Community Brag Posts

Red Hen Home's Woven Back Bench

I fell in love with this bench the moment I saw it, and convinced a friend to let me build it for her! I used 2" brads and glue to hold the woven pieces together. I found it necessary to add a center support under the bench seat to keep it from "creaking." I also used 2" brads to hold the seat slats on; although the instructions say to use 2" screws, *I* certainly don't see how that's possible with the 2x4 supports on their sides underneath! It was a fun build. More info and pictures on my blog.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
40
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Dark Walnut, followed by Rustoleum Spar Urethane (water-based)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Truss End Table

My husband and I built these end tables together. The construction took about 3 hours.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Special Walnut 224 stain
and Polycryllic
We only used these because the stain matched the table I built. The off-gassing takes a little too long for me (because I am chemical sensitive). I have used Saman products for other projects and liked them much better.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Side street bunk beds

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 06/23/2017 - 20:02

We just finished 2 sets of bunk beds using the side street bunk bed plans. The end result was gorgeous. We stained these in min wax classic gray. We also countersunk the bed slats on top and bottom.

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Yellow pine and spruce. We stained the bed with min wax classic gray.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Kitchen islan

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 10/02/2021 - 17:14

Used several plans to put this on together. Individual wood slats to build siding. 36”h. 32” d 72”l.

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Our Little Girls Dream Dress Up Spot

Submitted by lausenfam on Sun, 05/05/2013 - 18:46

This was a last minute, first completed, wood project right before Christmas! I wasn't sure about my own skills and if I would complete it in time, but behold it only took 3 evenings (spare time) to complete! This was really simple and gave me time to learn what I was truly capable of and any areas I could improve upon. We finished it and on Christmas morning our little girls, 2 and 3 years old, got their very own princess dress up area. I'm excited for those two girls to make the best sister memories together. Thank you so much for the plans!

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
I followed all the instructions given and added in our own touch for the upper design. We chose girl colors that would look good in any room. I'm new to sanding, but if it you think its ok, do it a little more, that helped me.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Stacy Daybed

Submitted by Dave1344 on Wed, 03/25/2015 - 14:52

My daughter needed a new bed and I needed a project, so we headed to ana-white.com to find a plan that filled both of our needs.  We settled on the Stacy Daybed and got to work.

I followed the plans pretty much on par, but made a few minor changes to make it easier to take apart and put back together. You can also see that I added width to the legs in front, allowing the weight of the sleeper to set on the legs instead of being supported solely by the furniture bolts and metal thread inserts I used to hold it together.  I duplicated this in back to keep the design balanced.

This project was fun and challenging and the plans were very easy to follow as well as modify to my needs. 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Dutch Boy Antique White. I used a 4 inch roller for the frame and flat parts, but needed to brush on all the angles. It was time consuming, but turned out really nice.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

5-Tier Wood Planter

This plan was easy to follow, accurate and came together in just a few hours. I used some reclaimed barn wood for the 2x6s and dog-ear pickets for the remainder.

I made it harder for myself than it had to be. I didn't follow the directions closely enough and cut the box ends at 5 1/2" instead of 5 1/4". That meant that the bottoms had nothing to press-fit against. So, I had to do a little workaround to fix that. I made a 1" shelf at each end of each box so that the bottom could sit on these little shelves. The upside to this mistake is that there was now a drainage slot all along the front and all along the back of each planter box. 

I stained and sealed it. Finally, I lined each planter box with weed matting that I'd cut to size and cut drain slits in. The matting doubles as a way to keep the planting mix from falling out of the long drainage slots while allowing water to drain through the little slits I poked in the fabric. (I poked drain slits only along the front edge so that water would drain into the planter box below instead of onto the ground.)

I'm happy with the plan and the finished planter!

Estimated Cost
$35
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
One coat of Cabots Premium Stain and Sealer in Gingersnap. One coat of Minwax Helmsman Spar Urethane.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Work Table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 10/04/2021 - 12:37

I started with a table bought at Harbor Freight and added the lift off front door, lower wood rack, and added wheels. It has worked so great for me.

Comments

Triple Pedestal Farmhouse Bench

Submitted by mamienoel on Tue, 05/07/2013 - 14:14

Well I told my sister that I bought a saw and some tools and I was going to attempt to build my own dining room bench... being the snarky "younger" sister that she is, she suggested I start with a cutting board instead. :)
But hey... go big or go home I figured, so I tackled my first ever carpentry project: the Triple Pedestal Bench from Ana's plans!
I attempted to cut down the measurements for the top from 106" (in the plans) down to 70" (to fit my table) BUT I screwed up my measurements (I suck at math...shocker!) and ended up with an 86" long beautiful beast of a bench
somehow... so beginners mistake! At least now I have some practice under my belt for when I have the time to tackle this project again and start over and make a new one that actually fits my dining table...
And while it's far from perfect, I absolutely love it... it turned out better than I had hoped and I still have all my fingers and limbs attached! Thank you God !:)

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$50
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Finish is a combination of 3 parts "Dark Walnut" stain to 1 part "Weathered Gray" stain... brushed on and immediately wiped off...
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Farmhouse King Bed

Submitted by J_hebert on Sat, 03/28/2015 - 20:22

We finally built the #1 Project on my to do list. Took about 3 Days total with finishing and all. Love it so much, defintately my fave project to date! Have to do nightstands next!

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
One Coat Minwax weathered oak ( Canadians can find it at Rona) One coat Special Walnut
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

one wall project

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 06/29/2017 - 08:54

 My kitchen is huge but has little counter space since I pulled out two oversized peninsula(6'x3') island things in my kitchen that had no storage. I also found out there was an outlet behind each one. The only outlet on the wall I am showing was covered. I was relieved to find it. I decided to build the Farmhouse Kitchen Island & Bar Plans and put a few shelves over it for coffee and tea. I made one drawer and one flip down drawer face. I put a large bowl in the cabinet below the drawer to catch coffee grounds. I alos made the cabinet 4 feet instead of 6 due to the space. I also trimmed a 1x3 down to cover the bottom foot plate so stuff doens't collect under it. I also added wheels so I can move it out if we have a lot of company for extra seating. The drawer faces are recycled barn wood from my sisters property. They are clearing out what was a 100+ year old barn that had fallen over. The shelves are from the same wood (I used bronze spray paint to paint the brakets on the shelves). I sanded it down just enough to get the splinters off. I used 4x4's for the bar side and bought a pre-made butcher block from Menards for the top. I stained it with carrignton stain from rustoleum except the barn wood I just clear coated. Oh, I added 12 in drawer slides to the drawer. The mail sorter plan is from http://www.shanty-2-chic.com/2016/02/rustic-chalkboard-mail-organizer.h… I made it bigger to fit the space. The organizer took a day the shelves to a couple hours and the Island took a week off and on. The secretary is an antique passed down to me along with the chair. I am planning on making the full size Island later on, with a few adaptations.

Estimated Cost
5-6 hundred

Butcher block was $80, wood was around $350 and hardware was another $50-60.
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Carrignton stain from Rustoleum, clear coat, Bronze spray paint, Butcher block oil
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Modern Deck Chairs and Loveseat

Submitted by c.winks on Mon, 10/04/2021 - 12:59

Love, love, love your projects and plans! I have made 3 of the Modern Outdoor Chairs so far, as well as the Modern Outdoor Loveseat and they are amazing. I purchased both the seat and back cushions for my chairs before realizing that the back cushion had nothing to lean against, so I modified the design and gave the chairs alittle more personality. Keep those plans coming, I can't wait to try more.

Comments

Lee and Beth's Simple Nightstands

Submitted by community-cont… on Fri, 02/25/2011 - 10:39

we’re back with another furniture project. This time we built the Simplest Nightstand. Actually, we had enough lumber that we were able to build two of them! It was a little more difficult than the coffee table and side table, but still wasn’t bad once Lee figured it out. The hardest part was getting the drawer to fit right. The first one Lee built, he didn’t get the drawer bottom square, but the second time around went much smoother. The first time, he cut all of the pieces out at once, but the second time, he cut and fit each piece separately. This proved to be very helpful. For the side pieces, we used plybead instead of plywood, and nailed trim pieces underneath the table top. Also, instead of using two separate pieces on the table top, we used the top off of an old tv tray that we weren’t using anymore. It was the perfect fit, and looks really good! Both tables cost us 50 dollars and took about 6 hours to build both of them. The first table took 4 hours to build, but the second one only took 2! We absolutely love your easy to use plans, and can’t wait to try another one! There’s so many great plans to choose from, we’re not sure what to try next!!

We love our new tables, thanks again for another great plan! We’ll be back!

Read more about Lee and Beth's Projects.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$25 Per Nightstand
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Bookshelf/Wall Seperator

I made this for a friend who needed some separation of 2 rooms. It works well as a see through wall/storage. I seen a photo of this and made it to the specs of that. It is 65" x 31.5" x 11 1/4". It turned out really well and very sturdy. The boxes are 12"x20". Bottom shelf is 7" from the bottom. I used all shelving wood which I would change now if I knew how much it chipped away and how heavy it is.

Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Mostly Kreg jig the project and painting before assembly would have been a better choice looking back.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Farmhouse Table Complete!!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 07/01/2017 - 20:10

I've very happy with the results of my "Fancy X Farmhouse Table" project.  I modified the dimensions to fit our space; this meant making the table thinner and re-sizing the "X's" proportionally.  Also, for trimming the edges of the "X's", I came up with a combination of base board pieces at the end of the 2x4's.  I hadn't used wood stain in over 20 years because I had gotten such blotchy results.  This project reintroduced me to stain and I'm glad it did.  Turns out, the secret is proper sanding AND the use of a "pre-stain" product that sets up the wood for good(even) absorption.  Polyurethane was used as a sealant, while the base frame got white semi-gloss.  Cheers, good luck on all your projects!

-Robert
 Bellingham, WA

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$125
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Pre-Stain, Minwax "Early American" Wood Stain(2 coats), Minwax Polyurethane(2 coats)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Planters

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 10/04/2021 - 13:22

Cedar planter boxes made largely from fence pickets.

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Modified Apothecary Media Unit

We started this project when Young House Love agreed that I should paint the old, dated brick wall. Then we bought new couches. Then we needed a TV stand, and a coffee table to match.

This started out a project for me. I was in love with those 16 little drawers. My husband .. not so much. I saw a way to secure all my stuff from my soon to be crawling little one. Hubs saw 16 little blocks. So, after it was all done, we tore off the drawer faces, and started over.

I decided to not to do the doors. I was too worried about baby smashing her fingers, or me tripping over them and breaking the hinges, so we went with bins. They have a metal frame for durability, but are wrapped in a durable canvas to make them safe for baby. They’re a perfect fit for the center, and the feet side effortlessly across the paint. (There’s no polyurethane on mine yet!)

Extra Info:
The smaller baskets are from Target. ($12 for both)
The large baskets are from the Container Store. ($20 each)
Lumber was from Lowes of Streetboro, OH. (About $80)

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$100, w/o accessories
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
The blue paint is Olympic's Lava Grey ($16 @ Lowe's)
The stain: "mistint" Autumn Harvest (.49 cents @ Lowe's!)
The knobs are from Ikea (Elizabeth, NY). ($17)
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Kid's country bench

This was my first building project from scratch! I have modified some thrift store finds, but this was the first from lumber. I learned to countersink! I was amazed at how easy this was, and I'm so excited that this bench will sit by our front door for my three boys to perch on when they put on or take off their shoes. I went with 3 cubbies to hold three pairs of shoes. It also works great for a couple of kids to sit on at the table for when we have guests and need some spare seating.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$30
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Oak stain (one coat) and polyurethane (2 coats).
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Rustic entertainment center

Built for a bike shop. 90L x 20D x36H

Estimated Cost
200
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Provincial
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Entertainment Console with Barn Doors

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 07/04/2017 - 12:03

This was an easy project. It turned out great. I made my own hardware from using the video on Shanty 2 Chic website. That's for posting the plans. 

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Classic Grey stain and Dark walnut stain
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate