1. Home
  2. Community Brag Posts

My Outdoor Sofa

Submitted by Jennyec on Thu, 01/08/2015 - 16:54

Hi Ana

I would like to share my experience making this Outdoor sofa (see attached link). http://ana-white.com/2014/07/plans/outdoor-sofa-2x4s-ryobi-nation

The sofa is supposed to be made using 2x4 boards, but these are not a standard size in Australia so I substituted with 90 x 45mm pine boards. No other changes to measurements were necessary. I followed Ana's instructions and definitely recommend using wide clamps to hold the base when screwing together. I only had short clamps so was rather difficult keeping everything firmly in place when drilling the screws in.

Next step was preparation for staining. I used Cabot's pine filler to fill major holes, knots etc, then sanded lightly paying extra attention to the arms.
I stained using Cabot Exterior Varnish Stain (teak colour). This turned out a beautiful warm colour that I just love.

Finally the cushions....
For the base I purchased a 5inch thick foam single mattress (on sale $61 so worked out to be really cheap foam).  I measured to fit base and cut using an electric knife - worked a treat! I had enough left over to do a cushion along the back plus two small side cushions to go along the arms.

Next step was covering the base and side cushions. I purchased some outdoor Decorating fabric from spotlight  as sofa will be exposed to some QLD weather. For the base, I used a similar process to the Censational Girl box cushion cover using Velcro instead of zips.
http://www.centsationalgirl.com/2012/10/simple-sew-box-cushion-cover/
For the side and back cushion I made up 3 sides of the cover, then inserted foam and sewed the last end closed (cheating I know but just too awkward to do proper box ends).

Lastly, the throw cushions.....these were really easy I made envelope cushions from a single piece of fabric....once again no zips (hoorah!).  They only took 10minutes each to make and look great. See tutorial below.
http://thehappyhousie.com/simple-speedy-stuffed-sewing-tutorial-diy-envelope-pillows/

My first build so extremely happy with the result!

Estimated Cost
$100 for wood, $25 for stain
Estimated Time Investment
Weekend Project (10-20 Hours)
Finish Used
Cabot Exterior Varnish Stain (teak colour
Recommended Skill Level
Beginner

Comments

Jennyec

Fri, 01/16/2015 - 03:08

Thanks Pam, the fabric is a water and fade resistant polyester and was very easy to ses as it is not heavy like a canvas. I bought it from Spotlight here in Australia so may not be available in US. There doesn't seem to be a lot to choose from here in Australia (at least doe inexpensive fabrics) in comparison to US on-line stores such as Fabric.com.

Jennyec

Fri, 01/16/2015 - 03:08

Thanks Pam, the fabric is a water and fade resistant polyester and was very easy to ses as it is not heavy like a canvas. I bought it from Spotlight here in Australia so may not be available in US. There doesn't seem to be a lot to choose from here in Australia (at least doe inexpensive fabrics) in comparison to US on-line stores such as Fabric.com.

Melaverty

Tue, 03/17/2015 - 04:28

well done your project Jennyec -looks great and I'm going to attempt for my 2nd project.... I'm just a bit confused about the total timber needed for this project as my reading of the plans is 11 - 2x4x10' - did you use 11 pieces of 90x45mmx2.4m? Thanks heaps

juriona

Mon, 04/20/2015 - 10:10

Thanks so much for taking the time to post about your experience building this. You've given me courage to try. Nice job!