Community Brag Posts

Bedside Tables

We love our farmhouse king bed, but that meant that our old side tables didn't fit anymore! (our old bed was a queen)

I really like the mini farmhouse bedside table, but the open storage would be problematic with the dog, so I added full length sides and a door.

The top of the tables is a board we found at my husband's grandparents farm, and the pulls are from some old tack. The metal loops were on some old horse harness, and the leather was cleaned up from the same piece. I was able to drill a hole in the leather and then pre-dill the doors to accept post screws from home depot.

I love these tables!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$125 for both tables
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
The tops are stained with Varathane gel stain in Walnut, and then a wipe on poly.
The sides were done with Kilz primer and then a white paint.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

JoanneS

Wed, 10/02/2013 - 19:11

Love these tables! The wood top is just gorgeous, and I love you you re-purposed other items to make the hardware. That is so creative! Great job!

spiceylg

Thu, 10/03/2013 - 05:24

I concur. Love the tables and love that you re-purposed items for them!

jackiemacrae

Sun, 11/10/2013 - 18:58

Thanks guys!
I'm loving these- they are perfect for the space, and it makes me smile to know that the re-purposed parts come from the cottage.

Black Farm House Bed

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 12/23/2015 - 06:26

I used Anna's plans, but I wanted to reduce the weight of the bed so I replaced the 2 x 10's with 1 x 8's and I made the cross slats 1 x 4's face up. The 1 x 4's also create a platform to put your bed on so no need for ply wood or box springs. This is still very sturdy, but about half the weight as the original plan.

Thanks Anna for the great ideas and plans! Now I am on to the farm table, wish me luck!

Estimated Cost
I actually spent too much, I bought everything to plan and then bought everything to redo the plan, so all in with paint it was about $300.
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
I used Killz as a base coat then a flat black paint, looks great but it will take some maintenance.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Farmhouse modern queen

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 02/17/2019 - 19:10

We followed the plans except added in bed rail brackets to make it easier to relocate and adjusted the bed as a whole to sit higher off the ground. 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$150
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Varathane carrington with gloss finish
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Floating Shelves

Submitted by amym on Sun, 10/02/2011 - 11:50

When I saw Ana's post within Young House Love's blog, I thought this would be great for pictures. We have a large wall that spans two stories in our entry way. This shelf helped make a dramatic impact when we have visitors over.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
I used a high gloss finish of Espresso Beans by Behr from Home Depot. After sanding and sanding, I primed the entire shelf and then used 4 coats to give it a really smooth finish.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Rolling Dressers with Flip-up Compartment

Submitted by SaraLodise on Sat, 10/05/2013 - 17:39

New dressers to match the nightstands. I modified the plans to make three smaller drawers up top and added a flip-up compartment for small stuff like jewelry, hair brushes and trinkets etc. It was fun to get more creative.

I made two at the same time so the wood and stain would be more consistent. However, in hindsight, I will never do any project that requires me to make 14 drawers at the same time again. I also used planked 1x4s instead of plywood for the sides and tops for looks. This made the dressers about an inch or so narrower. I used 2x4s instead of 2x2s for the bottoms of the frames to beef it up and reduce deflection, and also did not use braces in the back.

Wood -> $245/dresser
Hardware -> $ 150/dresser
Strain -> $20/dresser

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$415/dresser
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Wood conditioner -> 1 coat of Miniwax oil based stain in Weathered Oak -> 1 coat of Miniwax oil based stain in Special walnut -> 2 coats of Polycrylic
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

daybed converted to fit ikea kura bunk bed

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 12/26/2015 - 12:29

We wanted to add some storage to our Ikea Kura bunk bed. We needed to adjust the size of the day bed by a couple of inches but worked awesome. Looks like one finished bunk bed.

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

Comments

Trakrys1011

Wed, 02/03/2016 - 12:43

Hi i just purchased the lumber to make this following the plan from thw original day bed. Would you happen to still have the changes that you made to put it under the ikea kura bunkbed?

Entryway closet bench

Submitted by ga2akwld on Mon, 02/25/2019 - 13:33

Adapted from Ana's mudroom in closet plans, I made this to fit the small closet when you walk into the house. I slotted it and hung wire baskets for air flow since it will be used mainly for hats and gloves which we wear more than not up here in AK. Next for the closet directly across will be a sho storage project which I'm sure I will find on here. Thank you Ana for your awesome site and work you put in.

Estimated Cost
$80
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Espresso min wax and satin poly for top. Morning sky chalked paint for bottom.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Tower

Submitted by bmarielee on Thu, 10/06/2011 - 13:21

My son loves his tower! We didn't attempt the curved sides, but made it work by adding a door with a toy steering wheel instead :)

Built from Plan(s)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Amanda Rhoads (not verified)

Wed, 12/05/2012 - 18:58

I love the paint and steering wheel! I'm making this now and, first time using a jigsaw, my arches look awful! I think I'll just go with them but this was a good innovation.

Buildingmom2

Fri, 07/05/2013 - 16:09

Love the wheel (and the paint job is fantastic). I am just wondering where you bought the wheel mount. Is it 12"? We'd like to do a similar one.

We put a chalk board and a dry erase board on our outside panels. :)

"Fireplace"

Only heating source for our house have been wood stove and some mornings we don't feel like starting a fire even if it is chilly, so we bought electric fire place. As our house is Scandinavian country romantic style, I wanted to make modern fireplace a bit more rustic.
We are missing some beams and moldings, so it looks a bit "naked" now.

More about this project you can read in my blog:
http://ourleaningtree.wordpress.com/diy/fireplace/

Estimated Cost
left over lumber
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Dark walnut
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Pottery Barn Benchright Inspired Side Table

Submitted by robinadams on Mon, 12/28/2015 - 11:12

A great project!!  I love how it turned out!  I used Poplar wood because I wanted a larger top than 1 inch but smaller than 2 inch.  Poplar had an in between size.  I love how it turned out!  Need to make another one now for my living room so that I have a matching set!  Thanks Ana!!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$60 because poplar wood is expensive. I already had the stain and hardware.
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Dark Walnut followed by 3 coats of Satin Polyurathane. Sanded with 1000 grit sandpaper in between poly coats.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Henry Desk

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 03/04/2019 - 04:48

Hey guys,

Here's my version of the Henry Desk following Ana's plans. There are a few minor differences that were requested by my client:

- A thicker top. I used 8/4 dressed pine (basically 2x6 knotty pine) and I laminated them together.

-Smaller desk - Top 60 inches long.

-A large drawer. 

-Through tenons on the right leg that I made by using a drill press, chisels and lots of elbow grease.  

 

I used mainly glue and dowels to assemble the pieces together, but also some pocket holes here and there.

 

Very helpful plan Ana. Thank you!

 

Erika

Rustic Charm Woodshop

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$200 CAD
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Stain: Minwax water-based stain - 1 part Colonial Pine to 1 part Coffee.
Clear Coat: Varathane Diamond Satin finish
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

LOVE our new hall tree!

Submitted by bgen10 on Sat, 01/28/2023 - 17:46

This was incredibly easy to build for a semi-newbie! The shopping list and cut list were a huge help! We love Ana-White.com!!!

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

So easy, so quick, so awesome drawer organizers

Had some scraps hanging around and thought I would try using Ana's plan to organize the mess. Wow. What a difference. So nice to build something to fit your space rather than working around a preformed, plastic or metal utensil holder. Thank you Ana!

Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
just sanded to get rid of rough edges and added a coat of poly. done.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

Kristi's Craft Desk

This was my FIRST Ana White project ever! I really wanted the PB version of this desk, but didn't want to spend $1,200 (cough, cough, gag)!! I started out with Closet Maid cubbies (since I had never used a power tool - ever) just to be safe. Then, I went to Home Depot and got the MDF for the table top, and had the hubby help me figure out how much moulding to get (because it HAD to be fancy, darnit). I raised the height with 3 support boards across the top and the hubby made some feet for the cubbies. Then I attached the moulding. On the sides and back of the cubbies I used spray adhesive and paintable beadboard wallpaper! That stuff rocks! And it's really cheap at Lowe's.
I didn't get very detailed photos as this was my first project and I was so excited I didn't want to stop. Now all I have to do is fill in the nail holes and throw a coat of paint on it! The best part: The whole thing cost under $300!! AND the Ikea chair that I almost gave away fits and matches perfectly! Someday I will build matching chairs (1 for each side so I can craft with a gal-pal), but for now my craft room looks pretty awesome. Thanks Ana!!

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

Extra wide shoe bench and cubby area

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 12/30/2015 - 03:17

Modified the cubby plans to just be 5 cubby's wide. My wife wanted white so I dressed it up a bit with the bead board, trim and crown moulding.

Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Early American Stain/Lacquer/ Sherman Williams Extra White
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Handcrafted table set

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 03/10/2019 - 10:18

I was tired of browsing the market place and seeing the same traditional farmhouse design coming from just about everyone in the woodworking industry. It seems as though the market place is inundated in the same 4 leg, and cross support design. I designed these to go against the grain. They were my first project ever and were sold within days. They had nearly 3k views within the first 2 weeks on facebook. I am particularly proud of them. 

Estimated Cost
$120
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Briarsmoke varathane stain
Lacquer finish
Swan white legs support w/ poloycrylic finish
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Kitchen Table Storage Bench

Submitted by Sailor0411 on Mon, 10/17/2011 - 06:47

I built this storage bench and my wife stained and painted it. It is for use at the kitchen table as well as have storage for baskets underneath. This is my 1st project I have used my Kreg Jig on. Absolutely love it!!!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Maple Finish with mixed paint to match our kitchen table for bottom.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

ken

Tue, 04/24/2012 - 08:54

I was thinking about building mine with the top having some over hang and like how yours turned out. Did you lay the boards on top of another piece used to make the top or where they laid on the open top and screwed to the sides?

Sweet Pea Garden Bed

Submitted by Aspenos on Sat, 10/12/2013 - 18:30

This project was a lot of work, but was so worth it. It took my husband and myself a month of working weekends and some evenings. We have 2 little girls that adore it. I think the little touches make it perfect. We have not completed the storage boxes, but they are in the beginning stages. We did alter the plans slightly as we liked the bottom doors to open so that I didn't have a tiny hole to crawl into to make the bed. We also made the space under the tallest step a closet area to hang up all their dress up clothes. I think this is one of those great projects you can make your own.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$700
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

birdsandsoap

Sun, 10/13/2013 - 12:10

I love the modifications you did on the lower bunk for easier access. And the little touches on the bed slats are fantastic. My girls say they want a bed exactly like this, nevermind that they already have it, haha!

Aspenos

Thu, 10/17/2013 - 08:24

We love this bed! Your plans were fantastic! Although it was a lot of work, it was so worth it. We have 2 friends now that are looking into making this bed for their girls. This bed is a dream come true. What little girl wouldn't want to have this in their room?

Garden bench

Submitted by law0103 on Sat, 01/02/2016 - 07:29

The plan had excellent bones, though I modified the top to hold a sink for rinsing and cleaning.  It is now painted "San Antonio Rose", and resides happily in the backyard.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Benjamin Moore San Antonio Rose, enamel
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

law0103

Sat, 01/02/2016 - 07:34

Don't cheap out on tools!  This piece did not come out square, and I accept that as it is an outdoor work bench.  Good tools never go out of style!