2x4 Outdoor Sectional

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We had family in town for a Memorial Day weekend full of food, walks, flower planting, and the occasional thunderstorm/tornado. It was a great weekend in spite of that last part. :) We also managed to knock out a little patio project while some very willing babysitters kept an eye on Baby B.

I've had my eye on this outdoor collection (picture below) from West Elm, but it cost $149-279 per piece! That was never going to happen for us. So we knew we would have to build it if we wanted to have a sectional for our patio.

Fortunately for us, Ana White already had plans for a similar sectional on her website! (Want to build your own? You can find the plans here and here.) It turned out great and looks just like what I wanted! We did make a few changes from her plans, mainly because we used 2x4s instead of 1x4s, so we had to adjust some measurements to get the same overall dimensions. We chose 2x4s because they were actually about 1/2 the cost, but a bonus for me was the chunkier look we got with the 2x4s.

So, ready to make your own?

Here are the adjustments we made for using 2x4s for the armless sections (shown in red):
2 – 2×4 @ 24 1/2" (Seat Side Aprons)
1 – 2×4 @ 18" (Seat Front Apron)
2 – 2×4 @ 23" (Seat Supports)
2 – 2×4 @ 24″ (Seat Sides)
6 – 2×4 @ 17″ (Seat Boards)
2 – 2×4 @ 13 1/2" (Front Legs)
2 – 2×4 @ 27 1/2" (Back Legs)
1 – 2×4 @ 24″ (Back Top)
2 – 2×4 @ 21" (Seat Back Board and Seat Back Apron)
Step 2: over hang should be 1 1/2" instead of 3/4"
Step 5: You will have 13 1/2" below the seat back board instead of 14 1/4".
Plans here


For the corner seat:
1 – 2×4 @ 23" (Front Apron) AND 2 @ 23" (Seat Supports)
1 – 2×4 @ 24 1/2″ (Side Apron)
1 – 2×4 @ 24″ (Side Seat Board)
6 – 2×4 @ 20 1/2″ (Seat Boards)
2 – 2×4 @ 13 1/2" (Front Legs)
4 – 2×4 @ 27 1/2" (Back Legs)
2 – 2×4 @ 21" (Back, Short Top Apron and Seat End)
2 – 2×4 @ 22 1/2″ (Back, Long Top Apron and Seat End)
1 – 2×4 @ 24″ (Short Top)
1 – 2×4 @ 27 1/2″ (Long Top)
Step 2: over hang should be 1 1/2" instead of 3/4"
Step 5: You will have 13 1/2" below the seat back board instead of 15" to the top of the board.
Plans here


I think that's it!

Like Ana suggested, we cut all the pieces and then finished all the sides of each piece before assembly. Instead of painting, we decided to try a waterproofing deck stain. It was super easy, we just painted on one coat and let it dry. It has a 3 year warranty for decks, and since our furniture is on a covered patio (and won't get traffic like a deck) we're hoping it will hold out just fine for our purposes. This is the one we used:

I had fun on this project using my first mother's day present - a miter saw! It made the cutting go SO much faster. I also broke in my Kreg Jig, which resulted in very sturdy furniture with almost no screw holes showing. I think it also made things go a lot faster.

Overall we probably spent about 10-12 hours on the whole project (mostly in one loooong day between storms). I probably wouldn't recommend tackling all the building in one day. Unless you have a babysitter in town and have to get it done while you can. :) For the project cost, we spent about $90 on wood, $20 on Kreg screws, and $20 on finishing. So our total was about $130, which is less than the cost of just one piece at West Elm! We're still looking for cushions, but haven't found a cheap enough option yet. :)

 

We're still planning to add some coffee table squares (plans here) and maybe a few chairs of some kind down the line. I'd also love to have this table set, but we may not have room for it on our current patio.

And just for the record, you probably shouldn't work in flip flops because 1) you might hurt your feet and 2) you'll probably ruin your nail polish.

So there you have our little weekend project. We can't wait to finish turning this patio into a great summer hang out!

We are SO ready for summer! :) 

*UPDATE: We found cushions on sale at Target and after some terrible experiences with customer service returned the two we had. Then seat cushions went on sale at Walmart so we grabbed some green ones! And we're hoping to get some inexpensive back cushions at IKEA. I'll keep you posted. :)