This DIY outdoor sectional couch is the perfect addition to our new covered patio to get it ready for spring and summer. We wanted a place to sit outside and eat lunch or even watch a movie. Making your own furniture is not only rewarding, but it looks beautiful too. Learn how to make your own outdoor couch sectional that’s modular and can fit in just about any backyard space.
After making many improvements to our backyard recently, we wanted a place to sit outside under our new free standing patio cover, so we decided to build a DIY outdoor sectional couch. Making your own furniture is not only rewarding, but it looks beautiful too. Read on to find out how to make your own modular outdoor sofa sectional that can fit just about any backyard space.
PIN IT FOR LATER!
SPRING IS ALMOST HERE!
As I’m writing this, it’s currently 35 degrees, sunny, and snowing just a little bit. It is really some of my favorite weather. I love the snow and I love the sun, and having them at the same time is both mysterious and beautiful.
It’s also exciting because I think this will be the last cold spell before spring time. You know those random 50 degree days in January or February that make you think it’s spring? They almost NEVER are; in fact they are merely a tease of what’s to come.
But now that it’s almost March I think spring really is coming, which is why I don’t mind the cold days at the moment. Rain is my least favorite, although I can still appreciate it, just like everything else in nature.
THE PATIO MAKEOVER SERIES
This is my fourth blog post in a series called the Patio Makeover, where I take you step by step through how we transformed our backyard patio area.
We’re super excited! This backyard was an area that needed a lot of work. It was very easy to kick the can down the road each summer when it was just John and myself, but when we had our daughter Allison two years ago we realized we needed it fix it up for her sake.
Rogue standalone nails and half broken deck boards probably weren’t going to cut it for our sweet toddler this year.
So, needless to say I’m so excited about this blog post because it’s the last step in the process!
Do you have a backyard or patio that needs renovating? Check out my other posts for some inspiration:
WHY WE BUILT A DIY OUTDOOR SECTIONAL COUCH
First of all, outdoor furniture is expensive! Holy cow. If you do a quick Google search for patio couches, they range anywhere from $500 to $3,000 or more. With only the cost of materials and one or two weekends, John built this for so much less. And, building your own furniture means you can make it custom, not to mention it’s just so nice knowing that you built it. The quality is always better that way.
Here was our list of must-haves when it came to building our DIY outdoor sofa:
Had to be a sectional, meaning we wanted a corner piece that could seat 4-6 people.
We wanted to make it ourselves out of 2×6 pine, to match everything else in our house.
Had to be easy (and quick, of course).
This is an important one: HAD TO BE MODULAR. This means we had to be able to take it apart in order to fit it into our backyard. We couldn’t find modular plans we liked, so we created the modular aspect of this couch by ourselves (it was easy).
We wanted it to fit around our fire pit table.
Had to have angled backs for relaxing and lounging!
Lastly, we had to have white cushions! I’ll talk more about those below.
TIPS FOR BUILDING A DIY OUTDOOR SECTIONAL COUCH
Search Etsy for plans. While John is a good woodworker who could have probably thought up plans himself, there are so many great plans out there for only a few dollars. It just makes sense to find one that you already like. Here are the DIY outdoor sofa plans we used.
If you need to make the couch modular, there’s a way to do that. Modular means it comes apart into 2 pieces, making it easier to maneuver into your backyard space. To do this, John added structural support to each piece so they could stand independently on their own. Then, once we moved the sofa in place, we used structural screws to fasten both pieces together.
Use an Australian timber oil stain (we used Cabot brand in the color Amber Wood). This was recommended to us by the plans designer, and then I had someone comment on YouTube how they recommend it as well after using it over 10 years ago. We plan to reapply the stain every 2-3 years as needed and it should last a long while.
When staining, do not use a spray gun. We unfortunately initially used one and it had significant overspray (and made a big mess). So, use a foam, wool, or paint brush applicator to put the stain on, as starting this way would have conserved more stain and it given us more control in the staining process.
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TOOLS NEEDED
(See plans for a full cut list)
2×6 pine
Mitre saw
Power drill
Tape measure
Speed square
HOW TO BUILD A DIY OUTDOOR SOFA STEP-BY-STEP
Start by searching plans on Etsy. We decided on plans for a corner sectional outdoor sofa.
Buy raw materials (screws, etc.) and lumber according to plans.
Follow instructions in plans for cutting lumber and fastening.
If you want to make the couch modular, here’s what we did: we decided against making one structure because it would be hard to maneuver to our backyard with two people. So instead of combining both pieces, we made it modular. In order to do this, simply add structural support to each piece so it could stand independently on its own. This allowed us to maneuver the sofa into place. Once it is in place, use structural screws to fasten both pieces together.
After the sofa is built, sand it and apply stain. We used Cabot Australian Timber Oil stain (in Amber Wood). I would recommend not using a spray gun as we did this initially and had significant overspray. If I could do this project again I would use a foam, wool, or paint brush applicator to put the stain on as it would have conserved more stain and afforded me more control in the staining process.
Let the stain cure according to factory recommendations.
Maneuver sofa into place and fasten pieces together.
We decided to finish the sofa by adding some white outdoor chair pads and cushions, both from Ikea. These added a nice touch and actually made the sofa warmer to sit on during the colder months.
ADDING TOUCHES OF SPRING AND SUMMER
With a beautiful and newly handmade couch, I couldn’t wait to find the perfect cushions for it.
Actually, I have to give the credit to John, who found these online from Ikea. We knew we wanted white tufted cushions but weren’t sure where we’d find them. (I also thought they would be really expensive). But Ikea came through in the clutch!
Couch Chair Pads
Couch Back Cushion
I also went to our local antique store to pick up a few decorative items for this space. I got the vintage wine barrel with faux greenery, the coffee server, and the pillows. Love them so much! I shared the whole vintage haul on Youtube.
PIN IT FOR LATER!
DIY Outdoor Sectional Couch
This DIY outdoor patio couch is the perfect compliment to a beautiful backyard. Make it in one weekend and enjoy a large place to sit outside at a fraction of the cost for most sofas. Made to last with pine wood and easy to build, this is our new favorite place to eat meals outside.
Materials
- 2x6 pine
- Cut plans
Tools
- Mitre saw
- Power drill
- Tape measure
- Speed square
Instructions
- Start by searching plans on Etsy. We decided on plans for a corner sectional outdoor sofa.
- Buy raw materials (screws, etc.) and lumber according to plans.
- Follow instructions in plans for cutting lumber and fastening.
- If you want to make the couch modular, here’s what we did: we decided against making one structure because it would be hard to maneuver to our backyard with two people. So instead of combining both pieces, we made it modular. In order to do this, simply add structural support to each piece so it could stand independently on its own. This allowed us to maneuver the sofa into place. Once it is in place, use structural screws to fasten both pieces together.
- After the sofa is built, sand it and apply stain. We used Cabot Australian Timber Oil stain (in Amber Wood) (https://amzn.to/3Wncqne) . I would recommend not using a spray gun as we did this initially and had significant overspray. If I could do this project again I would use a foam, wool, or paint brush applicator to put the stain on as it would have conserved more stain and afforded me more control in the staining process.
- Let the stain cure according to factory recommendations.
- Maneuver sofa into place and fasten pieces together.
- We decided to finish the sofa by adding some white outdoor chair pads and cushions, both from Ikea. These added a nice touch and actually made the sofa warmer to sit on during the colder months.
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