Community Brag Posts

Benchwright Dining Table

I built this table using a hybrid approach; I used Ana's plans as a loose guideline (leg angles) and drafted the rest using the dimensions supplied at Pottery Barn's website (for the fixed table, not the extendable version).

Estimated Cost
150.00
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
The table is finished in an Espresso stain with a clearcoat of Minwax oil-modified water-based clear satin polyeurethane. I beefed up the table legs by using "4x"6 lumber and also included a wood stretcher instead of a metal one. I originally installed a "3/4 metal stretcher made of spray-painted conduit, but it looked too flimsy and dinky when juxtaposed with the thick legs of the table. I added two countersunk lag screws to each endcap and also attached the stretcher with two lag screws and joist supports (all spray painted with Rustoleum textured black enamel). My favorite part of the table is the faux slotted cross-brace ends that protrude from each leg. I simply cut four "1 pieces of "1x"4 scrap and attached one to each leg using glue, two nails, and a nail set. Pottery Barn charges $999.00 for this table; I built it for $150.00.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Keri Beth (not verified)

Wed, 09/14/2011 - 23:04

This is awesome. I'm finishing up my first project (floor to ceiling bookcases) and looking for a dining room table to make next. This just might be the one. Thanks for sharing!

Harvest Table Love

Submitted by ksmith311 on Sun, 09/29/2013 - 12:50

This Harvest table is the heart of our home. It was one of the first furniture projects we ever completed and my favorite finish to date. The night we spontaneously decided to buy lumber and build this table we had a lot of unexected visitors. We were out in the driveway working and a bunch of friends dropped by randomly so we all took a hand in building this table. It was so much fun. Spontaneous building party.

When I finished it it was my first time using a belt sander which wound up gouging some of the wood. The table top is super smooth but very rustic and I LOVE IT. I started with pre-stain conditioner, then cherry stain which I hated, then early american mixed with dark walnut. At this point it looked pretty lovely but I wanted it to look aged and gray so I lime waxed, dark waxed and buffed the whole surface of this piece. It turned out so special and you can see some red notes from the cherry stain and those are my favorite moments on this table.
Thanks again Ana.

** updated with a few better photos on 11/21

Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
See summary.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Toddler SIzed Easel

We opted to make this a regular easel (no chalkboard) and just used a sheet of paneling as the background. It's perfect, our toddler loves it. Thanks Ana!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$10
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
unfinished
tray painted with milk paint
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Maple Bookcase with Fluted Trim

Submitted by NeoMoses on Wed, 02/06/2019 - 20:57

Just finished this maple bookcase with fluted trim for my daughter's room.  I chose all maple trim even though it's painted because I wanted a good hardwood with low grain that would look good for decades to come.  Full build details are on my website.  Router bits used were a roman ogee and a core box bit.

Estimated Cost
100
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
White Paint - Behr Premium Plus Semi-gloss
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Cornhole Boards with Custom Initials

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 01/05/2023 - 06:25

Thank you for helping me make my first set of cornhole boards! Super easy steps to follow and I love how they turned out!!!

Comments

Seasonal And Holiday

Pantry Storage Spice Rack

Submitted by redhead_61 on Mon, 09/19/2011 - 21:49

I am kind of a visual organizational neat freak and I have been annoyed by all the little things taking up good shelf space in my pantry for a long time now. This just kept getting pushed down the list ya know, not a major project. Anyway, grabbed an extra board at the store the other day and knocked this one out. I LOVE it. I made it short because I want to build a trash bag holder for the bottom half of the door. We'll see how long it takes me. I did use a 1x4 instead of Ana's plan which uses a 1x6. I only needed small things to put in here.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$5
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
White Paint
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

SingleMomThriving

Tue, 09/20/2011 - 10:04

Looks like the 1x4 was a perfect fit for all those little items, especially the wraps which get pushed to the back all the time and the pasta boxes. I feel some inspiration coming on.....

lianatempera

Tue, 09/20/2011 - 14:16

This is awesome. I should probably do this for my pantry, as well. Thanks for the inspiration!

Cindy from Indiana (not verified)

Wed, 09/21/2011 - 09:31

I love it! Great price,too!

I especially love how the design corals all those pesky little things that always seem to get pushed all the way to the back of my cabinets and drawers.

I'm definitely putting this on my list of things to build!

Cindy from Indiana

Jen Pedro

Wed, 09/21/2011 - 13:34

I assume your door is the usual hollow pantry door. What type of anchors did you use to hold the shelves in place? Did you use standard wall anchors with your screws?

Looks great!

redhead_61

Thu, 09/22/2011 - 08:19

I just got an anchor that looked like it had a little more 'umph' to it. It is called a Cobra Tripple Grip. It looked like it had a section that popped open a little more once the screw went in. I thought that might hold it a little more securely. I feel no movement when I jiggle it at all.

Chris A (not verified)

Sun, 01/15/2012 - 08:29

Very nice project.
Just came along looking for a storage shelf and I saw your door shelf. Going to build one of these for sure, sick of the little wire ones we have falling down every other day.

Trimmed and ready for Christmas - Dollhouse

Built this from Ana's plan. Made a few small floor changes and added casing, baseboard, trim and cedar shake shingles.

Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Ana White Admin

Tue, 12/22/2015 - 11:11

You knocked this out of the park, so excited for the recipient! Thanks for sharing:)

shanebernskoetter

Wed, 12/23/2015 - 15:07

Thank you for the kind comments. I really appreciate your work putting the plans out there for others to follow, Ana! My father is a high end custom homebuilder and made a house for my 3 sisters 20 years ago for Christmas.  I thought if I'm going to do this, I might as well go all in and try to make something grandpa would be proud of. It is for my 2 girls, ages 8 and 11. The 11 year old still plays with dolls. I'm trying to hold onto her youth as long as I can! Again, many thanks.  -Shane

shanebernskoetter

Wed, 12/23/2015 - 15:12

Thank you for the kind comments. My father is a high end custom home builder and made a house for my 3 sisters 20 years ago for Christmas. I thought that if I was going to make a house I should go all in on something to make grandpa proud. I am very grateful, Ana, for your posting of the plans on the web for others to imitate! The house is for my 8 and 11 year old daughters. The 11 year old still plays with dolls and we are trying to hold on to her youth as long as we can. With thanks and gratitude, Shane

Bookshelf

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 02/12/2019 - 11:54

Bookcase followed plans exactly, finished in rustoleum white, varathane carbon gray stain for back paneling. 

Finished with satin oil based poly to add some protection.

Estimated Cost
$60
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Floating bed

I built a floating bed using Ana's plans. In my case, I built a twin size bed which now my daughter enjoys every night. The bed turned out beautiful and very sturdy.

Comments

Clara table and $4 chair

Submitted by newtowood on Mon, 09/26/2011 - 15:44

This was a gift to my good friends son. She said he needed a desk for his homework, but I hear he's using it as a dinner table. :) It was a fun project.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$15-$20
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Sanded, primer, paint, stenciled
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

Rustic Bench

Submitted by cassiet717 on Wed, 10/02/2013 - 14:14

I have always loved benches at the dining table. They are so practical for cleaning, kids, and for cramming extra people at a table! We are (mostly) happy with our current table, but I was so sick of 6 clunky chairs floating around my kitchen, and these benches were the perfect solution. They were very simple to make and are exactly what I wanted!

I mixed my own color of stain for the top board from two Cabot colors (Golden Oak and Walnut) to create a color that break up all the oak in the room, while still fitting in. I painted the bases of the benches a creamy ivory for the same reason, to break up all the oak, and distressed the edges lightly.

I omitted the "x" feature in the plans because I was happy with the look of just the board along the bottom.

Estimated Cost
about $40 for 2, plus left over paint and stain
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Cabot wood stain in Golden Oak and Walnut (mixed), and Valspar latex paint in Crisp Linen
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Lego Table

Submitted by aclayton on Wed, 12/23/2015 - 10:35

I decided to build the art table and use it as a lego table instead. I had a piece of 3/4" maple plywood left over from a previous project, so the only thing that I had to buy were the 1x4's and lego plates.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
I spent about $30 at Lowe's for the 1x4's and $24 on ebay for some generic lego plates. I already had the plywood, screws, and stain on hand.
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax "Red Mahogany" stain and a coat of polycrylic.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Modified to fit Wine fridge

Submitted by slbgunner1 on Mon, 02/18/2019 - 07:15

Used Maple on top with pine for the frame. Thanks Ana-White!

Built from Plan(s)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Modern Farmhouse railing on a deck

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 01/13/2023 - 09:07

Inspired by the modern farmhouse railing we decided to install the same style on our deck. Our old railing was aged an deteriorated. The project took about two weekends, one to treat the metal with black magic, another to build the actual railing. We love how it looks!

Comments

Barn Beam Shelf

Submitted by amym on Sun, 10/02/2011 - 12:01

These shelves were easy to make and are sturdy also. I haven't gotten frames for my pictures yet - I was so excited to hang up my shelf.

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

Rustic x console

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 12/26/2015 - 20:48

One of my first projects and I really felt like I had good cuts, however it was still a real challenge for me. I ended up doing the bottom in white to hide some of the errors. In the end I am happy with the resultes. 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$150
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
White paint, honey mini wax poly
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Modern outdoor sofa

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 02/25/2019 - 19:56

I built it from pine 2x4s. I bought outdoor chair cushions and they work great.

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

dresser turned bathroom vanity

Submitted by leahrush4 on Fri, 10/07/2011 - 08:23

We looked high and low for a sturdy dresser we could convert to a vanity for our kid's bathroom. We could find nothing for under $500 so we decided to make it. We used solid hickory for the top and bottom and hickory vaneer for the rest. Only the middle drawers are useable, the side ones have a faux front to leave room for the sink plumbing behind. My husband also reinforced the bottom compartments by making them three separate compartments instead of one solid one. We ordered the sinks from overstock.com and the faucets are from Lowes.

Estimated Cost
$350
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

catee (not verified)

Fri, 10/07/2011 - 16:39

My kids have been bugging for years for double sinks. I LOVE this. I was thinking along the same line but never got past the thinking part. This is GORGEOUS!

cathrobi (not verified)

Mon, 11/21/2011 - 10:52

Wow, this is stunning! You did an awesome job! The only thing I can't figure out is how you were able to attach the plumbing? Did your husband have to crawl underneath to reach the pipes?