Community Brag Posts

HB's Armoire

Submitted by ccessna on Wed, 12/26/2012 - 12:24

Armoire for 18 inch doll. Constructed using Ana White guide, with small alterations to doors. Stars were not cut, instead small wooden knobs were used. Two stars were painted pink and attached to the doors, to give the American Girl feel. The doors were difficult to keep shut, and an attachment was installed at the bottome of the doors to aid in keeping them closed. For any future builds, we will scale down the size of the armoire. It is quite large for an 18 inch doll.

Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Hall Tree - 1st Wedding Anniversary Gift

Submitted by Smokeydog on Tue, 10/07/2014 - 08:09

I combined Mimi's Hall Tree with the Alexia Bench for this project.  It really turned out great. My son and his wife love it. It also made me feel pretty good that I built something for them that hopefully will be passed down to future generations. 

Estimated Cost
300.00
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Satin spray paint.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Toddler Farmhouse/Platform Bed

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 01/19/2017 - 09:54

Our 18 month old was constantly climbing out of her crib so we got a cheap toddler bed and tried it out. She liked to go under the bed and almost always got one of her legs stuck between the slats on the under side of the matress. 

I decided to build a bed and found Anna White's Toddler Farmhouse bed plans. We modified the plans ever so slightly to make it a platform style to address our original issue.

For the stain, we used 1 coat of steel wool and white vinegar that sat for 24 hours and prepped the wood with 3 bags of black tea steeped in boiling water for 10 minutes. The color was exactly what we were looking for.

This is my first project and there was a good amount of learning involved but it turned out amazing!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$35
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
White Vinegar and Steel Wool - 24 hour soaking time - 1 Coat
Large Mason Jar of Black Tea - Steeped for 10 minutes in boiling water, 3 bags - 2 Coats
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Rustic Hall Tree - just the right size!

Submitted by laurawelsh on Tue, 10/06/2020 - 15:53

Using Ana's Rustic X Hall tree - I modified the size to fit this small space in the cottage in my backyard. It was impossible to find something to fit this space -- and this is one of my first indoor projects; I am a beginner. It was so much fun building! I used pine from a big box store mostly but opted for Bead board for the backing to achieve a farmhouse type look. My daughter lives in the cottage and loves it!! Thanks Ana for the sweet plans!!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
150
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
White Chalk Paint; Espresso Stain for the seat.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Farmhouse Bedside table

Submitted by jleach on Sat, 12/29/2012 - 06:34

Wanted to build nightstands for our bedroom after tackling the farmhouse table plans. Followed the plans for the farmhouse bedside table. The build went really well. These were the first drawers I have made and they work great. I first tried to stain them using the vinegar and steel wool method which worked great on my trial piece. Then when applied to the nightstands...nothing. We ended up using Minwax grey. I was a scary color to start with but couldn't be happier with the results. People are loving the different color and still being able to see the grain.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
roughly 75 dollars for the two nightstands
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax grey stain. I put the stain on pretty heavy and let it soak in a good 20 min. before wiping. I wanted more grey than the pine color showing through. I then applied 3 coats of Minwax satin poly.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Little Cottage Loft bed

Submitted by banderson9 on Sat, 10/11/2014 - 18:09

Built for my three year old and she LOVES it, Took a while to build but great plans!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$300
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Farmhouse King

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 01/22/2017 - 19:25

This was my first build this large and turned out great!  Thanks to the DIY plans provided here.  Thank you so much for such a great place!

We did make the foot board about 12 inches taller as we prefer a taller foot board.

Estimated Cost
$200
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Primer and then black paint
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Farmhouse end table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 10/10/2020 - 19:10

Loves making this!

Finish Used
Varathane carbon gray

Comments

Spotlight / X Desk with Drawers

Submitted by Francoise on Mon, 12/31/2012 - 06:56

Strong, sturdy desk. Dressed ash for the body and a pine project panel for the top at my husband's request. I really enjoyed building this and learned a lot (meaning I also messed up a lot).

I used dressed ash for the legs and drawer front and discovered the difference between nailing in softwoods such as pine and hardwoods such as ash. I was using a nail set to get the nails flush. I ended up making holes when the nail set bounced off the nails (see picture). I learned that if the nailing was going too well, that was because the nail set was making a hole in the wood.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
General® Water-Based Dye Stains, Cinnamon for the legs & Shellac for top
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Rustic X Coffee Table

Submitted by mchunt25 on Wed, 10/15/2014 - 07:17

This was a great project for me. I am a beginner and building a coffee table this nice seemed too difficult. Fortunately, it turned out better than I expected. The biggest difficulty for me was putting in the 1x12's on the bottom. That was really my fault because I didn't square up the sides properly. Rookie mistake and lesson learned. 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
2 Coats of Stain
2 Coats of Light Blue Paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Channing bookcase

Submitted by wsixnive on Tue, 01/24/2017 - 19:00

I made those for the christmas present of my hoby.

Followed Ana's plan exeactly same and it worked well for my need.

Thank you, Ana!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$120~140 each.
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Minwax doark walnut and chestnut
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Texas Bench

Submitted by MrG915 on Thu, 10/15/2020 - 18:09

Saw this was done by modifying the Woven Back Bench so I decided to give it a go. Added center 2x4 for support under the 1x4 slats. To make this bench modified the woven back bench shopping list to the following.

2-2x4 Studs
3-2x2x8
2-1x4x8
1-1x2x8
1-1x3x8
1-1x16x6 edge glue board.

Cut list was modified:

4-2x2 @ 16”
3-2x4@16”
2-2x4@37”
3-2x2@37”
2-1x3@19 1/4”
1-1x16@32”

All other instructions were followed from the woven back bench.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
100
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Mahogany Timber Oil transparent
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Updated Tryde Coffee Table with shelf

Submitted by kaylaevans on Tue, 01/01/2013 - 17:50

I made the table from the original plans and then just added a shelf on bottom to put my baskets on!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
50
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
I stained the top and painted legs and bottom shelf white
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Daughter's Bedroom Bookcase

Submitted by kristyzed on Sun, 10/19/2014 - 09:57

I followed the instructions except for the plywood backing, which I left out.  This was a fairly simple build.  I love the finished product and it fits perfectly in my daughter's room, providing tons of storage space for books, dolls, picture frames, etc.  

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$130 not including primer or paint which I had on hand.
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
I used Zinser 1-2-3 primer and 2 coats of HD's Para furniture paint in Cloud White.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Coffee Table with X

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 01/27/2017 - 11:01

This was my FIRST DIY piece of furniture and I am thrilled with the outcome!

Since I am not really one to go for the rustic cottage look I wanted this DIY coffee table to have a bit more of a modern feel. I chose a grey gel stain to do the job. It gave the table a thicker stain but I am still able to see some of the wood grain beneath it.

Ana White has the best tutorials & free plans to get a crafter to switch to the dark side and become a DIYer! 

I did a full blog post on my progress throughout with a lot more pictures.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$50

For Materials I didn’t want to spend too much on a first attempt build. Thankfully we had some extra fence boards for the top enough 2×4’s hanging out in the garage so I only had to buy 2×2’s, the bottom board for the table, Screws, Stain & Polyurethane.

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Varathane Gel Stain in Weathered Grey
Non Yellowing Poly, three coats as I have two boys that are eager to play on this thing!
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Camp Loft Bed with Stairs

Used the Camp Loft Bed with Stairs plans but put the extra heights on the legs. The girls love it

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Let my daughter pick the colors.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

FARMHOUSE TABLE

Made this table over the long New Years Eve weekend. Whole lot cheaper than the table from Pottery Barn.

Estimated Cost
$150
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Watco Danish Oil in Medium Walnut we put on three coats after using Minwax pre-stain conditioner. We haven't decided whether or not we'll put on a polyurethane yet.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner