Community Brag Posts

Seesaw Surprise

I was actually looking for loft-bed plans when I stumbled upon this little gem. My kids were out of town for a week at the grandparent's house. I had some free time on my hands and before jumping into a big project like a loft bed, wanted to get my feet wet with a smaller project. I way overshot the 2 hr assembly time on this one. My extended cut/assembly time was because I triple coated each surface with paint and then put a clear coat sealant over the whole project. The paint choice was because my daughter's favorite color is blue and my son's is green. Plus, the racing stripes across the base and the cantilever took some extra time with added paint. With the screw holes, I took a 1/2 inch thick dowel and chopped off a bunch of 1/4 inch thick "coins," match painted them & glued them over the screw holes. As a result, it appears that there are dowels holding it together. With the seats, I used my trusty jigsaw and cut a ~34 inch long hourglass shaped piece of wood (wide at the top/bottom, narrow in the middle), then cut that in half to use as the form-fitted seats. I shaped the outdoor fabric (awning material that matched my paint job) around the seats, filling with 3 inch thick batting. The kids are coming home tomorrow and I hope they like their new toy.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$75
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
White primer, gloss enamel, painters tape to help form stripes,
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Kitchen Tower Cabinet

This is our first Ana White project and we're pretty happy with the results. We modified the plans a bit to use 1/4" plywood for the sides instead of the heavy 3/4" ply. Specifically built for our kitchen since we couldn't find one that we really liked or could afford. Pottery Barn seriously sells this for $1200?!?! Score!

Estimated Cost
$70 + finishing
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
DIY chalk paint and wax - distressed.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Rustic X End Table

Made two of these and I made them a bit thinner as I wanted these to be on the end of the sofa where there was not a lot of space. Matched the hardware with my rustic X console table I made a few years back.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$25 each.
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Weathered Oak with a a wipe on poly and an additional layers of polyurethane on top surface.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Beefy step stool

Submitted by wudrite on Sun, 02/13/2022 - 12:12

Legs made of 2x10 southern yellow pine scrap for strength & stability. Rails made of radiata pine scrap. Top made out of hickory panel reclaimed from $0.50 restore cabinet door for strength & weight while looking sharp. Legs & rails have 2 coats, top as 3-4 coats of platina shellac. Was fun to do a scrapwood project that provides something both nice & practical. Result extremely stable, no amount of weight seems to phase it.

Comments

Library book cart with handprints

Submitted by Leah on Wed, 05/25/2011 - 16:15

My children's books at my children's level! They take pride in building for themselves, and I couldn't be happier~

Ana's library cart was a breeze to build! I used my new pocket-hole jig with great success. This cart is strong, and holds a load of books.

The guys at Blue cut the wood. Thanks to the staple sticking off the end of some of my lumber, the cuts were off. I had to use coarse sand paper to take 1/8inch off some ends. Lesson learned~
The finish was the most fun. I used paint leftover from other projects, all water-based products. The top of the shelf has my 4yr-old son's hand-prints, the smaller face has my 2yr-old son's hand-prints. Alex loves it most, going to it and patting it and pressing his hand on it first thing every morning. They are both very proud of our work :D

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$35
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
The entire cart was painted with Martha Stewart's Lemon Ice, the light green. The outer edge and shelf bottoms are painted with Behr's Summer Festival @ 50%, it's a shame the picture doesn't show the light teal well. The hand-prints are Behr blues, tho the names are forgotten. Satin poly covers and protects it all for years to come :)
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Red sideboard

I modified the plan for the planked wood sideboard so it wasn't so large. I also took out the middle door and made an open area with shelves and a stemware rack.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
I used a sanding sealer, then painted dark red. I topped it off with two coats of matte poly.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Slat Tool Wall // John Heisz Design

This weeks project was a slat tool wall to organize all my most used hand tools. I wanted a way to have everything in reach and also easy to organize and keep track of. This is John Heisz original design and I decided to build one for my shop. Here is a link to his site with a full tutorial including measurements- http://www.ibuildit.ca/Workshop%20Projects/tool-board-1.html

I also have a couple videos of my process here- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNz_a_vKAqY

and here- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYQldf_vHlE

Estimated Cost
150
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Farmhouse head and footboard

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 03/06/2022 - 18:33

Still need to paint it. Perfect weekend project. Such an easy build! Thank you!

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Simple Modern Outdoor Sectional

This was our first project and i gotta say, I love doing this! There are so many ideas on this website!
This was super easy, my husband and I had trouble with some of it because it wasnt fitting right, but we just tweaked it and it turned out perfect!
I had been looking online for an outdoor sectional for months, and the price was too high for us to spend. Our final total was only 238 dollars all together. Store (and bad quality at that) furniture would have cost us over 500. So, I am VERY pleased.
I got the cushions on craigslist. Listed at 8 dollars a cushion. They were still in the wrapping! We have one extra cushion that we plan on making an ottoman soon.

Estimated Cost
240
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Rustic X mixed with a Triple Truss Coffee Table

I considered myself pretty good at cutting and assembling, less when it comes too filling, sanding, and staining. I could not figure out the X for the life of me! Luckily I could figure out the Tuss table :D

Estimated Cost
$80-100
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

King Farmhouse Bed

Submitted by DVGofAZ on Tue, 07/21/2015 - 08:58

I followed Ana's Farmhouse bed plans, using 1 x 12 boards for the sides and leaving off the extra piece at the top of the headboard. I didn't want to cover any more of the brick than necessary and I have a large bit of artwork to put over the bed too.

Because my mattress is a Sleep Number bed on a pedestaI I had to add a footboard to keep the mattress from sliding off the end. The footboard is simply a 24x24 section of plywood with wainscoating and 1x2s to match (sort of) the headboard.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$400
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Antique White paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Grandy Sliding Door Console

Submitted by Justjoshin on Sun, 02/18/2018 - 05:59

Used this plan and tried to Gary a rustic look. 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$400
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax dark walnut, white pickling stain, and clean poly.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

corner shelf for spring organizing

I built this corner shelf as part of my spring organizing effort. I have to say, that the shelf looks too good to be left in the basement's corner.

Comments

Narrow Farmhouse Table

Submitted by tfox on Tue, 05/31/2011 - 19:49

This is my take on Ana's Narrow Farmhouse Table project. I plan on adding a bench to one side and random color matched chairs to the other.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Special Walnut stain with six coats of Wipe-On Poly. Finished with steel wool to knock down shine of poly.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Dog Bed

Submitted by daddydrew on Fri, 07/19/2013 - 12:48

I did this project today with some old scrap that has been sitting around and taking up way to much space! Shotzie got a new bed out of the deal and she is pretty happy about it. I am available to do builds for people who like what they see and dont want to pay retail price for this stuff. check out my profile.

http://ana-white.com/users/daddydrew

Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Grey oil based stain
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

JoanneS

Fri, 07/19/2013 - 15:19

What a great way to use your scrap wood! Love the color and the design. Looks super!

XL Twin Storage Bed

I took plans from two makers and changed them to fit my needs.

I took the base from the Fix This Build That DIY Daybed with Storage Drawers plans. And I used the headboard/footboard concept from the Shanty-2-Chic DIY Modern Farmhouse Platform Bed plans and made this extra tall, extra long twin size bed.

I made it for a client (friend). It is for her daughter. White washed instead of paint of stain. 

Estimated Cost
$170
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
White wash (watered down white paint) and triple thick top coat in satin finish.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Ana White Greenhouse

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 04/06/2022 - 12:41

We built the first one about 8 years ago, and then the wind flipped it over and scattered it all over the back part of the property. I then dug footings and anchored the second one down; I was able to save the Dutch Door I made for the first one. Thanks for the plans!!!

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Seasonal And Holiday

queen headboarad

The plans on this were so easy to follow. Thanks so much for posting!

I ended up using screws instead of nails just because I am more comfortable with a drill than a nail gun. Seems like it is holding up fine :)

Estimated Cost
60.00
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
MinWax Provincial. I painted it on and immediately wiped it off!
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Finally completed a project of my own!

Submitted by veltch on Mon, 07/22/2013 - 07:29

I was looking to make a planter instead of buying one, and stumbled across Ana's website. This planter looked good and simple. I purchased the Kreg Jig Jr, and a face clamp on Ebay. I know I'll be able to use it for other projects/repairs. Home Depot did no have cedar fence pickets, so used what they had, (spruce), and brushed on some left over pecan minwax stain for contrast. I left everything else the raw, didn't fill in the pocket holes, and didn't use glue on the pocket joints. I did glue the fence pickets to the 1 x 3's and secured them with (pre-drilled holes) 1 1/4 out door screws. I suppose if you had some experience, and were not cutting all your wood clamped to a folding table, you could save some time. This took me just over 3 hours. It looks good. I placed my cleat 11 inches down from the top and lined it with that fabric to stop weeds, and poked some holes in it for more drainage. I may go back and fill the pocket holes with wood putty just to keep the bugs/spiders out.
Maybe in the fall after the tomatoes are done I'll give it the once over with some stain or water seal. This is on my back patio, the wife would already love one for mums out front. Thanks Ana White!

Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Pecan on fence pikets
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner