Double Chair Bench
This was such a fun and easy project to do. The bench is super sturdy and I stained it with ready seal in the color redwood.
This was such a fun and easy project to do. The bench is super sturdy and I stained it with ready seal in the color redwood.
I've wanted to make this dress up storage since the moment I saw it; I planned to do this as my first building project. I finally got around to getting all the supplies and then I asked my father to assist me since i never really built anything like this before - well, he's not a patient man and he ended up building the whole thing without me (boo!) ... but I at least got to paint it! I absolutely love it and it looks fantastic in my girls' playroom.
Tue, 06/07/2011 - 11:34
Just love it! The color is fabulous! Paint job perfect! Thanks for sharing with us!
I used Ana's garden bench plan and had a blast finishing this project. The plans are well thought out and finished very square and sturdy. I altered the depth of the bench to 18 inch seat supports as I am short and felt the 24" span would leave me feeling like Edith Ann. (This also required shortening of the armrests to 24") I also was inspired by an abandoned headboard that had nice detail and some Oak spindles. My son, bless his heart, carried it on his back about 6 blocks so I could make this. (He knows how to stay on my good side.)
I spent more time painting the project than cutting out the boards. I prepainted all the pieces before assembly. I wanted it to withstand the Wisconsin weather so I diligently primed it and then did two coats of outdoor latex paint. I elected to tint the primer as I was not sure how much paint I might need. One quart of Zinsser 123 primer and one quart of Dutchboy Maxbond semi gloss paint in plum mauve was enough. The dark paint is Rustoleum spray paint in purple. If I thought it was cost effective I might have spray painted the whole thing but it was summer and I didn't want to deal with the fumes. Of course, I picked the hottest two weeks so far this year to do this project. My sewing room became my painting station.
The width is close to 62", seat height 20" and seat total depth is 22". I trimmed about 3" off the leg post of the headboard.
I am eager to pick another project from Ana's plans.
My cost is higher as I had no scraps to work from and needed all the screws and paint. I also bought $90 in cordless tools and some collapsible sawhorses. All of these items I will use again for other projects.
Thu, 07/25/2013 - 05:02
Great job of recycling and incorporating it into a new build. Had to laugh at the Edith Ann reference. I did the same recently with a couch my hubby and I have on order as it's quite deep. Ha, I'm not sure Ana and those in her age group will get the reference. I, on the other hand, thoroughly enjoyed it!
I built this for my little girl's room and she loves it! She loves the play area underneath especially. The build did not take that long, but the finishing (sanding and painting) took many hours. It is very sturdy. My girls sleep up there together all the time, and we have even had adults sleep up there. We didn't have a corner to put it in, so I built wider steps along the same wall as the bed.
Fri, 11/04/2016 - 00:39
Thank you! Sorry so late to reply, I am just now seeing this. It is a twin mattress.
Wed, 09/16/2020 - 19:25
I am interested in this design, but would like to have it with a full size mattress. How would I alter the plans? I would also like to have the stairs be storage drawers/stairs. Can you help me with this?
Thank you!
I love you and your site and have learned tons from it. Last week I picked up this old bookcase on a website for free. I then worked on it to turn it into a BBQ-help table. I'm very happy with it and hope the weather in Norway will soon be hot enough to get out in the garden and BBQ!
Love and best wishes,
Pauline
Thu, 04/21/2022 - 15:10
This looks great, we are so ready for summer too! Thank you for sharing.
I built this chair for my sister. I added small 2X2 support for the front legs and the arm rests because the pocket holes split. It was a little tough building this one since I had to rely on the HD staff's cuts, which are not always exact. But I'm happy with how it turned out, and my sister loves it too!
Sat, 06/25/2011 - 15:17
These chairs look great! I got all my wood cut and ready to build two of these chairs and went to access the plans but have found they disappeared. Anyway they could be reposted?
Sat, 06/25/2011 - 16:12
I have this one saved on my to-do list :) Try this link:
http://ana-white.com/2010/05/simple-outdoor-lounge-chair
Cheers!
J
I was honored this past March to be Matron of Honor in one of my best friend’s wedding, and as a gift to the happy couple I made them a guest book bench. I wanted this one to look extra special. I started out with Ana White’s Fancy X Bench plans and made a couple of modifications. I reduced the overall length to 54″ to sit at the foot of a bed or under a table, and used only 2 pedestals instead of 3. To make the top better for signing, I decided to substitute the planked 2×6′s for a pine 3/4" thick “hobby board” that was 15″ wide, purchased at Lowes. I framed it out with some 1×2′s to make it look chunkier. Once it was built I gave it three coats of white semi-gloss latex, and then drew up the art for the center. It’s the same font used on the wedding invitations. I wish I had thought to take a photo of the signed bench at the wedding! But I was a little bit busier at the moment. I’m really proud of this pretty little bench. As I received in one of the messages on my own wedding bench, I hope it sees the butts of many friends for years to come!
Sat, 07/27/2013 - 09:15
I design the art in Adobe Illustrator, though I'm sure word would work just fine too. Then I print it out at the size I want (tiling the pages if I need to and taping them together), tape it down in place, then trace over the letters with an unclicked pen to make an indention in the wood. I use that to fill in with paint. Here's an old tutorial I made about it http://www.killerbdesigns.com/wrapping-it-up/ . Though I skip tracing the back with pencil now, it's just a redundant step.
Sat, 07/27/2013 - 14:17
You have made good efforts, i hope your friends must liked it. It is a very special gift because you yourself have made this. http://www.assignmentshelptutors.com
Wed, 10/09/2013 - 10:46
What a beauty! I'm all about personalized gifts! I hope they display it and treasure it forever!
Tue, 08/05/2014 - 15:24
Brooke, it's over a year since this post, so I hope you'll see my reply. I built a wedding bench for a dear friend's daughter using your mods for Ana's plan. Thanks so much for the details, especially on your blog. It was a big help, since I don't wing anything! The bride loved her guest bench. I am posting on Ana's blog if you'd like to see it. Thanks again.
I made this dresser to replace two cheesy dressers my wife and I had when we first moved out on our own. The style was taken from the Madison dresser design. I added two more drawers as we were condensing two dressers to one and I wanted to ensure I was able to use it!!
Made this table for my sons girlfriend for her makeup and to use as a table for her laptop.
I absolutely love this table and couldn't believe how easy it was to build. It was a weekend project and gets so many compliments.
For the finish, I mixed steel wool with vinegar and brushed it on. The table really darkened up nicely and made the distress marks in the wood come out. I then applied walnut stain and followed up with 3 coats of poly.
In my post I have pictures of the finishing process and a video showing how to distress wood and apply the vinegar solution.
If you are looking for an affordable table that looks great, I'd highly recommend building Ana's table.
Fri, 08/12/2016 - 07:00
Where did you buy the wood? I got a quote from a lumber yard for $1000!! How did you get it for $90??
Fri, 08/12/2016 - 07:28
Hi Smith8ar,
2x4, 2x10 and 2x8 stud type lumber and untreated 4x4 post is what most folks are building with to get this distressed look on their farmhouse tables for that low cost. Stud lumber also takes that vinegar stain very well. Local lumberyards will probably have nicer and straighter studs than the local big box stores, but you can find them there if you pick through them for the nicest ones. Our local Lowes calls them common boards, and I've also seen them listed as SPF (spruce/pine/fir) - - here's an example of what is in our local Lowes:
Our Lowes doesn't carry 4x4x10, but I found a 4x4x8 douglas fir untreated post:
:) Joanne
Best Storage Design For Your Home that keeps your books, clothes and anything in a appropriate way.
Storage Cabinets Design Ideas : http://www.spaceworks.com.au/melbourne/shelves-cabinets
Overall I am very pleased with this project and I deviated from the plan with the drawer fronts and the slides as well.
Bult this for my wife from Ana White plans
Inspired by a photo online and Ana's cheap and easy console table, I decided to make an entry table out of salvaged materials. I found a shutter at a thrift store for $5 to make the top, rescued some legs from an old kitchen table left on the side of the road, and some leftover barnwood from my rustic cooler project. I used the Kreg jig to put it all together, and now have a simple, rustic table that's the perfect size for my entryway!
Sat, 06/18/2011 - 12:52
Lady you crack me up! Next time let's try to not get ripped off by the crabby thrift store woman and find even cheaper things to repurpose!!
I made these shelves to connect to a vintage sideboard that with a new granite top will become our kitchen island. Since the sideboard was dark and highly carved I wanted something chunky, sturdy and with a bit of style. Use links in the original post for all the building details.
This project was for a wedding gift... My wife gave the young couuple some ideas to choose from and after seeing these plans on Ana White they loved it. Thank you Ana for the great plans!!!
Patio table
Great little cabinet with drawer and tilt out garbage.
by Angelo