Community Brag Posts

Perfect classroom reading table!

Submitted by jendon on Sat, 08/20/2022 - 19:50

Dear Ana, I needed a reading table for my classroom and knew I enjoyed the look of Ana’s tables. I took the dining room table plans and edited the length, width, and hight for my classroom. I sanded, stained the wood before cutting. Then made the cuts as I went along double checking the measurements. I did use pocket holes and sanded the rough spots with a touchup on stain. I used 2-3 coats of 3x thick clear poly on the table with sanding in between with 300 grain sandpaper. Light enough to make it smooth with out taking the poly off. The stain was golden oak to match the coat/backpack rack I made next. Thank you so much Ana for the help in making something so beautiful!! Blessings, Jennifer

Comments

Bathroom Reading

Submitted by moemoore on Thu, 08/11/2011 - 03:01

We've had a cheapo over the toilet stand in our master bathroom for ages. Its a chrome job that was getting rusty and all it ever held were the magazines that my husband would place on it. I saw the Flat Bookholders plan, and realized that would be perfect.

Then I realized that in order to get my husband on board with my plan, I would have to paint it his team colors - UK Blue and White! (That would be University of Kentucky!)

I measured the wall next to our toilet - 18" was the max width I could do. Then I followed the directions for the small version of the Flat Bookholders, adjusting the width to 18".

Estimated Cost
< $20
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
I primed it, then used Glidden's paint to paint it. Used the white for most of it, then the blue for the trim and for the UK that I stenciled on the side (no pic of that yet). Then used poly to coat it all.

Hardest part was by far the stencil - I didn't practice using it before hand, and ended up having to do it 2 or 3 times.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Terra (not verified)

Thu, 08/11/2011 - 07:11

Love this! I also a huge Wildcat fan I am from KY as well! Great job looks awesome!

Modified 4 Kid Locker Cabinet

With all four kids going to full time school in September, we knew it we needed to tackle our mudroom and make it more organized, so this is what we chose as our first project.

We are always hesitant about following plans that come from the US because half the supplies are never available to us in Canada...or if they are, the prices are much higher. This project came in at about 30-50% higher than the US cost estimates.

Lowe's had almost everything we needed, with the exception of the bead board. They had outdoor bead board sheets, but not indoor. We had to use cottage panelling instead, but it looked just as good on the finished project, just took longer to install.

The project took three full week-end days, including the planning, shopping and of course, stopping to take care of and feed our four kids every now and again.

We modified the original plan to add a second shelf to the bottom space for shoes, plus we added an extra locker to make this a four-kid unit. (60 inches wide)

Estimated Cost
$225
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
One coat of primer and one coat of high end semi-gloss paint.

Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Bank

Submitted by Bunnie1978 on Tue, 10/27/2015 - 20:40

This is just a simple shadow box with a glass door... took only a couple hours to throw together.  The project itself isn't braggable... but the purpose is pretty cool if I do say so myself...  it is a bank for my son.  There is a slot in the top to put money in, and the door locks with a pad lock.  The orange book sitting on top of it is his bank register.  He gets money for completing his schoolwork on time and chores and his goal is to save $300.  When he does that I will give him the last $100 to buy an Xbox. 

Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Baby Doll Crib and High Chair

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 12/25/2018 - 20:06

Love getting to watch my daughter play with stuff that i made her.

Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Hanging queen swing

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 09/02/2022 - 06:03

I built 3/4 OD ply base on 4x4’s. Rope had 3/16 steel cable inside it attached to ceiling hardware for strength. Rest was 2x4 painted. Little overbuilt but it was my first.

Comments

Lego Table

My wife and I desired to have a place to put my son's Legos other than on the floor. We were quite tired of walking out of his room with lacerated feet. So, I designed a basic Lego table to accomodate our needs. The frame was very simple to make, and the top wasn't much harder. I stained the top with Minwax Dark Walnut stain and sealed it with 3 coats of Minwax wipe-on Poly. The frame has been painted white with a semi-gloss paint that was left over from the Clara Table I made for our children earlier this summer.

For storage, I got a little creative. We had several plastic bins from a storage unit we were moving out of the room (my wife and I have seen similar ones at Ikea and Target), so I snatched one of these and cut out a recess in the table in which the bin now sits.

I've seen many versions of tables that have the storage hidden, but this didn't make much sense to us since our son is constantly looking for various pieces. This way, he can dig through the bin without having to move anything on the table. It also allows for quick clean up at the end of the day.

I just saw a table (much smaller, and felt very cheap) at a local toy company for $150. Total cost for our project was about $32, $20 of which was for the birch ply. Not bad!!! Several friends have already requested tables of their own.

Material: 1, 2" x 4" x 8'; 2, 2" x 6" x 8"; 1 full sheet of 3/4" birch-veneer ply (I got the sheet at 60% off because it had some damage to one of its sides--but not a big deal since I only needed a 30" x 48" piece out of it!); 1, 3/4" x 4" x 8' piece of poplar for edging trim (ripped down to about 3/4" strips); about 25, 1 1/2" Kreg Pocket Hole Screws; wood glue; Minwax Walnut wood stain; Minwax wipe-on Poly.

Dimension can vary based upon personal preference, but our table top was 30" x 48", and the frame legs were 12" high. We wanted our children to be able to sit/kneel to work on the table (by the way, I've thought it might be a great table for putting together puzzles too!). The frame is not 30" x 48", though, because we wanted a bit of an overhang on the sides so that our children could get closer to the table.

If I get time here in the next week, I'll add this as an official Project Plan.

Blessings, and I hope you all enjoy!

JB

Estimated Cost
$30-$40
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Dark Walnut; Minwax wipe-on poly; semi-gloss white paint
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

rustic x console table

Submitted by raflis35 on Thu, 09/05/2013 - 20:29

Decided to create the rustic x console table to go along with the matching end tables. I modified the dimensions to fit behind my love seat and thankfully it fit perfectly!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
steel wool and vinegar
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

TV Stand

This project was made for my sons room! 

Estimated Cost
$85
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Special Walnut
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Rustic Bathroom Storage Self Dry Sink

Submitted by kwildman on Sat, 12/29/2018 - 05:47

No plan was used but I did use many techniques that I learned from this site.  I took features from several different plans.  I love how it turned out.  

Estimated Cost
30
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Dark walnut danish oil
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Queen Storage Bed

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 09/06/2022 - 09:06

This bed has 6 drawers, 2 on each side and 2 on foot. We used Ana White pattern for Farm bed head board and storage bed for rest, while incorporating her easy and no fuss, accurate, drawer slide method.

Comments

Center Upholstered Chestwick Inspired Headboard

Submitted by Thewaggy on Sat, 09/07/2013 - 16:51

This is inspired from the Chestwick upholstered headboard. One of my first larger projects. I applied the upholstery on an 1/2 inch thick plywood that is screwed into the frame order to allow us to change out the fabric as desired and added more trim around the upholstery.

Estimated Cost
80
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
I dragged black paint over a royal blue base and used semi-gloss finish.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

JoanneS

Sat, 09/07/2013 - 17:13

This headboard is gorgeous! The finish is AWESOME!! Love the idea of being able to change out the fabric too, very creative. You did a fabulous job!

Rustic x console

Submitted by A Carew on Tue, 11/10/2015 - 16:46

Fairly easy to build in a weekend.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$150
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Water, Ebony and dark walnut stain
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Now Germany has the Ana White Playhouse too

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 01/01/2019 - 02:00

Thanks for the Plans Ana. Though we had to convert every number the plans helped us a lot. Our playhouse turned out really big: 8x8 foot. We had to include our heater under the window, so our tunnel is much bigger. It took us (three people) a half day shopping and two days and one night building and cost 600-700€. The kids where amazed when they opened the door a few days after Christmas.  We still think about adding some features like a slight or a bed...

Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Chairs and bar for our patio

Please don't look at the mess!
I built few furnitures for our patio and I am very happy with the result.
I modified the plan of the chair to make a loveseat.
It was rather easy as construction. By making the bar, I made an error of measure for the tray, I had to begin again. I then transformed the too big tray into coffee table by adding feet.I have to sand and paint it.
Now I am going to put a little of order.

Estimated Cost
200 euros
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
2 coats of White acrylic paint for the chairs and the cart and purple acrylic paint with 2 coats of varnish for the tray.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Guest (not verified)

Wed, 03/07/2012 - 18:54

Did you reinforce love seat in any way or just double all the measurements ?? How sturdy is it. I already made chair. Can't find plans for loveseat

alamanda973

Sat, 03/10/2012 - 15:52

I only doubled all measurements of the chair but I used thicker boards. I used 27 mm boards instead of 19 mm for the structure. I didn't make other change. It's very sturdy and 2 adults can seat on it without problem. I am very happy with the result.
Other persons used the same wooden thickness as for chairs but I wanted to be sure that it would be sturdy.
Good luck!

Balustrade Coffee Table

Submitted by Pippa on Sun, 11/15/2015 - 11:39

This table was my first build. Once I learned how to use the Kreg Jig and my husband taught me how to use the table and miter saws, I have fallen in love with building furniture. Since building this table, I have built a twin bed, two farm tables, a bench, the kitchen island/rolling server table from Ana's book, and an awesome workbench with red racing wheels! This past weekend I finished my first custom order - an 8-foot Husky leg Farm table using Ana's plan. I now have orders for another balustrade coffee table and an end table using the matching legs from Osborne. THank you Ana! 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
less than $200
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
An experimental mix of Minwax and Rustoleum stains - gray with expresso and special walnut rub. Minwax poly in matte finish.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Rustic X Coffee table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 01/03/2019 - 17:45

These were my first Ana White pieces of furniture. I was so pleased at how fast they came together and how clear the instructions were. These were a Christmas present for my son and after taking a look at your website, he is full of enthusiasm to start building his own pieces. Thanks Ana.

Estimated Cost
$150 for both including stains
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Weathered grey stain over Walnut stain
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Ana White

Fri, 01/04/2019 - 13:29

This is such a beautiful first build!  I bet your son was delighted!  Can't wait to see more from you guys!  Thank you for using my plans and sharing a photo - it is much appreciated.  XO Ana