G’day Folks and welcome to my How to Build a Simple Outdoor Sofa out of Recycled Wood, Blog Post!

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Here it is..My Latest How to Build an Outdoor Sofa from Recycled Wood Video! Enjoy.

 

 

 

Hands up…who loves relaxing outside on a comfortable chair with a cold drink in their hand on a calm, balmy night, idly watching the world go by?? If you said yes, but just need to find the right comfy chair, then you’re in the right place. I’m going to show how YOU can easily build a beautiful outdoor sofa, out of reclaimed wood, using minimal tools, and in one weekend!

Please note that whenever l do a reclaimed wood project, the measurements are approximates as all reclaimed wood is slightly different to the next piece so just keep that in mind.

 

Building Materials You Will Need:

I’ve decided to go for recycled hardwood for the Outdoor Sofa. It looks great, is strong, and is durable enough to be used outside.

Please Note:

The measurements l give below regarding the length of the materials are slightly bigger than the actual finished and cut to size measurements. This so that you have a little bit excess material to play with. Watching the video at the top of the post gives more detail regarding actual cut to size measurements.

 

 

 

For the Legs:

Hardwood recycled fence palings: 90mm x 19mm (approx 4″ x 3/4″) 8 @ 1.0 metre (4 foot) long.

Frame for the Seat Base:

Recycled Hardwood: 90mm x 25mm (4″ x 1″). 2 @ 2.1 (7 foot) and 2 @ 700mm

Backrest:

Recycled Hardwood: 190mm x 25mm (approx 7 1/2″ x 1″) 1 @ 2.1 metres (approx 7 foot)

Sides that Butt into the Backrest:

Recycled Hardwood: 150mm x 25mm (approx 6″ x 1″) 2 @ 900mm (approx 35 1/2″)

Slat Supports:

Recycled Hardwood: 70mm x 25mm (3″ x 1″) 2 @ 2.1 (7 foot) and 2 @ 800mm (31 1/2″)

Seat Slats:

Recycled Hardwood Fence Palings: 100mm x 19mm (4″ x 3/4″) 14 @ 800mm (31 1/2″)

Capping for the Sides and Backrest:

Recycled Hardwood Fence Palings: 100mm x 19mm (4″ x 3/4″) ripped down to 85mm (approx. 3 3/8″). 1 @ 2.1 metres (7 foot) and 2 @ 900mm (35 1/2″)

Cuphead Bolts, Washers & Nuts:

8 @ 90mm x 10mm  (3 1/2″ x 3/8″)

Screws:

16 @ 60mm (2 1/2″)

Foam for the cushion.

One length of Foam, 100mm (4″) thick and cut to size to fit tightly between the legs. Over here in Australia, places like Clark Rubber can supply the foam and also cut it to size for you. Make sure you choose a foam that is suitable to sit on. You don’t want it to soft that your backside touches the slats underneath.

Material to cover the foam.

Choose a material to cover the foam that is suitable for outside use.

 

Tools Required:

 

 

 

• Hammer
• Chisel
• Electric Planer.This is used to take off all the rough edges if necessary.
• Electric Sander.Great for giving the sofa a smooth, non splintery finish.
• Nail Gun. If you don’t have a nail gun, don’t panic, an everyday hammer and nail will do the trick.
• Circular Saw.
• Compound Mitre Saw.A circular saw will suffice if you cant find a mitre saw
• Combination square.
• Drill. Cordless or corded…doesn’t matter.
• 25mm (1″) Spade Drill Bit. Used to countersink the holes for the bolts.
• 10mm (3/8″) Drill Bit. Used for drilling the bolt holes.
• Water Resistant Wood Glue.
• Tape Measure.
• Ear Muffs.
• Safety Goggles.

Please note that all of these tools are available from my Recommended Tools and Resources Page.

Before digging into the Awesome Selection of Tools and Resources l know and trust, an important disclosure:

The majority of the links on my Tools and Resources Page are affiliate links which means that if you choose to make a purchase, l will earn a small…and l mean small, commission. This commission comes at no additional cost to you but it certainly helps to keep the lights on here over at DIY For Knuckleheads so that we can afford to keep producing great, informational content for You.

Please understand that l have experience with all of these companies and products, and l recommend them because they are helpful and useful, not because of the small commissions l make if you decide to buy something. Please do not spend any money on these products unless you feel you need them or that they will help you achieve your goals.

 

OK…Let’s get this show on the road!

 

Step 1:

Cut the legs to the desired height with either your Mitre Saw, Circular Saw or Handsaw. For this project, that measurement was 770mm which is approximately 30 1/4 inches.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once the legs are cut to length, simply glue and nail the legs together. For each leg there are two fence palings.

 

 

Run a bead of glue down one edge of one of the leg sections.

 

 

Using a nail gun to assemble the legs makes life so much easier! ??

 

Pro Tip:

Clamping the two sections of the leg together with a clamp really helps to hold everything together tightly during the nailing process.

 

 

 

Step 2:

Make the base for the seat. Now for this part of the job, the perimeter of the seat will be seen so l’m using reclaimed wood for this. For the slats that go between, l’ve just used the same hardwood fence palings that l used for the legs.

 

Attach all sides of the frame for the seat base using glue and screws.

 

 

I used a simple halving joint to attach the sides of the frame. Watch the video at the top of this post to see how l did this. Don’t be daunted…it’s a really easy process. ???

 

 

Attach  lengths of 3 x 1 to the inside of the frame. These are used as supports for the seat slats as well as adding some extra strength to the overall frame.  Make sure you glue, nail and screw these in place as they are going to be taking some weight.

 

 

Don’t be shy with the glue ??

 

 

As with the glue….don’t be shy with the screws either ??

 

 

 

Keep the inside frame down the thickness of the seat slat.

 

 

The seat slat once nailed in position should finish up flush with the top of the seat base frame…..see above photo ?

 

Pro Tip:

Use a spacer to space your slats. Simply work out the gap you want (for my project the gap between the slats was 38mm or an inch and a half) and cut a piece of scrap wood to that size. See image below. Be aware that the closer the gap, the better as it will offer more support to your seat cushion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is how the base looks once completed ???…..Awesome! The overall length of the seat base for the outdoor sofa is 1900mm (just under 75 inches) and the width 680mm (26 3/4″).

 

Pro Tip:

If you can beg, steal or even own, do yourself a favour and try and get your hands on a nail gun of some description….it’ll make your life so much easier!

 

 

Step 3: Attach the legs to the Seat Base Frame.

It’s time to attach those legs. The process couldn’t be easier if you tried!

 

Apply glue to the frame as well as the leg, and remember…..don’t be shy with the glue!! ??

 

 

 

Attach the leg of the outdoor sofa by clamping it to the frame.

 

 

Before nailing the leg to the frame, just do a quick check and make sure that the leg of the outdoor sofa is square to the frame.

 

 

Nail the leg to the frame.

 

 

For added strength, l also bolted each leg to the frame.

 

I countersunk the hole for the bolt. Purely for aesthetic reasons. I used a one inch Speed Bore drill bit to do this.

 

Once the countersinking has been done, just run a 10mm drill bit through the leg and the frame.

 

 

 

Once the bolt has been tapped in, simply tighten with your nut and washer. ?

 

Pro Tip:

When nailing on the leg, don’t drive in a nail where you will be drilling a hole for the bolt!

 

To create a comfortable sitting position for the backrest and the sides, the legs are cut on an angle. Please refer to the video at the top of the page for all the relevant measurements and cuts.

 

Please note that when cutting your angles that you’ll need to take into consideration the thickness of your seating foam. I’m using a 100mm section of foam that l had custom cut to suit the size of outdoor sofa.

 

Once the angles are cut, this is how the leg looks.

 

 

 

Step 4: Attaching the Backrest, Sides and the Capping:

 

No complicated joinery here folks, just measure the length of the backrest which fits between the two back legs…glue, and nail in place ??

 

 

 

The clamps underneath hold the backrest in position and prevents it from slipping down. A really handy technique, especially when trying to do this by yourself!! ?????

 

Make sure the backrest fits snugly between the legs. To help with this, grab yourself some clamps and clamp the two ends together. Now as you can probably see from the photo below, that l didn’t have a clamp long enough to span over the two legs…Never fear, just grab whatever clamps you have and join them all together ??

 

 

 

Nail the backrest in place keeping it flush with the angle cut on the leg.

 

The sides of the Outdoor Sofa are nailed directly into the backrest and directly into the front leg. The angle of the side piece is dictated by the angle cut on the front leg.

 

Run a straight edge (like a spirit level) from the back leg to the front leg and place a bevel on the backrest. Next, push the blade up until it hits the straightedge…..this forms the angle that you will need to cut on one end of the side piece. The other end that is nailed into the front leg is cut square.

 

Notice how the angle for the side piece is flush with the angle on the front leg.

 

With the backrest and both sides in position, it’s now time to glue and nail down the capping. For the capping all l used was some old hardwood fence palings.

Before l nailed these in place l cut an angle on the leading face (refer to the video at the top of the page for more detail) which matched the angle of the backrest. This ensures that when nailed flush with the face of the backrest, that it doesn’t stick out and become uncomfortable when leaning against it.

 

Once again…..don’t be shy with the glue! ??

 

Nail the capping in place.

 

Finish the whole project off by giving it a thorough sanding with an electric sander…..my final sanding grit was with a 240 grit paper.

 

 

Step 5: Applying a Finish.

This step is optional. Because l was after that ‘Driftwood Type’ look, l have decided not to apply any finish to the outdoor sofa. It’s totally under cover so the weather won’t be an issue regarding durability and l feel that adding a finish will take away from the look l’m after.

 

Applying a finish really darkens the wood as well which was a finish that l don’t want. I also wanted it to blend into the style of the outdoor shower that l built last year. It has the same driftwood type appearance. Just in case you missed the video, here it is below.

 

 

If you decide to apply a finish to yours, it’s hard to go past Polyureathane. Personally, if you went down this track l would choose an oil based poly over a water based poly.I just think it offers a superior finish.

 

Step 6: Cushioning for the Seat:

Again this is all personal choice. I went for a custom cut piece of 100mm (4″) seating quality foam. This l also had professionally upholstered. I wanted the cover to be able to be taken off so it had to have a long zipper sewn in. The seat cover was outside grade quality which is advisable when considering that the outdoor sofa is for outside use.

 

Outdoor Sofa Finished Photos:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So what do you reckon? I think it looks fantastic! Simple, relatively cheap for what it is, and quick to make. Ticks all the boxes in my books and would be an awesome addition to any outdoor area!

 

And that’s it Folks!! I hope you enjoyed and found this Blog Post useful. As per usual you can find me on all the Socials…just scroll to the bottom of the page for all those links.

 

Alrighty, be safe, and till next time, l’m outta here..Cheers!