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Beautiful steps

Directions worked like a charm, thank you, Ana for what you do!

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Farmhouse Side Table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 06/08/2024 - 08:57

I made 2 side/end tables, farmhouse style with X braces and distressed. Dark walnut water based stain on the top and slats.Coat of black paint on the frame and a coat of white on top of it. Had fun with my sander and gave it an awesome look.

Thank you Ana!

Picard Woodworking

Built from Plan(s)

Workbench Console and Hutch

We are in so in love with this finished piece! We made some modifications to the original plan to fit our needs. We made the top wider - 24" wide like the Pottery Barn original. We also used 4X4's for the legs and widened the distance between the legs to sit the shelves inside the legs.

We also built the second shelf. We created the second shelf to hold wine, so we modified the front of the shelf to allow for the wine bottle necks to rest. The handle was made from plumbing hardware. We got this wonderful idea from one of the posters on this site, I need to find their name to give proper credit, but it worked beautifully.

For the hutch, we also made modifications for our needs. We made it taller by 4" (so 40" tall). We used 1 X 12's for the shelves for a deeper shelf. We also raised the bottom shelf up to accommodate our Keurig coffee maker. We did not divide the middle shelf to leave a tall opening for some items we wanted to display. We also left a gap at the bottom of the hutch for cords.

Once built we distressed the entire piece, then stained with Provencial stain, and finished off with a semi-gloss poly.

The best thing, it cost about 10% of the price of the original!!

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Provencial Stain
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

tommirhea

Fri, 09/21/2012 - 06:43

This is so awesome, and nobody will have one anything like it! I love how you totally modified it for your space. The gap for the cords was brilliant-that would be something I would of thought of after I was completely done! This is very inspiring. Thank you for sharing.

Chalkboard

Child's chalkboard as a birthday present. "Frozen" inspired color theme. Received feedback that it would also work very well as a boutique store sidewalk sign.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$10-$15
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Behr Paint and Primer in turquoise. Acrylic Paint in Purple.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Square Dining table and Chairs

Submitted by Sb1212 on Wed, 10/26/2016 - 20:38

I built this square table and 4 chairs. It was a really fun build!! It measures 41Lx41Wx30H. 

Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
I used Early American by Minwax and 2 coats of semi-gloss clear coat.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Linda Douglas

Thu, 10/14/2021 - 14:49

Awesome job! It looks great as a set, very nice. :) I love the chairs, did you find the plans for these or did you just figure it out yourself? I want to make this table and the chairs you made would be perfect..if I can find the plans. I'd appreciate any help for the chairs. Have a great day.

Mud Kitchen

Submitted by Noyehx4 on Mon, 07/20/2020 - 12:48

This was my first build, like ever. I am very proud! Props given to my hubby who is a carpenter by trade. I went back and forth on stains and paint colors at home depot. He didn't rush me and was awesome the entire time! He actually picked up the supplies, and is now a fan of the self tap screws! He thought he knew where everything in home depot was, but he had to ask to find those LOL. He wanted to use his new nail gun, but I wanted to follow the plans. The plans are awesome! We decided not to add an oven door just yet. Likely will soon. (Avoiding pinched fingers for now) I also have the knobs for the front, but it was hot and since I had only just stained them, they needed time to dry and second coat yet. (I kind of forgot about them once I finished them with my new dremel) We purchased the hose kit from the kitchen section at home depot. It came with everything, I searched market place and even posted asking if anyone had a used one for sale. No luck. This was $20 and came with everything, the guys at home depot showed me what adapters to get to ensure that it would hook up to our garden hose, and we grabbed those too and they worked perfectly! I messed up cutting one of the angles for the shelf the wrong way, but there was enough scraps for my husband to help me fix it. It was a fun build, and so rewarding to see our kids playing with it! I used my dremel 4300 and it wasn't powerful enough for the thicker wood, so my stove tops are thinner, but he actually enjoys setting them up and spraying them off the table with his hose! I painted the brass hooks green when we were painting the kitchen so they would match. The pots and pans came with the little tote and the apron chef hat and pot holder. It was a perfect finishing touch. *Edit to add photos kitchen hose kit from home depot, reading comments, others had a hard time finding adapters. I suggest taking what you have with you to home depot so they can show you what adapters you need. We needed three because we have a quick attachment on the end of our garden hose, (for our sprayer) now little mans mud kitchen can be connected and disconnected easily!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$75
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Rust-Oleum Ultra Cover 2X Enamel Spray Paint and Behr Semi-Transparent Waterproofing Exterior Wood Stain and Sealer
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Bistrol Outdoor Lounge Chairs

Submitted by newpassion on Mon, 09/24/2012 - 14:56

This was my very first project. I cut the wood during the week, to have it ready for the weekend. I intended this to be my summer project. I had so much fun, i completed building both chairs in a day and a half!!!!! I then ordered the foam which took a couple weeks. I ordered the fabric online. I had two large pillows which I covered and used them for the back cushion. The total cost for BOTH chairs was under $250.00. Looking forward to my next project. :)

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
I only used Helmsman Urethane ,which gave it a natural look.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

newpassion

Tue, 09/25/2012 - 06:36

I ordered the foam from DLT Larson Fabrics, Livonia, MI Because of the size 6x28x30 ,the did not have it in stock. They were $54. each.

APOTHECARY STYLE ENTERTAINMENT CENTER

I am a huge fan of apothecary cabinets and fell in insta-love with this cabinet.  The open shelves on top are a great size for lots of entertainment equipment and consoles and the storage below is fantastic for everything else! 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Rust-oleum Dark Walnut stain, Valspar semi-gloss "Bayside"
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Mom's Outdoor Dining Set - Thus Far

I'm slowly working on building the whole Simple Outdoor Dining Collection.
When my Mom and I moved into our new apartment, we spent all our money on new indoor furniture, and we have this really huge porch with a nice view and nothing to put on it. So as a surprise after we moved in, I made her the bench. She loved it so much that I decided to make the matching table for her birthday. The stack-able chairs will be her Christmas present, so stay tuned for that if you'd like to see how they turn out.

-The bench was about $20 for lumber, a total of $40 or so with stain and screws and everything.

-Table was about $60 for lumber since I couldn't fit the the 12-footers in my car. I probably spent a good amount extra on a bunch of 8 footers instead. Also wasted a lot of wood that way, but I will find a use for it. Definitely get the 12 footers if at all possible. No need to buy the rest of the materials again if you have left-overs from the bench.

I didn't modify anything on this set at all, it was pretty much perfect the way it was designed. Although I did add some 1x3's to the legs on the bench to make them sturdier- notice the corner leg rather than just a 1x4 by itself. Thanks for these plans Ana, you make me look good!

Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax's full line: Pre-satin wood conditioner, Ipswich Pine stain, and clear coat
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

BIG Farmhouse Table

Submitted by kterrell on Wed, 07/23/2014 - 00:02

So I was inspired by the Ana-While posted Farmhouse Table a few months back.. Honestly I was a little concerned about building such a large piece as my first project but I decided to invest into some common pine lumber to give it a shot. I could have bought better woodworking stock, but I was concerned I was going to mess it up anyway so I chose to stick with Home Depot / Lowes grade stock to keep the cost down.

I made a few changes from the published design:

I wanted a very large table for entertaining during the holidays. I extended the design to about 10 feet long by almost 4 feet wide.

I also am not a big fan of the seams that are left between the boards when doing butt joints using common lumber. It was a bit of work, but I trimmed off about 1/4" of material from the side of each board to make their corners square instead of the normal slightly rounded profile. With enough planing and sanding, I was able to get a reasonably tight seam with just normal garage tools.

The third design element I added was pre-drilling each of the exposed screws with a 3/4" bit about 1" deep and filling those holes with a wooden dowel. This dresses up any screws used and in my mine makes the table look a bit more traditional. Im sure some people would say just use the dowel to secure the joints, but I just wasnt that brave for an inexperienced builder.

The finish was intentionally left uneven. THere are raises and small grooves in the surface that I sanded down with 80 grit, but then only lightly went over with 150 and 220. The effect I was looking for was a surface that looked hand sawn / worked but that was still smooth to the touch and not 'dangerous' to use daily. There are some visible sanding and planing marks, but they are all soft and smooth, and help add depth and character in my opinion.

More pics available on my public facebook album: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152583224649571.1073741829…

Supplies cost about $300 for lumber and finish materials. 

The face is made from 4 2x10's and 1 2x12 in the middle. 

The legs are 4x4, all other pieces are 2x4.

Tools needed to finish the table this way:

Circular saw

Table saw (to trim edges if you want tight seams)

Kreg Jig (essential for pocket holes!)

Very big clamps!   I did not have these and spent $90 or so on the 3

Hand saw

Chisel

Drill

Sander (or a LOT of patience!)

Planer (I used a cheap power planer to help level out the cheap big box lumber and to even out the joints)

STRONG sawhorses.  I broke a set of 600# rated horses re-positioning the face.   A 10ft table face is very heavy!  get help!

Finishing the table this way took a long time.  Im going to guess 60 - 80 hours went into it.  A ton of time is used getting the joining work right.  The rest of it goes together pretty quickly.

Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
The finish was conditioned with minwax pre-conditioner, then stained using a cloth rag with a single coat of minwax 'traditional american' before being rubbed down with 6 coats of low-gloss tung oil finish. This type of finish I preferred over poly as it looks more natural and has less artificial reflection. The finish does contain some protection, but will need to have a new coat applied every year or so.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Dania

Wed, 07/23/2014 - 12:30

Love it! and is just your firts project!!! Wooooowww Im just getting the tools to start my own projects and by seeing this I feel so encouraged. Thanks for sharing :)

Dining table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 11/01/2016 - 18:51

First big project. First time with the Kreg jig.  Some hidden defects but looks great in pictures!

Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Dark walnut, tung oil, satin poly
Recommended Skill Level
Advanced

Barn Door Pantry

We didn’t have much storage space in our little galley kitchen. Imagine how excited I was to find this plan on my favorite site.
This was my first build using my new circular saw. For previous projects, I’d take both the shopping list and cut list to Lowe’s and have them cut the wood. This time, I made all my cuts. I was nervous but love how it turned out.
I anchored it to the wall because with the barn door and the hardware weight, it felt a little front heavy.
We used the same color as our kitchen cabinets (AH13 Salty Dog) and then selected coordinated colors for the body (AH18 Debonair) and shelves (AH15 Rural Green).

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
500
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Sherwin Williams paint:
Barn Door (AH13 Salty Dog)
Cabinet (AH18 Debonair)
Shelves & Back (AH15 Rural Green)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Farmhouse Nightstand

Submitted by Kimbers on Tue, 10/02/2012 - 13:42

I wanted a nightstand to match my farmhouse bed. I used the cheapest pine boards I could find to build this and it turned out great!

When I first built it I just used a scrap of fabric tied in a knot for the handle but added a real drawer pull when I built the matching dresser.

(sorry the pictures are crappy cell phone shots)

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$40
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
I used Kilz 2 Primer then painted with Behr Silk Pillow. I sanded down all the edges then wiped on a coat of Minwax English Chestnut and sprayed with krylon matte clear sealer.
I totally stole the finish idea from boxermum here http://ana-white.com/2011/04/king-farmhouse-bed-1
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Full sized and off the ground

Submitted by Kayusiwok on Fri, 07/25/2014 - 13:19

I followed most of the measurements with the Murphy bed with added dimensions for a full sized bed. I also added a shelf to provide support while the bed is down since I brought the platform off the floor. The table is also hinged to the bed platform so that it folds up and locks in place for a center support for the bed.

Estimated Cost
300
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Cal spar gypsy teal, shark fin grey, and oyster all in satin finish.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

JoanneS

Fri, 07/25/2014 - 16:52

What an awesome project! Love how the added shelf at the top creates the "legs" at the end of the bed when it is lowered (looks like it keeps the bed about 4" off the floor?). Are those window sash locks for closure? Those will keep it in place nice and tight when it's closed. The fold down desk is brilliant also, and love the legs and the colors!

Farmhouse X Console Table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 11/06/2016 - 15:59

Console table!

Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
white latex interior paint; tea & vinegar/steel wool + custom mixed stain.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Simple Playhouse

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 07/27/2020 - 12:06

My first big project and my kids couldn't be happier. I'm pretty proud too, just don't take a square or level anywhere near it :)

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Seasonal And Holiday
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