Community Brag Posts

I had built the "Traditional Toddler Bed" for our first daughter a while back. Since then we have had our second daughter and a house of 3 girls (and not knowing how many more were coming) we needed another dresser. So i designed and built this dresser to match the toddler bed. It was made from 2x4 studs, b grade pine plywood, b grade pine and wainscoting. Though it required extra sanding and finishing work it was well worth the savings.

Dream dollhouse made with the Ana's plan. So proud to say I did it myself! Thank's from Brazil, Ana!

I made these toy boxes for my two grandsons for Christmas. They have been laser etched with their names and a special note on the inside of the top lid. "Always remember you are braver than you believe, Stronger than you seem, Smarter than you think and Loved more than you will ever know. Love Papa and Lita.

Used Fir for the posts, side rails, and top 2x6, pine for everything else.

Our new home has a corner area of the kitchen with enough room for a table, so we figured this one would be perfect!

Rustic console table- distressed.  Made this one wider and taller. Used 2x8s for top and shelves. Increased height by 2". 

Distressed wood with a good beating and also metal hardware. Paint/sand distress for top. 

This was mine and my husband's very first attempt at making something on our own from wood, and I'm so pleased with the end result! Actually I didn't do much of the actual building - I left that up to my husband. We recently moved into a new home, and I wanted some nice furniture for our front porch that was comfortable to on. I found a lot of nice furniture, but the price was just a little more than I wanted to pay especially since I knew there were other things we needed for the house. So after discovering Ana's site we decided to bite the bullet and buy some tools and the supplies we needed to build this loveseat. The only thing we really had was the drill because our circular saw needed to be replaced. It turned out to be probably more expensive by the time we paid for all of those things, but we knew in the long run it would pay off.

So my husband started his work, and when he finished building I put two coats of primer on it and one coat of white paint. The woodwork itself turned out better than my paint job because there are some drips here and there. I just haven't bothered trying to sand them yet since it's not too bad.

We bought our cushions from Lowe's. They were $55 for each set (cushion bottom and back) so about $110 for the all. It's amazing how much more expensive the cushions were than the actual loveseat! All in all we are very happy with our new loveseat and absolutely thrilled that we found Ana's site! We've already made something else since this project and are working on a third!

Decided build this simple cahnging table for my wife and I. I used the "Simple Changing Table" plan, but used 1/4" Hardboard instead of 3/4" ply or MDF. To keep the 1/4" hardbaord in place I cut a groove in each of the 6 end pieces and glued it in, then I put 2 supports (1x2) under the middle of each shelf. I didn't make the top try insert and made it a little narrower. I notched out the legs to help support the cross beams.

My husband and I made this as

an anniversary gift

to one another! Love how it looks.

My daughter and I decided 2 weeks before Christmas to try your easy mantle project. Well not so easy for us, lol my husband had to help, but it was fun! I think it came out great! Thanks Ana

Jackie

With grandchildren and pets we decided to put a gate on the deck.

The gate is made from 2 X 4's and 2 x 2's. I used brass hinges to prevent rust and smooth operation

This was Ana's cottage loft. I was asked to make it into a bunk bed. So I changed the backside to include two sets of five 1x6s, and added a 'second floor' so the top bunk child would feel like she was in the house as well. I also added the flower boxes and made the rails 19" high on the top bunk. Next time, I would add a ladder to both sides for easier access to making the bed. The customer painted the bed.

Modified from the Grandy  plans to fit in my room.   Made from old cedar, new cedar made to look old (vinegar and steel wool) and an old weathered door for the sliding doors.   I used a steel rod and 4 pulleies all from Lowe's hardware store.  The rods are held with 4 grounding clips made for circuit breaker boxes.  

My husband completed this project in three short days.

Finally got rid of the yucky worn-out carpet on the stairs. Instead of painting or staining the tread surfaces, I sanded, filled in holes, primed with a high quality primer, and used luxury vinyl flooring planks on the top of the treads, and finished the fronts with pewter stair nose. The risers and skirt boards were sanded, primed, and painted with 2 coats of semi gloss paint. Below the front edges of treads and where the treads meet the risers and skirt boards, added a finishing touch with some trim. This project was time consuming and I had sore muscles all over from crawling up and down those steps, but I think the finished result was worth it. They look much nicer, and we can get dust and dog hair off of the steps with just a Swiffer. Plus, it only cost about $200 to do 2 sets of stairs (6 steps up and 6 steps down).

So, why didn't I stain or paint the tread surfaces? I originally planned to, and did a lot of reading and research on what to use. But, I was worried about slipping on the stairs. Mom (who lives with us) isn't as mobile as she used to be due to a hip replacement and arthritis, and I was worried about her slipping on the smooth tread surfaces. Even if I'd used slip resistant paint, I was still worried about her foot slipping off the round bullnose at the front of the tread (that's happened to me with the carpeted stairs). The vinyl planks have a textured surface. We have these on several of our floors throughout the house and they aren't slippery for her feet. The stair nose has ridges and also is a bit squared, so it doesn't allow your foot to slip off of the front edge.

I know this is non-standard from what most people would expect to see on stairs, and we'll surely have to change it if we ever sell our house, but in the month we've had this project complete, so far it has been great.

Here's my farmhouse table! This was my 2nd project (the first was a work bench) and it went really smoothly.