Community Brag Posts

Luggage Rack

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 10/19/2019 - 12:20

Turned out great! Problem with the plans: written instructions for legs say 35 degree angle but the diagram shows 40 degree angle. Which one should it be?

Finish Used
Used a white stain on legs and brown stain with dry brushed gray stain on top. Sealed with poly.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Farmhouse Bench

I LOVE how this bench turned out. I made it for my sister and her very large family. She paired it with an very old table that was found in the family "barn" and some chairs that she had purchased separate.
I have to say that I ADORE your site and plans!!! You are my hero.....and I want to build literally EVERYTHING on here!! Thanks SO Much :-)

Estimated Cost
90.00
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Bottom was painted black, and a classic gel stain applied to the top.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Faux Mantel with "Fire"

Submitted by Nikki4558 on Mon, 12/30/2013 - 08:46

I was tired of not having a place to hang the Christmas stockings. With no fireplace and no mantel in our 1960's ranch home, I decided to build one myself! It turned out to be one of the easiest projects I've done.

I had Home Depot cut all of the wood for me, so once I got home, I just had to nail it together. The actual building of the mantel took about an hour. Including the sanding, caulking, and painting, it took about four hours total. I also added a piece of faux brick paneling to the back of the mantel.

I made a "fire" using some river rocks and small limbs. I placed them in a circle and added string lights for the "fire" effect.

For more pictures, check out http://deepestoceanblue.com/diy-mantel-and-fake-fire/

Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Once finished, I filled all of the nail holes, caulked the seams, and sanded the entire piece. Then I finished it with two coats of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Pure White.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Hailey Platform Bed

Submitted by lmr3471 on Fri, 10/25/2019 - 07:25

My husband followed these user-friendly DIY platform bed plans and was able to build and finish our son's big boy bed in 2 days. We used poplar wood for the headboard and pine for the frame. We are so in love with the results! Thanks, Ana, for sharing these awesome plans with the world! 

Estimated Cost
250.00
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Rustoleum wood stain - dark walnut
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Storage Locker

My husband built this from your storage locker plans only complaint was the 1 1/4 screws werent long enough we had to go up to 1 1/2" but after that sucess! we decided to antique paint it, Im so in love with this peice, honest opinions accepted lol i know we each have our own style and im open to tips!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$140
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
2 different Valspar(lowes) paints and topped with a mocha glaze from them as well
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Mrzhammond (not verified)

Sun, 03/11/2012 - 13:44

first i sanded it so it would have a nice adhesion. I did a "ruff coat" of brown paint, i mean ruff! lol i painted on where it would have certainly needed 2/3 coats to fully cover, but made it was enough to make the dark brown i wanted, after that dried i again ruff painted a green (salamander to be exact) coat ,(you could still see the brown) i took the orbital sander and 220 grit sand paper to age the locker, i literally resanded the whole thing and worked it a littler harder where i have the "damaged" places. the best part is you really cant mess up!,after i finished the sanding i cleaned it so i was able to put a glaze on it to "age" the paint i bought mocha transparent glaze by valspar it was about $16 but only used 1/2 - 2/3 of the jar......another project stash of leftovers:). I glazed in sections With the glaze i brushed it on the whole side and before i moved on to the next piece i wiped it to prevent it becoming to "finished", on the insides i brushed the glaze on two pieces (say one wall and the bench of that locker) and wiped the first on then the other part and then moved on. Overall i was looking to make a piece that you would find at grandmas old farm house we are super happy with the out come honestly the pictures arent as good as it came out! Good luck and happy building:)

Rustic X Coffee and End Tables

I used some flashings from Lee Valley to make these rustic tables really pop. The corners and the big brad nails really make them pop! These are also STURDY pieces of furniture as the Monster Husband has stood on them both without a wobble.

Estimated Cost
200
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
I mixed Minwax Ebony, Dark Walnut and a lot of a white stain together and did 2 coats of that. The legs also got two coats of white milk paint which I sanded down between coats. I put 2 coats of polyacrylic on both pieces to finish.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

cristywisty

Wed, 09/23/2015 - 09:07

I know this post was awhile ago, but I am looking to create somthing similar.  Where were you able to find a white oil based stain?  I have called all of my local hardware stores and they all carry just water base?  Did you put the dark mix stains on then, go over with white water base stain?  Any clarification or assistance would be great!  Thanks.

Faux Fireplace with Storage

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 10/28/2019 - 16:33

Went with a black, high gloss finish which I sanded down with 220 grit sandpaper to soften the look. Cut up a birch tree from the backyard, back-lit the logs with two strands of orange Halloween lights from the dollar store (we drilled a hole in the bottom back for the plug for the lights).
Added a remote extender so we don't have to open the front middle door in order to operate our streaming devices.
Love to be able to decorate this for the holidays--can hardly wait for Christmas!

Estimated Cost
$250
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Black high gloss
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Potting Bench

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 07/11/2023 - 08:03

Had tons of fun making this potting bench from Ana used a few different boards but, overall had a great time

Built from Plan(s)

Playroom Couch

took the simple outdoor couch and brought it in.

Estimated Cost
$30 plus those blasted cushions....
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
just white.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Jen Joseph (not verified)

Sat, 03/10/2012 - 12:37

I'm also glad I'm not the only one. Its perfect for our kids when they drop stuff, it'll fall on the floor instead of the abyss with regular couches. Having a bit of a time finding easy bench cushion slipcover instructions to complete this though. I have 4" foam cut to fit but not sure if I should back it with ply, add batten on the top, etc. Any suggestions?

Double kitchen island with butcher block top

Submitted by bhoppy on Wed, 01/01/2014 - 11:58

I started on the project when I went home for Thanksgiving and finished up the drawers when I was home for Christmas. I live about 7 hours from my family. I took a few tools with me (kreg jig and drill) but borrowed a circular saw and miter saw for all the cuts. It was difficult working on it because it was fairly cold and my dad only has a carport. Which is why it took longer. My step-mom says she wants to paint it maybe with some milk paint. She also did not want the center shelf as she wanted a place for taller items.

The butcher block top was $299. It comes from lumber liquidators in 25" by 96". My dad had about 2 feet cut off the length. Ikea also sells butcher block tops for roughly half the price I think, but they were out of stock in both Atlanta and Charlotte.

I also made the small kitchen island before and this one went much more smoothly. Having the extra set of hands was awesome and made for a wonderful memory as I built it with my father:-)

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$400
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
None yet
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Ana White

Thu, 08/15/2019 - 12:14

This is amazing Stephanie!!!!  I can't believe I didn't see this sooner.  

We are going to feature your photo with the plans - thank you so much for sharing a brag post!  Hope you are well!

Industrial clean up cart pipe and wood

Submitted by jessieb on Sat, 03/19/2016 - 05:51

I'm calling this the "Clean Up Cart". You know how your kids toys always migrate into the living room? I wanted baskets I could toss them in and carry to their room at the end of the day. Then one day after walking back and forth across the house a million times cleaning toys up, I decided the baskets needed to live on a cart I could move around to the mess. So I envisioned this industrial pipe and wood cart. I used Ana and That's My Letter's Pipe and Wood bed to figure out how to make it happen. The key is using the splint ring pipe hanger to attach the wood. See that antique advertising sign? That design is from an antique soda bottle label from an old company that was down the street from where I grew up. I always loved the old soda bottling barn so when I found this label I had to come up with something to use it. This was the perfect chance. I followed picture to wood transfer instructions from the Graphics Fairy using the freezer paper method. The pipe comes from supply house dot com. I used: 2 – 1/2 “ by 14” black nipple 8 – 1/2” by 18” black nipple 8 – ½” black tee 2 – ½” black 90 degree elbow 6 – ½” black 90 degree street elbow 14 – 1/2 “ black split ring extension hanger Its a learning process figuring out how to screw it all together. Some things will unscrew as you screw others in. Basically, I started at one end and went around in a circle until I got back to my beginning. Install all of your split ring extension hangers before you try to attach your board. You wouldn't be able to get enough clearance between the pipes to attach an opposite side after you connect one. I cut the wood to size leaving about a 1/4" gap all around it clear the connectors. If your board isn't quite reaching a side, adjust your screw in your connector. The wood is scraps of pure bond plywood I had from another project. After the transfer was dried (about 24 hours) I sealed it with beeswax. I didn't use any stain. To do the antique ad transfer, I took a picture of the old soda bottle label laid flat. I reversed it in Microsoft paint. Then I printed it onto the waxy side of freezer paper. Then you just simply lay it ink side down onto your wood being careful not to move it at all once you place it (that would make it blurry). I used painters tape to hold it in place. Score the back of it to really get the ink in, I used a credit card. If you lightly wet the wood before it will take the ink better and make it darker. I was happy with the color without doing this in my test piece so I didn't. Wait a while for the ink to dry (I waited 24 hours) and then you could spray with poly or I used beeswax to seal it.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Miss Mustard Seed Bees wax. I sanded the project before I applying the wood transfer, let the ink dry for 24 hours and then gently applied bees wax.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Double Bench with Table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 07/15/2023 - 09:38

Made the double bench from DIY Pete. Curved top slats for the back rest for a little more style.

Neil Oldreive Nova Scotia Canada

Clip Art Rail

I wanted something to help balance the large-scale prints on my gigantic living room wall. Ana's clip art rail was the perfect solution, and makes it so easy to switch out photos! I used binder clips instead of laundry pins, securing them with a washer and screw. Not bad for five bucks!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$5
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
minwax polyshades stain in walnut
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Play vanity

Submitted by Theresa W on Thu, 01/02/2014 - 12:11

I wanted a little desk/vanity for my nearly 4 year old daughter so she could have easy access to her jewelry and hair ties. The dimensions of this were perfect. She has so many necklaces that I put together a $10 ledge with some hooks to hang many of them. The vanity was an easy build, the stool was much more difficult.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
White latex semi-gloss enamel
Sassy Violet semi-gloss latex
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

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