Community Brag Posts

This was my first project. It's not perfect, but I love the way it turned out! The original plans were too large for my dining room, so I altered the plans to make it a 5-foot table. I actually ended up making it a little bit wider as well by adding an additional 2X10 to the table top to make the table look more proportional. The wider table top has made it perfect for family-style meals! For the finish, I did one layer of Rustoleum American Walnut stain applied with a foam brush and wiped off with a clean cloth after one minute. After the first layer of stain, I sanded the table with a very fine paper and then did two layers of Rustoleum Dark Walnut applied with a foam brush and wiped off with a clean cloth after only a few seconds of setting. Finally, I did three layers of Rustoleum Matte Finish polyurethane.

I loved the Holman Entertaining Shleves from Pottery Barn, however, I didn't like the price. Taking the $10 ledge plans and modifying them, I set out to make my own. I used a 1 x 10 (bottom), 1 x 6 (back) and a 1 x 3 (front). They are 23 7/8 inches long to get the 3 shelves out of 6 foot boards. To get the holes to hold the top of the bottle, I used a 1 and 1/4 inch forstner bit. Since I had gift cards left from Christmas I splurged on the wood and bought the select pine.

I loved making this bed. This was my first experience using a Kreg Jig and it was great! We added three inches to the height of the bed so that my daughter could stand up for the next two years or so without bonking her head. We opted for rungs instead of stairs to save more space. We also used 2x4s cut to width for bed slats instead of a bunkie board.

Very happy with how these planters turned out. Beautiful with red Geraniums and ping wave petunias.

Built by Dave

(Sorry my photos aren't the best, there is a black spot on my lens which shows up on some pictures.)

I had a lot of fun making this! I'd been wanting a vintage factory cart for over a year when I found this plan on Pinterest which led me here. I wanted to get a rustic industrial look so I made the table in the picture from the Ana White site that is stained and not the green one. After getting the base built, my husband and I decided we wanted it taller (since we have a dog who would love to sniff at whatever we put on it). And while I'm at it, why not add some storage? So I added more 2x4s and attached them to both the base and additional 1x6s. I put the 1x6s on the front and both sides, leaving the back open. I flipped the whole thing over, put the casters on and added plywood to the bottom of those 2x4s. then added two small boards give support to the plywood, which created a storage shelf. I then sanded and stained it and finished it off with two coats of semi-gloss poly. I did not counter-sink my screws or used wood filler as I was going for the rustic industrial look and I love the way it looks. It is very sturdy, too. I have moved it all around, slid it on its side trying to get some decent pictures and its just as sturdy as ever.

A built these shelves for my nieces birthdays. I reversed the color schemes to keep them separate. The plans provided are great! I would certainly use the added 1 x 2 supports if hanging on the wall because the shelf is heavy (about 14 pounds).

Followed the instructions. Very easy to follow.  Made California King size.

When I saw this we had to build it. Hope you like!

This was my first dresser. The original plans say to lay the dresser on its back and center the drawer fronts then nail in place; in my opinion it is faster and more accurate to hold them in place and have a helper nail them in place. Also, the original plans suggest a certain jig for installing the slides which requires a locking c-clamp to hold the jig in place. Well, in my opinion the locking c clamp, along with a magnetic small torpedo level is faster and easier than the jig. A six in steel rule with a slider clamp is also helpful.This was fun project - learned a lot!  Thanks Ana & Patrick!

A $10 Mirror framed out with some 1 by 2, 1 by 3 and 1 by 4.

Stained black and then 2 coats of white paint sanding after each to give a rustic/antique look.

I consider this my first build...notice the ribbon rack and painter's ladder shelf also in the photo. Those were just confidence boosters to help me tackle the craft table I've been asking my hubby to build me for years. I just got tired of waiting, and decided to give it a try. With a 2 and 6 year old in the house, this took me a few weeks to complete...building during nap time and forgoing sleep on some evenings just to get it done. :) The drawers were by far the trickiest part of the whole thing. My first attempt was with 16" euro side mount slides, and I couldn't get the drawers in because they are inset under the tabletop. I ended up going with just a regular side mount drawer slide ($4.30 per drawer). The bookcases and the drawers are just your standard white cabinet paint, but the tabletop is finished in Martha Stewart's Potter's Clay textured paint (Hacienda) with a top coat of polyurethane. I also made the table top twice as thick by gluing 2 pieces of plywood together and screwing them together through the bottom piece. The height of the table is perfect for cutting fabric...no more backaches from bending over a table to cut fabric. I can't wait to move on to my next project! :)

This is my first attempt at building and your website made it possible. There were a couple of mistakes, I admit. This was especially true with the finish. I did my best, but I'm a little impatient with letting things dry.

I am also having a difficult time estimating how long it took to build as I am the sometimes proud father of 3 boys...aged 2, 4, and 5....resulting in frequent stopping, starting, and intermittent chasing down the street. I need an exterior lock on the garage.

Thanks so much for your website Ana.

We used the Fancy X Farmhouse plans and matching bench to create a wonderful new farmhouse table and bench for the lake house. We distressed the tops of the bench and table and stained them Weathered Grey with the base of the table and bench stained Ash.  We absolutely love it!

I had inquire on your Facebook about you making a new plan... i had wanted a side table to hide my propane tank. I used the planter plans as an inspiration for this table. It is regiment rough looking as I managed to build it using only scrap on hand. I did have one cedar board in my pile that was leftover from another project that I used for the top... pretty happy but know it would have been better with new wood that was the right size and not warped! The space at the top is on purpose to be able to teach in and turn the gas on and off.

Used the Argie Bedside Table plans, but instead of using plywood for the top I used 1x4's joined together. Painted it a semi-gloss black and put the stainless pull on the drawer front