Community Brag Posts

Barn beam ledge with hidden storage

I modified this plan to allow for interior storage space within the shelving. Rather than nailing the front board on, I attached two lower hinges so that it functions as a drop-down panel. The front panel then secures to the top board with a centrally located screw-in hook and eye (not visible if the top of your ledge is above eye-level).

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$15
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Finish in photos created using: http://ana-white.com/2013/08/rustic-yet-refined-wood-finish

...Later discovered a similar but less toxic approach using green tea followed by steel wool dissolved in vinegar.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Rustic X Living Room Set (Console, End, Coffee Tables)

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 05/12/2016 - 07:20

We made some minor changes to the overall finish from the plans for the coffee and end tables, I had a hard time matching the stain color, as well as omitting the hardware (I painted it but we never got around to attaching it).

 

We had a console table that we were replacing (we bought it when we first moved in and I've never been overly thrilled with how it looked in the room) and hubby did a GREAT job incorporting the fireplace from that unit into the console table.

 

Over all, a fun and inexpensive set of living room furniture. Can't wait for our next preoject!! We're planning an "X" inspired dinning room table for 10. I'll be sure to post pictures!

Estimated Cost
$250
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Wood Finish - Special Walnut #224 (x 3 coats with sponge brush)
Minwax Fast-Drying Polyurethane - Satin (x2/3 coats with sponge brush)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Hall tree

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 02/16/2020 - 21:38

Hand made hall tree

Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Tryde Coffee and Side Table

We were looking for a cheap project for the weekend. We found the plans for the Tryde Coffee Table here on Ana White's site and we decided to give it a try. We knocked off about 10 inches so it would fit in the living room, what I found out was that 10 inches knock off allowed me to build side table with a few pieces of scrap wood we had sitting around in the garage. The plan is to build the matching entertainment center with hutch attachment. That will make my living room 90% built by me. The finish on this is Rustoleum American Accent Heirloom white with Minwax Walnut stain rubbed into the paint for the aged look and the top is dark walnut stain with 2 coats of poly.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$28.00 with some 4x4's from the scrap pile
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Rustoleum American Accent Heirloom white with Minwax Walnut stain rubbed into the paint for the aged look and the top is dark walnut stain with 2 coats of poly.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Big Kid Play Room Table

Submitted by Lady Goats on Sun, 02/16/2014 - 13:24

I needed a bigger kid play room table because my girls have outgrown our play table and chairs from IKEA. We have a window seat, and it seems the consensus is that pedestal tables are the best for window seats, but they're not really my style. I let the big kid pick one, and she chose the triple pedestal farmhouse table! I obviously couldn't follow the plans for that, so I more used them for inspiration, and lessened the size of everything. **UPDATE** I posted plans for this modification here.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
General Finishes gel stain in Brown Mahogany (two coats) followed by three coats of General Finishes Arm-R-Seal Urethane (0000 steel wool between all coats).
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Hall table

Submitted by jcar on Sat, 05/14/2016 - 03:38

This was a great first project.  Thanks for the plans and the inspiration.
I needed to make a hall table so made a narrower version, and had to alter the dimensions to suit the metric system and readily available materials at Bunnings (Australia), and also made the upper and lower sections identical in height.  It ended up about 300mm deep because the shortest drawer runners I could find were 250mm. These are full extension Hafele side rails, opening 100% to make the most of the narrow depth.
The drawer fronts are from a single piece of reclaimed Oregon Pine sourced locally and then stained with various strengths of Victorian Antique Wood Dye from eBay.  The stain is natural/non-chemical and made from walnut husks - just dilute with water to the desired shade and worked well on this timber.
Thanks Ana and thanks Jamison!
 

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

simple outdoor chairs

My sister needed outdoor chairs and these were perfect for her front porch. I made them as a birthday gift (she got them a few weeks early). The cushions were bought at Garden Ridge for $60 for each set and the wood was all scrap wood left over from other projects. These really are easy to make!

I am thinking of making the couch for my mom since the chairs turned out to be so comfortable and relaxing to sit on.

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Rustoleum black flat spray paint for wood and finished with a gloss spray.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

farm house table

With the new addition to the family it seems that most holidays everyone in the family will be coming to our house. So with that in mind we needed a new table to fit everyone. Ana you great website has pulled me out of a jam yet again. Finding the plans for this table was a life saver. Hope you all enjoy!

For the finish I found a website that showed me how to mix steel wool, vinegar and tea together to make a beautiful stain. It took a couple coats and a couple days to dry but I think it turned out great. Even though it was kind of scary at first when it started to turn shades of green rather than a dark color but after the stain soaked in and it dried it turned out the way i wanted it.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$200.00
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
steel wool, vinegar, tea and polly.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Cedar Raised Garden Bed

Submitted by Malka on Wed, 05/18/2016 - 00:34

My little sister is building her first garden this year, and had asked about a garden bed and bench. I found this plan on the Ana White site, and waited until the local Home Depot had cedar fence pickets on sale for $2.34 each. Once these were purchased, the 3 garden beds were put together easily with screws and some Titebond II, and then sprayed with spar urethane on the outside for further protection. I also took some live edge fir slabs I'd gotten for free from a lumbermills scrap pile, and cut, sanded, and stained them to put together a live edge bench. I assembled the bench using rabbet and tenon, and then further braced the legs with small L brackets that cant be seen from the front and some 3" screws from bench top to legs. After assembly, I spar-urethaned the bench with 4 coats for protection. My sister loved both the bench and her boxes. Thanks for the plan!

Estimated Cost
$80 for Cedar, screws, stain, and glue for boxes and bench.
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Spar-Urethane
Mixwax Antique Walnut
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Addicted to benches

Ana's benches are soo addictive - I had to try my hands at this one! It is meant for the porch on the new house to be built sometime next (?) year. I must say, I didn't quite manage to get accurate cut-outs with the jig saw, but the design is quite forgiving. The timber is Cypress Pine - an Australian native - sold as fence pickets in the convenient size of 65mmx20mm. I love the grain and variation in colors, ranging from chocolate to blond, and think it is totally underrated. The is top made from 5 planks, so a little wider than the original plans.

Estimated Cost
$28 for timber, finish was a relic found in the garage
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
3 coats of clear, exterior grade oil based polyurethane
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

spiceylg

Tue, 05/08/2012 - 05:49

That came out great and that wood is absolutely beautiful! Smart choice!

Master Closet Overhaul

This project was desperately desired and needed! We had old wire shelving which previous owners of the home had installed improperly and were falling off the wall. This took about 6 weeks from start to finish, but I am SO happy with the results. Unfortunately, here in south Florida, our homes are built with metal studs which are more often than not spaced all over the place. So, attaching anything to a wall securely is next to impossible. I believe I've gotten things as securely attached as possible and things seem to be holding up really well. The icing on the cake was my mother-in-law purchasing 100 Huggable Hangers for me for my birthday! The OCD in me was ecstatic! Anyhow, thanks Ana for the great plans and helping bring custom organization to our homes!

Estimated Cost
$375
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Varathane Ultimate Stain in Carrington (LOVE-5 stars) and satin polycrylic
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

4x4 Farmhouse Table (unfinished for now)

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 05/22/2016 - 12:40

Found these plans and fell in love! Opted to use 7 2x6's for the top with 2x8's for the breadboard! Knocked it out between Saturday and Sunday. Planning on doing the steel wool and vinegar agingtechnique after distressing the table with various tools. Ended up being 7ft 1/2 in by 3ft 2 1/2in. Definitely looking forward to searching through the plans and trying other projects! Was my first time building a furniture piece from scratch!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
Roughly $120 in materials
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Nothing yet...
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Stenciled Fold Down Headboard

Submitted by Jaime04285 on Wed, 02/26/2020 - 11:11

I made the fold down headboard to fit a California King bed and added a design to the panels using my vinyl cutter. The last picture continues to be flipped when I try to post it here sorry.

Estimated Cost
$75.00
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
mixture of stains then a slight white wash followed by a top coat of polyurethane. The designs were cut on my vinyl cutter and stenciled in with a white wash.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Pergola Project

Thank you for the plans! They were easy to follow and my girlfriend and I are very happy how the pergola turned out. I used the 2x6's and 2x4's due to being in Nebraska with heavy snow and high winds often to give it more durability. I can't wait to start on the sectional. Total cost was about 350 dollars...so cheap in comparison to what they sell for.

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

Comments

Jade (not verified)

Fri, 05/11/2012 - 14:43

love this

taylorgdaddy

Sat, 05/12/2012 - 05:22

Thank you Ana, I have had multiple people say it looks like it is on fire...hilarious :) We will be adding outdoor fabric over the top for shade and gathering outdoor curtains on the posts. Will take another pic when that is complete. This site is awesome and I will continue to support you as much as I am able.

Thanks for the comment Jade!

lipstickandsawdust

Sun, 05/13/2012 - 06:03

Very nice Pergola, the color is perfect and the construction rocks! This is on my list of to- do projects for my mom. I have not really made any "outdoor" projects yet. So, I'll keep getting my feet wet with indoor projects.

taylorgdaddy

Thu, 05/17/2012 - 08:31

Thank you lipstickandsawdust! I can send the other plans that I combined with Ana's which showed how to do the cut out notches if you like this construction better. Have a great weekend.

Forrest (not verified)

Tue, 08/28/2012 - 09:24

You mentioned that you combined another set of plans when it came to cutting the notches. That's one of the hang ups I have getting started is that I'm not sure how best to do that. What did you do? The pergola looks great!

jdlemmons

Thu, 05/17/2012 - 11:45

My husband is DYING to have a pergola. I showed him the plans and he is down to build and is really excited for it! That's our next project as soon as I finish our bed (haha!). Did you paint or stain this?

taylorgdaddy

Sat, 05/19/2012 - 05:01

I is the Behr weatherproof stain and the color was "coffee". It took two gallons which was two coats. Post pics when your husband is done I would like to see them. Good luck with the bed.

YankeeBelle

Fri, 05/25/2012 - 18:54

Great job! I want to build one too! The original plans say advanced, but on this post it says beginner.....watcha think? Can I do it? (so far I've made a picture frame and framed out some trimwork). Thanks for posting....btw, I love the twinkle lights!

slee (not verified)

Wed, 06/27/2012 - 17:00

You did an awesome job! I'll be showing my husband these pics and hopefully they will inspire him to make us one too! I'd love your modifications to the plans also since we have heavy snow etc.. up here in Quebec too. Thanks for sharing!

jeremy bales (not verified)

Thu, 09/20/2012 - 06:47

Im trying to build a 10x10 just like this but im trying to figure out exactly what wood dimensions I should order before i do. Im going to use cedar and I know i want to use 6x6 posts and I want to use 2x6 on top like yours but i cant figure out what exactgly I need to order. My wife wants me to do the decorative around the posts as well.
Please help!

sully82384

Sun, 04/28/2013 - 11:27

Hi I was hoping you would share your plans with me I live in oregon I wanna make one of these but I plan on using 12 ft 4x4 posts putting them 3 ft in the ground and I like the way you used 2x4's and 2x6's id like to know the dimensions you used if you modified anas plan what was your spacing and what degree did you cut the outside piece's on the 2x4's and 2x6's I love the design you created from anas plan

Radiator Covers

Submitted by pde00311 on Mon, 02/24/2014 - 22:15

We loved the radiant air in our new early 20th century house, but as our daughter learned to crawl, we needed to prevent her little fingers from touching the two radiators that were still uncovered. After I finished my first few builds, I custom designed these radiator covers with 1x2s, 1x3s 2x2s and 1x12s. Needless to say, I got a ton of use out of my Kreg Jig. On the middle panel of the larger cover, I used a bit of decorative metal that they sell at the Big Box stores (of course, it would have been easier to use more of it, but I am a bit paranoid about little fingers touching a metal cover). For a final touch, I covered the top of the larger cover with decorative glass. For the smaller cover, I matched the distressed pink throughout the rest of my daughter's nursery.

Estimated Cost
200
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Behr camembert paint (for the larger living room) and Behr Kashmir pink paint with distressed w/Martha Stewart vintage gold specialty finish (for the nursery)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Bench from my old barn wood

Submitted by srenzello on Wed, 05/25/2016 - 11:23

I used old barn wood I had out back its not a perfect fit all across the top but I made it that way on purpose I like the things that don't look perfect! Great project did it all in about 2 hours! 

 

Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Modern farmhouse bed with nightstands

Submitted by judge on Thu, 03/05/2020 - 05:09

I made this beautiful bed in just one (long) day (12h). The next day I made the nightstands with the scraps of wood from the bed.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
€100
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Hard wax oil with a splash of "alaska white" paint mixed in it
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate
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