Community Brag Posts

First Time Build

Submitted by ckdesigns on Tue, 08/27/2013 - 19:31

This was my first large project. Built it in one very long day and then finished over a few weeks. Instead of 2x4's for legs I opted for a 4x4 post with a bolt running through. I didn't really want to figure out the square washer so I just went with standard round. I spray painted all of the hardware silver with Rust-Oleum Universal Hammered Spray paint to coordinate with the Tolix like chairs I purchased from Restoration Hardware.

Estimated Cost
$87 for wood + $32 for stain and brushes = $119
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
The finish was the most difficult part of the project for me. I used Minwax and kept altering the color because I wanted it dark but not too dark.
-Started with Minwax Pre-stain Wood Conditioner
-1st coat Minwax: Early ;American
-2nd & 3rd coat Minwax Dark Walnut
-4th layer Minwax PolyShades: Royal Walnut
-5th and final layer Minwax Helmsman Spar Urethane
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Medickep

Wed, 08/28/2013 - 20:11

Great work, that really looks good. I love the finish! Did you need all of the different coats? Or did you just decide you wanted darker after each one?

momofour09

Mon, 09/02/2013 - 07:12

I was wondering the same thing as Medickep, were all of the coats necessary or was it just the way you wanted it finished? I do like the end results though.

ckdesigns

Tue, 09/03/2013 - 09:03

The multiple coats wasn't intentional. I just couldn't get the right look so kept on going with the colors. I'd say the finish portion of the project was the most difficult for me. I am happy with out it turned out and cannot wait to build something again!

Simple Stool

Made with Western Red Cedar 1x6 fence boards and 2x4. Finished with General Finishes Arm R Seal. 

Thank you Anna. 

 

Estimated Cost
Less than $15
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Varathane Wood Conditioner
Varthane Natural Oil Finish -1 coat
General Finishes Arm R Seal 3 coats.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Doll House

Submitted by samueldodd on Fri, 11/02/2018 - 08:10

I made this with oak plywood and used a straight edge and paper knife to score it to look like planks and a chisel to vary board lengths and stained it. This is the first house I made like this. I made second house like this after a house fire destroyed the first one. My people were well pleased with both of them. I will put lights in the next one.

Estimated Cost
$75.00
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Kids kitchen

Submitted by ajcajj on Fri, 08/05/2011 - 11:22

I made the kitchen from (reclaimed=free) veneered mdf. I modified the size to fit out our needs. My kids are 12,9,6,4. I am thrilled with how it turned out. My dimensions are as follows. fridge 18x18x48, stove and sink 18x18x31. I stained it barn red ($5 oops stain) and painted the fronts with white satin. I bought the faucet from our local re-store($5). The sink is a crock from goodwill ($4). I used european hinges to attach the fridge doors ($11). The hardware I found at target on clearance($13). Plexiglass was ($4)

Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Squared2 Dining Table

I'm not sure that anyone would want to build this table, but I attached my plans made in PowerPoint here.

We have a 600 square foot apartment. We enter through our kitchen, so we wanted a dining table that did not take up much space visually or physically. The Squared2 Dining Chairs inspired the creation of our Squared2 Dining Table. We appreciate having it.

To cut down on cost, we purchased 1/8" plexiglass and cut to fit our table top.

Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
None, yet. :) May leave natural, but suggestions welcome!
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

JoanneS

Fri, 08/30/2013 - 09:14

Yvonne, your table is fabulous! It goes so beautifully with the chairs and the rest of your kitchen design elements. You did a wonderful job! :)

yurra-bazain

Fri, 08/30/2013 - 17:50

Mahalo, Joanne! We ate our celebratory dinner on it last night, and I was relieved it felt sturdy. There is something about having dinner at a dining table with the people you love that just makes me thankful!

Modified Rustic X Coffee Table

Submitted by PamC03 on Sun, 10/18/2015 - 22:28

As a beginner at woodwork, this table was pretty easy to make. The instructions were easy to follow. I modified the table by adding 2x6 planks on the bottom and changing up the "X" design. The angles are tricky to get right, but i used scrap wood until i got the perfect angles then used my 2x2's for the final cuts. I also changed the finished dimensions of the table to fit in the room I was making it for, so this table was quite a bit wider than the original. It took me about a day and a half/two days to fully build and then I finished slowly over the rest of the week by staining and using a satin poly finish (I gave the top 4 coats so it took a little longer than normal). I'm so happy with the finished table I've already bought the wood to make another smaller one!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$70 for wood and hardware
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Varathane Early American w/ Satin Poly
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Audrey Wright

Thu, 10/22/2015 - 05:02

For a beginner, you'd done a great job. I'm a beginner too and I can hardly do this in two days.. 

Ocean/Mermaid themed full size version of Sweet Pea Bunkbed

Submitted by agarant10 on Mon, 11/12/2018 - 10:13

This is a ocean/mermaid version of the sweet pea bunk bed. I had to add an additional section above the original plans in order to accommodate for the slide. I also forwent the bottom storage and opted to just put a bigger door, which allowed more headroom inside and the ability to put both a mattress and box spring on the bottom bunk. I used real shingles and painted them gold. The slide came from Home Depot. The octopus door handes I got off of Etsy for about $5 each. I found a doorbell on an old plastic outdoor house set laying around. I added some seaweed from Joann Fabrics. The steps are made out of 2x6 boards vs 1x boards. I also changed the plans so both beds are full size instead of twin size. The top bunk has so much support...it was tested with 600 lbs up there and held up fine!

Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

SoCalMom

Mon, 11/19/2018 - 12:09

That bed is amazing! My daughters would never ever sleep and my 3 year old said when I showed her "mama, I wanna go there"... 

Farm house table

Submitted by hough18 on Tue, 08/09/2022 - 10:14

Decided paying $600 for a coffee table was ridiculous so my wife said build this then. I read the comments on this and went with picture frame ends, wife is happy and that means I am as well! Also drilled holes first just to ensure no splitting of the wood.

Comments

Our Farmhouse Bed

Shopping for bedroom furniture, my spouse found a bed that was way more than we wanted to spend. After finding this site, and a bit of convincing he finally agreed to try building this. Now he wants to build everything! We now have a long "to do" list of plans we want to try.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$240
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
We used two coats of Miniwax Dark Walnut and two coats of Miniwax semi-gloss polyurethane.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Farmhouse Table!

Submitted by Megmac911 on Sun, 09/01/2013 - 21:11

Farmhouse table made from 100 year old wood. The wood was taken from a porch at my great grandmother's house in Vernon Parish, Louisiana.

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

Free Standing Barn Door Cabinet

I needed a pantry cabinet for my walk through kitchen (I have a generic 1970's ranch with a walk through kitchen--10' wide and the dining area is small, so I wanted lots of storage with minimal depth) and I am a big fan of cabinetry that looks like furniture--when I saw this project, I knew I had to make it.  

 

I enlisted the help and guidance of my 73 year old Mom----she has been making things for years and has an entire basement full of all the woodworkig machines I will ever need.  We started this project about a month ago and have been working at it on and off since (my Mom is a thinker and has lost sleep over a few issues we ran into, but the final design is AWESOME!  Thanks Mom!).

 

I would have loved a much wider cabinet, but the wall I will be putting it on had a few items that I did not want to move or cover up (light switches & a cold air return).  I ended up making the cabinet 89" tall (my ceilings are only 91") and 57.5" wide (I'm a stickler for symmetry and I wanted the white space on either side of the cabinet to be the same.  This project took a couple of weeks to complete due to work, kids, pets, etc).  I just had my son and better half carry it in tonight and it fits perfectly----now to clear out all my upper cabinets and start taking them down so I can fix my ceiling and start making my kitchen cabinets!  

Thanks Anna!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
Total cost for materials, paint, hardware - $250.00
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Rustoleum Chalk Paint - Aged Grey
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Our Farmhouse Bedside Table

Our first project

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Two coats of Miniwax Dark Walnut.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Rustic X Console

So I needed a bigger entry way table for our new house and this one fit my style and I love it! Mine is only 5.5' long so I did have to do some remeasuring. If you also need yours to be 5.5' my measurements were 5.5' for the top 2x6 pieces then the the two bottom shelves are 55" and the 12 (6 for front 6 for back) 2x2 pieces are 26". All of the other measurements stayed the same. Also I already had everything else besides wood so just the wood cost me $75.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$75
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Minwax Early American and a sealer
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Doll Pram Love!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 12/25/2018 - 18:40

This was a fun build!  It was my first time to use the jigsaw, so my sweet hubby showed me the ropes!  Such a great project and my little girl absolutely loves it.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Eggshell paint - random sample I had on hand
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Easiest 2x4 Drawer Bench

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 08/31/2022 - 16:21

Ana, I am so greatful for your videos. You gave courage to create this 24" deep x 48" wide bench. We remodeled our bathroom by transforming our tub into a walk in shower. We removed the small old shower stall which left a space where we created this nook. The drawers are our new laundry "baskets." We also added board and batten in the rest of the bathroom. Everyone loves the design and I have you to thank. Many blessings to you and your family. Alice

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Ribbon Holder

Submitted by lizseburn on Thu, 08/11/2011 - 21:19

My husband wasn't home this week, so I had to create something.. He's just lucky that I didn't give the kitchen a makeover! ;]

I modified and improvised with what I had lying around... I used a 1x4 for the bottom because I didn't have enough 1x2 scraps left, but then I decided to put the lettering on it because I thought it looked too plain. I like how it turned out!! :]

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$2!! - I just had to buy the dowel. I had everything else lying around. :]
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

spiceylg

Fri, 08/12/2011 - 08:01

That came out really nice and I love the lettering! How did you do the lettering if I may ask?

Farmhouse Queen Bed and Fancy X desk

Submitted by musickbox on Thu, 09/05/2013 - 13:00

We built the Farmhouse queen bed and fancy X desk for our bedroom. It was relatively easy and looks so great! The bed is made of pine and cedar. (It is really really hard to find pine 4x4 posts that aren't pressure treated around here.) We used pine for the desk. Paint color on the bed and base of the desk is Behr "Polar bear" with a coffee stain distress. The desk top is Benjamin Moore "Dash of pepper." The bed cost about $175 to build and the desk cost $30. (We used a lot of scraps for the desk.)

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Behr Polar Bear paint, Benjamin Moore Dash of Pepper paint, coffee stain distress.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

JoanneS

Thu, 09/05/2013 - 17:03

Your bed and desk are beautiful! Great job on this build, and I love the colors!