Community Brag Posts

Aiyana's Wall Art-Desk

Submitted by Artsi-Ness on Fri, 10/11/2013 - 14:18

I was able to construct this art desk out of scrap wood I had after breaking down an old futon and dresser from which I decided to add a nice piece of molding to create the more "elegant" essence that my daughter likes. I had been given some purple chalkboard paint and bought some black chalkboard spray for the front and freehand wrote her name. I also decided to add a pencil holder and "gutter" (a place for them to rest while in between colors - like on a school desk). She absolutely loves it and I find her creating more art since I gave it to her, plus she is able to do her homework here too. Thank You Ana for the awesome Ideas and plans you offer us! It saves me a ton of money and enables my household to have things when we'd otherwise have to do without. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$10-$15 total for the hinges, chain and the chalkboard spray paint. Everything else was leftovers from other projects.
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Gloss and Chalkboard Spray Paint and brush-on Chalkboard paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Love how it turned out

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 03/13/2019 - 22:38

farm house bed frame. Easy fun project 

Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Quick and free wall decor

Submitted by AlexWS on Tue, 10/18/2011 - 14:02

So about a month ago I had planned for people to be over for a casual evening of story telling, snacking, casual beer drinking and the exchanging of a variety of craft beers. All in all, a good time, no biggie.

Fast forward a little bit after making this commitment, the roommate tells me he and his girlfriend are getting their own place and therefore moving out. Great! Now I don't have to put on pants when I wake up to pee at night.

Fast forward to the first of this month, he's moved out. Gone with him is much of the furniture and things in the house. Not really a big deal except now it looks like I live with nothing but a bed, a couch and some milk crates. Not the image I want conveyed to a group of people who are going to see where I live for the first time.

Of course maybe a more normal person would go buy some things to fill the gaps, unfortunately for a 24 year old making not nearly enough over minimum wage, that isn't an option. Besides, even if I could afford it, furniture markup makes me ill.

So I had two weeks to make enough furniture to make my house appear respectable with a limited budget. To my favorite medium it was, pallet wood.

Everything featured here is made with reclaimed pallet wood, leftover paint and leftover screws/nails/sandpaper.

Except for the beer bottle shelves which were simply painted the paint was all worn down to look aged by using worn out sanding pads on a random orbital sander(seriously, leftover sanding pads). They were all left that way then with the exception of the shelves for the glassware which were rubbed down with ebony stain.

I'm listing my time for all these at just 3-6 hours even though it took two weeks because the time was spread out between other projects at the same time and most nights I only had a couple hours to work on them after work. Plus the obvious time for paint to dry.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
Free
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Oops paint sanded with used sanding pads on a random orbital sander.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

AlexWS

Wed, 10/19/2011 - 17:46

If your tastes are "anything I can get my hands on" than yes we do! That's actually only about a quarter of my collection so far, the rest are on the opposite wall.

Entry Way

Submitted by ndetermann on Mon, 10/14/2013 - 16:58

I helped a buddy redo his entry way into his house by putting up pine boards, brick for stairs, and oak steps.

Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Cherry finish on the pine/oak Satin Min Wax poly
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Double Pedestal Farmhouse Table

Submitted by Michael K on Sun, 01/03/2016 - 01:54

Keep on building on! This is the second peice I've built for our dining room - built a bar first. I opted to only make 2 pedestals instead of 3 that was on the plans. Dimensions are a tad smaller to fit our room nicely, measuring 90in x 40in. My wife and I absolutely love this table! I used Red Oak for the top and Doug fir for the base. Hardest part was lugging around that dense oak and looking for chairs! The stretcher was also a bit of a task as well. Had to go out a buy a rubber mallet to bang it in enough so that the slack on both ends were even. We particularly like this piece because it will be used often and many memories will be created around this table! Thanks again for the inspiration!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$400, but sold our previous dining table and chairs for $425
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Miniwax Specials Walnut, 3 coats Spar Urethane
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Fireplace

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 02/12/2023 - 07:05

Built this fire place using Ana’s plans and bought the same insert she had. Loved the way it turned out! I added the cabinets and shelving to each side.

Comments

A solution to the Boy's never-ending toys

I've made several of Ana's plans with success, so when my toddler's toys started overflowing his toy box I came here for a good shelving solution. Unfortunately, I have a tiny house and I didn't find anything that was perfect, so I downloaded sketchup and made my own plan. This, based on a land of nod piece and the Banker's Bookcase techniques, is the result.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
I wanted to stain, so I went with oak - added up to 75-100
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
minwax gel stain and antique walnut polyshades
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Kate (not verified)

Mon, 10/24/2011 - 18:22

I love it! It reminds me of the bookcases we used to have in the nursery school classrooms at my church as a kid, except much prettier. You did a really great job, and I love the doors to help hide some of the toys!

Library Book Cart

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 01/04/2016 - 07:59

My wife is a preschool teacher and needed this badly. Easy project for a beginner like me. I got the mdf cut to size at my local hardwarestore. The build took me about 3 hours, the paintjob a lot longer. I made holes in the sides instead of the rectangular handles, because I thought that would be easier. And the holes work perfecty. I'm pleased with the finished project. Great quality for a small prize. Next up: the play kitchen!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$30
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Planked wood sideboard

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 03/24/2019 - 17:08

Built from planked wood sideboard plan

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
Around $50 for hardware and $50 for finishes. Lumber was free (all scrap).
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Latex paint and stain with water based PU topcoat
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

My Build, and Property Brothers love

My second build, built the X coffee table too. But had to share that the Property Brothers used a table just like this plan in their show!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$40
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Weathered Oak
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

washer and dryer pedestal

Submitted by KL728MX on Tue, 01/05/2016 - 13:07

my wife tagged me on facebook right before Xmas with the plans and picture of this, so i dusted off my tools and built her one as a present. its not only great for her but it makes the laundry easier for me as well. I had to mofidy the base of mine because my dryer vent comes up through the floor in the corner.

Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Valspar white latex
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Pink Fur Daybed

I am thrilled with how my daughter’s bed turned out.  I used the basic pink fur bed idea, and tweaked the plans to meet our needs.  I found iron chair feet at Hobby Lobby, and prefer them to the hairpin legs. Thanks so much for the idea, Ana!
Estimated Cost
$200 - mostly fabric!
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Pink fur fabric
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Entry Level Entryway

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 02/24/2023 - 06:13

I built this farmhouse style entryway table while we waited for our house to be completed. It was the first of many projects I dreamed of completing. After it was done, I used a “navy” stain that wasn’t quite what I had planned but ended up bringing color to the area.

Comments

Smaller Dog Crate / Kennel

Submitted by pamin on Wed, 11/02/2011 - 12:56

Smaller version of Ana's Dog Kennel. Took me about 3 weeks (working on weekends and few hours after work). Made from maple and cherry.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$70 ( I had the tools, just needed to by the wood)
Finish Used
Semi-Gloss Poly, sanding in between (120 -> 180 -> 220 -> 400 -> 600)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Cindy from Indiana (not verified)

Sun, 11/06/2011 - 16:07

This really looks fabulous! Great job!

As a 'dog family', we always have rescues and visitors on board. This looks so much better than anything I've seen in stores and for less money, too.

I'm definitely adding this to my to-do list.

P.S. Your pup is adorable, too! ;-)

Ejade

Tue, 12/06/2011 - 16:44

I have 2 yorkies and would LOVE to make this for them, this is sooooo going on my todo list.

Koli is tooo cute as well!!!

Proud2busmc (not verified)

Sun, 07/22/2012 - 06:43

This version looks great, how did you do the sides to make it look fancier? I love the personal touches on this crate!

Beach House Headboard

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 01/07/2016 - 09:33

My wife wanted an antiqued turquiose headboard for our beach house. Your plans and dimensions worked perfectly. I added the center support to bring the warped boards into compliance. Thank you Ana ...

Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
turquoise spray paint, antique glaze and poly urethane clearcoat
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Outdoor X Sectional

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 04/25/2019 - 21:59

i made a mudification in plans. it takes me two days to finish it.

Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Tall Parson's Barstools

Submitted by bulcaoma on Mon, 11/07/2011 - 13:27

I have been searching for great barstools for years. So I was so excited when I saw Ana's Parson's Chair plans. I adjusted Ana's plan to create the height and dimensions of a barstool. I used more 2x2s for legs and rungs. The angle was changed to 5 degrees for legs and 10 degrees for seat back (Rather than remember geometry formulas, I found an online triangle angle calculator to get accurate leg lengths). I also have a hate-hate (not love hate) relationship with my sewing machine, so I chose to upholster with a staple gun and found tips for this at youtube. To take the guesswork out of the finishing I also found tips and techniques for that on youtube--namely that General Finishes gel stain is the way to go. The dry time on the finish is why I considered this a weeklong project, but this could easily be finished within a day. Thanks again Ana--thanks to you we have great barstools at such a fraction of the cost.

Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
One coat Zissner seal coat, 3 coats General Finishes Java Gel Stain, 3 coats General Finishes Arm-R-Seal.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Tarra (not verified)

Fri, 03/02/2012 - 19:22

Would you mind sharing the measurements for your version? We are in need of 24" barstools/chairs for a counter height table that was given to us, and cannot seem to find DIY instructions for what we are needing, anywhere! We'd REALLY appreciate it!

20 Sec Tidy Up Coffee Table

Submitted by vdregz on Fri, 10/25/2013 - 17:19

This project should have only taken me a few hours, but with a little one to take care of, I managed to make it take forever!
Super simple plan to follow - absolutely love how it turned out!

Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Dark Walnut
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner