Community Brag Posts

Modern Bench - School Colors

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 06/15/2016 - 09:29

Great design and project!  I am working on the second one in my wife's school colors.  Thanks!

Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Outdoor paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Kids Picnic Table

When my kids were stuck between that "baby" picnic table, and the "real" picnic table, we found the plan for this! It was the perfect size, and was a great addition to our backyard!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$30 CAD
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax 2-in-1 in Natural
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Child Beach Sling Chair

Submitted by ktjoy86 on Thu, 05/31/2012 - 08:57

I used two towels to make the sling portion of the chair, instead of outdoor/decor weight fabric. Even though the towels were thick, I did not need to change the dimensions of the dowels or slits in the wood that hold the dowels.

Estimated Cost
$1, I had the towel, hardware, nails, paint, and some scrap wood already.
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Primed and then painted with leftover satin-finish paint. Lightly sanded between 2 coats of the final paint color.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

Mary1025 (not verified)

Thu, 05/31/2012 - 16:59

What a great idea to use towels. I have a few extra beach towels that would be great for this.
Thanks!

Step up bed

Submitted by Coach Ty on Mon, 03/17/2014 - 12:23

Base was easy to do, drawers were another story! very big drawers, plan a lot of time for these.

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

Comments

Fillman Platform Twin with Barn Wood Headboard

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 06/21/2016 - 07:15

I started with the Fillman Platform Twin Bed plan and made a few modifications.  

  • I adjusted the size of the bed slightly to fit the mattress we purchased for the bed.
  • I wanted the bed to be a little taller, so I simply added a few inches to the legs.  
  • I made the headboard from old barnwood and added pieces around the side and end rails of the bed to tie it all together.  
  • Used a bunky board instead of slats to hold the mattress.
  • Decided to stain the legs and paint the top cap cream to match some other furniture in the room. Still not sure if I love it, but I thought it might be too much dark wood if I stained it like the legs.  

With a mitre saw, Kreg jig and nail gun, this project is pretty simple to put together.  Obviously painting or staining takes some time, but the bed itself can be put together in 1-2 hours.  

Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Espresso stained legs with polyurethane finish, Semi-gloss cream paint on top cap with polycrylic finish
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Coffee bar

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 04/19/2020 - 12:42

I used the plans for the mini frig/microwave cabinet. I modify the length and width because of the scrap wood I used. The wood I used was from our basement stairs that we retreaded. I used a cup wire brush on the wood to give it the rustic look. The barn door hardware was from Ana’s tutorial video (turned out great). First coat of stain was honey oak, I left it on for a couple of minute then wiped it off. Second coat was ebony, same technique as the first coat. Once the stained dried used a spray matte poly on the top, did 4 coats, sanding with a 800 grit between coats. Hope you’ll like it

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Reading Loft

We converted our mud (junk) room into our daughter's playroom. The room is awkward (5' X 12'), but I knew I wanted a reading loft by the window. The area we were working with was 63" wide and 23" deep. I wanted the loft to come right up to the window which is exactly 5'. This is obviously not a standard bed size so we couldn't just buy something. I came across your site (love it!) and found the loft bed plan. I reconfigured the loft using our measurements and my husband is the one who actually built it. It turned out so well! I still have some pillows to make, but my daughter and her friends have already been spending a ton of time up there!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$175
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Glidden Swiss Coffee Satin Paint. I used two coats with a roller.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Apothecary Coffee Table

I am happy with how this turned out, but I did run into a couple of problems while building this. First of all there is a typo in the cut list. It says to cut the drawer sides 23 and a quarter inches, but they need to be 21 and 3/4 inches. I built the drawer to deep and then had to take it apart and cut the sides down. Then the drawer was ever so slightly too wide to fit under the table after I put the L-brackets on (which are definitely needed to make the table sturdy enough.) So I had to make a little room under the table by taking the sides back off and adding a little piece of wood as a spacer on either side.
Also I decided to use poplar for the top just to make it a little more dent resistant because poplar is a hard wood. But after I started staining it I learned that poplar acts like a soft wood and can be very blotchy when stained. I had to keep going darker with the stain to try and make it even. It came out okay in the end.

Estimated Cost
$120 for wood.
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
For top and inside of drawer: Minwax prestain, minwax special walnut - 3 coats, minwax poly in gloss - 3 coats. For the rest I used glidden white primer and white paint plus a coat of polycrylic.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Toddler bed variation

Submitted by montero65 on Thu, 06/23/2016 - 09:54

I really liked the design of the Rustic platform bed, and wanted to make a small version for my toddler.  So I tweaked everything down to fit a toddler mattress, and then reduced the wood sizes for weight (2x6 became 1x6, 2x4 became 1x4).  First built with the slats design but was way too heavy, so went with a sheet of plywood.  Headboard is still 2x4 and 2x6.  I also got rid of the platforms so the bed could go up against the wall.  Finally, added the side rail guard so no rolling out onto the floor.  That required a new tool (yay!) and I bought a biscuit joiner to make it.  It took some effort to get it mounted to the bed rail, but it works.  In the end, my toddler loves it, and was so excited when I brought it in.  She loves having her own sized little bed that she can hop into (and out of) as she pleases.  Best of all, it's strong enough if she needs us to snuggle her, we can lay next to her.

Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Sanded, then sealed with Kilz primer, and painted with semi-gloss white.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Diy Upholstered Settee

I started off with Ana's plans and kinda went rogue from there. The idea of creating those curved back legs scared me so I thought I'd sacrifice an Ikea dining chair and use it as the legs. When I ruined one of the legs I decided that I'd come too far to back out and that I must continue. I adapted many conventional methods to make the settee but I'm super pleased with the outcome. For the full step by step on how I completed the settee, please check it out here Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
150
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Rustoleum Ultimate in American Walnut, Rustoleum Ultimate Polyurethane in Satin.
Navy Blue Upholstery Velvet, French Natural Nailhead Trim.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Built in Japan

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 06/27/2016 - 04:59

I ended up using Japanese cedar for the top. I was happy with the way this came out.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
under 10,000 Yen.
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Paint, stain and poly for the top.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Adapted Farmhouse Bed

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 04/22/2020 - 10:47

I made this with on the farmhouse bed plans using red oak and cherry. A new child, new house, and two dogs later, I finally managed to finish it after three years.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
1,000
Finish Used
Super-blonde Shellac, paste wax
Recommended Skill Level
Advanced

DIY Electric Fiireplace Bump Out

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 12/04/2023 - 11:23

“She believed she could, so she did!” ~ R.S. Grey

Christmas fireplace of my dreams is now a reality!!

Really surprised myself with this project in the best way! It was a stretch of my skills, involved lots of critical thinking and modifications to fit my space. But I absolutely love how it turned out and it’s always a good day when you get to play with new tools!

Whitney Metts on Instagram

Seasonal And Holiday

Flower Planters

Submitted by mags247 on Sun, 06/10/2012 - 08:07

My co-worker and I built these planters from pallets that we had lying around at work. The only expense we had was the Kreg Jig I purchased (and love). It took us about 5 hours to put them together, including the time it took to cut the lumber to size. Then we used Thompson's water seal and stapled commercial grade landscaping cloth inside the planter. We made them for work and hope they will just naturally age. This was an easy project and we will definitely make more of these.

We had leftover screws, landscaping fabric and water seal from other projects.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$0
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
We just used Thompson's water seal to let the wood age naturally.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Red Shoe Shrine

Submitted by Julie737 on Fri, 04/04/2014 - 18:17

I was looking for an excuse to use my new Kreg Jig and also Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. My entrance from my garage had a cheap two level shelf which never was enough for all our shoes so when I saw this I thought it would be perfect. This was my first Ana-White project and the left cubbies ended up being wider than the right. I loved the Kreg Jig. What's cool is I did it all alone, with the help of my husband watching my kids! It was a lot of painting to get the distressed look that you really can't see from the pictures but I am very happy with it and it is very sturdy. I ended up doing 4 columns instead of 3 but only one shelf...probably also why the measurements got messed up.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$250
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Primed in Dark Brown paint I had leftover, Distressed with vaseline and sandpaper, Painted with Annie Sloan Chalk paint, and applied clear wax. Also, distressed the pine before painting with my hammer and screw driver.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Outdoor Sofa Mash-up

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 06/30/2016 - 19:51

My wife loves the X pattern of the Weatherly Sofa, but wanted the tilted back from the Simple White Outdoor Sofa. This was our best of both worlds effort!

Estimated Cost
$85 for lumber and materials without cushions.
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Primer and outdoor paint.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Katie.Belmont88

Wed, 07/06/2016 - 19:18

I love this! I was so excited until I realized that this was a brag and didn't have plans. I don't know if I'm as talented at modifying as you are. :)

Seasonal And Holiday

Blanket Ladder

My wife asked if I can build her a blanket ladder as oppose to buying one in the store for $60+. I used scrap 2x4s I had around my workshop. I also used pocket holes. Very quick and easy project for anyone just getting started!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$10
Finish Used
I used 120 grit sand paper and stain it with Minwax Dark Walnut using a paint brush.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project