Community Brag Posts

Beach Shack

Submitted by jvuijk on Fri, 06/27/2014 - 19:28

Customized version of the clubhouse bed that is so popular! We went the extra mile on the finishing touches to ensure an awesome bed for our little guy! We made the bed taller for more space underneath and polished up the finished product to create a higher end look. Care was taken to precisely sand all areas of the bed for a smooth finish and polished look. All pocket-holes are filled with plugs and sanded smooth on the inside of the bed for an overall finished product. No shortcuts taken! We went the extra mile and painted the carriage bolts so they would blend in with the whitewash finish and also recessed the nut on the back of the legs for safety and added a cap so they are not visible. Top of the bed, above the door, is filled in and a custom ladder finishes off the look. We went with smaller lumber to build the ladder and it is perfect!! We are over the moon with this project and will be building more items as fast as we can. Also, the sign, under-bed shelves, and industrial shelves were built by my husband. He did an epic job creating this room!! We used better grade wood and spent a lot of time sanding to ensure a great bed in the end. We also went with a Benjamin Moore stain that was a little more expensive and took the time to finish the slats under the bed.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$400
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Benjamin Moore exterior semi-transparent stain.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

jeawels

Mon, 02/22/2016 - 07:38

I love this bed! I was looking at the BM site and was wondering what exact stain did you use? there are 5 different opacities & I want to make sure I get the right one.  Thanks!! 

Fun

Submitted by Kelbs on Wed, 09/28/2016 - 21:17

This project was so much fun. I had to make adjustments for the size of my systems, but it was well worth it. I will be adding the doors later after our baby is old enough to crawl. Thank you so much for sharing this project!

Estimated Cost
125
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Paint and sealer
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Eric's Cedar Shed!!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 07/06/2020 - 21:35

Thank you for the plans, shed turned out great! My association required me to match the siding color, roof color, and anchor to a concrete slab. So I poured 25 bags of 80lbs concrete to make a 9x5 slab. Redid the plans for an 8x4 shed, built the frame with 2x4s and not 2x2's, installed flashing, ice/water shield + felt + matching shingles since I'm near Chicago, and used a flexio finishing sprayer to paint the shed. Saved some $ by using 2 Redwood Grain Fiber siding panels for $22 each at HD.

All in all very happy with my shed and all my dangerous yard tools and woodworking tools can be put away from my toddler.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
400
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Behr Premium Plus exterior paint
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Farmhouse table with fancy legs

Submitted by KellyRyan on Mon, 09/03/2012 - 13:47

I started looking for a farmhouse table months ago at antique stores and on Craig's list but never could find exactly what I was looking for at a reasonable price. A friend had pinned an Ana White plan on pinterest. I sent my boyfriend a link to the plans for the fancy farmhouse table and he decided to build it for my birthday!!! It took him a few afternoons and turned out exactly how I wanted it. It was fun to build and not too hard. We shorten the length to 6.5feet to fit in the dining room. I used Minwax dark walnut 2716 as the finish. I topped it with two coats of poly. It fits perfect and looks amazing!

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax prestain, then Dark Walnut and poly. Two coats of the stain and poly.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

DIY Garden Box with Trellis

Submitted by JenFarrell on Mon, 06/30/2014 - 07:13

We wanted a small garden to fit on the back patio stones and this plan fit well. We reduced the height because we have 3 small children to "help" water the plants. The trellis was hoping that we could extend the amount of produce we could grow. They're very heavy, sturdy and straightforward to build. Thanks very much!!

Estimated Cost
$120
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Covid X Desk

X style desk with 2 shelves. Painted antique white with expresso stained top.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
50
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Varathane Expresso for the top. Antique white for the base.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Farm House Table

Submitted by SamVT on Tue, 09/04/2012 - 21:17

I Got my inspiration from ana's website here. I have a 200+ year old house and I just redid the dining room so I figured now would be the time to make a table for it. I did not use standard pine lumber, this was done all in Vermont walnut that was cut about 4 miles from my house and milled on site. I like to keep a stock pile of local lumber (mostly red oak and walnut when it pops up). My only advice if you are working with rough cut lumber is to invest in a good planer and joiner (I know easier said than done). If anyone would like the exact plans I used I would be happy to send them to you.

Estimated Cost
300-400$
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Poly
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Home is Where the Shelves Are

I built five of these bookshelves for my living room. I wanted them to fill the one wall, so I just divided the length of the wall by five to determine how wide to make each shelf. Also, because I was building several to be pushed together, I didn't want the bulk of 2 by SPF, so I used laminated pine shelving. Two eight foot boards were needed for each shelf, and that left very little waste. I love how they turned out. I blogged more about them (including dimensions) here http://skonkers.blogspot.ca/2014/07/home-is-where-shelves-are.html

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
I primed, then painted with CIL Artesian White
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Cedar Pub chairs

These turned out AMAZING, for more minor details see my blog Link.  But in a nutshell i needed some chairs for a pub table i built and these plans worked like a charm!

I did use PT lumber for the frames, as these are meant for my patio, so i had to use stainless steel hardware which is a bit pricy, but well worth it unless you want to fall on your butt in 2 years when the normal screws corrode away. Modern PT wood is no joke on hardware!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$150 for 4
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Exterior semi gloss
Natural tone stain
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Farmhouse Console Table

Submitted by boneill on Thu, 07/09/2020 - 04:20

16.5” depth, 60” length , 30” height. White Satin frame , Early American Minwax Stained Top/3 coats poly satin clear coat .

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$45.00
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax early American , Minwax poly quick dry satin . Satin white paint
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Wedding Bench Guestbook

Submitted by MrsGig on Fri, 09/07/2012 - 14:53

I really loved what brookifer86 did with the Rustic Bench plans here: http://ana-white.com/2011/03/rustic-bench-wedding-guestbook. When my daughter got engaged last fall, I knew that this would be a great wedding gift for the new couple.

It was helpful to read several times through her posts and followups. It took longer to come up with the name design than it did to build the bench, so give yourself plenty of lead time on this part. I was able to create the graphic in PowerPoint and enlarge it on my computer screen so that I could tape paper on the monitor and lightly trace the design for transfer to the bench. My husband suggested the addition of a princess crown over our daughter's name just for fun.

Thanks for the tip to use paint pens instead of markers. I made a sign at the reception with spare paper to alert people to shake the pens and give them a spot to test before writing on the bench.

I am doing a test with a spare painted board and the pens to make sure the application of the poly finish does not smear the signatures before sealing the signed bench.

Many thanks for the idea, Brooke, and thanks to Ana for the great bench plan!

Estimated Cost
$50 including wood, paint, and paint pens
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
White exterior paint - satin finish
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

brookifer86

Sat, 09/08/2012 - 14:26

Oh my goodness, it looks so good! I'm so happy that someone else gets this awesome bench to look at forever ;) I know we totally love ours and it's one of my favorite builds in the house. Definitely test your finish, though, because I used ModPodge (horrible idea) and it's already yellowed in spots :( I'm hoping to figure out some way to salvage it and refinish the poly coat

MrsGig

Sun, 09/09/2012 - 16:32

Brooke, one of the comments on your posting from the person that used brown permanent markers and then had problems with the poly coat smearing gives me pause for caution. Too bad about the ModPodge yellowing. Everything that I have read so far does not indicate yellowing as a problem with it.

Don't feel bad, even the Minwax Polycrylic website for that product states "Because slight ambering may occur, spot test on an inconspicuous area and let dry to ensure satisfactory results." Because of that, I am leery about using it for my white painted bench.

I am testing Rust-Oleum’s Painter’s Touch Ultra Cover 2x Clear - initial results shows it going on clear and not smearing the signatures.

maharg1231

Sat, 02/16/2013 - 16:55

What a great idea! My niece is getting married in July and I think I might do this for her. I was just curious what your results were with the Rust-Oleum clear coat? Or if you found something that didn't end up yellowing?

Smaller Farmhouse Table and Bench

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 10/10/2016 - 17:46

We loved the look of the farmhouse table, and I actually helped a friend build an even bigger version for his house a couple years ago. But we needed a smaller version for our new house. So with some minor alterations, we got an awesome table and bench that fits our space. The whole thing was about 150 for hardware and lumber and finish. 

Estimated Cost
150
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Tops are a red mahogany stain, a light coat of rub on poly, followed by several coats of trewax clear paste wax.
The bases are whitewashed, distressed and stained, light poly, and trewax clear paste wax.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Kentwood Bookcase With a Twist

Submitted by smckj on Fri, 07/10/2020 - 09:58

I really love to use old fence pickets to give projects a feeling of old meets new and I also enjoy using differnet stains next to each other. I used these great plans and then stained fence pickets pieces(ripped to 1 7/8" ) next to each other for the back and top. I am really happy with how it turned out.

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Outdoor Summer Chairs

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 05/21/2024 - 11:20

I chose to use your plans for the "Modern Outdoor Chair from 2x4s and 2x6s" and it turned out great on our front porch! Now we have a new place to chill in our chairs among our plants in the shade on summer days!

David Herrin

Cottage - Mini kitchen

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 10/13/2016 - 12:04

We needed a mini kitchen for our guest cottage and the Grandy console was the perfect fit.  I adjusted the shelf height to fit a mini fridge and microwave.  Love it!

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Base is just a basic white furniture paint

Top is distressed to look like driftwood - 1 coat Minwax Dark Walnut, 1 coat Minwax Classic Grey, 1 coat Minwax pickling wash, 2 coats polyurethane

The barn door is made with tongue & groove cedar with the rough side out and washed with Eco Wood Treatment to look like aged barn wood
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner
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