Media console
This great plan!! Thx Ana!
Built from Plan(s)
Community Brag Posts
Rustic Bench as Wedding Guestbook
Having already built a rustic bench to go with my Farmhouse Table, I knew it would be the perfect guest "book" bench for my wedding. For only $15 (I had the lumber for the top on hand), and the help of all my bridesmaids during my bachelorette weekend, we built this bench in just about an hour. Everybody had a hand in it, which makes it even more meaningful. It sits at the foot of the Farmhouse Bed my husband and I built from reclaimed barnwood from my father. I love that we have something so hand-made and sentimental to commemorate our wedding celebration. It makes me smile every time I look at it!
Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$15
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
I sanded the entire bench with 80,150,200. I primed the entire bench (including the underside, just to cover all my bases) then painted 2 coats of semi gloss white, sanding with 200 between coats. To make the center design, I printed out my art onto computer paper, covered the back with graphite (just scribbling with a pencil) then taped it to my bench. Trace the outline of your art with a pencil and a firm hand. When you remove the paper, you'll see the outline of your design. I traced it with silver paint pen, then filled it in. After I had all my signatures I sealed the top with two coats of Mod Podge (but polycrylic would probably work too).
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project
Happy Mother's Day
My homemade mother's day gift for my mother in law. She likes to sit in her living room looking out the big picture window at the birds eating at her birdfeeders. It's also a favorite passtime of my son who spends time there occasionally. What better gift than this! I wanted to do something a little less simple than the single "house" so I made the main one smaller, and then added two more houses to make bird townhouses.
Estimated Cost
$10
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
acrylic tole paints. Will seal it with something suitable for outdoor use.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner
table
wife wanted restoration hardware table after looking at the price decided to make it myself cost was about 300-350 dollars - spend a nice amount of free time on it ~ 10 feet long - solid pine wood
im not a such a skilled carpenter but think it can easily be done with the correct tools
Estimated Cost
300-350
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate
Comments
Fri, 04/03/2015 - 11:37
First I drew it out on a
First I drew it out on a cardboard template then once chosen I traced the edges on the wood and cut it ,i made them using table saw, jig saw, miter saw, orbital sander.
Modern Outdoor Chair with a twist
Taken from the Modern Outdoor chair project and added a back. Then decided that I love the andorak style chair arms and thus the Andrmodern chair was born..
Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$35.00
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Will use the Behr two in one
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner
Comments
Mon, 08/03/2020 - 09:02
I’d love to know how you…
I’d love to know how you made the changes, love it!
Thu, 03/18/2021 - 09:20
Modern outdoor chair with a twist
Could you please share how you added the back and arms to the modern chair plans.
Coffee - Wine Bar (Adapted from Planter's Bench
Built for my daughter but it came out so well, kept it.
Built from Plan(s)
Comments
Tryde Side Table
This was my very first project, with a little help from the husband.
Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Jacobean stain and polyurethane.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner
Mother's Day
I just wanted you to see what a great Mother's Day gift your planter made. It was a great project for a 4 year old grandson!!!
Thanks, Ana
Estimated Cost
$10.00 including plants.
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project
Comments
Family Tree- Group project
We wanted to a group painting class that seems to be really popular right now and offered all over the place. Instead of spending $30/person on a class we thought we would try doing something like this on our own! We had a great time and would do it again! Ours was smaller than the original in the tutorial because we wanted to make 4. Each person found an image online that they liked to make it more individualized.
Now that I've had a taste of working with wood, I'm ready for more! Ana, you're an inspiration! Thanks for the great site!
Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$15/person (because we had to buy everything since we don't usually work with wood)
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Sanded with a medium grain block.
stained with special walnut with an old t-shirt
Used ultra white paint that we had leftover from painting our interior doors.
Birds were a random 50cent jar in the mismatched pain section at home depot. :)
Used toothpicks for the small writing.
stained with special walnut with an old t-shirt
Used ultra white paint that we had leftover from painting our interior doors.
Birds were a random 50cent jar in the mismatched pain section at home depot. :)
Used toothpicks for the small writing.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project
Comments
Mon, 04/06/2015 - 08:05
Looks Fun!
What a great and fun project for a group of friends. They all look wonderful!
Mon, 04/06/2015 - 16:27
What a creative and cool idea
What a creative and cool idea! Thanks for sharing and these all look amazing!
Outdoor Sofa and Sectional
I haven't really done anything like this, came out quite well. I modified the back for what I think is better comfort, added side supports to hold throw pillows in place and added 2 extra 2x4's to seating surfaces. The sofa I built in an afternoon with an extra pair of hands to line things up and hold them in place. The sectional took a little longer to complete as my helper was off building his own couch (after he saw how simple it was to do). I also didn't use a pocket jig (couldn't find one in rural hardware store) but a countersink drill bit for all screw holes.
Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
in Canadian, for the sofa and sectional about 220 with stain.
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
latex semi transparent stain
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner
Comments
Fri, 06/28/2019 - 09:39
I love the changes! I wish I…
I love the changes! I wish I thought of them myself.
Square Picnic Table
This is a bit larger than Ana’s plan. I added additional support to the table top and added a braced opening for the umbrella. I also went for a more rounded finish by rounding all the corners of the table and benches with my jigsaw and then sanding to create smooth curves.
Built from Plan(s)
Comments
Children Book Ledges
I’m a complete beginner without any sort of wood working experience. The only experience I have is taking a jigsaw to my dresser while my husband was gone for the day.
When I was visiting my in-laws, I decided to start a project. I knew the 10$ ledges were a great easy first project. My main lesson from the project is to check the state of your wood! I was at a home improvement center that goes and gets the wood for you. I had it bundled and didn’t bother to check it until the next day. By that time there was a couple of feet of snow and all the highways and roads to the home improvement center was closed, and most in South Dakota for that matter. (I’m going to venture a guess that Ana probably deals with worse conditions in her neck of the woods.) Any who, the wood was a bit rough and ugly…even for pine, but I decided to deal with it. I was snowed in and may as well do a project while I was!
The only adjustment I had to make was cutting them in half since an 8 foot shelf wouldn’t travel back home with me in our SUV. This ended up making them a bit off when I put them on the wall, but it was a necessity and I’ll deal with it. I used a table saw and belt sander for the most part. It was the first time I used this equipment. After my husband gave me a lesson, he had strict orders to back off and let me do the work. The plans work absolutely great. My husband and I agree that the shelves create a whole new atmosphere in the room.
Estimated Cost
$20.00
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
I have previously tried semi-gloss latex paint to get white furniture. I have had problems with yellowing with this method. I decided to try white enamel paint this time. It definitely created a more finished look. I used two coats of primer first, then about four coats of enamel. The look is a smooth shiny white finish.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project
Toybox with lid
This entire project was built with 3/4 MDF plywood. The lid is 3/4 MDF with sides routed for rounded edge for professional appearance. Inside the box are two friction hinges ( one on right and one one left) to support the lid.
On the bottom of toybox are four casters with mounting plates that attach to bottom. Two of the wheels have locks while 2 are 360 degree motion.
The paint is Signature Series and primer used is Kills high hiding low odor.
The letters on the front are 4 inch letters purchased from BIGLOTS. Holes were countersunk into the letters, screwed to front of toybox, and filled with wood filler.
I couldn't be happier with how this project turned out.
Estimated Cost
$50
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Valspar Satin Signature Series at Lowes
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate
Our on the Dawsen Media Console
We built our version of the Dawsen Media Console to replace our TV stand. We adjusted the size to fit our living room. The length is 59" and 20" deep. We went with the open areas and enclosed the front middle to "hide" the tv boxes. We also used the screen in the doors to match the middle screen.
Estimated Cost
We had a lot of the wood on hand from other projects and scrap from area shops. So our out of pocket expenses were roughly $150
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Two toned black latex paint.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate
Comments
Hall Tree
I made this project for a friend. It was very important to get straight boards for the back in order to make everything square. Let me know if you have any questions!
Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$180
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
None yet! I did fill and sand the project and condition the wood for paint. Any exposed pocket holes were filled with angled dowels, some wood filler, and then sanded flat. I used a little extra 1x3 in order to face the middle two dividers. One more note...depending on your board length, you might need to get an extra 1x4. An 8 footer will leave you 1" short for the 41" board. But hey! Leftover wood turns into a new project!
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate
Farmhouse table
Farmhouse table
Built from Plan(s)
Comments
Rustic X Bench
This was a really cute bench that I thought would look nice paired up with my grandmother’s piano we’d inherited after she passed. My 13 year old daughter has been taking lessons and needed something better than a folding chair to sit on when she practiced (at least I thought so).
We did modify it a bit. We made it a bit taller for her to be able to sit comfortably at the piano. We also ran into a little bit of trouble when putting this together because the shopping list isn’t exactly right on the plans. Other than that, this was a great plan, easy to do and very inexpensive. Even if you had to buy the stain (which we didn’t as we had some left over from another project) it should still only cost about $27 or so. So for under $30 you’ve got this great bench that is super cute and very functional. Can’t beat that!!!!
Thanks Ana for posting the plans and allowing us to all live in your world! This is a great website and a wonderful online community. I check out the site everyday to see what’s new!
Thanks again!!!!!!
Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$18.50
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax water-based stain, clear tint in Coffee
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project
Pedestal table base with hinoki wood top.
I used Anna Whites DIY plans to build the base for our dining room table. Then I went to my “wood guy” RV and picked up a beautiful piece of hinoki wood for the top. Love it 😍
Although advance, the pedestal plans were very straightforward and easy to follow. Made me look like a pro.
Comments
doll bed
Farmhouse doll bed modified - one slat less in width.
Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$10.00
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
1. one coat primer
2. two coats Behr white semi gloss
3. one coat satin poly
2. two coats Behr white semi gloss
3. one coat satin poly
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner
Comments
Ana White Admin
Tue, 10/05/2021 - 11:04
Looks great!
Thank you for sharing, love the two tone finish!