Community Brag Posts

DIY Walk-in Closet

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 08/02/2024 - 14:10

I used the Tower Closet system as a base for my closet remodel. I wanted drawers and space for my long dresses. I also have internet/cable coming in through a closet wall so I needed to accommodate that which turned into a corner unit designed to fit laundry basket and suitcase storage. Overall I used 4x8” paint grade 3/4” plywood from HD which I had them cut down to 16”. The 3rd strip was slightly less than 16” so I ripped those down to make the shoe wall at 12” deep. The back and right wall are 16” deep and the shoe wall 12”. I bought the IKEA mirror door and built a cabinet to fit it. I store my tall boots, belts and scarves in there. I used my Kreg shelf in jig in the shoe wall and bought refinished 12” shelves for the shoes in 8 fit sheets and cut them down to fit. The entire closet is trimmed with 1x2” pine and painted with BM Advance Paint (best cabinet paint IMO). The floor was left over from a rental property. Overall cost about $1200. Hubby doesn’t need as much drawer storage as I do so we made a small shoe rack just for him. My favorite part is the matching drawer handles to faux crystal chandeliers for a feminine touch.

Michele B

DIY Country Pie Safe - Thrifty and Chic Decor

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 08/22/2024 - 09:21

Making pie safes have apparently become a hobby 😂 these things are just so cute! They can be made from pretty much just scrap wood you have lying around, some glue and nails. I’ve painted mine and have stained them. This time around I added the cute design to the side bottom and bead board to the back. 

Visit Thrifty and Chic for the full tutorial with modifications!

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Rustic blue Bed

This was a build for a client's daughter's new bedroom. The clients added lights to the head board but I could not post the pic. I also built a cute bedside table mostly out of remnants of the bed to match.

Estimated Cost
$150
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Combination

Just My Size Closet

Just My Size Closet!

Built this from Ana's plans with a few modifications.

Started with a big empty box after ripping the old stuff out and finished with this look.

Adjustable shelves and all !

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Whatever white paint my wife bought !!
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Outdoor Sofa - Front Porch

Submitted by mclaudeg3 on Fri, 11/06/2020 - 16:47

This project was quite easy and did not require many tools. The plan allowed me to adjust the measurements easily so it could fit in that space. I used regular 2x4’s and treated the wood with Mountain Ash colour in a semi-transparent stain from Sherwin Williams, I just love the colour! I build 2 - 2 seaters exactly the same. The one side has no arm, as I wanted it to look like a lounge chair. I love to sit in the corner and stretch my legs 😊. I bought the cushion covers from IKEA, and got good quality foam.

Estimated Cost
Wood ~$300
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
2 coats of semi-transparent Mountain Ash stain from Sherwin Williams.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Seasonal And Holiday

End Tables

Submitted by bozarthm1 on Sun, 11/15/2020 - 16:22

Built these two end tables from Ana's nightstand plans. Modified to add a shelf and drawers. I used stair treads to make the tops which give a nice thickness and strength. The shelves are cedar fence pickets. Shelf and tops are stained Jacobean with a semi gloss poly finish. Had to watch Ana's videos several times to get the build right, but spent much more time on the finish than the build. Added electric extension/usb outlet. Really happy with the project. THANKS Ana!

Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Jacobean stain, semi gloss poly, white primer and paint
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

bozarthm1

Sun, 11/15/2020 - 16:28

Project for my son. End tables with one and 2 drawers. Shelf and tops stained with poly, frames and drawer primed and painted. Tops made from Stair treads. they are 12" edge glued so just had to trim down and glue together. comes with one bullnose, rounded off the other sides with a 1/2inch roundover router bit.

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

My First Bed

Submitted by toolman81 on Wed, 01/20/2021 - 12:10

This was my first bed since we can not find any in stock due to the pandemic. I switched up the headboard legs to 2x6s for a slightly wider base. This helped with the mattress in a box we ordered. I built a simple frame using 2x8s, all basic lumber from the big box store, and used 2x6s for the footboard legs. I built the bed frame just about two inches shorter in width to give it some variation in sight lines. I finished it with basic white enamel paint and put 1x4 slats under the mattress. My wife loved it and it turned out well.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$380
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
White Paint
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Double square X pedestal dining table

Submitted by eklein21 on Wed, 12/31/2014 - 11:44

Thanks for the great plans. I modified them slightly by building a 60x40 farmhouse style top and a double pedastel. The other change is that I made the side 4x4s into 2x4s. 

Estimated Cost
~$200
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
General finishes gel stain in brown mahogony (https://generalfinishes.com/retail-products/oil-base-wood-stains-sealers/oilbase-gel-stains#.VKRQ2ivF9UM) and finished using general finishes arm-r-seal in satin (https://generalfinishes.com/retail-products/oil-base-top-coats/arm-r-seal-urethane-topcoat#.VKRRDyvF9UM) ... sealer is so strong it was harder to drill through then the wood when attaching the top to the bootom. Started with the pre-stain conditioner as well (https://generalfinishes.com/retail-products/oil-base-top-coats/pre-stain-wood-conditioner#.VKRRmyvF9UM)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

traciw25

Fri, 08/12/2016 - 12:58

Your table looks great!  Love the farmhouse top and your revisions.

 

Would you mind sharing what dimensions you went for the table top and what width you went on the doubt pedestal length?

 

THanks so much!!! I hope I get to have one like yours someday soon :)

Farmhouse coffee table under 40 - ( 65 dollars Canadian)

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 02/17/2021 - 15:50

This was my first project and had tons of fun building it. Can’t wait to build to end tables to match.
The plans are so easy to understand. The only change I made was instead of exposed screws I used the pocket hole method

Estimated Cost
65 dollars ( Canadian)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax pre- stain wood conditioner, minwax classic grey ( 2 coats) minwax clear satin poly urethane.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

mh6558

Fri, 01/12/2024 - 08:33

This is beautiful and just the look I'm going for with the color scheme. I am wondering if it would be easier to paint the wood before constructing it? Also, what is the pocket hole technique? I think I would like the screws hidden too.

Chevron simple 1x10 single step stool

Submitted by Eplunkert on Thu, 01/08/2015 - 12:22

I built this stool for my niece's first birthday! It was super easy to build. The painting process was another story. In hindsight I should have just stained it but I wanted something fun and bright. I'm happy with how it turned out and I will definitely be making one for my nephew for his first birthday! Overall it took me about 2 hours to cut and put it together.

Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Spray paint and spray clear coat
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Drop Zone/mudroom

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 03/09/2021 - 07:10

I used ShelfHelpNow which I LOVED! Got it delivered at the start of a snowstorm! Would never have made it then if I had to go get the wood myself!
Got so many compliments and requests
To build this.
Thank you for your easy plans and wonderful ideas!
In hindsight I would have either connected the two units or separated them more. I’m more a wing it/see how it goes type of builder for myself rather than a planner. 🤣
Diane

Estimated Cost
600 for carcass
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Putting it together took a couple hours. Painting and waiting for things to dry took a lot longer!
Hopefully this will free up some room in my house for more utilitarian closet/pantry.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Media Center

Submitted by brittanyj on Wed, 01/21/2015 - 08:59

Made this media center for a DIY TV show at my home and I think I'm proudest of this project!  It turned out so beautifully.  Shelf pin jig was used for movable shelves inside, ORB handles and knobs, a very smooth poly'd top, and plenty of room for our components.  The doors were the hardest part.  Being inset, they just didn't want to fit and would scrape the frame.  Lots of repositioning of the hinges.  The thick acrylic for the doors was a little difficult as well- it cut easily enough in the table saw, but screwing in threatened breakage.  It was also hard to fit them where their fasteners didn't compete with the knobs or shelves.  I also made the TV stand to match the media center (and because I didn't want to buy one!)  Love this project!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$120
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
kona stain, poly
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

DIYER_MD

Wed, 01/21/2015 - 14:37

This turned out nice. I did notice that you are showing the pocket holes on the inside. In the future you can get the Kreg pocket hole plugs to fill these holes. You glue them in the holes and you can then sand them down even and you will not see any of the holes.

Great job.

Farmhouse Hall Tree

Submitted by brino on Sat, 05/29/2021 - 07:53

Added a shelf for plants at the top, coat hooks.
I mounted the back panel to the wall so I could remove the supports between the bench and the back panel.

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Kitchen Table

Submitted by MikeB on Wed, 05/24/2017 - 09:27

My wife wanted an 8 foot long table, but wanted it to be a little narrower that as standard table. This one ended up being 97.5" x 29" I used a torch to scorch the wood then apply poly finish.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
250.00
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Standing/Walking Desk w/ Bookshelves

Submitted by SaraLodise on Sun, 06/04/2017 - 15:34

Standing/Walking desk with side bookshelves built in. Desktop folds up and out so keyboard is at correct level for my height while walking on treadmill. When folded down, keyboard is at acceptible level for standing on ground. Desk designed so that the small walking treadmill can slide under and be out of the way when not in use.

 

Lifting Hinges used are Woodtek Coffee Table Lift Mechanism:  https://woodworker.com/coffee-table-top-lift-mechanism-lr-mssu-164-228…

 

Estimated Cost
Lumber: (1) 23/32 Plywood 4x8, (1) 23/32 Plywood 4x4 = $45...Lifting Hinges: $57...Finishing: 2 pints of General Finishes Milk Paint + Acrylic Topcoat = $56...TOTAL = $160
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
1 coat of General Finishes 'Lamp Black' Milk Paint...
2 coats of General Finishes 'Basil' Milk Paint...
Sanded w/ 120 grit to achieve a distressed look...
1 coat of General Finishes 'Yellow Ocher' Glaze Effect for patina...
1 coat of General Finishes 'Flat on Flat' Acrylic Topcoat on high traffic areas
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Router Table

Submitted by benbutler on Sun, 04/21/2013 - 10:51

My wife has been asking for new dressers for the boy's room for a while now but every time we go out shopping for them I am very disappointed in the quality of what is available. So I decided to make them myself. I have not made any furniture before and needed a few tools to help me out and thought what better way to get both the practice and the tools then build my own router table.

I searched the web for plans and found these great ones. I loved these plans but wanted to make a couple of changes anyway. I decide to build the table top as well as the cabinet and decided to make it a little taller to fit me better. Due to the changes and making the table top it took me 2 days to finish, 1 day for the cabinet and 1 for the top and to put it all together. (Not having used a router before it took me a while to get the template just right to cut in the insert.)

It works great and looks great in my shop. Now on to the dressers.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
350 with the router
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
none
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

WALL-MOUNTED WINE RACK

Submitted by crowner123 on Mon, 06/24/2013 - 14:54

This was a rack I helped my dad make so he could give it as a wedding gift. This is an attempt to build from plans that Ana posted here:

http://ana-white.com/2011/11/wall-mounted-wine-rack-dont-forget-erase-y…

We took 2 long long cherry boards with bark still on the sides, and ran them through the planer. Then we ripped them down the center to be able to use bark ends on each side and book-matched the cherry colors, but most people wont have to worry about that since they wont be using "found" cherry.

The back board is made up of four 1x7s cuts at 28.5 inches long. You can use whatever width you want, we just wound up with 7inch pieces. Then we used a Kreg Jig to screw those together flush (see picture of back). Once those 4 pieces were together we sanded the edges down to make the backboard smooth and flush.

The 8 mini shelves were 1x3.5s cut at 10 inches long. The middle and bottom shelves were 1x5s cut at 24.75 inches long. Again, we were using limited wood and had to adjust our measurements to make it work.

We spaced the bottom shelf flush with the bottom of the backboard and then would space 4.5 inches between the top of that and the bottom of the next shelf. Make sure there is still room for your wine bottle to fit between the floating shelves. ALSO, MAKE SURE YOU KEEP THE FLOATING SHELVES ACROSS FROM EACH OTHER LEVEL WITH ONE ANOTHER. You don't want your shelves to look lazily placed.

The way we placed the shelves on backboard was...involved.
- Clamp the shelves in place on the front of the board and trace them with pencil.
- Remove the shelves.
- Marke holes to drill within center of the trace.
- Drill those holes from the front of the board to the back.
- Reclamp the shelves back on and use the holes in the board to mark the clamped on shelves from the back.
- Unclamp the shelves and fully drill the shelves by themselves while they were not attached. (BE CAREFUL TO DRILL STRAIGHT and never come through the top or bottom of the shelf)
- Sand off your pencil marks after your drilling.
- Re-clamp the shelves to the backboard.
- Use 3" screws straight from the back into the shelves.
- Use 8 screws per big shelf and 3 screws per little shelf.

Then it was just slow and steadily clamping, tracing, drilling, re-clamping, drilling, sanding, re-clamping, and screwing the shelves on... You have to follow that pattern for each shelf or you risk ruining your shelf and if you have limited wood (like we did) that is not an option.

We also put very small pieces of wood to keep the bottles from rolling off their shelves. These were just scraps we had lying around and tapped them in with small finishing nails.

Good luck!

Estimated Cost
$50
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
These photos were taken pre-finish. That is just how beautiful the cherry looks! We will be spraying on a high gloss clear finish and we'll be done.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Farmhouse Table

Submitted by sdarnell1 on Wed, 07/01/2015 - 13:01

This 8ft dining table and bench was created with inspiration from Ana White (with a few modifications). It was made with all scrap wood except the table top. Full details of the table build (and kitchen remodel) can be found at www.chasingadreamblog.wordpress.com.

Finish Used
Minwax Stain Provincial, whitewashed legs (50/50 white paint/water)--paint on lightly with a brush, let sit a couple minutes, wipe in/off with a old rag, repeat until you get the desired color
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Picture ledges

Submitted by nanpannapa on Tue, 05/24/2011 - 13:42

PIcture ledges ~ made my living room look so much better. Thanks Ana

Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Left over satin paint
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Iron Board Holder

Submitted by Sunny4 on Sat, 02/17/2018 - 14:58

I had all that was need in my scraps:) Great project for this rainy day!!

Thanks Ana!

 

Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Briarsmoke
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project
Back