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This lounge is designed backwards from the cushion, and that's its best idea. The cut list is literally a formula — base rails at mattress length minus 3-1/2", cross members at mattress width minus 3" — with a worked example for a 30" x 75" cushion. Buy or measure the cushion FIRST, then cut. A lounge built to a plan dimension and married to a cushion that's two inches off looks wrong every single day; one built from the cushion fits like it was upholstered.
Unlike an adjustable chaise, this is a fixed daybed layout: a low 2x4 base frame, a taller box at the head end (the 'arm' you lean against), a matching back piece, and a low box at the foot. Each is a simple screwed 2x4 frame — build them as four separate boxes, then bolt the whole neighborhood together around the base. The decking is cedar 1x6 across the top; cedar fence pickets substitute if the budget says so, sanded well because bare legs land here.
Every joint gets glue plus 2-1/2" self-tapping exterior screws. The frames are simple enough that the glue matters — screwed-only outdoor furniture works itself loose racking through seasons of use and weather; glued joints don't.
Finish note straight from the source: use an exterior OPAQUE stain rather than paint. It looks painted, but it penetrates instead of filming, so it weathers by fading instead of peeling — on furniture that lives outside, that's the difference between refreshing a finish and stripping one.
| Item | Qty |
|---|---|
| 2x4 lumberBuy long lengths — they cut with less waste against this list. | 60 linear ft |
| Cedar 1x6, 6 ftDecking, ~71-1/2" each. Cedar fence pickets substitute if sanded well. | 4 each |
| Exterior screws, 2-1/2", self-tapping, star drive | 75 each |
| Exterior screws, 1-1/2", self-tapping, star driveDecking. Up to 2" works. | 64 each |
| Exterior wood glue | 8 oz |
| Exterior opaque stainOpaque stain, not paint — it fades instead of peeling. | 1 qt |
| Exterior wood filler | 4 oz |
| Outdoor cushion or mattress, 30" x 75"Not in the cost estimate — prices swing wildly. Buy it FIRST; the frame is cut from its dimensions. | 1 each |
Overall cost: $$. Lumber prices vary by region, species, and season, so we give a band rather than a figure we would only be pretending to know.
| Part | Qty | T × W × L |
|---|---|---|
| Base rails2x4FORMULA: mattress length − 3-1/2". Shown for a 75" mattress. | 2 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 71 1/2" |
| Base cross members2x4FORMULA: mattress width − 3". Shown for 30". | 4 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 27" |
| Arm (head-end) legs2x4 | 2 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 26" |
| Foot-end legs2x4 | 2 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 14" |
| Head/foot cross members2x4Mattress width − 3" again. | 5 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 27" |
| Head-end cap2x4Full mattress width. | 1 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 30" |
| Side legs2x4 | 2 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 26" |
| Side top rail2x4 | 1 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 51" |
| Side rails2x4 | 3 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 48" |
| DeckingCedar 1x6Cut to match your actual base length. | 4 | 3/4" × 5 1/2" × 71 1/2" |
Buy 14 boards at 8 ft.
10 boards
4 boards
Assumes 8 ft stock, a 1/8" saw kerf, and buying each part at its own width. Change the board size or kerf on the full board plan →
Lay the actual cushion down and take its real length and width — labels lie by an inch more often than they don't. Run the formulas (rails = length − 3-1/2", cross members = width − 3") and cut the base parts.
Then build the base: two long rails, four cross members spaced evenly, glue and 2-1/2" screws at every joint, two per joint. Square it by matching diagonals.
Build the head-end arm assembly — the tall 26" legs with its cross members and the full-width cap — with glue and screws. This is the piece you lean against and set a drink on, and the joint where its cap meets the legs takes real leverage, so don't skimp the glue here.
Repeat the same box construction for the back assembly — same joinery, per the diagram's proportions. Building these as separate complete boxes before any of them meet the base is what keeps every face flush at final assembly.
The low box for the foot end: 14" legs, same cross members, same glue-and-screws. Three boxes and a base, all waiting on each other.
Stand the arm, back, and foot assemblies around the base and screw everything together with the 2-1/2" screws — through the base rails into the legs, and box-to-box where they meet.
Do this on flat ground and check that all four feet touch before the final screws. A lounge that rocks on a patio slab will find its wobble every afternoon at nap time.
Run the four cedar 1x6 deck boards along the top of the base with even gaps, fastened with the 1-1/2" screws — the gaps drain the inevitable rained-on cushion. Sand everything, hard, then fill screw holes with exterior filler and sand again.
Finish with an exterior opaque stain: painted look, penetrating behavior, fades instead of peels. Drop the cushion in — it fits exactly, because it designed the frame.
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