My first build

This was my first attempt at building and I learned a lot such as if you drop pine, it cracks in half - and - when cutting with a jigsaw, cut inside the lines....you can always trim more off, but you can't put it back - and - my dogs can distress a piece of furniture faster than I can if I put it under "thier" window....whether I want them to or not!
This was a great beginner project and gives a fast, satisfying result. As you can see, it has become the cat's bench...can't get a picture of it without him, he lives on it!
Just a couple of notes: I cut the legs more according to the plan diagram than the pretty cuts Patrick made on his...I wasn't ready for that. Also, I didn't have my glasses outside with me, so my measurements on the legs are probably not right. I made the top shorter because I wanted it for a specific space (which didn't work out, see note about about dogs and distressing....ugh!).
Also, this probably should have taken me just an hour or so, but I had my Kreg jig set all wrong and first had shallow pocket holes (see note above about pine breaking when dropped) and then made them too deep (learned to use wood filler)! That's when I finally got my butt into the house to get my glasses to read the dang directions (again!).
Thanks Patrick and Ana for giving me such a great, easy beginner project!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$15.00
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
I used a homemade chalk paint with a recipe I found on Pinterest. The base was Benjamin Moore's Niagara Falls cut with about 20% white. I then mixed a half and half mixture of black paint (Ace Hardware's India Ink) with a glaze base (Behr) and distressed it a touch.
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

Carley @ On One Hand (not verified)

Fri, 09/07/2012 - 23:18

It looks great! I'm no expert at building by any means, but whether it's your 1st or 100th project, there's always something to learn :) Good for you for trekking through all the hiccups you encountered, it can get discouraging when there's problem after problem - but seeing the final results makes it all worth it. I love the color you chose! And it seems like you made your fur baby very happy :D

JoanneS

Sat, 09/08/2012 - 17:54

Congrats on your first project! Looks super! The color and distressing are beautiful. Great idea with the DIY chalk paint, too! :)

Pallirondack

Sun, 09/09/2012 - 13:24

If you're happy with it, than its a winner! It looks like a decent bench, but really can't tell with the cat in the way....just kidding. Congrats and I look forward to your next post!

YankeeBelle

Sun, 09/09/2012 - 14:43

Thank you for the kind words....it was a true learning experience for sure! I'm about to post my second and third projects.....MORE learning from mistakes! ;0)