Community Brag Posts

Mimi's Faux Mantle with bookshelves

Submitted by JoshuawG09 on Wed, 05/25/2016 - 18:15

Made from the modified Mimi's Faux Mantle design from another brag post.

Estimated Cost
$350
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
I used Valspar furniture paint. However, I will never buy it or use it again. It's just over priced paint.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

laurenwalker

Tue, 12/19/2017 - 22:01

Are you able to tell me how wide this is from the end of one bookcase to the other? I'm trying to find out if it will fit in my living room. Thanks!

Outdoor Play Kitchen!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 12/28/2023 - 08:57

We modified Ana White’s excellent Mud Kitchen plans, adding a third section and scaling the whole thing slightly larger to be a better size for our 4 and 6 year old grand daughters. It was so much fun to make and accessorize!

Built from Plan(s)
Seasonal And Holiday

Custom Garage Shelves

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 01/16/2024 - 17:19

I just finished shelves on both sides of my garage using your video.  I built a coat rack and boot rack.  I also made space for tall items like tools and ladders near the garage door.  I had to also build in a gun safe, freezer and my work bench.  Everything came together and now I have everything in bins on shelves. 

Gary Hoffman

Big Crate Shoe Box (A Test in Bri-wax)

Submitted by Joni on Fri, 07/13/2012 - 11:03

I needed a large box to use at the base of my stairs for shoe storage, so this is it! I made 2 compartments, and put handles on the side for easy moving. Being solid wood, this thing is heavy and a lot larger than it looks.

I wanted to do Bri-wax as a test on a smaller project before possibly messing up a larger one. Bri-wax advised me to wait a week to let the stain 'cure' prior to using the product. The stain was beautiful prior to using Bri-wax, but didn't look nearly as good when the wax took off some of the stain and kind of changed the color. I love the look of the Bri-wax finish, but probably won't be using it again (unless the finish has been cured for a long time). Bri-wax also told me not to use it over varnish or poly, as it would damage that surface. I would be interested in hearing from you guys who have used it successfully on top of other finishes.

Finish Used
Mixture of Minwax Water-based stain in American Walnut & Ebony, followed by Bri-Wax in Light Brown and Tudor Brown (3 coats)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

American Herit…

Sat, 07/14/2012 - 21:00

Hello Joni,
I've used Briwax over a clear, satin poly finish without any damage, though typically, I apply a 100% Briwax finish on the majority of my pieces as I prefer the natural finish and find it's complimentary to the reclaimed wood I use.
Simply a personal preference.
Looking at your other projects want to commend you on your table too. Nice color distinction and accents. Very nice!

Mike

Ladder Tote Storage

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 02/15/2024 - 10:21

storage for totes - can be made to accommodate any size totes - just adjust the measurements basically it is "ladders " 2x4s for legs 2x2s for "runs" 2x4s across the bottom & top this is in a basement with short ceilings so if you have a taller space you can go taller or you can go shorter.

Kids Tree Fort

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 05/31/2020 - 09:27

Built a fort for the boys with two climbing walls, a spot for their toys, and added some hammock swings

Estimated Cost
~$600
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
No stain, left natural
Recommended Skill Level
Advanced

Best Chairs Ever!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 06/09/2020 - 18:16

I made these modern Adirondack chairs for our business in Anchorage. GREAT and easy to build design by Ana - we upgraded the arms to tapered 2x6 and they're awesome!

Mobile Workbench with Drawers

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 03/22/2024 - 08:08

I recently had a workshop built and I have been trying to now work on the furniture for it. My first project was this workbench inspired by the plans "garage workshop workbench". I added drawers on each side and will probably end up adding a shelf in the open area as well after letting my kids finish decorating the top. It's already a nice addition and I may build a smaller version for my garage. I added casters and have the option to roll the table around or have it stationary.

Tonie

Mail Boss

Submitted by Drspear98 on Mon, 07/06/2020 - 16:38

After scouring the internet for a piece of furniture that could hide my shredder and act as a filing cabinet, I decided to look here, and lo and behold, Ana had posted this project the week before. It was literally an answer to prayers!

I had a lot of leftover plywood that I cut to size to build this project. The drawer slides were the most expensive part of this project. It was pretty tough and I made a lot of mistakes, but I am very happy with it. It was just what I was looking for. Installing the drawers was the hardest part of this project. I made the shredder compartment to fit my specific shredder, and it barely fits. I already had drawer pulls and paint.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$50 (I had a lot of wood and hardware on-hand)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
dark chocolate milk paint on top, antique white latex paint; polyurethane finish
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

4x4 truss beam table and bench

Submitted by Joagirard on Fri, 07/04/2014 - 20:24

We needed a big sturdy table for 8-12 persons for our big dinning room but didn't want to pay 3000$ for it. Then i found Ana-white's site and thought "why not!". It's my first project, i started whit the bench and then made the table. All buy myself, my husby doesn't even know how to use a saw. He help me carry it inside thought ;) The plans were realy easy to follow. Somebody stop me, i'm refurnishing my hole house, i can't stop! In 2 months i'v made 2 dinning tables, 2 patio tables, 1 coffe table, 5 benches. So if i can do it, you can too!

Estimated Cost
300$
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
1 coat of dark walnut varathane in gel applied with an old t-shirt followed by 2 coats of varathane professional finish in satin applied with soft brush. I sanded between the 2 finished coats.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Rustic X End table

This was my first attempt after finding the site. I was so happy with the ease of the plans and the way it turned out i made the dining table

Estimated Cost
$20
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Steel wool and white vingear
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Shoe Dresser

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 10/25/2020 - 07:57

I've been wanting to make this for so long! I still have a couple blemishes to touch up but I'm super pleased with how this turned out. Easy construction and tons of customization options! THANK YOU ANA!!!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$150.00
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Polycrylic. Semi-gloss.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Makeup Vanity with drawers from modified Tiny House Desk Plan

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 02/24/2017 - 08:28

This was my first furniture project, and I modified these plans slightly to get 2 drawers, as well as a smaller depth of the desk.  I took this photo before I added drawer pulls, but I love how it turned out!

Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

American Girl Dollhouse Masterpiece!

Submitted by MendiB on Mon, 03/13/2017 - 12:06

This dollhouse was super easy to make! Harper (the doll) wanted an open concept living/kitchen, and that is the first floor. Second floor are the bedroom and bathroom. Top floor is the closet. The roof is made from 3.5" slats of luan glued together and painted with black sanded paint. Notice the baseboards and crown molding? The window boxes are really cute, too! I still owe my granddaughter a garage and patio with pergola, and kitchen appliances and chairs, but that will wait until summer when she can help craft/build them. 

Harper's bed is modeled after the farmhouse bed plans available on this site, but I used smaller scrap lumber. I wanted milk paint but was unwilling to pay the high price, so I bought a sample jar of antique ivory paint and watered it down. It turned out great!

Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Kilz primer, Behr satin indoor paint (leftovers from our house)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Sliding door buffet with real barnwood

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 04/06/2017 - 19:57

Built the buffet and doors in one day...spent two days making the hardware....1" flat bar (1/8" for mounting wheels and 3/16" for track). For the wheels I used screen door sliding wheels.. materials for sliding hardware totaled $30. Barnwood was obtained from a CL guy tearing his barn. Donated this buffet to my local high school Booster club for their auction. 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$200
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Sherwin Williams Web Gray semi gloss
Kilz 2 primer
Sprayed with Fuji MiniMate 4
minwax water based polyurethane for barnwood
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Our Rustic End Table

This was our first furniture project together. It was not as simple as we thought it would be, but we are very pleased with how it came out. We are planning on making the sofa table to match next!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Dark Walnut
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

jbayer80

Fri, 03/08/2013 - 14:46

Nice work!

Can I ask where you got the hardware for the edges? I plan on building this too once the time is right.

Court_Jared

Sat, 03/09/2013 - 09:52

Erik is exactly right...we just bought silver metal brackets and spray painted them black (it took two coats to cover them completely).

Children's play cafe

Submitted by Markb25 on Fri, 04/23/2021 - 23:15

With another total lockdown happening here in Cyrpus, right at the same time as my Daughter will be on Easter holidays, I'm trying to knock up as much outdoor play kit as I can to keep her entertained and off the iPad.

The design of this was very simple, a 2x2 frame clad with T&G; the countertop, shelves, and roof are from marine grade baltic birch (the roof also has additional levels of water prof membranes, root barriers, etc to support the living roof).

Finish-wise, for the pinks and blues, I've used wood aqua by Kraft paints, and for the counter, shelves, and picnic bench, high protection wood stain in walnut by V33.

Estimated Cost
500
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
wood aqua by Kraft paints and high protection wood stain by V33.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Ana White Admin

Sat, 04/24/2021 - 06:54

It's all in the details, looks like you're making a little girls dream come true! Thank you for sharing!

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