$2 Storage and Knock-Off Wood Interview
by heather 
Ana White, Knock-Off Wood
About Ana: She's the founder of Knock-Off Wood and Ana-White.com, and designs furniture plans and provides them for free on her site. She's a builder, a blogger, a writer, and a mom.
It's been a long time since I've found a site as awesome as Knock-Off Wood, so congratulations on your blog and all its success. You have a great way with words and with encouragement and motivation - you are doing a remarkable job of empowering the ladies and getting them out to build. You have completely demystified the process for me!
When did you build your first piece of furniture?
In some fashion or another, I've been building my entire life. One of my earliest memories is pounding nails on trusses for parents' house. But it wasn't until several years ago that my furniture turned the corner from DIY to professional looking results. The landmark project was my farmhouse bed.
Ana's Farmhouse Bed
How much money can you save building your own furniture?
When I sold furniture to retailers, I charged approximately 5 times the cost of materials. When you add the retailers markup, you can save upwards of 90% of the retail price. But in my opinion, the value cannot be priced, because you built it with your own hands.
Can furniture be made without power tools?
Yes, it is possible. Definitely more difficult, like sewing without a sewing machine. But if you are amazing enough to create spectacular art from the dollar store, than I bet you have the ingenuity to build despite limitations. And while I highly recommend having the proper tools, look what Amy did by having the hardware store cut her boards, and fastening with a good ole' hammer and nails. Just going to warn you, you may want to cancel your gym membership.
You're pretty busy. Do you ever find time to craft? If so, what crafts?
I am so busy, I even have to multitask when I'm relaxing! My daughter and I do kid-centric crafts together, that way we get some bonding time in and I get my craft fix. Maybe someday I can move beyond the playdoh and pipe cleaners . . . for now, I'll just be satisfied to drool every time I visit a craft blog like Dollar Store Crafts or Infarrantly Creative.
Thanks for taking the time to answer a few questions, Ana! And thanks for all the inspiration!
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great job on the bed! your headboard? you could “fill in” that shape with the same paint from your bankers’ boxes. easy to change whenever you change your colors and it would really stand out framed by your jute. :)
I love the bankers box idea. I just finished my Queen Size storage bed and plan to work on the baskets/drawers next.
The bed is amazing! Looks so expensive! I love the storage idea – never thought to paint those boxes, but why not? They’re so pretty that way, can’t believe how cute (and useful!) for such a teeny amount of $$$.
Wow! Thanks for the link to the website. I could spend several hours planning about twenty projects … Now if I could only convince my husband! :)
What a great idea to paint the boxes! Bankers boxes are so great to store stuff in but they’re so ugly – way to go!
I’ve tried this with a waterbed frame and mounted plywood to the top. Then my box springs and mattress, but the kept sliding off is either side. How do you keep them from sliding off? Is there a lip all around to home them in place?
@Marysuek – Ours doesn’t slide, so I’m not sure! You could try getting a non-slip rug liner and putting it underneath your mattress.
I love the idea of these storage boxes! What is the material? I want to create storage for my son’s toddler room, but the same price is for cloth bins, and I’d like him to be able to see what is in them. I wanted to figure out a way to make a “window” for him to see the contents. Do you think this material would cut cleanly, or have any other ideas?
@kat, the boxes are banker’s boxes, which are cardboard boxes you can buy at your office supply store. They are triple reinforced cardboard, so cutting into them might compromise how sturdy they are. That said, they are cheap enough for you to experiment with.
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