Outdoor

Outdoor Sofa with Armrests

This DIY outdoor sofa is made out of pieces of 2x6 that are screwed together with pocket holes.

Difficulty: Beginner
Time: 2–3.8 hours
Cost: $$

About this build

This DIY outdoor sofa is made out of pieces of 2x6 that are screwed together with pocket holes. The side panels double as armrests.

Tools

Essential

Circular Saw
Drill / Driver
Pocket Hole Jig
Random Orbit Sander

Optional / nice to have

Bar / Pipe Clamps

Materials

Item	Qty
Boards, 2"x6"x12'	8 board
Boards, 2"x6"x8'	3 board
Box of Kreg Blue-Kote screws (See tools list)	1 each
Wood putty or dowels, for filling pocket holes	1 each
Outdoor stain/sealer	1 each
24" wide cushions for sofa	6 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.

Cut list

Part	Qty	T × W × L
Backs/seat	8	2" × 6" × 96"
Side panels	8	2" × 6" × 30"

What to buy

Some parts are longer than a 8 ft board, so there is no honest board count to show here. Open the board plan to pick a longer stock length — it names every part that does not fit.

2" × 6"

3 boards

30"30"30"
30"30"30"
30"30"

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 →

Start building →

Instructions

1Cut the 2x6s
Cut 8 pieces of 2x6 at a length of 72". Cut 8 pieces of 2x6 at a length of 30".
2Assemble the side panels
Use pocket holes to connect the pieces. I placed the holes on the inside or under side of the pieces so that they would be less visible.
3Assemble the seat and back panels
Use pocket holes to connect the pieces. I placed the holes on the inside or under side of the pieces so that they would be less visible. The seat panel has a middle piece that is perpendicular to provide strength. See image for details.
4Add the seat panel
Placing the side panels upside down makes it easier to install the seat panel. I left 1-1/2" space between the front side of the side panels and the front edge of the seat panel.
5Add the back rest
I left a 1/4" gap between the back rest and seat panel and set the angle to align with the corner of the side panels.
6Sand if desired, and seal
Sand the sofa if desired, and then seal with an outdoor sealer. Enjoy!