Community Brag Posts

Fancy Step Stool for Kids

Submitted by cdswhite on Mon, 08/01/2011 - 19:25

This was a fun project for us and our daughter loves to use it to wash her hands and brush her teeth. We used some wood scraps we had leftover so it didn't cost as much! I was inspired by another brag poster to change the detail on the bottom and printed my pattern from the computer. We did find that we really needed better saw blades than what came with our jigsaw - the second side's curves came out so much smoother.

Estimated Cost
$10 (total guess, I don't remember)
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
We used some leftover paint and one coat of water-based poly.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Love love love my new bedroom!!!!

Submitted by DogDoc25 on Tue, 08/27/2013 - 18:49

I've posted pictures of these separately, but I'm so excited about how these things came together in my room! This is the reclaimed wood headboard (queen) and the mini farmhouse bedside tables (only 1 pictured but the other is identical). Thanks so much Ana (and friends) for these awesome plans which have given me a fun thing to do in my free time and also inexpensively furnish my house!

Finish Used
Minwax Jacobean (looks slightly lighter in the picture than it is in real life)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Bookshelf Mod

I needed a wider bookshelf with doors, to hide all my DVD's. I was able to make a mod of the original design and added panel doors to complete. This took a little longer than expected, as I ran into a complication with my original door plan. Once I found the panel door plan it all came together.

 

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

Comments

Squared2 Headboard, Full

Submitted by bcarter_1 on Tue, 10/30/2018 - 04:59

Modified to Full sized, my first bed!

Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

My Farmhouse/homework table

Submitted by ajcajj on Fri, 08/05/2011 - 10:47

I saw the plans for the narrow farmhouse table and had.to.have.it! I showed my husband and he liked it but wanted turned legs. This was the compromise. I'm so happy with how it turned out!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$28.00
Finish Used
I used a minwax stain with poly on the top and white on the legs
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

The Perfect Patio Table

Submitted by pbookman on Thu, 08/29/2013 - 20:06

From the plans, we added 2x6's to each end of the table to make the table a better size for 6 people, and also used 4x4's as legs rather than the 2x4's suggested. It makes the table much more sturdy and even looks best in my opinion.

Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Olympic Maximum Stain+Sealant in One (Base 2) in Russet
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

kfeldi

Sun, 08/02/2020 - 10:55

Hi Ana! Would it be possible to make this into an 8 person table? If I were to simply extend the length of the boards, would it affect the sturdiness of it?

Modified rustic x

Modified the plans for the rustic x console to fit in my kitchen. This was my first furniture making adventure, but end product was worth it, even if not perfect. Final product is 41inches by 25 inches and is 36.5 inches tall. I used shiplap for the top, over leftover 3/4 inch birch plywood. 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$50
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Min wax dark walnut and finishing paste
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Changing Table

Submitted by dritcheson on Sat, 11/10/2018 - 19:05

Changing table built for my first grandchild!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Valspar Oil Based Paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Simple Step Stool

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 08/08/2022 - 07:43

Fun and quick build. Made this one out of maple and African mahogany (khaya) for the laundry area of the garage.

Comments

Refinished Dining Room Set

I know this website is more about building furniture, but I spent the last year refinishing this dining room set in my spare time (between working full time and going to school part time). I bought it at a garage sale for $100, and with a lot of love, time, and energy, it is finally ready for family dinners!

Estimated Cost
$150
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
I used white primer, white glossy Behr paint, Minwax Dark Walnut Stain, and Minwax Glossy Polyurethane.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

sgilly

Thu, 08/11/2011 - 15:06

That is a beautiful finish! I know you'll enjoy many wonderful meals at that table.

hiddenhalo360

Fri, 08/12/2011 - 17:47

My husband just left for Thailand for a month, and we had a nice family dinner on his behalf before he left. I was really happy I was able to finish the set before the dinner.

Fancy X Farmhouse Table

Submitted by Goodge12 on Fri, 10/23/2015 - 11:22

Made a couple modifications:

  • Used 4x4 for the cross beams instead of 2x4. 
  • Used 4x4 anywhere there were (2) 2x4s together. 
  • Used a dowel jig to attach the (4) 45 degree pieces on each post
  • Sanded down the table top until the seams disappeared.  Thank you, belt sander!

That last bullet was super-important to the Mrs.  She was adamant that the table should not have spaces in between the boards, yet she did not want any seams for crumbs to collect.  The result was that I had to sand down the table top about an eighth of an inch... but the seams disappeared.

 

Also, we initially used Ebony stain... until we realized it was too dark.  Sanded that down a bit, then went over top with the Kona stain.  Result was a dark brown with some black detailing.  Finished with some minwax wipe-on poly.  Turned out really nice!

 

Thank you, Ana - This project was a ton of fun, challenging, and ultimately, very rewarding!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
Approximately $120 - the 4 x 4s were Douglas Fir.
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Minwax Ebony, Minwax Kona , Minwax Wipe-on Poly
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Love these modern Adirondack chairs!!!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 08/17/2022 - 17:16

We had some very old Adirondack chairs that just broke on us (in the middle of summer, no doubt) so I went looking for some new ones. They were so expensive I thought I’d make some but I have limited tools (circular saw, drills, etc. but no band saw or mitre saw or table saw). Found these because they were fairly simple and didn’t require fancy tools.
It took me a couple of weekends to build four of them, and they still need another coat of sealer, but I’m stoked with the results, and they're SUOER comfortable too!

Thanks Ana for these awesome plans!

Comments

Modified Brookstone Desk

Submitted by DTeague on Wed, 08/10/2011 - 15:01

I had to change the plan to better fit my son's room. I changed the depth to 22 and the width to 34 to fit in the corner. Big lesson learned don't use the worst wood possible where the drawer slides go, yikes the rigging I had to do was awful. Atleast no one can see it is all under the desk. :)

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Red Mahogony and Minwax Wipeon Satin finish poly.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Table top chalkboard easel

I saw these here on Ana Whites site and fell in love and wanted to make one for my 3 year old. Well at the time (we now no longer have it) we had a huge chalkboard wall upstairs for my 4 boys and therefor the hubs told me there was no need to build these....but I have a friend who has twin girls and I new that was the perfect opportunity to build these cute things as their birthday presents! So that is what I did. I also made a zipper pouch to hold the chalk. The girls love them :)

Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
chalkboard paint, Minwax Early American stain
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

bathroom vanity

Submitted by Chriss45 on Mon, 10/26/2015 - 20:28

I had a half bathroom in my guest room but wanted a second full bathroom, so removed the sink out of the half and installed a shower. I built the vanity in the room and added a make-up area with seating. I used my Kreg beaded faceframe system and to add a bead around the faceframe and built inset doors and drawers. I used Behr paint and used valspar antiquing glaze for the finish. I used the leftover shower tiles to make the countertop. 

Estimated Cost
75 dollars not including sink and faucet
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Behr satin paint and valspar antiquing glaze
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Ipex Bookcase

Submitted by SylBill on Thu, 08/11/2011 - 20:01

This is the Ipex bookcase (plans on this site). My husband built it for our almost 11 year old's room. He modified it to be 36 inches wide rather than 48. Painting scheme done by me - she is into black and white/zebra.
We are pleased!!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$50
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Painted with white and black enamel
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Outdoor chair and side table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 09/04/2022 - 10:43

Loved building this and especially love that those who have seen them in person are asking me to build one for them. Thank you Ana White for making your plans easily available.

Comments

Adirondack chairs for the family

Submitted by ddaavviidd on Sun, 08/14/2011 - 11:34

I've always wanted Adirondack chairs but found them way too expensive to buy. I found Ana's plan a while ago and promised myself I'd make one this summer. Well I enjoyed it so much I did three of them!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
CAD$50
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Since I used mostly spruce (which was much cheaper) I needed to sand all parts that made contact when you sit (seat, back, armrests for the kid's chair). The first chair (to the right in the featured picture) is exactly like the one in Ana's plan. I sanded and painted it after it was built. The other big one was slightly modified: I made the arms and the back longer so that it is more inclined and I cut the top portion in a round shape with a jigsaw. I also made the armrests larger (6") and longer and also gave them a rounded end. I used cedar-colored protective stain, two layers. The kid's chair's armrests are also larger (4") and longer and have the same rounded end. I plan on getting cushions for them during the Fall promotions. All I have left to do is a small table and a second kid's chair for the new baby that's arriving soon!
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Miasmom (not verified)

Mon, 08/15/2011 - 08:31

Those are awesome! All you need to make now is a doll adirondak chair and you've got a complete set of Ana White Adirondack chairs! ;)

Farmhouse table

Submitted by samiy on Sat, 09/07/2013 - 11:21

Norwegian version.

Wood sizes in millimeters:
Can be bought from Byggmax, Monter or Coop Obs bygg for example.
36x48mm
48x98mm
48x148mm

Lessons learned: Dont buy cheap tools and make sure the wood is straight.

Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Custom mixed stain (beis fra Fargerike) and bee wax
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Great Little Desk :)

Submitted by DWL on Sun, 11/08/2015 - 17:46

We love this little desk for my 3-year-old's room.  She chose the light blue color and helped me paint it.  We used Valspar chalk paint and wax and love the look.  We didn't have room for the double-sided storage so we used pre-made table legs for the other side.  Thanks again, Ana!

p.s. Sorry about the photos rotation.  I have no idea why they are all sideways.  

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Valspar Chalk Paint, Trousseau Blue

Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Coat closet

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 12/31/2018 - 06:57

I just wanted better organization and shoe racks up close to the front of the closet instead of in the back but I also didn’t want them too deep. These plans fixed that.

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

Comments