Community Brag Posts

Easiest Closet Ever

Wood was cut at Lowe’s for this one. We built it in the living room because it was seriously 10 degrees in the garage. It got moved upstairs, where we shimmed it, removed the molding off the wall, and painted it. Then we secured it, installed some rods, bought some bins (all from Target), hung a curtain, and called it a day. I reccomend you save all the scraps from this one, because they make for a free laundry basket dresser, that we also built.

I would love to see someone do this in birch plywood, and stain it for an elegant look!

Estimated Cost
$60, plus bins
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
White primer and paint, Olympic.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

My first Build!!!

Submitted by fkowalec on Mon, 05/13/2013 - 11:35

This project only took a day to build and not the whole day. The painting took a bit I had to do first coat at night then the second one in the morning and flipped and did other side twice...

Estimated Cost
100.00
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
rustoleum stain paint stuff.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Mushroom outdoor chair

Top is using old scrap 4 x 10 sanded down to 220 grit and the 2 x 6 is cut at 10 degree so it support the top using pocket hole jig, I used 4 3.5 inch deck screw

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

Box chairs with an added back

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 07/14/2017 - 00:28

Thanks for the plans Ana. I substituted 5/4 x 6 for the 2x6 and it is plenty strong and sturdy. Also added an angled back to support 24x24" cushion. Very pleased with the finished chairs.

BTW: I have now used 4 of your plans. The X harvest table, an outside dining table and patio loungers (4 of them) and the box chairs. Cheers!

Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Over Toilet storage shelf

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 10/04/2021 - 14:30

I made this less wide then the plans to fit in my small bathroom. Thank you for these wonderful
Plans!

Comments

Ladder Table

Submitted by kari on Wed, 03/09/2011 - 12:47

I love this little table!
I made 3 at the time. One for me, one for my sister, and one for my mom.
I had a little trouble with it not being level when I finished. I just sanded the bottoms of the legs until they all cooperated.

Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
I painted it a red that I had, which was a little brighter than I wanted. I sanded the edges a bit and gave it a nick or two here and there. I then put Minwax Jacobean stain over the paint and wiped it off quickly. It's final coat is Minwax polycrylic.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Necklace Jewelry Box

Submitted by 6980Design on Thu, 05/16/2013 - 16:23

Saw the plans on this site and decided to make a jewelry cabinet for my wife for mother's day and she loved it.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Polyshades Bombay Mahogany
Finished with Minwax Paste Finishing Wax
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

nicholaix

Fri, 12/06/2013 - 09:23

I am floored, that is gorgeous! Now I have to get off my butt and make one......
My finishing skills are not great I am still getting the hang of it, I have always painted everything in the past. Great Job!

I love it!!

Submitted by equarto on Sun, 04/05/2015 - 19:49

I found the plans for this table after googling "rustic coffee table". I had planned on purchasing a table until I saw this photo and LOVED it.  It took a little time to convince my husband to take this on with me since neither one of us has experience building furniture.  We decided to purchase the wood from a higher end lumber yard since the big box stores didn't carry much kiln dried lumber.  We wanted to start on our project without having to wait for the lumber to dry out in the sun first.

This is definitely a two "man" job.  The only issue we had was figuring out the "x's" since our saw didn't go past 45 degrees.  We decided to just eye ball it and made the cuts.  The cuts came out perfect.  We also had some issue trying to figure out how to secure the "x's".  After a few strategically placed screws and some wood glue, they stayed put and look great!  We also took a lot of time sanding and picking out the perfect stain.  We decided not to do the oxodizing treatment (husband vetoed that) and instead mixed two shades of minwax satin stain.  I am so happy with the end result!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$75
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Green House

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 07/13/2017 - 08:31

I built this amazing green house following your plans!  My wife and I moved our family from the city to an amazing 5 acre homestead out in the country here in Wisconsin. We are super happy that we will be able to keep our new garden going longer!  Thanks so much for the plans!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
We spent about $800 for the frame and plastic panels. Then we spent another $250 for the reclaimed barnwood siding. We found the door at a reclamation site for $25.
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
I followed Ana's plan pretty closely. This was the first building I ever built from scratch. It was a little difficult to get the foundation level. But I figured it out. I used pressure treated 6x6s on top of gravel. I was able to screw the actual walls down to the 6x6s.

I'm actually building a second building from these plans to use as a chicken coop. Once it's done I will post photos.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Seasonal And Holiday

Entry console

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 10/04/2021 - 15:23

I used one by material because I wanted a piece that was less bulky. I also made side tables from the same plan.8 love these, they are exactly what I have been looking for!

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Reclaimed wood headboard -- queen sized

This is my first project, and it turned out really well! I bought the wood at Home Depot. It is pine (except for the crowning 2x4, that's douglas fir because Home Depo didn't have that size in pine) and I probably spent about $150 just on the wood, and then I also bought a palm sander, corded drill, circular saw, and Kreg Jig. I also bought pre-stain, stain, and polycrylic finish which added another $45. Plus I spent money on sand paper, clamps, Kreg Jig screws, and some nails.

I included the picture of the back to show how I used the Kreg Jig. I used it to not only attach the middle part to the sides, but I made the middle part one connected piece so it would be extra sturdy, tight, and pieces would not bow when leaned against. The back isn't pretty, but it's against the wall so no one can see. The Kreg Jig is awesome and I'm glad I bought it so I can do other projects.

I also included a photo of the bottom of the side. I used a scrap piece of wood to make it more sturdy since that's where I drilled the holes to bolt it to the bed's metal frame.

Between sanding, assembly, and finishing I worked on this over the course of about two months on the weekends. If you don't sand much and keep the finish more simple you could potentially get it done really fast. But since this is something we plan on using in our master bedroom for years to come I wanted to try to make it perfect. It still has a handful of mistakes (I learned a lot), but my joke is "it's a reclaimed wood headboard."

Now that I've got the tools I'm on to building matching side tables, and pending that goes well the plan is to build a dresser.

Estimated Cost
$200 (wood, stain, and sand paper)
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Before staining I watched a bunch of You Tube videos to get a feel for it. The finish is Minwax pre-stain (one coat), Minwax Provincial (three coats), and Minwax Polycrylic (three coats). When using pine wood you want a pre-stain to prevent blotchiness. My intention was to only do one or two coats of the Provincial (I liked what a couple people in the brag posts had done with provincial), but I had a couple spots that showed imperfections in the wood that could not be seen before staining, which I had to sand down and then restain. I also had a few small spots where the wood glue made it so I had to sand more (even though I sanded a lot!) and re-stain. I used a nice brush to apply the stain for the first couple coats, but the third I used a rag so I could focus on the areas I wanted to hit and not let it soak as long. The Polycrylic really did a great job at making the surface hard to prevent dings. The hard part I found was that its a large project and Polycrylic drys really fast, so even just doing one side I'd get to the bottom, fix a drip at the top, and then end up with some brush strokes. Polycrylic is water based so it doesn't smell so bad when you're using it and it's easier to clean the brushes.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Printer's Coffee Table

Submitted by jbolson21 on Tue, 04/07/2015 - 16:09

Coffee Table

Estimated Cost
Can't remember
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
poly
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Simple Outhouse

I built this outhouse to go with a dry cabin I'm working on, and also as an emergency backup for my house. I used treated lumber on the base/deck and splurged on T-111 for the siding. I wanted to use greenhouse polycarbonate for the roof, but found a piece of metal roofing in my shed that was exactly the right size so I used that instead. I thought about doing a fancy cutout on the door but ended up going with a half moon because it was easy. I'm thinking about cutting out stars of different sizes all over the rest of the door to let in more light. I'll trim and stain it next summer.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$450 - I used T-111 which is $40/sheet here in Alaska. I also used treated lumber where recommended and stainless steel screws.
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

CH

Mon, 01/13/2020 - 15:25

WHAT HAPPENS TO THE 'STUFF' THAT YOU DEPOSIT IN THE TOILET?  I DIDN'T READ ANYTHING ABOUT DIGGING A PIT/TREATMENTS, ETC.  PLEASE LET ME KNOW.  THANK YOU!  CH.

Modern Farmhouse Table

Submitted by seesaw on Wed, 03/09/2011 - 18:10

This was our first project. We followed Ana's directions basically word for word. It turned out beautifully! We like the look and easy care of the benches.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$50
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
A mix of Golden Oak and Early American Minwax stain
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Modified Rectangular Planter

Submitted by Steb-Ban on Wed, 05/22/2013 - 14:24

I modified the plan a little to make a rectangular 4 foot long planter and added a top.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$35
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Wood Finish "Red Chestnut" followed by Thompson's Water Seal.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

creativekidd

Sun, 06/26/2016 - 18:25

I know it's been 3 years, but do you recall how many cedar boards you bought? This is the exact size i need. Thanks.

Modified Apothecary End Table w/ Shims

Submitted by ncderemer on Sat, 04/11/2015 - 12:28

I made the shim bed a long time ago and really liked the look  and height of the apothecary side table. I can put all my books and stationary and the stuff I want stashed next to my bed. I modifyied the plan slightly to have shims make up the front panels so it has a slight rustic feel to it and matches my bed. Thanks to Ana's plans I am starting to make my own bedroom set for under $300 bucks and completely to my taste. 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Flat black paint and kona stain
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

2 X 4 Farm table with Maple and Walnut top

I really liked the basic table design.  But since it was going in my wife's medical office I decided to make the top out of Maple and Walnut.  It turned out to be a very big job.  I had to Straighten the edges of the boards so that they would fit together without a space between the boards and then put them through a planer.  I then glued the edges and used Kreg screws to put it all together. Surprisingly it all fits and the base sits flat and level.  I spent a great deal of time measureing all of the 2 X 4s in an effort to make sure that the base was level and the angles all work. 

Estimated Cost
$300
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
We first stained the base and then painted it white. The intent was to sand through the white paint for a used look. It did not really work so we left the base white. The table top was finished with Teak oil in order to bring out the Walnut grain. It works well but smells awful and we had to leave the top outdoors for two weeks until the smell dissipated.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Child's Bench with Arbor

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 10/04/2021 - 19:25

I love the way this bench turned out! And your plans were so simple to follow (as always). Thanks do much for sharing all your plans!!

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Storage Daybed

Submitted by ferbit on Thu, 03/10/2011 - 08:15

Ana White storage daybed with baskets! Of all the projects I've done based on Ana's plans, this is my favorite. It was my first staining project EVER so I was terrified. I am so in love with how this turned out. The boxes were made using birch plywood and the trim was all pine. Lots of gorilla wood glue (I think it's the least drippy) and a mix of nails (using our new nail gun) and countersunk screws. I used screws for the plywood and nails for the trim. After sanding... and sanding... and sanding... :) Finish is two coats of Minwax Red Mahogony stain (conditioned it first) and then three coats of Minwax Fast Drying Polyurethane in semi-gloss. Did I mention how much I love this color????? I did my best to get all of the glue sanded out, but I did miss in a few spots (end of this cubby...) But I am still thrilled because you can hardly notice. I've used a miter saw before, but never MITERED corners like this and I am so proud of my self with how they came out! :) I used longer, narrow felt pads along the bottom of each bench (for on each). On the bed is the Katy 5-Piece Daybed Set from Amazon. I got the sweater-like throw on Overstock.com. Baskets from World Market! :)

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
I did two very dark coats of Minwax Red Mahogany stain. Meaning, I glopped it on with a disposable staining pad pretty heavy and then let it sit on the wood for a full 15 minutes before wiping it off. :) I did this for both coats.

For ME, prepping it with the wood conditioner first made all the difference in the world! It really evened out the wood grain variations and gave it a beautiful store-bought look.

I did a test on some scrap without conditioner and the wood grain was too prominent for me (and a lot of people like that look). I love the more muted grain look.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate