Corner Entertainment Center with Barn Doors
Built by Willies Woodwork
Built by Willies Woodwork
Mudroom locker hutch… fit to my hallway entry.
Matt McClements
A friend contacted me about building a custom sized desk to coordinate with a set of dressers that she purchased used (I refinished them years before). We started with the Simple Modern desk (more in overall look), but made some changes away from "Modern" such as the bases, overhanging and routed top and trim on the side aprons. The legs of the desk aren't solid 4x4, but1x4s and 1x3 furring strips kreg jig'd and sanded till nearly seamless. The support under the desktop was redesigned to create a large, single drawer faced as two. The top is made from pine boards edge joined together. The two "bases" combined, have 96 pieces of trim to create this look. It was alot of work to get some tiny pieces just right, but well worth it in the end.
There are two comparison pictures uploaded. the photoshopped photo is the inspirational photo that came with the "Can you build me one of these?" and the second is the side by side with one of the dressers I was asked to compliment.
At 4 ft by 2 ft, she says its the perfect size for her home office laptop.
Overall, I was pretty surprised about how different of a turn this desk could take in style as I went from bare to adding the trim. Perhaps it can inspire others as well.
Tue, 05/08/2012 - 12:49
I have been looking at some different design ideas for a desk. I love what touches you put on the table legs. I might have to try something like this when I start building.
Tue, 05/08/2012 - 17:13
Gorgeous finish. What's your method? Pine has been killing me. I put 6 coats on my last table top or polyurethane. Time after time the wood just soaked up the finish. I could never get a smooth surface. Maybe if I would have applied 10 more coats...
Wed, 05/09/2012 - 05:22
Washington- keep in mind the size of the trim pieces if you do a base like this. Some of those trim pieces are 1/2 wide and angled... not the easiest to get to fit right. If I were to do it again, I would cut in more to make the cuts a little easier. However, I loved this result.
These legs are hollow also, a definite idea to keep in mind for anyone wanting to do a 4x4 leg project but unable to find treated 4x4's.
Patrick- everything was well sanded in advance. then a coat of wood conditioner. Then the stain (2 coats of the gunstock and 2 coats of the Golden Oak). With the Poly, In between coats, I buff with 0000 Steel Wool then wipe clean. That surface, minus the places where I left the charachter in the wood on purpose, is VERY smooth.
Wed, 05/09/2012 - 06:31
You did a really beautiful job and it does match the dresser so nicely.
Thu, 05/10/2012 - 19:15
Ahh poly in between coats. What a great method. Will try that.
Wed, 05/16/2012 - 05:40
Patrick.. you apply poly, give a very light sand with the 0000 steel wool (A little more than running over the surface with minimal pressure) until the surface feels smooth with no drag. Then wipe down with tack cloth and apply a new layers of poly.
Keep in mind that with polyacrylic.. the water based stuff, you can't use the steel wool. I'm told it will rust. This is strictly for polyurethane.
Wed, 05/16/2012 - 05:42
Washington- the middle layer of trim is on top of spacer to raise it up. It provided a great look.
Wed, 03/27/2013 - 21:25
The desk looks great. I was trying to figure out how you attached the four pieces of wood that make the legs. You indicated a Kreg jig, but it would seem that there would need to be some pocket screws on the outside. I don't see any...what am I missing here?
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!
This project was a success!! I had a week of vacation that I dedicated to this great project! The directions were easy to follow...thank you Ana!
I managed to get the slide from someone's outdoor play set that they were giving away :) I secured it to the side of the upper level. It's been the kids favorite part!
We finally finished our first project - definitely made mistakes, but learnt a lot. I feel ready for tackling the next one
This was a fun project to complete. I highly recommend adding a 1x3 or 1x4 in the middle of the back side to keep the 60" 1x boards straight. I used 1-1/4" screws and drilled pilot holes first. This kept all the long boards in line.
Wendy Sherlock
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.
My first attempt at building an Adirondack chair. Ana's plans were easy to follow and very accurate. I would classify myself as a Beginner+.. Recently suffered bad thumb cut making cedar planters. Always think safety first.
For my first project I chose the farmhouse coffee table. It turned out much better than I expected! The hardest part for me were the angle pieces on the ends. The design was super easy to follow and I love the rustic look. It didn’t turn out perfect but I am pretty happy with it. Can’t wait to see my husbands reaction when he gets home :)
Thanks Ana!
I distressed my wood with a sawzall, then stained with gray and whitewashed! Love how it turned out!
Emily Boyas
We used cedar for these nice, little chairs and based the table on the chair model, only 24" tall, rather than the 18" of the chair seats. It took longer to cut than assemble these - total time: @4 hours for all.
Thank you, Ana!
Darin
We wanted to make a large sandbox for lots of kids. We love that it has an easy cover and two large benches to sit.
Supplies and Steps are shared at http://myhomedonemyway.blogspot.com/2013/07/building-6-x-8-sandbox.html
Wed, 02/26/2014 - 13:37
I hope sharing this will inspire others of things that they can make. Check out my blog for other DIY projects: http://myhomedonemyway.blogspot.com
Built this for a friend of mine and his fiancé. They just bought a house and thought I would help them fill it. This is my 2nd farmhouse table. I really like the thickness of the table.
We had an ugly yellow/orange flowered couch and rocker in the living room when we bought this place. I usually build stuff, but he is much faster at it than I am, so he did it this time. Finally got rid of it and my husband built the 2x4 outdoor sofa set. I love them. If we need to, we can also take this outside for our annual family/friends reunion we have.
Susan Jeanblanc
My wife has been wanting new patio furniture so here is my version of the simple outdoor table, I shortened it to fit our needs. Next is the chairs to match.
Sat, 06/16/2012 - 16:00
What are the dimensions? I am trying to build a similar table and am thinking 40" square.
This was my first finished project using plans from Ana's site, and I am very pleased with the finished product. Every aspect of the finished sideboard is based on something from the site. I started with the plans for the Planked Wood Sideboard, and made no modifications as the dimensions were perfect for our basement family room. I decided to inset the back (http://www.friendly-home.net/2012/02/gigantic-rustic-sideboard.html) as Ana explained that Hillary had done, and love the final result. This will allow us to use this to potentially divide a room in an open concept space at some point in the future.
For the finishing process, I decided to follow the "Rustic Yet Refined" finish tutorial highlighted on both the Ana-White site (http://ana-white.com/2013/08/rustic-yet-refined-wood-finish) and Jen Woodhouse House of Wood (http://jenwoodhouse.com/blog/2013/06/07/diy-dining-table/). I fully intended to complete the 9 step process, but found that after we applied the Minwax pre-stain wood conditioner, followed by Minwax special walnut stain and wiped it off within 15-30 seconds, the finish mirrored the restoration hardware finish that we were going for. We decided not to proceed with layering on the weathered oak or applying the whitewash, and went straight to the spar urethane satin coats.
Overall, the project was a success, but was difficult to finish during the Minnesota winter as it was unbelievably cold and was forced to complete the finishing process in our basement/laundry room, which extended the length of the project. I am very excited to begin building other pieces from Ana's plans.
Mon, 03/03/2014 - 10:01
Absolutely beautiful! Thank you for all the details on how you did this!
In reply to Absolutely beautiful! Thank by moosmani
Thu, 03/13/2014 - 07:09
Thank you so much for your kind words. I am extremely impressed with your brag posts as well, and you may have been inspired to take on the picket storage shed project as soon as the snow melts.
*NOT SURE MY PICTURES ARE UPSIDE DOWN??* This is the second time i've built this greenhouse. We recently moved to a bigger property so I built it 4ft longer at 16ft. I had some old windows to I modified the front and rear so I could incorporate them into the design. The cedar shake really adds to the appeal of the greenhouse as well. I still have to flash it off, but we are very happy with this greenhouse.
Wed, 03/25/2020 - 10:13
Got the photos straightened out, thank you for posting!
This is amazing, thank you so much for using our plans and sharing photos, it is much appreciated!
Tue, 05/05/2020 - 12:35
Great greenhouse, I'm just starting to build one the same. What height are your beds?
This piece began with finding a unique piece of walnut that had been discarded by a custom cabinet manufacturer. When I saw it, I thought I could make a beautiful wall hanging out of it. The walnut wood is absolutely beautiful; pictures don't do it justice. The majority of the piece is not stained; the natural color is enhanced with a clear polyurethane designed to give a hand-rubbed finish. The darker walnut section was lightly stained for contrast. The frame is made of pine 2x2s. I built a platform in the grooves with shims, and embedded earth-toned glass and stone tiles (as well as river rocks) in the grooves around the "waves".
While this didn't come from any specific plan, most any inspiration and techniques come straight from what I've learned on ana-white. Ana's site has really changed my life and given me a passion for building.
After seeing the plans for the Factory Cart Coffee Table on this site, I decided I should build one. I didn't actually follow the plans exactly...really just used them as "inspiration". I went with 5" swivel casters and 8" fixed casters, and the stain is Minwax hickory poly that has been sanded back a bit. I'm really happy with how it turned out.
Now on to the next project !