2x4 Outdoor Chaise Lounge

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.