Community Brag Posts

Coffee Table

Submitted by melehes on Thu, 08/02/2018 - 12:38

Burned wood finish with stain and lots of coats of poly for protection and shine

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$100
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Kitchen Island

The plans were easy to follow. I modified my island to fit my space and cut it down to 44 inches in length.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
The entire project cost $47.00.
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
I stained the top and shelves with Watco Danish Oil in dark walnut and then used a satin finish varathane for only the top to protect it from spills, etc. The sides and legs were painted with an interior latex paint called "Sandbar" from Home Hardware.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Emily Jo (not verified)

Mon, 10/31/2011 - 15:33

Your island is gorgeous, and I love the modification you made to the original plans on the shelving support! I would like to know what size the boards are that you used so that I can duplicate. Thank you!

Lisa Tamaye (not verified)

Sun, 02/05/2012 - 18:10

This is great! ANyone know how I could extend one side in order to put stools for an eating area?
Would love to do that!

Alice (not verified)

Tue, 02/07/2012 - 19:43

I would think it would be basically the same build, just add brackets to support the extra wood.

Guest (not verified)

Mon, 03/05/2012 - 15:20

I want to make this Kitchen Island but if can't find the Supply List. Would you mind posting it or emailing me please! This will work perfect in my Kitchen

Katia57

Mon, 03/05/2012 - 17:46

Wow! Just a wonderfully simple project! I can figure it out by looking at it. I have a piece of Rock Maple Counter Top 24"x6'that needs legs. I'll probably use 4x4' for legs, six of them. But the shelves will be just like this. Thank you!

Katia57

Mon, 03/05/2012 - 17:50

Wow! Just a wonderfully simple project! I can figure it out by looking at it. I have a piece of Rock Maple Counter Top, 24in.x6ft., that needs legs. I'll probably use 4x4s for legs, six of them. But the shelves will be just like this. Thank you!

Guest (not verified)

Wed, 04/04/2012 - 11:58

Just click on the link for the instructions. It's under the heading 'About This Project' titled as 'From Plan: Easy Kitchen Island Plans'.

Click where it says 'Easy Kitchen Island Plans'. When you hover your cursor over the words, you will see that is a hyperlink.

Lindsey Adams (not verified)

Sun, 05/20/2012 - 06:48

I love your island and I also have a small kitchen...would you happen to know the sizes of the boards you used? Thanks

??? (not verified)

Wed, 07/25/2012 - 14:31

Yours looks so different and so much better then the one that show how to make it, how did you do it? I really would love to build it but have no idea how...
Thanks so much!

CBsMama (not verified)

Wed, 08/15/2012 - 13:08

This island is perfect. I love the shelves and the size. Any chance you could send me the dimensions of this island and details on how you did the shelves? Great job!

lizzy1299

Mon, 02/04/2013 - 15:03

I'm SO glad I stumbled acrossed your website! I LOVE that island and getting ready to get all the stuff to make it. Did you use the Kreg Jig thing the original person used...? If not, how did you cover the screw heads?

Thanks!

ameliam

Wed, 12/31/2014 - 07:37

Hi, this is my first time building anything. I really like the modification made to the original plans. I like the legs facing the other way. I can't figure out how to modify the cuts on the sides and front and back supports for the top to adjust for turning the legs the other way. Are there modified plans. LOL I need instructions, I’m not quite there yet on doing it myself. Thank you

djbeenie

Wed, 02/04/2015 - 15:03

How did you mount the 1 x2s since its on the side of the 1 x 4s. Did you tac them in. I really like the way that looks. Thanks!

MBuckson

Mon, 03/16/2015 - 08:00

Amazing island! I am in the middle of building this and looking ahead to the finishing aspect of it and I have a question: What tool did you use to apply the oil on the counter top? A cloth or a certain type of brush?

wiri0302

Sat, 06/06/2015 - 18:33

Hello, i love this island but maybe i missed it. What kind of wood is everyone using? Frosting said $47 but that could only be for pine right? Are people using pine to build this? I would like it to look just like the picture. Any help would be appreciated! thanks!

X Book Caddy

Submitted by carongirls on Fri, 08/16/2013 - 06:30

SImple and easy to make. I had leftover wood so all I had to buy was 1x2"s. I'd say the total cost was $15. It's sturdy and holds a lot of books.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Twin Farmhouse Bed with Jeremiah 29:13 carved into headboard

This is the second farmhouse bed that i've built from these plans.  I made a slight modification to shorten the headboard for this bed. Overall, it was a fun and enjoyable project. 

 

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$160
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
Walnut, and spray lacquer
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Modern Farmhouse Bed with changes

Submitted by alleysrats on Tue, 08/21/2018 - 19:25

I needed a bed frame to go around my adjustable mattress and cheapest I found for pre-fabricated was greater than $200 and I thought why not go on Ana’s site and see if I could build one cheaper and I found this design.  I did everything in the instructions but build the platform as I was only getting it as a frame around the base that I already had.   I ended up using carsiding as it was cheaper than 1x6’s I also did not use pocket holes I just used regular screws that I countersunk and it gives it a bit of a more rustic look   I did have to adjust a few things as the side rails the 2x4 toppers went over too much on the adjustable portion of the bed and I didn’t allot for additional width on the head and footboard so I had to remove them -  to me it presents a little bit of a cleaner line I figure I can always go back with a 2 x 2 if I want a capped look.  The weathered recommended product turned it to a grayish purple hue no matter how much I sanded it -  it grew on me but definitely not the same color probably different tannins in the wood I was able to find not sure.  

 

The build took about two days total I built it all on my own the bed hardware was tricky though after failing to find anything local I ordered bed rail hardware off of Amazon for 12 bucks it’s a lot easier and your able to connect the side rails to the head and footboard on your own.

 

Total cost with the bed hardware probably about $130 if I took off the stuff I wasted it may be closer to $115.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$120
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Varathane Weathered
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

School Table

Submitted by jazberg on Fri, 07/15/2011 - 12:46

My husband and I took the Narrow Farmhouse Table and modified it for a school table for our children. We used two old doors we had left over from remodeling our 1925 craftsman home. One door is the top, and the rest is lumber culled from the other door. A fun, free, one-day project.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
Free (glass top - $75)
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Paint. We sanded the paint already on the door and stained the bare wood to add contrast.
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Comments

Desk Accessory Sets from Scrap Wood

Submitted by JoanneS on Mon, 08/19/2013 - 18:06

These were the inspiration pieces for the 1-Board cedar desk accessory set plan. These were made entirely of scrap wood. These sets are all painted, they will be gifts for the girls at work.

The wood for these is some 3/8" plywood (crate and pencil cup sides), 1x2 (bottom of business card holder and ends of pencil cup), some 1/2" x 1 1/2" craft board (sides of paper clip trays, business card holder), 3/4" plywood (bottoms of paper clip trays), some small squares of Wainscoat paneling (sides of gray pencil cup), some 1/4" plywood (bottom of pencil cup), some 1" strips of some old painted lauan (old project, pulled apart and the wood is being repurposed) and a couple of little pieces of 1/2" x 3/4" S4S (fronts of business card holders).

You can see the mishmash of different materials in the shot of an unfinished set, and also the stack of them waiting in the wings on my work table (it's starting to look like a Jackson Pollock painting :) heehee)

All the paints and materials were left overs from other projects. I hadn't decided on the finishes yet while I was building. These would be even easier to make if I had finished all the pieces first!

It was fun building these, it's great to be able to take something that may have gone in the bin, and make it into something lovely. I'm hoping the girls like these!

I've got a cube drawer plan in the works (a 1-board cedar with 2 drawers, and also have measurements for a 3-drawer from 3/8" thick craft board and 1/4" plywood, like the one on the table). I'll get to those soon.

Estimated Cost
0 - all scrap and left over finishes
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
The gray set received 1 coat of white primer, 1 coat of gray (Ace Royal in Greek Column), then was distressed with 100-grit sandpaper, and given a coat of Minwax's crystal clear polycrylic in satin.

The blue set received 2 coats of Clark & Kensington paint tinted to Benjamin Moore's Blue Echo, and glazed with Minwax Express Color in Walnut. This set received a top coat of Minwax Oil Modified water based poly (I have lots of that left over from last year's island build).

The one on the table is receiving 3 coats of Benjamin Moore Aura in Wenge.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Linda7

Mon, 08/19/2013 - 20:40

Thanks for sharing your pictures and plans for the desk accessories and trinket box. What great ideas for inexpensive gifts for people on you list!

JoanneS

Tue, 08/20/2013 - 15:09

Thanks Linda! I've absolutely had a ball planning and working on these! I'm so glad you like them! :)

yurra-bazain

Fri, 08/30/2013 - 17:57

I love when something is functional and adorable (and affordable to boot)! This is great; I am sure you'll have very many happy recipients of these cute desk accessories!

JoanneS

Thu, 08/22/2013 - 13:25

Yvonne, thank you for the nice comment! :) I'm working toward my goal of finding things to make from all the left-over wood in my garage. I didn't realize how much had accumulated. Really I am having a ball doing this! I did go buy some more cedar pickets though, I'm going to work on the 1-board cube plan this weekend. :)

Rustic X Console Table With Twigging

Submitted by markman57 on Mon, 09/21/2015 - 08:44

Followed the original plan but substituted branches from an oak tree for the X brace to give it a more "Adirondack" look.  Geneously sprayed the branches with a clear polyurethane coating to seal the bark.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
Zar Golden Oak oil based finish
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Wooden Play Toy Grill

Submitted by zeuss0101 on Sat, 09/15/2018 - 17:35

Enjoyed building this with my son.  Thank you Ana.

Estimated Cost
About $25
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Recommended Skill Level
Intermediate

Camp Loft Bed with Stair, Junior Height

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 06/08/2022 - 15:46

Pretty straightforward project. I didn't end up making the base due to lack of space and time. The hardest part for me was staining as depending on the medium semi-transparent etc... and how you apply it brush or gun etc... can change how it turns out. I used dark walnut i believe and only 1 coat and to me it was plenty rich. pretty sure it was semi transparent. I like how it's a loft bed and gives kid more sqft for their room. it is somewhat shaky but not horrible probably due to lack of base. I will probably add some cross members for support.

Comments

Chalkboard top art table

I already made the stack-able chairs for my daughter, but she was using an end table for an art table and her chairs would not fit under it. I took the old legs and frame off of the table and built the clara table frame. I kept the original table top. I then spray painted the legs black and for the top I used chalkboard spray paint which I found at Michaels. She now has a fun table that can be used for art projects and she can draw right on it. The before photo below shows the original table. I took the spindle legs, painted them different colors, and I will be using them for a bench to go with a new dining table I am building.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$10
Estimated Time Investment
An Hour or Two (0-2 Hours)
Finish Used
Black chalkboard spray paint
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Master Bedroom

Submitted by fanofana on Tue, 08/20/2013 - 14:09

After living in the basement with our young children for the first few years after moving into our new home, we were ready to claim the master bedroom on the main level. We made it a winter project and re-did the whole room (good-bye lavender walls). We made the headboard from Ana's "Reclaimed Headboard" plans and one of the night stands from the "Kentwood Nightstand" plans! We love the final look and saved ourselves a TON of cash in the process.

Estimated Time Investment
Week Long Project (20 Hours or More)
Finish Used
I went for an aged look by painting them, stripping most of the paint off leaving a little white, then used a vinegar/steel wool solution to get the aged effect. The technique I used can be found at the following link http://beingbrook.com/rustic-headboard-aged-wood/
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Garage Storage

Submitted by wabilinski on Mon, 09/28/2015 - 10:48

My wife was needing some extra storage in the garage for seasonal decor totes.

So, of course, I first go to Ana White's website. Voila, I found the perfect plans for the space I had to work with.

- The final product ended up being 72"Hx54"Lx21"W

- I used a counter sink bit to pre-drill screw holes so the heads would be slightly below the surface of the boards. This way the totes would not get caught on or damaged by the screws.

Estimated Cost
$90 for wood and screws
Estimated Time Investment
Day Project (6-9 Hours)
Finish Used
N/A - left unfinished
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Potting bench from recycled materials

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 06/22/2022 - 07:42

I used recycled materials for my potting table. The boards for the front and back legs I found from a factory's dumpster. Side aprons are from boards I saved when we took down a wall in our home. The boards were a part of the wall's frame. All the boards for the worktop, back wall and the lower shelf came from the dumpster of a company selling plastic sewer pipes. They used to be frames holding together the bunches of pipes during transport from factory to the store. And lastly, the board for the little shelf used to be part of the structure holding up the tarp over a freight truck's freight space.

I've only built raised beds and crude shelves for seedlings up until this project. This was my first more complex project. And the first with which I had to follow a plan. Due to my materials being differently sized than in the project plan, I had to make some adjustments along the way. My husband helped me to make sense of the instructions and also helped when I needed another pair of hands to keep parts still while drilling.

The biggest setback during the project was the board for the small shelf splintering while drilling it into place. It splintered even though we pre-drilled holes for the screws to go into especially to prevent splintering. I made another board and that one we secured in place with small corner braces which worked better.

Thank you Ana for the project plan. Here in Finland potting tables like these are not common and they are not sold anywhere. I've dreamt of one for 15 years and now, finally, I made my dream home true with your help.

Best wishes,
Aija

Comments

Potting Bench

This was our first build project! We spent the most amount of time picking the color than we did on the actual assembly. We extended the back 2 legs 36 inches to accommodate the window frame and shelf.

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$40
Estimated Time Investment
Afternoon Project (3-6 Hours)
Finish Used
Benjamin Moore Grey Wisp
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

Spring

Mon, 07/25/2011 - 09:02

This is beautiful! I have a garage full of these windows and I have been trying to figure out things to do with them before my husband decides to throw them out.

bhoppy

Mon, 07/25/2011 - 12:05

Love the window too! DId you paint hte wood right away or wait a while?

Emma AND Sarah

Wed, 07/27/2011 - 19:21

We painted it right away. We were so excited to finish our first project. We didn't paint the window though. Thanks for the comments

Adirondack Chair in Pine

This Adirondack chair was done in pine. I followed Ana's plan, with only one modification ... went with a wider armrest. I thought the wider armrest would be handy for resting a drink.

Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Haven't finished it yet, but have selected Minwax Puritan Pine 218, followed by a urethane finish.
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

stuffed animal problem

Submitted by bhoppy on Sat, 10/03/2015 - 14:36

There were a few of these floating around pinterest so I just looked at a few pictures and kinda winged it.  It is made almost just like Jamie’s except I used additional 2x2’s as you can see in the pics… I needed something to thread the bungee cords through.  I tied them off on the top and bottom.  I ordered a roll of pink bungee cord off of amazon.  This is actually two years old as you can see from how much it has filled up.  I also went back and added additional rows of bungee cord between all the others as stuffed animals were falling out.  Again, I winged it.  Having plans will make this build much easier!!

Built from Plan(s)
Estimated Cost
$50
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
primed with kilz and satin white paint I already had
Recommended Skill Level
Starter Project

Comments

mrsloveless

Mon, 01/18/2016 - 13:19

Where did you purchase the 2x2's and 1x3's? Are they furring strips or pressure treated lumber? Thanks!

Easy Workshop Workbench

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 07/01/2022 - 04:21

Great plan and great instructions (especially the cuts). My only two deviations from the original design were to use carriage bolts to secure the long apron pieces to the legs (I like to have the bench frame be more flexible while I add the components and then tighten everything up once all the pieces are in place) and to add adjustable feet (You might have stellar tradesmen up there, but down in the Pennsylvania woods, we tend to get the C & D graduates from Trade School; hence, level, evenness, & square are rare qualities to be celebrated when encountered and not taken for granted). My only other comment regarding the instructions would be to mention in the tools required that either a big honking set of clamps (36" span) or maybe ratcheting straps would be a good thing to hold the shell together while you are trying to screw the cross pieces into the shell. Maybe you are good enough to do it without clamps / straps , but I sure couldn't get the (slippery) glued cross pieces to stay put without some kind of support. Other than that, great design and instructions. Thanks!