Community Brag Posts

DIY seesaw

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 03/14/2019 - 11:08

We were setting up our finished seesaw the same day we bought the project supplies, so this is a fun project without a lot of waiting around. It’s been a huge hit in the backyard and the extra-long seats allow a couple of kids to pile on each end.

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

Custom Playhouse Bunkbed

Submitted by Abzman on Wed, 10/19/2011 - 16:28

I wanted to create something for my 2 girls (6 & 4) that would make both of them happy, fit in a small room, and get it done within 3 weeks while they were away on vacation. It was a surprise as neither the girls nor their mother had any idea what I was doing.
I copied the idea from others on this site but then modified it a bit to get what I wanted.
I still have more touches to complete.
I didn't finish the inside for the sake of time. I might wallpaper the inside or just paint it when time allows.

The top is a full size bed. The playhouse is enclosed with walls on all sides. There's a bed inside of the playhouse that's a Twin size with a simple stool to get on it (ran out of time - was going to create a 2 step drawer stairs).
The stairs are drawers and there's a "secret" opening under the bed going into the stairs where the girls can hide stuff.
Left the first step open in order to use for totes. My 4yr old currently fits in there and can get in and out of the playhouse through that opening. I might put a flap there.

I worked on this playhouse for about 200hrs which includes tons of visits to hardware stores, furniture stores, finishing, touches, etc. Worked in the garage and built it such that it can be disassembled and re-assembled easily.
Wanted to make it more fancy but ran out of time.
Made the stairs a separate piece on its own.
MADE MANY ERRORS but was able to correct almost all of them. Learned a lot from this project.
I didn't follow any particular plan except for the concept since my dimensions were different. I made the rails higher for added safety since my girls almost sleep walk!
Accommodating the Full size mattress made this project very challenging and more costly since I had to get a full sheet for each side - total 5 sides.

Detailed Pictures and Dimensions:
https://plus.google.com/photos/103590147643813514240/albums/56496973048…
Stairs:
https://plus.google.com/photos/103590147643813514240/albums/57625265707…

Estimated Cost
$800 including mattresses & comforters
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Base paint, Latex white & Latex colored
Paneling (optional)
Decorations
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

hammertime

Sun, 10/23/2011 - 08:03

Completely brilliant in so many ways. Way to go. What were their reactions? I imagine they are in heaven!

Abzman

Thu, 12/01/2011 - 13:08

Sorry just saw the comments.

After some 30hrs of travelling by air and land, they arrived exhausted. When they saw this they all got charged up with energy. The girls loved it and it's now a toy & a bed. Their mom loved it and all the storage and began using it right away.
Slight problem is that the younger one wants to sleep in the top large bunk so we settled to having them swap in the weekends!
One nightmare is making the beds!

Dimika (not verified)

Wed, 12/07/2011 - 07:53

Abzman this is the most wonderful thing I have ever seen. At first I thought I was gonna read where you got this from but when I saw you made this I just had to tell you what a marvelous job you did. I really wish I could buy something like this for my own girls (4 and 3). Thanks for sharing

spiceylg

Wed, 12/07/2011 - 09:15

What a wonderful and generous surprise for you wife and daughters! I'm sure that was better than their vacation!

Guest (not verified)

Wed, 12/21/2011 - 19:23

Hi, I'm building for a full size mattress as well. It looks like you are using 1x4 for the slats. How are they holding up? Did you have to reinforce them because of the added width?

Also, how high and deep are the stairs?

BTW, everything looks great.

Thanks for the help.

In reply to by Guest (not verified)

Abzman

Wed, 12/21/2011 - 22:10

Hi,
I just finished documenting some of my dimensions and included them in the photo album linked below.
I did use 1x4's and picked the hardest and straightest I could find. I tested all of them first at HD!
They are holding up well. I used 12 total. They are all a tight fit and that was good enough support. I didn't use additional support and I know they will hold up well for a 100+ lbs person but I still have it planned to secure a few of the slats. I laid down on the top bunk and it felt sturdy.
Note that some might not agree with the height of my top bunk rails. They are at 4' even!
As for the stairs, I included the measurements in the pics. Hope this helps.
I will be covering the inside walls with colored carpeting! It will also act as a noise insulator so the kids won't wake up early AM from street noise.

https://plus.google.com/photos/103590147643813514240/albums/56496973048…

km621326

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 20:11

Do you have pics and dimensions for the drawers and how you installed them in the stairs?

In reply to by km621326

Abzman

Fri, 07/06/2012 - 23:08

Give me your email address and I'll email you the pictures I have. I don't have dimensions but maybe the pictures can help. Since my staircase is removable I built the drawers outside of the bed then re-inserted the staircase. I did it the easy way using cleats and I installed felt padding under the drawers so they wouldn't scratch the steps.

km621326

Sat, 07/07/2012 - 10:15

[email protected]

Thank you! I'm planning on building the stairs separate as well. I've never built any with drawers in them before, and I can't find any plans for them. :-(

In reply to by km621326

Abzman

Sat, 07/07/2012 - 13:32

I just realized a better solution, I've posted the pictures to Google Photos. Hopefully that would help.
Basically, I built the frame of the drawers and made the front fascia separate which I attached afterwords. It allows for error correction in case the drawer doesn't come out straight and also allows for adjustments and fine tuning.
Go here: https://plus.google.com/photos/103590147643813514240/albums/57625265707…

Rustic Farmhouse Table with Distressed Finish

Submitted by petesveen on Tue, 10/15/2013 - 13:06

When I saw Ana's plans I had to make this table for my home. I like the rustic look, and so I distressed the wood using a steel wool and vinegar solution. I modified the top by using four 2x8's and one 2x10. Otherwise everything is the same. It turned out great and everyone who has seen it at my home loves it.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$130
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Brushed one coat of steel wool and vinegar. Then brushed on 2 coats of Minwax semi-gloss. Next, I sanded using 400 grit. After sanding, I wiped on a very thin 3rd coat of poly using a clean rag.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Kabarie

Mon, 11/04/2013 - 14:00

The finish you chose just sold this table to me. Love it love it! Great job!

beccalc1981

Fri, 09/05/2014 - 05:55

So very very new to all this wood working but very excited to get started! I LOVE the finished look of this table. I had never heard of steel wool and vinegar, but just googled and can't to try it! Thanks!

charchav

Wed, 11/25/2015 - 07:14

I Love this Table . You should just come to our house and make it for us.LOL

I was just wondering what type of wood did you use? We live in the south east and cant find any Douglas Fir wood. what other wood would you suggest?

thanks Char

Misha1dibbs

Tue, 08/09/2016 - 07:12

The table looks fantastic. I know you built this two years ago. How has the top of the table held up? I am currently working on this table, and I am debating weather or not to use the kreg pocket screws or to use 7/16ths dowels for the body and mortise and tenon joints for the breadboards. However, that is more work than the kreg screws. If the kregs hold up well, than I would rather do that. Anyway, the table looks fantastic.

Rustic X Coffee Table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 03/21/2019 - 16:16

Plans were very easy to follow and it all went together nicely. The top was inspired by a cafe table my daughter saw at a street cafe in Chile. She liked it so much I made her one for Christmas. I wanted to do a similar coffee table since - the Rustic X Coffee table plans fit the bill perfectly! 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$150
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Top: Minwax Red Mahogany stain with satin spray laquer finish
Base: Flat white spray paint over a gray spray paint base
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

King Farmhouse bed with drawers

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 02/13/2023 - 19:01

I started with your king size fancy Farm style head board and made it taller (67” tall”) and created a footboard using same pattern. Then added three drawer on each side adding supports for king size bed - followed up by installing 4 usb charging ports behind each side of headboard.

Comments

Modern Parsons Desk

Submitted by jimboski93 on Mon, 10/24/2011 - 08:35

This was my first project - thanks Ana.
I had to shrink the dimensions from the plan to fit our space. Pretty happy with how it turned out given it was my first project.
http://our-big-house.blogspot.com/2011/10/project-build-desk.html

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
200
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
primer
behr water based indoor paint
spray on polycrylic
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Guest (not verified)

Mon, 10/24/2011 - 18:14

whitewood is soft!!!poplar is stable ,hard and paints well....dont comment if you dont know what your talking about

jimboski93

Tue, 10/25/2011 - 10:43

the previous poster had my line of thought when I purchased the wood - Poplar looks great and would look fantastic with just a little bit of stain, right?

But I didn't know that staining poplar would be such a challenge.

So, yes, poplar paints well and that's why I painted in the end.

Kitchen Cabinet Refinish

Submitted by ndetermann on Fri, 10/18/2013 - 02:32

These cabinets had 3+ layers of paint on it and I had been wanting to see what was underneath for awhile. I decided to, after my first project I submitted here, started to re-due/re-surface these cabinets. It took forever to sand all of these layers of paint off. I was super excited to find that the wood under the paint was actually really nice. I hope you like the results just like I did.

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

Fancy hall tree

Submitted by Kris60 on Mon, 01/04/2016 - 10:00

Plans were right on, didn't encounter any problems. Great weekend project.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Min wax espresso
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

A Chippendale Clothes Press

I made this from a design in Thomas Chippendale's "The Gentlemen and Cabinetmakers' Director". It has two internal shelves for storing clothes. All the drawers have working locks and the brass is from Londonderry.com brasses. Their motto is "When Authenticity Counts". It took about 250 hours. Wholly done with mortise and tenon (pinned) and dovetails. The carcass is dovetailed to avoid using any nails. The feet are typical Chippendale with ogee bracket feet. I used only rough lumber which I mill to final dimensions. The moulding is my own design.

Estimated Cost
$1200.00 plus $600 for the brasses and locks
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Minwax Antique Oil Finish, Beeswax.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

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Thu, 04/26/2012 - 16:00

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Toddler Bed

Submitted by cnensor on Sun, 10/20/2013 - 22:20

This is the biggest project I've tackled to date (I can count on one hand the little projects I've done before--stools, simple shelves, etc.). This is a beginner project, for sure. I made this bed one night when I couldn't sleep and it took about 4.5 hours to build the four main pieces: headboard, footboard, and two sides with the cleats. The next day I sanded, stained, added shellac, then assembled the 4 parts--"active" time about 1.5 hours. I used four simple L-brackets (about 50 cents each) to assemble so I will be able to easily take the bed apart... he'll outgrow it too soon.

Other than that, I followed the plans exactly as they were laid out. I like the overall look of the bed. For the guardrails: I attempted but did not like the guardrails from the plans. They were not the right size. Because his room is train-themed, I just wood-glued some extra train tracks in a crescent shape to a thin piece of scrap wood (cut and sanded to fit the tracks).

This is a fun little bed. If I had to give up my youngest's crib (so sad)... it could only be for something this cute.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$35
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Cabot "Golden Oak" ...random fact, happens to be the exact same color as Thomas the train tracks.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Harlows Art Table!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 01/05/2016 - 22:10

Followed an Ana White DIY to make a childs art table.  Modified it a bit towards the end and I think it turned out OK!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
100
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Painted the base with white paint/primer in one (Rustoleum). Stained the top with Dark Walnut minwax stain and then covered it with Minwax spray on polycrylic spray (5 coats).
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

King storage bed

This bed was built using poplar, and pine wood. I used poplar for most of the stained pieces that are visible, and the stain is varathanes Early American. This is the fourth bed I’ve built with Ana’s Farmhouse Storage Bed plans, because it breaks down to four pieces, headboard, footboard and two side boxes, along with the drawers. This makes it easy to assemble on site.

Estimated Cost
$550
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Varathane, Early American stain
Varathane satin polyurethane
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Bengals97

Tue, 07/28/2020 - 14:33

I really like how you built this...I noticed you used the queen plans but made a king. Would you be able to share the changes you made to make this a king. I am still relatively new in my woodworking passion compared to your 25 years of experience. Thanks for sharing your end result...I would be open to pay for the updated plans if need be as I know your time and experience is valuable.

Caro's AG Doll Farmhouse Bed

Submitted by margjack on Fri, 11/04/2011 - 08:57

Third AG doll bed for my nieces - they are so much fun to make! I loved how the green turned out - I want to paint everything in the house this color!

Estimated Cost
$30 (includes paint & fabric)
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Rustoleum gloss spray paint in "Fern" (found at Lowes)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Small rustic x kitchen island

Submitted by jkassel78 on Wed, 10/23/2013 - 14:30

This was my first furniture build. I learned a lot and can't wait to build furniture for the rest of the house! I used off the shelf lumber for this and with all the supplies I needed it ended up costing around a hundred to build. I used a water based light stain to match the rest of my kitchen. (Desert Sand by Minwax). Thank you for the plans! :)

Estimated Cost
85-100
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax water based wood conditioner, Minwax water based stain in desert sand, Polycrylic sealer. Sanded in between coats with 220 grit.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Reclaimed Wood X Table

Submitted by Bodge_it on Thu, 01/07/2016 - 10:18

X Table made from reclaimed wooden joists and 2x4s. The table is stabilised using 20mm metal box section welded into the same X pattern as the wooden legs and then screwed into place at the top and bottom of each leg. The top is fixed to the legs using a section of right angle steel (from an old bed frame) which is screwed to the legs and the top. The table planks are joined using biscuits (no, not the edible kind!). I'm an amateur when it comes to woodwork though I do enjoy DIY projects of any kind. Using reclaimed wood made the whole project very tricky as it was warped, dirty and full of holes. I love the character of the wood, especially once it was sanded and oiled, but getting everything lined up and straight took a lot of planing and sanding! I finished the top with a food-safe type oil/wax mixture.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
About £40 for the wood, £15 for the metal, and £20 for one tin of oil
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
3 coats of Osmo clear finish on the top. 1 coast of Danish oil on the legs. I had intended on doing 2 coats on the legs but they went very dark after just 1 so left it at that.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Homemade DIY Kitchen Island inspired by Williams-Sonoma "Cooper Double Kitchen Island"

Submitted by LN2014 on Mon, 04/29/2019 - 22:26

My latest furniture build, custom kitchen island inspired by Williams-Sonoma "Cooper Double Kitchen Island. The workers there weren't too happy when I was at their store taking measurements and me telling them, I'm going to build one myself. The most expensive part was the matching quartz top on it. Here is my start to finish pictures. It's a great addition to my complete home renovation project, which is now on the market for sale. If anyone wants specs and build info, to build it yourself let me know! Thank you Ana-White for inspiring in 2013 to start wood working and building, I have learned so much from your DIYs from the first x console table to now building anything my mind can imagine. https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/8707-Braun-Path-San-Antonio-TX-78254…

diy kitchen island

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$600
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Rust-Oleum Cabinet Transformations black
Recommended Skill Level
Advanced

Comments

Rustic Hall Tree

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 02/27/2023 - 14:31

I had a lot of fun making this. Thank Ana, I enjoy looking at your work and doing new projects.

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

DIY Red Storage Sofa

Submitted by TracAttack on Mon, 11/07/2011 - 23:11

Thanks Ana White for the blue print to an awesome storage sofa. I used the similar dimensions except mine is a bit shorter in width (60 inches wide). Now I just need to find awesome pillows to go with it.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Erika (not verified)

Sat, 12/24/2011 - 18:57

How much did it cost you to build this?

Cynthia l. (not verified)

Sat, 12/08/2012 - 05:41

How has the sofa held up? I want to make one, and also would like to know how much it cost to make.

Built In Shelf

Submitted by ndetermann on Sat, 10/26/2013 - 00:04

My brother and I just re-did his entire upstairs bathroom. We gutted it re-did some walls and he asked me to build some shelving because it was a small space. I framed off a wall and this is what I came up with is what you see. (it's big 37.5' 'L x 33' ' W x 21'' D) I shouldn't here him complain about not enough shelf space on this one...

Estimated Cost
$65
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax walnut/semi gloss poly
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Smaller Version of Grandy

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 01/09/2016 - 19:11

The original size of the unit was too big for our needs so we cut down the size of the unit to 72" long and 30" high. Used patio rollers for the doors.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$200
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
We used English Chestnut for the stain and the paint is called La Fonda Midnight using Valspar paint.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

ctufano

Mon, 07/18/2016 - 15:28

Hey love your unit! What did you do for the doors? We are doing similar in cutting the height to 30"

Not sure what to do the doors out of. What was your base material? Kind of trim?

Mothersday Planter

Thanks for these plans! I was able to complete this planter in one afternoon.

Estimated Cost
$50
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments