DIY outdoor sofa: we built a patio couch in just 5 simple steps

This DIY outdoor sofa saved us a lot of money and looks great on our small patio space. Find out how to make your own

A DIY outdoor sofa on decorative taupe and white patio tile flooring against wooden pallet backdrop
(Image credit: Brooke Waite)

A DIY outdoor sofa is a great weekend project for anyone who can use a drill and saw. In fact, you don't even need to saw if you buy the wood cut to size.

We recently made a wooden patio sofa ourselves.

After stenciling and sprucing our patio up, we wanted a place to sit and enjoy it, but if you’ve ever looked for the best outdoor furniture you will know that it can be just as expensive as furniture for indoors! Paying thousands for an outdoor sofa was not in the budget, so I did some research on building a modern-looking sofa using common lumber and separate cushions. 

A decoratively tiled patio with wooden pallet board backing and outdoor plants

This small patio was where the sofa was destined to sit

(Image credit: Brooke Waite)

The great thing about building an outdoor sofa yourself is that it will be custom-made to your space, taste, and budget too! With a little research, I was soon inspired for this easy DIY project and I'd found some budget-friendly cushions to use so I measured up for my materials with those in mind.

It is much easier to adjust your furniture design than it is to make the sofa first, then try and find cushions to fit. The measurements I came up with took into account these woven outdoor cushions from Target – I chose three seat cushions, and three backrest pillows to match. 

I had decided for this piece to sit on our patio which isn't enormous, but it definitely has room for a cool design feature like this to create an outdoor living space.

DIY outdoor sofa: step-by-step

A DIY outdoor sofa with selection of neutral outdoor cushion decor on decorative patio floor

(Image credit: Brooke Waite)

Skill level: Intermediate

Time: a weekend (to allow for stain drying, but you could be faster if you time it well)

Total cost: $407

Project cost breakdown:

  • 2x4s: $98 
  • 2x8s: $64 
  • 1x4s $32 
  • Brackets: $21 
  • Sofa cushions: $102 
  • Backrest pillows: $74 
  • Dowel jig/pins: $16 
Equipment list

1. 2x4s: 14 pieces
2. 2x8’s:
8 pieces
3. 1x4 pine:
2 pieces
4. 3 sofa cushions:
mine were from Target
5. 3 sofa backrest pillows:
also from Target
6. Dowel jig
7. Dowel pins
8. Wood glue
9. Pipe clamps
10. Sandpaper:
I used 60 and 320 grit
11.
Orbital sander
12. Stainable wood filler
13. Drill
14. 1” spade bit
15. Furniture levelers
16. Stain
17. Polycrylic
18. rags/staining pad
19. Construction brackets
20. 2” wood screws
21. 4” wood screws

1. Build the sofa arms

I started by first constructing the arms of the sofa. I used common 2x4s cut down to 31 inches. I lined up seven of these and joined them together using a dowel jig and dowel pins.

Brooke Waite using DIY sander on wood in garage to create an outdoor sofa

(Image credit: Brooke Waite)

Once I had three of these sections complete, I stacked them and used 4” screws through all three layers and glued them together using wood glue

The sofa arms are made using a total of 21 cut-to-length 2x4s and they are HEAVY!! 

I let them dry overnight, and clamped them into my pipe clamps. In the morning, I gave them a thorough sanding using 60-grit sandpaper.

Brooke Waite wearing white baseball cap while putting together outdoor sofa frame in garage, equipment on wooden trolley with caster wheels behind her

(Image credit: Brooke Waite)

To make the arms look complete, I wrapped them in 1x4 select pine on all four sides.

I mitered the edges of each piece of pine so they would fit together cleanly. Using my brad nailer, I nailed all the pine pieces to the stacked 2x4 arms.

Brooke Waite wearing white baseball cap and longline taupe t-shirt and sneaker footwear assembling an outdoor sofa frame outside

(Image credit: Brooke Waite)

2. Finish the arms and add legs

I also cleaned up the arms, filling any gaps and nail holes using spackle and stainable wood filler and, you guessed it…. more sanding! I sanded the whole thing down using a higher grit (up to 320 grit) at each pass until the wood was completely smooth and there was no chance for splinters in these sofa arms.

Brooke Waite wearing protective dust mask while DIYing wooden outdoor sofa frame in garage

(Image credit: Brooke Waite)

Brooke Waite holding piece of wood for outdoor sofa DIY

(Image credit: Brooke Waite)

The last thing I needed to do for the sofa arms before staining was add furniture legs for stability. Using a scrap piece of wood I created a jig by drilling with a 1” spade bit hole into the scrap and clamped the jig to the bottom of my sofa legs and drilled and screwed in the felt furniture legs that act as levelers.

A caucasian man using electric drill to insert holes into wood for outdoor sofa DIY

(Image credit: Brooke Waite)

Outdoor sofa frame stood upright in front of black vehicle and black planter outside of garage

(Image credit: Brooke Waite)

3. Stain or paint the sofa legs

I stained the sofa legs using my tried-and-true staining method….1:1 ratio of stain to polycrylic. The mixture allows me to stain and seal in one application. This was the only part of the sofa that I stained because it will be the only visible wood.

Brooke Waite fitting metal construction bracket on wooden outdoor sofa frame with yellow electric drill

(Image credit: Brooke Waite)

4. Create the seat and backrest

Now I needed to join the arms together and create a platform (or place to sit) for the sofa cushions. I used three 2x8s cut to 67 inches for the seat and brackets to hold them in place.

A person wearing t-shirt with Angry Birds motif lying on patio tiled floor using yellow electric drill to insert screw into outdoor sofa

(Image credit: Brooke Waite)

Wooden outdoor sofa frame on brown and white decorative patio tiles, taupe cushions in foreground

(Image credit: Brooke Waite)

The brackets were screwed to the sofa arms with 2” wood screws and then underneath the 2x8 seat. I used the same brackets, installed at a 30% angle for the back rest.

Close up of outdoor sofa and metal construction bracket

(Image credit: Brooke Waite)

5. Add the cushions and style it up!

I used tan sofa cushions because I live in the dusty desert but also added a fun touch with accent pillows and a throw that can be washed.

Close up of outdoor sofa on decorative patio tiled floor against wooden pallet backdrop

(Image credit: Brooke Waite)

This outdoor sofa is so sturdy and heavy and cost me a fraction of what a traditional outdoor sofa would cost me if purchased retail.

You can find more DIY ideas and inspiration on IG @brookewaitehome

Customising your patio couch

This step-by-step is a great starting point for you own DIY outdoor sofa. The basic design can be adapted to suit your space – just remember to measure up for off-the-peg sofa cushions first to keep the costs down, unless you are thinking of making your own (which is easy enough if you have a sewing machine).

One idea would be to use a pair of wooden planters instead of making the arms yourself. Simply skip to step four after staining your planters if needed. 

Alternatively, your could also use one planter and two arms to make a corner sofa, using the planter as the corner piece. 

Finally, check out how to make pallet furniture to see sofas and more using these free lumps of lumber. 

Brooke Waite

I'm a mom of three with a passion for interior design and DIY! I am currently renovating a farmhouse along with my husband and running an Airbnb in our hometown. I would define my style as loving clean lines with a good mixture of old and new. I love a modern cottage look and have been very interested in vintage pieces as of late. When I’m not spending time with my family or dreaming up another home project, I love to read, eat good food, and binge-watch crime shows on Netflix!