Outdoor Garden Couch — Bold Box-Frame Sofa in Pine
by Nikos Papadopoulos
A chunky, low-profile outdoor sofa built from solid pine boards, featuring two thick slab side panels (each 8 cm thick, laminated from edge-joined boards), a slatted seat base, and a tall slatted rear back panel — all finished in black exterior satin stain. Designed for a large tufted cushion set, it comfortably seats 2–3 adults and suits any patio or garden. Use C24 structural-grade or pressure-treated pine throughout for outdoor durability — the two-coat exterior stain finish provides additional weather protection. Finished dimensions: 236 cm overall outside-to-outside length (220 cm internal clear span between side panels + two 8 cm side slabs) × 90 cm deep × 70 cm tall.
Wood
Thick pine board — side panels (outer faces) — NOTE: side panel is 65 cm tall × ~85 cm deep; each face is built from multiple 30 cm-wide boards edge-joined, OR source wider stock. Confirm depth before cutting. Two 4 cm boards laminated per side = an 8 cm thick slab look.
4 boards, each 210 cm long × 30 cm wide × 4 cm thick — each board cross-cuts into three 65 cm pieces (195 cm used, 15 cm offcut), giving the 12 face pieces needed (3 pieces edge-joined per face, 2 faces per side panel, 2 side panels)
100
Pine board — backrest outer skin
2 boards, each 240 cm long × 20 cm wide × 4 cm thick, cut down to 220 cm (stacked to form the tall back panel visible from the rear) — do NOT buy 210 cm stock
60
Pine board — backrest inner support rail
2 boards, each 240 cm long × 10 cm wide × 4 cm thick, cut down to 220 cm (horizontal rails inside the back box) — do NOT buy 210 cm stock
46
Pine board — seat slats
8 boards, each 240 cm long × 10 cm wide × 4 cm thick, cut down to 220 cm (form the seat platform) — do NOT buy 210 cm stock
184
Pine board — seat front rail
1 board, 240 cm long × 15 cm wide × 4 cm thick, cut down to 220 cm (front face of seat box, visible from front) — do NOT buy 210 cm stock
34
Pine timber — inner structural uprights
4 pieces, each 65 cm long × 9 cm wide × 9 cm thick (hidden vertical posts inside each side panel sandwich) + 1 extra piece 70 cm long × 9 × 9 cm, cross-cut into two 31 cm mid-span support legs
56
Pine timber — cross stretchers under seat — run front-to-back inside each side panel; length must match internal seat depth (~75 cm, adjust to final depth). Seat slats rest across these. — qty listed below
6 pieces, each 75 cm long × 9 cm wide × 4 cm thick (4 mounted to the side panel inner posts, plus 2 used as mid-span center supports for the 220 cm seat slats)
32
Hardware
Exterior wood screws — 100 mm long, 5 mm diameter
Box of 100 (main structural joining screws throughout)
22
Exterior wood screws — 60 mm long, 4 mm diameter
Box of 100 (attaching slats and thinner boards)
12
Construction adhesive — exterior rated
2 tubes (bonding laminated side panel faces before screwing)
16
Joist hanger brackets — 90 × 50 mm
8 brackets with fixing screws (securing cross stretchers to side panel inner posts)
20
Finishing
Black exterior wood stain/paint — satin or semi-gloss
2.5–3 litres (covers all external surfaces, 2 coats; pine absorbs heavily — buy extra)
60
Exterior wood primer
1 litre (seal all cut ends before staining)
18
120-grit sandpaper sheets
10 sheets (smooth all surfaces before finishing)
6
Outdoor cushion set — seat + backrest
1 set, approximately 210 cm × 75 cm seat cushion + matching back cushion (tufted, weather-resistant)
220
Step 1 of 6
Cut list, pre-sand and prime — all pieces before assembly
MATERIALS
TOOLS
Circular saw
Tape measure + pencil
Orbital sander or sanding block
Paintbrush — 5 cm wide
Safety glasses + hearing protection
CUT, SAND AND PRIME ALL PIECES
- ✓Cut every piece to listed dimensions
- ✓Sand all faces with 120-grit paper
- ✓Apply one coat exterior primer all pieces
Instructions
PHASE 1 — STRUCTURE: side panel outer faces — each face must reach ~85 cm deep × 65 cm tall, edge-joined from three 65 cm × 30 cm × 4 cm boards (or wider stock); 2 faces per side × 2 sides = 4 faces total, so 12 boards of 65 cm × 30 cm × 4 cm; 4× inner uprights 65 cm × 9 cm × 9 cm; 2× mid-span support legs 31 cm × 9 cm × 9 cm (cross-cut from a 70 cm × 9 × 9 cm piece); 2× backrest outer boards 220 cm × 20 cm × 4 cm; 2× backrest inner rails 220 cm × 10 cm × 4 cm; 4× side cross stretchers 75 cm × 9 cm × 4 cm; 2× mid-span cross stretchers 75 cm × 9 cm × 4 cm. • PHASE 2 — SURFACES: 8× seat slats 220 cm × 10 cm × 4 cm; 1× seat front rail 220 cm × 15 cm × 4 cm. • NOTE: All boards listed at 220 cm must be sourced at 240 cm and cut down to 220 cm — standard 210 cm stock is 10 cm too short for these pieces. The finished sofa internal span is 220 cm. • SAFETY: Wear safety glasses and hearing protection during all circular saw cuts. Use push sticks or clamps to control short pieces. • Cut all pieces with the circular saw and label each piece with pencil immediately after cutting. • Sand all pieces with 120-grit paper before assembly — this is much easier now than after assembly. • Prime all cut ends with exterior primer and let dry for 2 hours before assembling.
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