Community Brag Posts

Minnie Mouse step stool

It was time for potty training and when it came time to wash her hands her arms were a little too short. So I threw this step stool together over a few hours and with the little one being a Minnie Mouse fan I had to add the Mickey head. Great project for those wanting something easy and quick.

Estimated Cost
$15-20
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Disney paint from wal-mart and Rustoleum clear coat.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

disneynut

Fri, 07/05/2013 - 05:37

I loooove this! Nice job! I will have to add this to my to-do list. Thanks for sharing :)

Tryde coffee table

I've made a couple of tables from this plan now, and I love the simplicity of it. I changed the top to 1x4, 1x6 so that it doesn't look so bulky.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
stain, Minwax Red Chestnut. Polyurethane three coats
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Pantry Shelves

Submitted by DIYAZMOM on Wed, 12/29/2021 - 09:03

We enclosed an unused wet bar and then I built the shelves to make it into a pantry.

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Stratton Daybeds times Two

Submitted by karahart on Wed, 05/11/2011 - 08:25

I built my first daybed in May of 2010, and my second one in August of 2010. I've since moved one of the daybeds to my new nursery I'm creating. These beds are so versitle, so sturdy, and can be moved anywhere and 'go' with whatever decor. I love both of them!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$450 for BOTH beds
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
I primed the beds with Kilz oil based primer, then added a bunch of ultra white paint by Behr. I finished with sanding down the edges and staining them, before applying a top coat of polycrylic. Only use polycrilic, not polyurethane for white painted furniture!
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Allen/ Ana White Island

Submitted by tfj1283 on Sun, 07/07/2013 - 17:16

This was my husband and my first DIY project and we were thrilled at the outcome! It took us a day to build and then a couple days to stain and paint.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
It is stained with min wax Jacobean and painted with Martha Stewart's Barn red. This was a super fun project; thanks Ana White!
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Industrial Coffee Table

Built this industrial coffee table without plans

Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Walnut, paint, polyurethane
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Grandy Sliding Door Console (Modified)

Submitted by NicJT86 on Wed, 01/17/2018 - 00:22

My version of the Grandy Sliding Door Console. My modifications: 

- Length 6.5 feet long (instead of 90inch). Same height and depth.

- Bought hardware from amazon, purchased hardware is larger than the plans call for. Changed face frame top from 1x4 to 1x6 to create clearance for the wheels and top overhang. 

- Wanted a deeper top so I added a 2x3 between the two top boards. I did this also for looks! It stained so nice!

- Modified the mounting spacers for the rail to allow the door to hang closer to the cabinet. 

Advice: Pay attention to the size of the hardware. 

If buying door hardware make your door close to the same thinkness as a standard interior door. This will help them hang correctly and close the space between the frame and the door. 

Lastly, use pocket holes! 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
Door Hardware= $70
Wood= $250
Stain + paint= $30
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Dark walnut stain and Black Fox paint from Sherman Williams
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Farmhouse dining table with bench

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 01/02/2022 - 14:20

Simple design and fun to build. I did not however use the turned legs. I made a jig and went with tapered legs.

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Spa Bench

My first project! A friend of my husband's came to visit for a weekend and was nice enough to show me how to use my handy dandy new air nailer. We had the bench put together in 15 minutes! And so began a beautiful friendship with furniture building...

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$30
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
dark oak polystain - distressed with hammer, nails, screwdriver, chains
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Leftovers and Reclaimed Wood Media Console

Last winter, our friend's boss built our kitchen cabinets. We've had cuts of plywood leftover, sitting in our garage since then.

Our home needed a media console, so I thought to give building one a shot now that I own a circular saw and am only slightly afraid of it. I didn't follow a plan, honestly, but I did look at Ana's Classic Storage Wall, Extra Wide Media Unit as inspiration.

The console is actually a slate-indigo-black, called Napoleon. The top is made of reclaimed 1x6s that I mixed and matched with scrap 1x6s and gave one coat of Dark Walnut. We ordered handles for the doors and it needs another coat of paint (we ran out of the quart we had on hand), but we love it!

Estimated Cost
$30 using leftover plywood, otherwise, $100
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Olympic Flat in Napoleon
Watco Danish Oil in Dark Walnut, Watco Wipe-On Poly
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

JoanneS

Tue, 07/09/2013 - 16:30

Love this! The reclaimed wood top is fab, and the color looks perfect. I checked out your blog - your apartment is looking awesome!

yurra-bazain

Wed, 07/10/2013 - 02:18

Thank you for your kind words. :) Our apartment wouldn't be furnished today if not for ana-white.com. The motivation I've gained by learning and sharing back here has been key to keep me building the things we need, the way we want them. =D You've built so many things; I'm so impressed!

Dollhouse Bookcase

Submitted by Beccyem on Thu, 07/02/2015 - 16:43

This sweet bookshelf was the perfect summer project. Our girls loved painting it and have already spent hours playing with it. We used High Gloss paint.
Here is a link for a video where you can see the kids painting it and how it looks in their room. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tYXcWxQJ_U

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
High Gloss- white base. Pink for skirting boards, roof and windows. Kids used a spray can for the pink accents and roof. Wood has lots of holes and cracks so we just used wood putty. Would be a great idea to use Chalkboard paint on the back, but we have not done this yet.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Kids Table & Chairs

Submitted by jeffh on Fri, 01/19/2018 - 12:12

I washed the plans for the farmhouse table in hot water!

I modeled this kids table off the farmhouse table and then made the chairs out of 3/4" plywood with bright colours.

Estimated Cost
two 2x10s and four or five 2x4s, plus screws and stain for the table. All four chairs were made out of one sheet of 3/4" plywood. The stain and paint probably cost more than everything else put together, but I still have tons of it left. If you exclude the leftover stain, I'd guess about $75-$100 for everything.
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Can't remember. Walnut was the stain colour.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Toy truck bookshelf

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 01/08/2022 - 13:12

I made this bookshelf for our 2 yr old grandson who is crazy for all vehicles!

Built from Plan(s)

Comments

Our Closet (and first build!)

Submitted by Alaskagirl on Mon, 05/16/2011 - 14:10

Our master bedroom unfortunately had no closet, so for almost 2 years we had been using 4 store bought (cheap) racks that would break under the weight of the clothes and keep having to be replaced. There was however, a big nook in one wall of the room that could definitely be some kind of closet. I sat down and drew up a plan of what I thought would fit, but then had no idea how to go about building it. The plan sat in a drawer for months until after asking a friend about a shelf her husband built she sent me a link to this site and told me that's where she got the plans. I found the closet system plans and they were so close to what I had drawn up I was blown away! IT was no problem modifying the measurements to fit our space. I am SO happy with the results, all I need to do now is wait for some dry weather so we can paint!

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

modified kids Adirondack

Submitted by jrh413 on Wed, 07/10/2013 - 09:27

Modified back to match my adult chairs. Armrests are also cut out like adult chairs you just cant tell in picture. Also put an arc on faceplate. Then i couldn't resist routing her name into it. Enjoy!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Just some exterior pink paint.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Loft Media Console

Submitted by kristyzed on Mon, 07/06/2015 - 17:05

This is the first time I attempted a project with doors, and was rather intimidated by that. I managed to get through it without a square and ended up with a square piece in the end. I installed shelves behind each door so that DVD cases would fit both on the bottom and on the shelf.

I customized the middle section to accommodate our cable box and PS3, while still allowing for storage of controllers in the bottom portion.

This was a fun project.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$140 for lumber and stain
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
MinWax Espresso stain
Recommended Skill Level
Advanced

Grandy Sliding Door Media Console

We decided to go big or go home. We made the console almost 8 ft long out of all Rustic Alder. Took almost a month with a few hours here and there in the garage. But everyone loves it and we can't wait for it to find a new home! 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Tops and doors Java Gel Stain, Painted in a light gray milk paint...All General Finishes products.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Barnboard Live Edge Console

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 01/17/2022 - 10:57

Barnboards with live edge provides an artistic appearance, so this project was to maximize live edge, and barn board finished ends.
Barnboards are chosen based on sturdiness, and also unique edges that add character. A jig is used to rip 2 or 3" off of a live edge board. Then cut to length to assemble project. The shelf is cut to length using a 45° miter cut underneath final finished length. Swing the miter saw to Cut a 45° in the opposite direction of the previous cut on the scrap portion, slicing a long triangle, this is garbage. Then cut a 90° slightly past the miter cut, giving a 90° triangle the will fit under the finished edge of your board. The barnboard grains will match up perfectly, as well as interesting dips and curves on the edges. Glue the piece to the finished board, lining it up carefully. Then airgun nails in for extra support.
This is a project I just finished building for someone, and similar concept to what you had in the latest email. I have enjoyed watching what you have been doing. Keep up the awesome work, and encouraging others!
Dorothy Michel
Rustic Timber Decor

Comments