h.abbott on Tue, 04/10/2012 - 05:43

I knew I needed a sandbox for my toddler, and saw the original on pinterest. I was so happy when I came here looking for designs and saw that someone had created a plan for this. I think I'm more excited about it than my little guy is.

The plan was easy to follow, and it went together quickly. Thank you very much for these plans

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$50
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Exterior paint in light blue.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

hippyengineer (not verified)

Tue, 10/16/2012 - 19:32

You rock Ana! Your plans are some of the best quick builds with lots of features. I built this sand box in two hours and my son is having the best time. This is a Texas winter replacement for the beach and the backyard pool.

edkeogh

Mon, 05/23/2016 - 19:44

So I just started making this box and it's truly an awesome design but I couldn't get 1x8 lumber instead I got 2x8... For the box base, will this make an difference in the mechanics of the seat and back opening..and the overall size of the box is 1.5" longer at 49" instead of the 47" the plans detail.. I was hoping that it won't but I think it might interfere with the 2x4 support the seat back..

I right in the middle of this project so I need to get on with it as it's nice tomorrow..

THANK YOU
ED

My version of ten dollar picture ledges/galley shelves.

I think I get more compliments on these galley shelves/picture ledges than anything else I’ve made, and these were probably the easiest things to make!

It cost me about $25 a piece but they were nearly 8 feet long each. I used a paint sprayer to paint them, WAY easier than brushing on the paint! watch for drips though (my first time using a sprayer, treat it like spray paint, light easy coats!)

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
used a satin white paint. that is the same as our molding in the house.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Hutch with cabinet

Submitted by wgbeecher on Fri, 01/24/2020 - 09:29

I saw this on Shanty2Chic and loved the plan.  I had a friend that wanted me to build her two of these with tin in the door and back.  The tin was a challenge but it all worked out.  She loves them.  Thank you for the plans.  I could not have done this without them.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
150.00 each
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Special Walnut Minwax
PolyWipe
Recommended Skill Level
Advanced

Small Farm Table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 09/22/2023 - 07:54

This was my first time building furniture. I've restored and refurbished antique furniture for years and but never imagined building my own before. I have a small kitchen and had to modify the size to accommodate area space. I also added breadboard ends to the tabletop. I am now planning to build more furniture using your plans. Thank you Ana White for providing such a wonderful resource to help beginners build their own furniture!

Comments

Seasonal And Holiday

Corner Media Console

Submitted by craw4dz on Thu, 02/27/2020 - 10:39

We had just moved into our new house and were using an end table for our TV stand I just didn't like it.  I found this and modified it so it's shorter and fits in our room better.  I also opted to not put doors on it and use it to display items instead.  This was a relatively easy build and I'm learning new things with every build I make.  It took about 2 days to complete not including filling holes/paint/stain.  I love it, it looks so great in our room and I am planning on building end tables to match as well as replacing our buffet with movies in it to match also.  Thanks for the easy-to-follow plans!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$45
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Whatever white paint I had on hand (haha) and Varathane Kona with a satin poly for the top.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

DIY Rustic Coffee Table with Custom Finish

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 10/29/2023 - 19:41

Great coffee table by April!

For the Finish:

First I lightly burnt the wood. The base is minwax in ebony. I actually sprayed water on the wood and used a damp cloth to apply. 

The top I used random spots of regular satin paint in grey, a couple shades of blue and an olive green and a chalk paint white. Then sanded it down removing most of the paint and stained it with minwax provincial.  And went over some of the edges with the ebony. 

Easy DIY Work Bench

This was an after work project. (2.5 hours) Easy build. This bench is exactly to spec of the plans. This is a great little work bench already planning to build a couple more.

Estimated Cost
$65.00
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
None
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner
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