DIY patio sofa part 2
Today I’ll share with you a step-by-step guide on how to actually make a patio pallet sofa. I’m not an expert on DIY pallet furniture, so there may be other ways to achieve a similar look. But this is what worked for us, was quite cheap and not too complicated.
By cheap I mean 2 dollars a pallet plus the price of cushions. And they can vary a lot in price, from 30 up to 100 dollars each, so it’s really worth looking around.
Our idea was to build a pallet sofa with minimum assembly possible, using off-the-shelf cushions and used pallets. It was also really important to make them easily storable for the winter. That’s why my husband had decided that he’ll make them without permanent fasteners.
Here is what we used for 2 sofas:
Outdoor seat cushions
6 pallets
Hammer
Nail-wrench
Nails
Reciprocating saw
Extra wood (2×4)
We started with measuring our cushion size, they were 24″ by 24″. We wanted our seat to be slightly inclined that’s why we left enough space to fit the back of the sofa :
The pallet size was 48″ by 40″, the perfect size for a two seat sofa (2 times 24 is 48). So we didn’t have to cut it on one side. On the side that needed trimming we added the 5 ” for the back rest and we have cut our pallet to the 48″ by 29″ size.
In the typical pallet structure the studs are oriented toward the longer side, that’s why we had to remove one of the studs and replace it with a 48″ long 2 by 4, and nailed it at each plank. That way it could hold the back rest of our sofa. We did so for every pallet we used for the seat. Since we wanted more of a lounge seat, we used only two for each sofa.
Then it was time for the back rest. For that we turned the pallet in the other direction that the one we used for the seats. That meant it would be a bit more narrow than the seats (4 inches shorter on each side) but was fine for us. We trimmed the three studs to 30″ to have the proper back rest height.
And we removed a few of the planks to allow the back rest studs to insert in to the seat. We also had to cut a couple of planks and trim the central stud of the back rest.
To assemble the sofas we stacked two seat pallets together, and then we inserted the back rest in between the seat studs.
And here it is,ready to chill and relax, with the cushions from Home Depot, flowers and a Ikea rug :
This is so cool! I love it. I’m headed the the Habitat for Humanity Re-Store today for some free pallets. They’re so versatile! (Came over from Blog It Forward FB group)
And there is so many ideas on using them ! Glad to see you visiting 🙂
Joanna, you’re so creative and industrious! I can tell I’m going to learn a lot from you!
Thank you so much Joy, you are too kind 🙂
oh my heck that’s awesome!!!!
Thank you ! But honestly it was my hubby who did most of the work , I’ve just told him what to do 🙂
I really need to get hold of some pallets this is such a great idea 🙂
Beautiful! Your outdoor space looks like the perfect place to hang out. I’m super impressed with the pallet sofa. Thanks so much for sharing it with us at The Makers. 🙂
Thank you so much, you are very kind 🙂 and yes , recently it’s my number one favorite spot 🙂
This is exactly what I was looking for for my patio. Wonderful project!
Great! Let me know if it worked for you ! 🙂
see, i love this. the boyfriend totally does not get what people are doing with pallets, and he refuses to indulge me in pallet made items. i’m a show him this!
I hope you’ll manage to convince him ! 🙂
That looks fantastic! What a great idea. I’ll have to show this to my sister and her hubby. they made a pallet garden and are itching to try something else!
If you have a minute to spare I’d be thrilled if you could share this at my weekly Say G’Day linky party. It’s on now and this would be a fabulous addition!
Best wishes,
Natasha in Oz
http://www.natashainoz.com
Thank you Natasha! I’ll definitely stop by your party !
I’ve always wanted to make something out of pallets, but I’ve yet to pick any. Would love if you shared this on the Merry Monday Linky Party.
Thank you for the invitation!
This is such a cool idea, they look really nice. I would love to make 2 of these couches for my back porch.
Thank you ! But honestly it was only my idea , and all my husbands work 🙂
I am getting a bunch of free pallets so I can totally do this!