Community Brag Posts

Chopped Jilly and Mia Kitchen Island

Submitted by pcarroll on Fri, 03/27/2015 - 20:44

Loved the Jilly and Mia Workbench Console but didn't have the space.  So, I chopped the width in half and used 2x6's for the top.  Pocket holes used throughout and 4.5" casters and decorative clavos used for the red lipstick.  

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$100 (including clavos and caster wheels)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
White milk paint used on frame; layered special walnut/aged oak/whitewash/finish wax on planked top and lower shelf.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Tall Tapered Planters

These were exactly what we were looking for to dress up the front of our house.  They are a great size and went together pretty easily.  Getting the angle cuts right took a few tries, but once you get past that it's all pretty simple!  Also these are very forgiving for small errors and they look fantastic!  We made three for across the front of our house and painted them to match our front door.  For more details on our planters, please follow the link to our blog!

Estimated Cost
$30
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Olympic Exterior Paint - Ruby Lips
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Coffee table and end tables

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 10/04/2021 - 12:46

Wife asked me for a coffee table for the living room. Was the first piece of furniture ive ever made, it turned out so well she asked for matching end tables. So i made some mirror image end tables. Fairly simple construction 2x4 and 2x6 and the top surface are poplar slats from home depot. 1”-4” Very happy with the way it turned out. Thanks Ana for all your great building tips and plans🤘🏼😎

Comments

First Build at the Farm

Submitted by angmorfeld on Thu, 05/09/2013 - 07:00

We just moved to a farm and luckily the house has a wood shop! So we chose to do this farm house table as our first build at our new house. It was so much fun....and it was a great project for my husband and I to work on together! Total working time was about 10 hours, that did not include the time it took for the stain to dry and the poly to set. I am incredibly impatient and probably applied the poly over the stain too early, but with a project like a "rustic farmhouse table", the imperfections from my haste go unnoticed. Next build: barn doors.

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Early American, 2 coats. Top coat of Minwax Wipe on Poly, 3 coats.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Tropical Pallet Outdoor Room: Renters’ Remodel

Submitted by ananda on Sun, 03/29/2015 - 20:44

Yes we are RENTERS, and yes, we sneakily “REMODELED” a tropical island style outdoor room, with pallets!

The entire project is done with scrap pallet wood- from pallet living wall, pallet furniture, to stenciled pallet wood floors -  just to prove that not only can one have a magazine worthy "remodel" as renters, it can be done with minimal cost as well!
 
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Covid Project

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 10/04/2021 - 13:12

This was my Covid winter project. My name is Michael Gardner, I live in Florence, Oregon and I'll be 70 years old this month.

Comments

Planked Wood Headboard- King

Submitted by ambuford21 on Wed, 03/09/2011 - 06:19

I made this in an afternoon as a wedding gift for my brother and soon to be sister-in-law. This was my first project using Ana's plans and I can't beleive I got it finished in a day. The hardest part was getting everything filled in and painted since I used paint grade pine. I did add a length of half round to the top just under the ledge for a little more decorative effect. I didn't realize how huge and heavy it would turn out. Guess that's just what happens when you build something entirely out of wood

Estimated Cost
$120.00
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Satin finish Valspar paint in black.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Going crazy in California

Submitted by Chris 1975 on Fri, 05/10/2013 - 05:13

This is a base loft bed which was my first project. I used raw pine for everything, and then stained. I added the flip top desk, and cubbys on the back wall as well for more storage. But then one of friends had an old play ground set, which he was selling at a ridiculously low price! Due to the pool and BBQ island however, it did not make sense to put these in the back yard. SO, I decided to take down the ladder and give him a rock wall! Both my son and daughter absolutely love it! I am now going to build the platform on the foot of the bed for the slide. More to come!!!! ;)

Estimated Cost
$200
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Minwax stain
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Simple bed

Submitted by colleenps on Tue, 03/31/2015 - 12:08

This was my first ever build, I had a blast! I have always wanted to work with wood but never knew where to start. We have 7 children and we have gone threw so many beds and wasted so much money over the years on cheap beds. I wanted to build something that was sturdy and something that would last. Thanks to Ana White I found these plans. My husband showed me how to use the tools and I got to work. We're a military family so we move every 1 to 3 years, so I had to make some adjustments so it could be taken apart and moved over and over again. Thank you Ana White for these plans and so much more. You have been such an inspiration, if it wasn't for you and your site I would've never have found the motivation and courage to start building.

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

Comments

Grey X Farmhouse table

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 07/03/2017 - 14:03

X Farm house table - distressed grey.

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax - Grey Stain - 3x thick Polyurethane
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

cubby bench

Three cube bench for entryway.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$60.00
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
1. one coat primer
2. two coats Behr elegant white, satin finish
3. sand with 120 grit, light distressing
4. two coats satin poly
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Our long awaited media cabinet!

My husband and I built this together over the course of three months. We would grab an hour here and there when we had the time.

I am notorious for my numerous "projects", but my husband is so patient and he usually indulges my curiosity. We both learned so much building this, and even though he feigns indifference, I can tell that my husband is just as proud as I am of the end result. We are absolute beginners and my critical eyes can find many imperfections, but I can't help but be amazed that we actually built this thing - this is huge for us!!

We plan to build the rest of the wall system eventually (piece by piece), but I couldn't wait to share.

Thanks Ana for giving us so much of yourself!!

P.S: Lumber wise you get what you pay for - even if you are painting, go for the higher quality plywood and craftboard. The price premium is well worth the frustration it will save you - especially if you are a beginner like us.

Estimated Cost
$250
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Vintage white from the Allen Roth Collection - Valspar Paint
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

Vinyl record cabinet

I know this is a pretty basic build but I still wanted to share it.  I used pine for the entire piece.  It took longer to finish this piece than to build it haha.  The finishing process consided of a pre-stain condiitoner, antique walnut gel stain, and several coats of toner.  

 

 

Estimated Cost
$70.00
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

Outdoor truss table and benches

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 07/06/2017 - 07:22

I needed an outdoor table and thought this design would look lovely on my patio. I used 2x8's for the table and bench tops, which meant I couldn't run them through my 6" jointer; so I had to plane them as they came from the store. This resulted in a fair amount of sanding once I assembled the tops with a kreg jig and glue. Plugged the pocketholes  and used an outdoor deck stain for protection. The stain over the plugged pocketholes looked interesting enough that I almost used those sides for the exposed tops, but ultimately decided on the cleaner finish. The 4x4 legs and apron are in a black matte exterior paint, and I used a 1 5/8" forstner bit for the umbrella holes. It's a fun project, and assembly doesn't take too long at all. My patio is now a great place for a morning cup of coffee while reading the paper and has already become the spot for neighborhood gatherings.

Estimated Cost
Expect around $300 for table, 2 benches, paint and stain.
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
3 coats marquees charcoal black matte for the truss legs and aprons. 80, 150, and then 220 sanding before 1 coat transparent walnut timber oil deck stain for the tops.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Hall Tree

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 10/04/2021 - 14:14

Built this Hall Tree for my daughter. Saw the Ana White project and found it to be the easiest, most clear plan by far. It turned out great!

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Bigger Tryde Coffee Table

My sister put in request for bigger coffee table and 2 end tables, again, the building part was not that difficult, the time consuming portion was staining. But they turned out great!

Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
I "distress" the wood by using a piece of chaing and just beat it until I get a desired, uniform look. I used 3 coats of stain on each piece and sealed it once complete. I did not sand between coats and I use the cheap foam brushes and just toss them after each coat.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

These ledges transformed an entire wall!

For Mother's Day this year, I decided to completely redo what we call our "front room" for my wife. Before the weekend, it was unorganized, colorless, and boring. We decided to start the project with new paint, which my wife picked out. I got some old windows from a thrift store, and we decided the ledges would flank one of those windows and we'd basically transform the entire wall.

The ledges were a blast to build (my wife even helped a bit!) and we're super happy with the way they came out!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$20
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
We just painted the ledges with a flat black. Nothing fancy at all!
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Entertainment Center

Submitted by skinny80 on Sun, 04/05/2015 - 11:46

Thanks for the great plans!! Finally got this monster put together.

Estimated Cost
$400
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Recommended Skill Level
Advanced

Comments

slenert1

Sun, 11/15/2015 - 12:37

Do you have the dimentions or specific plan for this as it is much biger than the plan you used? Material list? We want to build one like this! Its so pretty!

Shelves (ledges)

Submitted by jwillo on Fri, 07/14/2017 - 00:15

My husband and I built the 10 dollar ledges to use for book storage in our nursery. I love how they allow you to display the books as well as store them. This is the second time we have used this plan for wall decor in our house, and our fifth build overall from one of Ana's plans. I love all the fun options! 

For the small size, we only needed three boards so it was inexpensive and they came out great. 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$8
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Natural walnut stain
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Patio furniture

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 10/04/2021 - 14:43

Followed Ana’s plans, very easy to follow. Chose two different sizes, different woods, and different cushions. Very pleased with outcome.

Comments