Community Brag Posts

Mickey Mouse 4-person Seesaw

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 08/09/2020 - 22:04

The kids need more things to do at home with shelter in place so I decided to build them a seesaw inspired by Ana White's seesaw plan.

I modified it a bit..
- added Mickey Mouse-shaped backrests (cut out the shape with a scroll saw)
- built it with four seats instead of two
- upholstered seating with thick 2" foam padding
- installed tennis racquet overgrip tape over the handle bars
- rounded many of the corners

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$65
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

DIY Easy Build Wood Headboard Twin Size

A fun project we did with my 12 y/o niece and husband. It was fun and fairly easy. We distressed the wood by using a copper brushalong the grain and used nails to make holes. We chose rustoleum sunbleached stain hoping to create and washed out gray driftwood look. It took about an hour to put together. The next day I sanded and stained , left it dry for the rest of the day then sealed it with polycrylic spray. The hardest part was getting up 2 flights of stairs, solid wood, it was heavy. The headboard was a little tall we thought. Plans are originally for Full so as bed gets more narrow the height becomes more noticeable. I thought about cutting down the legs a bit but after we got it in the room we thought it looked fanastic. We love love love it.

Estimated Cost
65.00$
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Rustoleum " Sunbleached" stain

After I finished sanding the entire headboard with about 150 grit sandpaper I starting distressing it. Hoping that the stain would sink further into crevices and give my headboard and varied look. I distressed by poking holes with a nail in random groupings. I then followed up with that copper wire brush you see. I took the brush and with some force and went horizontally across the surface following the wood grain. The put lots of grooves into the wood, again hoping that stain will sink into crevices. I chose Rustoleum "Sunbleached" stain for this headboard going with the driftwood theme. Rustoleum does not require a wood condtioner so I save myself a step here. But really I chose it because of this great color. The best way to put on stain is with a rag. The box of rags you see in the image are the absolute best. They stay together. Much stronger than a paper towel. You just throw them away when you are done. Applying stain in this manner is the best way in my opinion. Wood is porous so applying the stain with a rag forces the stain into the fibers of the wood. Using a paint brush will not achieve the same results. It also takes alot longer with a brush and then you have to wash the brush out... ugh. Staining this headboard took me 10 minutes. That's right 10 minutes. So much easier with a rag, it's like you are just wiping it down. Because I can force the stain into the wood fiber I can put the stain on a little thicker and the wood absorbs more negating the need for 2 coats. Try it and see. Of course wear gloves. Do not soak the paper towel dripping wet. As much of the towel wet as possible without dripping all over. Wipe it on with the grain paying special attention to knots in the wood. Let it dry thoroughly for a day or so. Spray with Polycrylic which also only takes a few minutes. Polycrylic recommends then lightly sanding and spraying again 3 times. We did it twice. Seems fine to me. I'm Done.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Side street bunk bed

This was a great first project. My son was outgrowing his toddler bed and needed something new, and he wanted a bunk bed.

The bed is made exactly per the instructions for the Side Street Bunk Bed (http://ana-white.com/2012/03/plans/side-street-bunk-beds). The headboard and footboard are very heavy- get some help carrying them in the house. It has a coat of primer and 3 coats of black and red.

Assembly took about a day and a half, and the painting took another 2 days for the 3 coats. I didn't sand this down at all- and gives it a "rugged" look. The 3 coats of paint help to soften the feel so no worry of splinters. I have the ladder built, but just not installed yet.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Valspar 2000 black; Valspare ultimate red
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Thanks for the awesome plan Ana my sister in law loves this table set I built for her

Submitted by The Gray's on Thu, 11/24/2016 - 16:48

I built this farmhouse table and benchs from Ana's plan and my sister in law fell in love the moment I delivered it to her home. Plans were straight foward and easy to fallow. Thanks Ana!!

Estimated Cost
$400
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Minwax Cherry and clear coat. 4 coats of stain and 3 of clear.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Kid's storage table and benches

Submitted by spiceylg on Wed, 10/24/2012 - 10:08

We built three of these for a women and children's shelter. We had friends help us with various aspects of the project. The colors are definitely more vibrant in person. Table tops are painted with chalkboard paint. Because we built three, it took three weeks with some down time here and there. Haven't sat down and figured cost but I know other bragposts have included them if you are curious.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Gray primer, Olympic 2 in 1 paint (still needed primer!) and Valspar Chalkboard paint for table top. All topped off with three coats of Polyurethane.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Guest ma crazy (not verified)

Wed, 10/24/2012 - 20:49

This is beauitful I love the colors! The children are going to love them too! Keep doing God's work!

yurra-bazain

Mon, 02/25/2013 - 20:57

It is amazing that you built these for a women and children's shelter. You are truly using your talents for good. :) Thank you for the inspiration.

MrsPowers

Fri, 06/28/2013 - 22:27

Hi! I absolutely love the colors you used (and the chalkboard paint is pretty awesome as well). I did have a question. I saw your question about the type of material to keep costs down. The 1 in material in my town is way more expensive than 3/4 in quality Purebond plywood. Do you think the plywood would hold up? This would be much more cost effective and leave some change to do a couple of extra small projects. Thank you in advance for your help!

spiceylg

Tue, 07/23/2013 - 05:12

MrsPowers, I am just now seeing your comment, my apologies! I don't see why the plywood wouldn't hold up, but unfortunately, I am not the one to ask. I am still quite the novice! I had asked about material for the top because I originally didn't want to buy the pre-made round tops. However, time got away from us, so we ended up just biting the bullet and buying them after all. If you are on Facebook, you will probably get a question answered quicker there. Ana's wall name on Facebook is Knockoff Wood. Best wishes on your future projects and sorry I couldn't be of more help!

Farm table.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 11/28/2016 - 18:06

Only change I made was I used 4x4s instead of 2x4s. 

Estimated Cost
$180.00.
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Jacobean. Boiled linseed oil.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Nesting Grill Station

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 08/16/2020 - 18:26

My husband and I built this Grill Station. We made the table top wider and out of 1 solid piece of mahogany. I wanted a wider table so we made it 30 inches wide. We sealed the table top with marine grade sealer and the rest with exterior clear sealer.

Estimated Cost
$150
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Marine grade varnish on table top and valspar exterior clear sealer.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Functional Mudroom Storage with Pull-out Shelves

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 08/02/2024 - 09:01

Needed a mudroom revamp. Small space with 6 kids. I was able to hide the microwave, charging station, and my wife's bags(my secret favorite). Thanks for all your plans in the past that have helped me really grow in building things around my house.

Steve Cline

Farmhouse Queen bed

Farmhouse Queen bed. My first project! I used one coat of an Ebony stain. Modified the bed frame a bit. Bought some detachable brackets for easy take down and put together. Also used tounge and groove in the middle of the headboard and foot board.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$250
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Ebony Stain - one coat
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Farmhouse Table

Submitted by Jmgraves on Sun, 08/17/2014 - 08:55

I followed the plans pretty closely. As you can see, I added an extra 2X4 inside the uprights. This gave me room to mortise the 2X4s that run under the table top. Very sturdy and useful. The third pic shows when we used this table for a birthday party. Matched up exactly with our dining room table! It only took one extra 2x4 to make the alterations.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$107
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Natural
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Fall Farmhouse Bench

Submitted by MillerMade on Fri, 12/02/2016 - 13:03

My wife has been asking me for quite some time to build her a bench for the front porch. I finally found some time to make one. I looked at a lot of different benches on Pinterest, YouTube and other websites and I presented the options to her, and she liked this design the best. She only had one request and that was for the top to match the front door and the frame to be white. I have a step-by-step video of how I made the Farmhouse Bench (Click Here) to see the video.

Estimated Cost
$20
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Varithane - Walnut Stain and Poly with White paint for the legs
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Entry Way Console Turned Bar/Buffet

Submitted by 3rdpigkid on Mon, 08/17/2020 - 15:23

As the news of COVID was getting scarier and scarier in early March, I knew that I would need something to do to keep myself busy since I live alone and wasn't going to be able to get out and do anything. I had been wanting something different in my dining area so I headed to the local Home Depot and picked up the supplies. I learned a lot on this build as it was filled with many firsts but mainly just building something like this by myself! My husband built things for us on occasion over the years and I learned a few things from watching him but I had never done it myself. He passed away 5 years ago (too young, just before he would have turned 50) and I needed a confidences booster. As I built it, I shared my accomplishments on Facebook (also building my confidence) and now it's pretty much done - just a couple things left: put a sealer on it to protect it, find the right baskets and attach the back. I have had trouble finding the right baskets and made do with painted, plastic baskets from the local DollarTree. I wanted to wait until I was done sealing it before I attached the back. Anyway, I could not be more proud of myself - although my sister-in-law said I'd make a great husband some day LOL! Thank you Ana for sharing all your know-how and helping boost my confidence! I can't wait to try the next project!

Comments

jdmartin

Thu, 02/11/2021 - 14:38

Is there a plan that you used? Or that you based it off of? What are the measurements? I want to build something that looks pretty much the same for my house!

Rustic table with storage and chairs

The table top is modified from Ana's farmhouse table, the base is modified from the storage table and the chairs are modified from the extra tall bar stool. This project took me the weekend to complete, because of those darn chairs!!!

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Cabot pecan stain and semi-gloss Poly
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

In reply to by patrickhosey

little stuf

Sun, 11/04/2012 - 06:52

For the ladder I used straight 2x2s and 2x3's. I like the look of the straight back. I didn't want pocket holes on either side, so I used 3" screws through the legs into the 2x3s. I used a scrap 2x3 as a spacer.

Pottery Barn knock off table, benchwright collection

This is the third time I built this table. Everyone who has it loves it because it is the "perfect size". This last build was someone not as rustic, so I opted a premade round table top. This probably added $15 to the project but saved at least an hour.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$28
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
General finishes mixed, nail holes puttied, painted with general finishes paints and general finishes sealer
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Plant stand

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 12/06/2016 - 17:01

I really liked the sleek design of the concrete topped patio table. I needed a plant stand for an epic boston fern on my front porch, so I modified this design to use 1x2 cedar and topped the stand with a piece of travertine tile. I like the way it turned out. It's winter here, so no front porch photo, only a sad photo in our kitchen which we are in the process of remodelling.

Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
minwax stain red mahogany
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

MIni Rustic

Submitted by project101 on Wed, 08/19/2020 - 19:37

This was a fun project.
took me total 7 days and spent 1-2 hours each day.
It's perfect size for our room
I love Ana's plans. simple and easy to follow. Thanks Ana for all the inspiration.
I used Varathane golden oak stain and finished it with polyurethane

Built from Plan(s)
Finish Used
golden oak stain
polyurethane
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner
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