Community Brag Posts

White and dark walnut

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 08/17/2016 - 09:15

Fun to build, looks beautiful in our dark dining room. Used 5 tabletop pieces instead of 4

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$120
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Bulls eye primer - 2 coats.
Benjamin Moore snow paint - 2 coats
Applied with small rollers

Minwax Dark Walnut stain- 2 coats. Polyurethane - 3 coats.
Applied with foam brushes
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Twin Beds

Saw plans on here and my girls loved the bed so we got rid of the bunk beds and now they have their own beds. The original plans were for a king or Queen so had to redraw the project out for twin size beds. I had never made drawers before so that was fun. Learned a lot and now onto the next project.

Estimated Cost
$250
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Mahogany stain (minwax)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

kitchen island

Submitted by jvos on Wed, 07/25/2012 - 16:40

This is my first project. I made a lot of mistakes but also learned a lot as well. I have very little counter top space and so wanted an island for additional work space. I had to downsize it due to my small kitchen but it seems to be about right. I got a kreg jig for this and it makes for a solid project. Next up, a platform bed!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$60
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Polyurethene & paste wax
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Farm Table

Submitted by mrcleland on Mon, 05/19/2014 - 11:02

This was my first project in regards to building anything. I had some old milled wood from my grandfathers farm that needed some attention. The wood itself was milled about 60 years ago and sat under his house in a crawlspace ever since he moved from his farm in Kentucky to the city of Atlanta, Georgia. The wood itself was in rough shape and since I didn't have access to a planer, I had to sand the rough cut wood to the smoothness of my liking. I was very limited to the amount of wood I had so I took various ideas from your website and came up with my own version. I would not have even attempted the project had I not been inspired by your site. Overall I was distracted numerous times by life so it took about 6 months to finish. Speaking of finish, I highly recommend testing several large pieces of scrap before staining. I went with a driftwood color to a weathered grey before I finally finished with a darker kona color. By the time I was done, I had sanded the table 3 separate times. I love the table and made it to where I can remove the legs for easy transport. It is solid as a rock and very heavy.

Estimated Cost
100.00
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Kona with a satin poly
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Office desk

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 08/20/2016 - 08:05

I did not add the draw and modified the cubbies to hold my computer equipment. I have enough space to add a center draw later and I will probably build a small platform for the monitor. The plywood was salvaged from the floor of my grandmother's house.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
About $30 but I already had most of the materials.
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
2 coats of classic walnut and two coats of oil based polyurethane.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

A First Desk Build

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 02/29/2024 - 07:44

This was the first time that I built anything from scratch and I must say that I was really surprised by how good it came out. It’s not perfect but I’m really proud of the finished product.
Thanks Ana for making it easy.

Tyra Williams

Built from Plan(s)

5 board bench with a twist.

5 board bench with a few extra boards.
I had some leftover hardwood flooring pieces that i cut for the seat of the bench. I love color so this was a lot of fun!!!
Thanks!

Estimated Cost
<$15
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
I used outdoor stain and paint and several coats of poly for a water resistant finish.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

clara table and chair

another clara table and chair.

Estimated Cost
35.00
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax golden oak, and polyurethane
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Farmhouse Tanle and Bench

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 08/23/2016 - 09:48

My wife and I built the farmhouse table and bench.  We then followed the plans and made smaller versions for the living room - creating a coffee table and end tables. 

 

There was a horrible bartop seperating the kitchen from the dining room that was yellow 70's linoleum.  We ripped that bar top off and made another small version of the farmhouse table for the bar top!  Looks great!!

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Provincial Stain and satin poly.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Adirondack Chairs - first ever wood project completed

Submitted by fessehaye2 on Thu, 06/04/2020 - 17:00

Thank you for these really easy, step by step instructions. This was my first ever wood project and did it with borrowed mitre saw and few other tools I had at home. I'm now hooked and already planning my next project, twin beds for my kids.

Comments

Garden Enclosure

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 03/04/2024 - 09:33

This is our riff on your plans. Two seasons in and not a single animal has breached our fortress.

 

Jan Perrone Greco on Facebook

Built from Plan(s)
Seasonal And Holiday

Entryway bench and shelf

Submitted by susanuva on Mon, 07/30/2012 - 13:58

Here is my very first project.

Estimated Cost
$170.00
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Stained with Red Elm Gel stain
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

Family Tree

Loved Ana's original of this and we saw cedar plans on sale over the holiday weekend we had to give it a shot. Loved how it turned out. Thank you for the inspiration.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$10
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Early American
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Double Pedestal Table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 08/26/2016 - 17:36

Modified plans to accomidate a smaller eating area.  Took us about a week working on it a little bit a day.  Wood cost was about $110.  Dark Walnut stain, primer and linen white chalk paint over primer on the bottom.  

I used somebody else's design photo from this site and inserted my own numbers when figuring out the top dimensions and cuts.  I wish I could remember whose for proper credit.  Legs were completed using the ana white legs from the original plan with no alterations. 

 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Our modern take on the Modern Outdoor chair

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 06/07/2020 - 15:59

When I told my husband we were going to make patio chairs instead of buy them - he thought I was crazy!

I started looking for chairs during the tail end of the pandemic’s stay-at-home order, but after looking for something that was a nice quality yet reasonably priced, we soon realized the options just weren’t there. In my 20’s, I had made a dining room table when I could really afford anything nice! Man I loved that table! So I decided to google DIY patio chairs and found your site! OH. MY. GOODNESS. I want to make all the things. In addition to these beauties, we’ve also made counter height garden boxes, and are getting ready to start on the Farmhouse Potting Bench. Your videos are great - and make everything look incredibly easy. I stained and polyurethanes before assembly, but in hindsight might have opted to wait until the end! All accessories, including cushions are from at home. Make these chairs! You will love them!!

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Kona stain with Satin polyurathane finish

I presaged wood with a pre-stain, then did one coat of stain (wipes down so it wasn’t so dark), and two coats of Varnish. I sanded prior to staining, and in between varnishes. We made two chairs at the same time - so stained roughly 50 boards - which was the most time consuming part as the varnish takes the longest. It is helpful to have this on a tall surface for assembly

Cedar flower box teacher's gift

Submitted by Benjies on Wed, 05/28/2014 - 10:02

My daughter is finishing her last week of preschool. I wanted to make a small "thank-you" gift for her 3 teachers. I pieced together different ideas from ana's site and other places on the Internet. The printout is from shanty 2 chic's website. I created 3 boxes using 2 six-foot cedar fence panels. I cut mine down to size based on the dimensions of the flowers I used. Drilled a few holes on each edge and used 1/4" sisal rope to make handles. Used hemp to tie the label's to each box. Each box took approximately 15 minutes to make. Including the cost of the flowers, each box cost less than $5 too!!

Estimated Cost
$5 / box
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
No finishes. Just drilled some drainage holes. Cedar is great for outdoor use!
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Pyramid blocks

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 08/29/2016 - 12:53

Really enjoyed making this and the end result is impressive. Wouldn't categorize as a starter project because the frame is a bit more advanced.

Estimated Cost
Around 35-40 dollars.
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Colorations liquid watercolors
IKEA behandla oil
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner
Back