Community Brag Posts

Rolling storage cart as a laundry caddy

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 10/27/2020 - 21:30

I needed a laundry caddy that fit in a tight spot in my small laundry room. I adjusted the dimensions of the rolling storage cart, and it works great!

Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Chalkboard Shelf From Scraps

Submitted by miki0225 on Sat, 01/05/2013 - 21:22

This was SUPER easy and I love it. My daughter wants one now so digging through my scraps is what I will be doing tomorrow. Thanks Ana!

Estimated Cost
6
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Homemade chalkboard paint
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

4x4 truss beam table

Submitted by Moody on Tue, 10/28/2014 - 05:33

This table was so much fun to make. I couldn't use an 8 foot table so this is 5 ft. My table top has some blemishes that I could have tried to fix but at the time I just wanted to see it done. I think using better than big box store wood would have been a great start. The table is so sturdy. The bench was harder though because it had a wobble that just wouldn't be fixed. 

 

I used pine for the top and Douglas fir for the legs. I used minwax wood conditioner, minwax early american stain, then minwax red oak stain for a couple of minutes then wiped off. Then topped with 4 coats of poly. 

Estimated Cost
$150
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax early american and red oak. Semi-gloss polyurethane.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Rekourt Dining Table and Benches

Submitted by T.R. on Mon, 02/06/2017 - 06:29

Built this table from Ana-White plans and the benches from Rouge Engineer plans.  Fun build and looks great.  Easy to customize to fit your dining space.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$150-$200
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Varathane charcoal gray on the base and Minwax Classical grey on the top with poly acrylic top coats.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Full Farmhouse Bed

Yes, the plan used was the Toddler Farmhouse Bed. Just make sure to use the dimension for a full size mattress, do the math, and create your buy list accordingly. I did make some minor changes to accommodate the larger size, more weight, and a heavier person. For the Head and foot boards, I used the 1 x 2 to frame, but used 2 x 2 on the outer leg for additional support. I also used 2 x 2 's to create the internal supports for the frame along with the 2 center support legs. This bed was built to be used with a box spring instead of a platform type.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$165
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
White Chalk Paint with a Matt Finish clear Poly top coat
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Easy ottoman

Submitted by RyansMama on Mon, 01/07/2013 - 19:30

What a great easy project. The wood was really inexpensive. The only pricey part was the fabric.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$15 (without fabric and foam)
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Family command center

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 02/08/2017 - 18:37

Used the bathroom organizer plans from the knock off pottery look! LOVE how it turned out :-)

Estimated Cost
$50
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Early American by miniwax. Sealed with a coat of poly in satin finish.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

Living Room Console

My first project completion based on Ana White plans

Estimated Cost
300
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Two Coats of Primer, 2 coats of white Satin paint. Top Shelf is stained with "Early American Oak" followed by x2 layers of Polycrylic for more resistance
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

18 Inch Doll Bed

Submitted by dfalconf57 on Wed, 01/09/2013 - 09:03

Santa was bringing my granddaughter an American Girl doll for Christmas and I knew she would need a bed. So I went to my favorite website in search of plans for a doll bed and found this one in Ana's catalog. I thoroughly enjoy creating projects like these and loved that I had enough scrap material around the house to sew some bedding for it as well. Thank you Ana for your inspiration and helping to make my granddaughter's American Girl comfortable!

Estimated Cost
$10
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
I sanded, primed, and used a semi-gloss paint on this project. I did not fill in the screw/nail holes as I was in a rush to get the project done in time for Christmas!
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

First Project!

Submitted by Kory on Mon, 11/03/2014 - 21:10

Easy starter project that has gotten me hooked on this site. Wish I could go back and re build it with pocket holes. Changed the farmhouse bench dimensions to fit with the table.

Estimated Cost
$200 first project always costs the most as you get new tools
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Early American
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

DIY Rustic Bathroom Vanity

I really like vessel sink vanities, so I did some research and found a couple of DIY projects I liked on Pinterest. I showed them to my husband and after telling him that I wanted a hybrid of about 3 vanities I liked he came up with the vanity that we (we as in he) built :)

Estimated Cost
Roughly $100 for the wood.
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Stained and varnished
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Farmhouse Bedside Table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 11/07/2020 - 19:42

Add shelf between top and drawer. Also added wireless charging to the top.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Varathane Antique Aqua followed by Antique White.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Farmhouse bed with storage! Carved, bowed and beautiful!

Submitted by geophyrd on Thu, 01/10/2013 - 17:40

I built the Farmhouse bed with storage but departed from Ana's design a bit. I built the legs from 4" red oak, the boxes are painted plywood. The crowns on the head and footboard are also red oak. I have a Carvewright and used it to detail the bed pretty thoroughly...and topped it off with a temperpedic mattress. ROCK solid and looks great! Also, put LED lights behind the headboard insert that shines around its sides.

All in, great project, took me around 3 months to complete!

Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Gel stain, high gloss poly
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Dresser/Toddler Changing Table

Submitted by milleall on Thu, 11/06/2014 - 10:52

My 15 month old needed a new dresser and a place to put his changing pad as he outgrew the changing table with rails but still fits on the pad itself. I stained the drawers dark to match his existing crib. I used plywood for the drawer faces and attached 3/4 inch square poplar as pulls. I wanted an integrated look and the bonus is that my son has a harder time getting a good hold to open the drawers. I used the plans for the three drawer dresser but omitted the face frame because I wanted to cut costs (I used poplar not pine or else it would not have added much). I just made the plywood wider and I added some stabilizing pieces in the back.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
125
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
White paint, Kona stain, and semi gloss polycrylic
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Little Kids picnic table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 02/13/2017 - 08:49

I made one fairly major change. When I was buying the boards, I noticed the store sold a panel of joined wood that was just a bit bigger than the final table top was going to be for just a couple dollars more.  My kiddo likes to write and color, so I figured a smooth-topped table might make sense.  I could have cut down the panel, but as it was only a few inches bigger (36x20x1) I modified the design a little bit instead and just made the cross beams a little longer.  My only concern is that the large panel won't drain water as well as the the four boards in the original design, so after I painted the stencil (I got a die cut machine for Christmas, so suddenly everything needs a stencil...) I applied 4 coats of spar urethane to the top and two coats everywhere else. We'll see how it holds up.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$40
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Artist acrylics (not craft paint) and minwax helmsmen spar urethane.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Grandy Barn Door Fireplace and Matching Console

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 11/11/2020 - 17:38

We originally built the original console a while ago as an entertainment unit for underneath our television. We enjoyed the console so much that we decided that we wanted to do another modified console with a fireplace in it and make the other one into a buffet/storage area for the dining room.

Both of these are fairly modified from the plan, however the basic concepts remain the same. One big thing that we did was use 1x4s as much as possible to reduce the different sizes of lumber we were buying to both reduce complexity and end up with as little as possible scraps.

The frames are made of the 2x3s, The sides (4 deep), shelves, middle shelves and face frame are all 1x4s. The back and inside frames are scrap plywood. The top is 1x6s.

The addition of the fireplace was not difficult. What it did require us to do was to add the centre section and essentially create a box that is closed to the outside cabinets. If it were not closed off it wouldn't support the fireplace insert correctly. The important piece with the fireplace is to ensure you have enough clearance on the top and sides to allow the fireplace to mount safely without overheating. The nice thing about this setup is the additional shelf above the fireplace which we used for electronics. The wires go through the back of the cabinet and it looks very clean.

These are probably my favorite things I've built this year. They're simple to make and add a lot to any living space.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$500
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
White paint for body
Minwax Polyshades Classic Black for top
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Tryde coffee table

Submitted by jbayer80 on Sat, 01/12/2013 - 16:23

This was my first build...in fact, it was the first time I ever cut something with a saw. This was very easy and came out better then I ever imagined. I did some modifying because the original was way to big for the space I had planned for it. I also could not get ahold of a 4x4 that was not treated so I glued and screwed some 2x4's together to make my own. This was so much fun, I plan on making my sons toddler room and new living room furniture. I took pictures of most of the steps so if you want to see them, send me a message. Happy building!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Oxidation. Here is a link to what I followed. http://thefriendlyhome.blogspot.com/2012/07/how-to-oxidize-wood.html
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

ju8828 (not verified)

Sun, 01/13/2013 - 11:22

Any build plans available? I love the aesthetics of this piece. The oxidation looks awesome.

Balustrade Coffee Table

Submitted by SKrampl on Sun, 11/09/2014 - 11:01

This was a frist time project for myself. I'm always trying to prove to myself and my husband I can take these new projects on, and found this plan to be very easy to follow. I used the modified plans from "House of Wood" as the more square-ish version of the table, becuase those dimesnions were more suitable for the space I was trying to fill. 

This table is quite large, and that is what drew me to it. I loved the solid-ness of it. It almost seems indestructible (something that is handy with 3 young ones running around)

Can't wait to start another project! :)

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
I found a local wood worker who was able to make the Balusters for me. I was grateful to find a local guy, using local wood, as I do my best to support local businesses.
For the lumbar/Hardware/mini Kreg jig it cost me: $115
For the 4 custom Balusters: $100
Stain/Poly/sand paper: $50
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
I chose not to pre-treat my wood before staining as I was trying to achieve the rustic look. I knew it would make it appear less uniform in colour, but thats something I felt would add to this tables character. I used the Varathane Tuscan wood stain. I did about 2 coats of stain. I applied with a lint free rag, and just wiped the stain on in thin coats. For the finish I used the Wipe-on Poly from Minwax. I applied 4 coats of the poly. In between Poly coats, I sanded with the 600 grit sandpaper, which made the wood feel buttery soft! I'm glad I didn't skimp on that part.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Corner Hutch for Dining Room

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 02/15/2017 - 11:40

Needed a corner hutch in our dining room and what better way to get one than build it!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$200
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Faux aging using a mixture of brewed tea and iron acetate to chemically alter the wood color. Brushing tea on the wood adds tannins and the iron acetate reacts with tannins to turn the wood gray. You can make iron acetate by putting a few pads of fine steel wool in white vinegar and letting dissolve for a few days
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Farmhouse Toy Box

I’d previously made a farmhouse table for my son and his wife (photo below). They had a baby this past August, and I thought a matching toy box for the dining room would be a good Christmas present for our grandson. The design includes a chalkboard on the front. I wanted this to last for generations, and used birch for the project as well as dowel pins to join the boards. When the baby gets older, I’ll build a matching two-compartment cubby to stack this atop, so he can continue using the chalkboard.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Bombay Mahogany, by Minwax (Polyshade Satin Stain and Polyurethane)
Semi Gloss Navajo White paint by Sherwin-Williams
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments