{"id":880,"date":"2025-06-10T20:17:31","date_gmt":"2025-06-10T12:17:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/veryauto.org\/index.php\/2025\/11\/22\/diy-outdoor-sectional-sofa-part-1-how-to-build-the-sofa\/"},"modified":"2025-11-22T14:42:13","modified_gmt":"2025-11-22T06:42:13","slug":"diy-outdoor-sectional-sofa-part-1-how-to-build-the-sofa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/veryauto.org\/?p=880","title":{"rendered":"DIY Outdoor Sectional Sofa \u2013 Part 1 {How To Build the Sofa}"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Hey there, friends! \u00a0Today I\u2019m partnering with Thompson\u2019s WaterSeal to bring the indoors out and share this beautiful DIY Outdoor Sectional Sofa to help make your backyard living space complete! \u00a0I know I have said it before, but this might be my favorite project to date! \u00a0We\u2019ve been slowly transforming our large backyard into a beautiful and functional outdoor space and this sectional set is one more big step in that direction. \u00a0I\u2019ve broken this project up into two steps, and today I\u2019m sharing the instructions on how to build the sofa set. \u00a0Be sure to download the printable plans for this project, which shares the full materials list, cut list, and step-by-step plans to build your own!<\/span><\/p>\n

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I built this project out of redwood and cedar, which I purchased at The Home Depot. \u00a0Both materials are perfect for your outdoor projects and, when paired with Thompson\u2019s WaterSeal products, they will stay looking beautiful even longer! \u00a0I chose Thompson\u2019s WaterSeal Penetrating Timber Oil in Teak because I wanted the wood to have a rich, dark color, but still be able to see the gorgeous grain.<\/p>\n

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Without further ado, let\u2019s get started!<\/p>\n

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To get started on the frame of the sofas, I built the ends first. \u00a0I drilled 1 1\/2\u2033 pocket holes into the horizontal pieces and attached them to the legs with wood glue and 2 1\/2\u2033 pocket screws. \u00a0I used the Kreg blue coat pocket screws, which are specially made for outdoor projects like this.<\/p>\n

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Once the sides of the sofa were assembled, I attached the 2\u00d73 stretchers, again drilling 1 1\/2\u2033 pocket holes and connecting them with wood glue and 2 1\/2\u2033 pocket screws. \u00a0<\/p>\n

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These sofas are 6\u2032 long, so to add extra stability, I added a center support to the back of the frame as well as center legs\u00a0(shown in the lower portion of the photo) to the front and back of the bottom of the frame. \u00a0This ensures that these sofas can fit all of your friends and withstand the test of time.<\/p>\n

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Once both sofa frames were assembled, I added the 2\u00d74 seat supports. \u00a0I didn\u2019t measure them, but spaced them approximately 2 3\/4\u2033 apart and attached them with 2 1\/2\u2033 pocket screws. \u00a0<\/p>\n

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Next, it was time to attach the backs and sides to the sofa frames. \u00a0I used cedar boards, which are sold as 7\/8\u2033 thick; however, I planed them down to 3\/4\u2033 thick. \u00a0I drilled 3\/4\u2033 pocket holes into each end and spaced them 1 1\/2\u2033 apart. \u00a0Scrap wood made for excellent spacers for this step.<\/p>\n

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On the sides, and the center support of the sofa backs, the cedar boards sit flush with the inside edge of the 2\u00d73 frame pieces. \u00a0For the corners, they sit about 3\/4\u2033 in. \u00a0To make sure they were attached exactly where they should be, I used a carpenter\u2019s square to line up the slats, then attached them with 1 1\/4\u2033 pocket screws.<\/p>\n

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For the corner of the sectional, I built a low side table to bring it all together. \u00a0Partly because I couldn\u2019t find a corner cushion that matched, but mostly because nobody wants to be the one to sit in that awkward corner seat. \u00a0This little table adds an extra space to sit drinks, magazines, plants, or whatever you like. \u00a0I built the frame of the table from 2\u00d73 redwood, attaching the pocket joints with 2 1\/2\u2033 pocket screws and wood glue.<\/p>\n

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The top of the table was built with cedar boards. \u00a0I assembled the top of the table in a square frame, drilling 3\/4\u2033 pocket holes and attaching the pieces with 1 1\/4\u2033 pocket screws.<\/p>\n

\"\"For the remaining pieces to fill in the table top, I started by adding the middle piece first. \u00a0I found center on the outside frame of the table top as well as the board and marked them with a pencil on both ends. \u00a0This allowed me to line everything up to attach it with pocket screws. \u00a0The boards on each side of the center board were spaced approximately 1\/2\u2033 off the center board. \u00a0The two remaining outer planks were attached flush against the outer frame of the table top. \u00a0All of these again were attached with wood glue and 1 1\/4\u2033 pocket screws.<\/p>\n

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I didn\u2019t want to have exposed screws in the table top, so I flipped the table top over and lined up the frame on top of it. \u00a0<\/p>\n

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I attached the frame of the table to the top with 3\u2033 deck screws, counter sinking them just slightly into the underside of the frame.<\/p>\n

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Once everything was completely assembled, it was time to finish it! \u00a0Stay tuned for that post later this week where I\u2019ll talk about the Thompson\u2019s WaterSeal Penetrating Timber Oil finish I chose and why. \u00a0Don\u2019t forget to download the printable plans for this project to build your own gorgeous patio sofa set! \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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DISCLOSURE: \u00a0I was provided product and\/or compensation for this post. \u00a0All opinions and ideas are 100% my own. \u00a0For more information, please read my full disclosure policy.<\/p>\n

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\u00a0 Hey there, friends! \u00a0Today I\u2019m partnering with Thompson\u2019s WaterSeal to bring the indoors out and share this<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":881,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[22],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/veryauto.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/880"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/veryauto.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/veryauto.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/veryauto.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/veryauto.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=880"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/veryauto.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/880\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1060,"href":"https:\/\/veryauto.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/880\/revisions\/1060"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/veryauto.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/881"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/veryauto.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=880"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/veryauto.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=880"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/veryauto.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=880"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}