Community Brag Posts

Fancy X Desk

This is the second X desk I have built. For this one I used a pre-done aspen piece for the top that I got from Lowes for $40.00. That was the only modification.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Rust-oleum "Traditional Cherry" 1 coat and wiped off immediately, then 2 coats of poly on the base and 4 on the top.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Sliding Door Console

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 02/16/2017 - 08:53

overall pretty easy porject took me about 8 hours to build/paint I sized it down a little made it only 32" tall and about 64" wide but keeping the depth to the plans. The barn door hardware I ended up building myself. I took 4 1" pulleys bolted those to the doors and the track I built using some angle iron and 3/8" metal dowel. The stain is 'golden oak' from min wax and I just used a simple white paint two coats.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
roughly $175.00
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Golden Oak (one coat)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Hailey Platform Bed Frame with aMiter

Submitted by stillhere on Fri, 11/20/2020 - 14:25

We have built this plan twice for our two daughters (Full size mattresses). A similar bed frame at Pottery Barn Teen would have easily set us back about $1500 so these bed plans are truly a blessing! After no luck with a Wayfair wrought iron knockoff bed frame (loud and squeaky!!) we decided to give an Ana White plan a go. So glad we did! We did modify the plans slightly. We mitered all corners and stained all components with a Varathane Golden Oak before final assembly. Although I own and use a Kreg Jig, we wanted the frame to be easily disassembled. We opted for corner braces secured with 6, 1" cap head wood screws per corner (3 per side). Keep in mind miter corners can be a bit tricky but definitely possible with a little patience. PLEASE NOTE: when cutting miters, you will need to account for an additional 4" OD from Ana's written plans. Each 90 degree angle is approximately 2" long. So, if cutting the 75" length( for the mattress length) the miters will be 2" long on each end making the OD length 79". Whether you are going with Miters or butt joints, I would also highly recommend a right angle clamp (Top/Bottom) used during assembly. It is extra expense but so worth the investment!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$150
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Varathane Golden Oak #227. Applied 2 rubbed coats for a deeper grain finish.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Stool Makeover - Vintage Drink Labels

Our new place has a kitchen island, so we needed stools. We had been searching the internet for vintage drafting stools, but could not justify spending over $200 a stool. We stopped at the local Goodwill and found two stools for $7 a piece. To make it even better they were on sale. We spent under $10 for the two.

Check out my blog for more photos of the process.

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

Built in Shelving

Submitted by JoeP on Thu, 11/13/2014 - 16:34

A company wanted to charge us $5800 for this!  All told I think I spent about $500.

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

X Console Table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 02/19/2017 - 05:48

Ana, 

My wife saw this and wanted one to match her benchwright coffee table. I decided to make her one and used rough cut pine to get that look. Just used 80 grit to knock off the roughness but not enough to sand into the saw marks and was pleased with how good the results came out. I don't like exposed fasteners so all the joints are pocket hole screwed and glued and the table top is biscuit jointed and the end piece is doweled into the long runners. Love your website and the other projects that you have shown here. Keep up the great work!

Josie

Estimated Cost
$150
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Mahogany stain and spar urethane topcoat (4 coats)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Farm House Table & Benches

Submitted by 3G1B on Fri, 11/27/2020 - 07:27

I couldn’t find 4x4s so I planed 2x6s flat and glued them together. Used it for the first time yesterday for our Thanksgiving dinner.

Estimated Cost
300
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Weathered Grey stain and many coats of polyurethane.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Shower Gift

I made these for my new niece-  Here's my story with recipe for a homemade sealer as the dye runs on drooly faces.

http://onblissstreet.blogspot.com/2014/10/sweet-baby-p.html

Estimated Cost
$15
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
food coloring and homemade sealer. Recipe on my blog.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

Patio Table

Submitted by marcosdos on Mon, 02/20/2017 - 14:33

I loved Ana's 4x4 Truss Beam Table which was my inspiration for building this outdoor patio table Yesterday, I had a lot of fun. I used brown pressure treate wood because I wanted a table for my patio which would be weather resitant, a strong, great looking table that goes well with the rest of my patio anf I bet it wil last for a long time... Ready to entertain family and friends as soos as Spring comes!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
CAD $250 = US $190
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
none
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Stocking Stand

Submitted by knoxadam on Tue, 12/01/2020 - 11:04

Thanks for the plans! Modified the scale, really happy with the results.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
40
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Early American

Tryde Coffee Table

Tryde coffee table for the living room

Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Dark Walnut Danish Oil
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Dining Table and Bench

Submitted by wthalin on Wed, 11/19/2014 - 08:17

Built this table for our dining room and made it larger than the plans to fit 10 people around it.

Estimated Cost
$100-$150
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Minwax Dark Walnut Stain with Polycrilic Gloss clear coat, Maguires Polishing Compound and Carnuba Wax used for shiny finish.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

In reply to by stephaniadawnia

wthalin

Thu, 01/19/2017 - 10:34

Dimmensions of the table are 96 x 42 for the top. For the bench I measured the inside of the legs and made it 4 inches shorter than that dimmension to make sure I have a couple of inches on each side to slide the bench in and out easily.

Dylan's Cabin

I found this on the Pottery Barn site for $ 3,000.  We wanted to make it for my grandson who had a lot of health issues.  We thought he would really enjoy it.  We made it around a full size bed & I really think it looks just like P.B's. !!!

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Farm house table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 12/07/2020 - 21:12

I used Anna's plan as a guide nut put my own spin on it. All mitered corners and added Coyote shilloute's. This for our southwest home.

Estimated Cost
400.00
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Epoxy resin on tops and water based poly on rest.
Recommended Skill Level
Advanced

Comments

Mimi Storage Bench

Submitted by jbhvbc on Fri, 01/25/2013 - 15:29

We have a pretty small place and not a lot of room for our sewing/crafting stuff. We would leave our machines by our piano, on the floor, every time we brought them down stairs. We needed a better way to store them and this was the perfect solution, and it added a few more seats in our little family room. I build the bench with a one-piece top and added a removable tray for the cords.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
120
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Valspar paint in "Guacamole" and the inset panels were covered with interface backed cotton material mounted to plywood.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Loft-style stand

Submitted by Dr.Master on Sat, 11/22/2014 - 13:01

Maked for weekend:)

Estimated Cost
less 50 USD
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
oak-style stain for wood
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

First Diy end table

Submitted by jhelton on Sat, 12/12/2020 - 13:58

First atttempt at distressed farmhouse end table.

Estimated Cost
$40
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
brown spray paint, white spray paint, walnut stain, poly urethane
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Rustic x coffee table

Submitted by Jodie on Sun, 01/27/2013 - 08:34

This was a fun weekend project!

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

Comments

nkfuller09

Wed, 10/29/2014 - 13:28

Hey great job! Just wondering if you used 2x6 for the bottom as well and if the table ended up being very heavy due to it? Thanks :)

Joy Marquee

Submitted by blcrandall on Tue, 11/25/2014 - 23:14

Joy Marquee from Home Depot builders' workshop.

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

Comments

Barn door bookcase

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 12/17/2020 - 07:07

This was based of Ana’s barn door bookcase and was exactly what my mom needed to hide her grandkid’s toys while she’s not watching them. Thanks for the idea!

Built from Plan(s)
Finish Used
Pratt & Lambert Aquanamel semi-gloss in Valspar’s Timber Green, and semi-gloss polycrylic on the oak shelves and top (no stain, I liked the natural oak color).
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Turned-Leg Media Console turned PB Printer's Keyhole Desk knock-off

I wanted to build a desk for each of my 3 kids. We have an unused loft space in our home that I wanted to convert to a kid's homework area. Initially, I was going to build cabinets and create two walls of built in bookshelves and desk space. But decided I wanted free standing desks in a style that would last them into adulthood. (And possibly move with them into their own homes:) I really liked Pottery Barn's Printer's Keyhole Desk for the first desk but couldn't find a plan to build something like that. I ended up modifying the Turned Leg media console plan instead. It was a lot of work trying to figure out the correct changes to the plan. It totally made me appreciate how easy Ana's plans are to follow. I changed the depth to 24 inches and also changed the basic box from the plan into 3 boxes (left side drawers, middle drawer, right side drawer) then attached the boxes to each other then to the top. It was a heck of lot easier to say that in a couple of sentances then to actually do it. I also found it easier to put face frames on my drawers to hide my not perfect drawer boxes.

This project took me about a month to complete. I am a SAHM, and was not able to work on it every day.

The finish is Minwax Ebony oil based stain. I've had success using Annie Sloan waxes on other projects but was not happy with how the top looked after using it on the desk. Eventually I sanded the finish off and re-stained it 2x then topped it with 3 coats of Polycrylic. I left the rest of the desk with the original stain/Dark Wax finish.

I am too lazy to attempt sanding off the rest of the desk and restaining and sealing it. Kid #2 is already asking when I'm going to start on his desk (I'm thinking RH St. James style) and Kid #1 came home from school today and wanted to do his homework in the basement (where his desk is currently drying) so I think I should just say it's done and move on!

My experience comes just from reading this site and a few others. I've made AG doll furniture, picture frames, a console table, 2 benches, built-in bookshelves and a dollhouse bookcase. I used pocket hole joinery, glue and nails in this project. I don't have a table saw, so I made my long cuts with a circular saw fitted with a Kreg Rip Cut and occasionally a jig saw.

I would like to add some sort of hutch to it and am considering the Channing Hutch from this site. Thanks for reading!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$200
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Minwax Ebony Stain
Annie Sloane Dark Wax
Polycrylic
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

tracysmith

Tue, 02/05/2013 - 05:57

I've been looking for a desk plan to replace the antique desk my mom recently took back to her house and this just might be my saving grace! Where did you get the legs for this? Thanks in advance and what a great job you did!!! Looks awesome! :-)