2x4 Outdoor Sofa

Difficulty

Beginner

Build your own outdoor sofa with just 11 2x4s. Ana White plans include step by step diagrams and shopping and cut list.

We also have a plans to convert this sofa to an outdoor sectional, a matching outdoor coffee table plan, and outdoor wood finishing secrets.

outdoor sofa sectional made from 2x4s with blue cushions

outdoor sofa stained chocolate brown with white cushions and matching coffee table

Build your own outdoor sofa! You'll just need some 2x4s and screws!

Turn your outdoor sofa into a sectional with these plans:

We also share our outdoor wood finishing secrets in this post.

Dimensions

Dimensions shown above. Recommend: Build to suit cushions

Preparation

Shopping List

11 - 2x4x10’ (prefer cedar boards)

150 - 2-1/2” to 3" long, self-tapping exterior decking screws (#8, #9 or #10 will all work)

Cut List

RECOMMEND: Build to suit cushions.

9 - 2x4 @ 72” (or cushion width x times 3)

13 - 2x4 @ 25-1/2” (or cushion depth plus 1-1/2")

2 - 2x4 @ 28-1/2” (or cushion depth plus 4-1/2")

Tools

Instructions

Step 1

Cut the seat framing boards with compound miter saw or similar.

Screw together with self tapping screws.

Step 2

Now for the arms.

Cut the boards.

Attach longer 2x4 to two of the shorter 2x4s with screws.

Step 3

Screw together with screws.

Step 4

Screw together with screws, also attach to board from step 3.

Step 5

Step 6

Attach seat boards to top of seat frame with 2-3/4" screws.

Step 7

Screw back piece at an angle into the arms with 2-3/4" screws. You can also use pocket holes.

Step 8

Some builders add a middle row to the back/sides to help keep cushions in line.

Project Type

Sofa

Outdoor Seating and Lounging

Room

Outdoor

Style

Coastal or Beachy Style Furniture

Farmhouse Furniture

Rustic Furniture Plans

Comments

phil1964

Fri, 09/27/2019 - 09:26

First, I would not use…

First, I would not use pocket holes for this project. Second, when you are attaching the seat to the arm/leg assembly trying driving two screws at an angle into the legs. This will give you a lot more holding strength.

judie h

Tue, 06/30/2020 - 20:22

Did you ever figure it out?…

Did you ever figure it out? I just bought a few boards to see if I can get the pocket holes right and then I would decide if the plans were both easy enough for me and also if the plans were correct. I can see how that corner can get messy with three boards intersecting. I would appreciate any suggestions before I get into it too deep. I didn't see a reply to your post.
Thanks!

judie h

Mon, 07/13/2020 - 21:01

Did you ever figure it out?…

Did you ever figure it out? I built the couch (with two arms) and used pocket holes on everything. I didn't think it would be strong enough screwing into the ends. I think I may be running into the same issue with corner intersecting screws for the decking. I will have to look at it with a fresh eye this week.

carpenter_eagle

Sun, 08/25/2019 - 07:04

Question about Step 5. Please help....

Thank you for this build. I just built the couch last night. My only question is this:

Step 5 doesn't have any instructions. It's kind of self explanatory as to how to connect the arms in Step 4 to the seat base of the couch, but what isn't clear is how many screws to use? I only attached the arms to the seat with 3, #10, 2 1/2" wood screws. So that's 3 wood screws on each arm holding up a lot of weight when you take into account the weight of the top of the couch and anyone sitting on the couch.Is this enough to hold the weight?.... or should I find a place to bolt the arms to the seat.

That particular piece of wood in Step 4 already has a ton of screws in it. It has pocket screws in each end and pockets screws in the side to attach it to the board in Step 3, and then it has 3 wood screws attaching it to the seat base.

Any help?

oc man

Wed, 09/04/2019 - 18:36

Step 5 - need details

That's exactly I was thinking about as there is not much info provided for step 5. Even if we are using pocket holes, that is a lot of weight for 2x4s to lift (considering if 3 people are actually sitting on this sofa)

Hope to get some assistance on this topic

dktoronto

Mon, 08/10/2020 - 20:59

extra legs added

I just built this sofa using pocket holes and had the same concern.
I decided to add a few extra legs to the middle section - it's very sturdy now.

crazyascarl

Sun, 09/29/2019 - 10:32

Comfort of vertical back?

Does anybody have a feedback on the comfort of having the seat completely flat and the back completely vertical? I feel that most couches have a slight angle to both the seat and the back... Obviously that makes construction more difficult, but if I'm going to spend time/money on a project I want to make sure it's comfy.

Thanks!

aliasak

Sun, 01/12/2020 - 09:24

Add a slant back

Hello, I want to build this but with a slant back. Has anyone tried this? I made the simple outdoor furniture (loveseat and two chairs) many years ago and I love the slanted back. Should I adjust the depth of the overall plan and add a cleat to attach vertical boards to create a slanted back? Any recommendations are appreciated!

Pcreson

Wed, 03/25/2020 - 07:10