Hey Remodelaholics! To start off our Plywood Pretty week, today I want to show you how to make a DIY Modern Plywood Outdoor Sectional Sofa. Be sure to check out all the #PlywoodPretty Challenge projects on our playlist and links below, and subscribe by email or RSS and follow along over on Facebook and Instagram with #PlywoodPretty so you won’t miss any of these new tutorials!
We designed this sofa for our deck. A couple things we considered when designing it was we wanted an L-shaped sectional sofa and a place to store our cushions during a storm to keep them dryer.
Each section of the sofa will be made out of two sheets of 3/4″ inch birch plywood.
DIY Modern Outdoor Sectional Sofa
Click here to get a free printable version of this building plan
Materials For One Sectional
- (2) 4 ‘x 8’ x 3/4″ – Sheets of Birch Plywood
- (1) 4 ‘x 8’ x 1/4″ – Sheet of Birch Plywood (optional)
- (1) 2 x 4 x 8’ – Redwood
- (55+) 1 ¼” – Kreg Jig Screws
- (12+) ¾” – wood screws (for optional bottom cover)
- (12+) 1 ¼” – wood screws (for optional bottom cover)
- (1+) Elmer’s Carpenter’s Wood Glue Max
- (1) Elmers Pro Bond Wood Filler
Tools Used
- Table Saw
- Miter Saw
- Circular Saw
- Kreg Jig
- Drill
- Spring Clamps, (lots of them)
- Tape Measure
- Pencil
- 80/120/220 Sandpaper and Sanding Block
- (2+) Saw Horses
- Putty Knife
Plans with Dimensions
DIY Modern Plywood Sofa Sectional
Front View
Top View
Left Side View
Layout for Pocket Holes
Cut List (Length x Width x Thickness)
3/4″ Sheet One
- (1) 72 ⅜” x 24” x ¾” – Back
- (1) 24” x 23 ½” x ¾” – Right Outer Side
- (1) 70 ⅞” x 23 ½” x ¾” – Seat Top
- (1) 23 ½” x 8 ¾” x ¾” – Right Frame Side
- (1) 23 ½” x 8 ¾” x ¾” – Left Frame Side
3/4″ Sheet Two
- (1) 70 ⅞” x 23 ½” x ¾” – Seat Bottom
- (1) 23 ½” x 13 ¾” x ¾” – Right Inner Side
- (1) 23 ½” x 10 ¼” x ¾” – Left Outer Side
- (1) 69 ⅜” x 8 ¾” x ¾” – Back Frame
- (1) 70 ⅞” x 2 ½” x ¾” – Support Beam
Redwood
- (1) 70 ⅞” x 2 ½” x 1 ½” – Support Beam
- (1) 9 7/8” x 2 ½” x 1 ½” – Middle Support Block
1/4″ Sheet – Optional
- (1) 69 3/8″ x 12″ x 1/4″ – Bottom Cover
Construction Steps
To start off I used my circular saw to cut out the main pieces down, so that they’re easier to manage for the the final cuts on the table saw.
Build the base frame of the plywood sofa sectional. First cut side frames to length and width. Then mark out where you will cut out the notch for a support beam, with a jig saw. The notch will be on the top center of the sides. See diagram below.
After the notch is cut out drill all the pocket holes. There will be pocket holes along the top, around the support beam and down the back side. Don’t worry all those holes will be covered up with the side pieces in the end.
Cut out the back frame and drill in the pocket holes along the top and along each end.
Build the support beam. Rip the redwood 2×4 down and then attach another piece of plywood to it, the same size, to make extra strong.
Glue the plywood to the redwood and screw it together with wood screws. Next drill in pocket holes to one side of the beam.
Cut the middle support block to length and attach it to the middle of the beam with glue and pocket screws.
Screw the sides on to the back. Make sure the keep all the pocket holes on the outside of the frame.
Now install the beam.
Attach the middle support to the back with wood screws through the back.
To make this easier, set this part up on a sawhorse and not the frame. Set up the seat piece on two or three sawhorses with the good side down. Glue and screw the 2nd piece of the seat together.
Use lots of clamps on the front side to glue it nice and tight. This will close of any gaps between the two layers.
Now turn the base upside down on top of the seat, that is upside down, and glue and screw the frame to the seat through the pocket holes on the beam, sides and back.
Attach the back. Lay the back down and line up the frame leaving ¾” on each side of the frame. Glue it in place and hold with clamps while screwing it together through all the pocket holes on the sides. You can also screw it together up high under the seat where the screws will be hidden.
Glue on the side pieces. Add any other screws under the frame where they can be hidden. You can start with the left side then finish up on the right with the last two pieces.
While the sides are drying, attach some additional blocking and add the ¼” cover underneath the bench with wood screws. This will help keep out any unwanted pests, like hornets or wasps from hiding behind the beam, but this optional.
Fill in any holes with Elmer’s Pro Bond Wood Filler, let that dry then sand everything smooth.
Don’t forget to remove the tags before sanding and finishing!
Stain and finish as desired. We will be adding many coats of outdoor varnish to make it water tight.
There you have it! Your very own plywood sofa sectional. Now you can just lay back and enjoy your handy work. We are really loving ours!
If you are wondering where the cushions are from, please check out the Outdoor Sofa Sectional Reveal here!!
Check out all the #PlywoodPretty challenge posts here:
outdoor sectional sofa | Remodelaholic (you are here!)
mini barn door for a crawl space | The Cofran Home
handlettered “hello” sign | Lemon Thistle
easy TV tray | Practical and Pretty
rolling storage drawers | Happy Go Lucky
mid-century modular lego table | The Created Home
entryway bench | Woodshop Diaries
farmhouse sign | Our Crafty Mom
mid-century daybed | Paper Daisy Design
produce bins | Anika’s DIY Life
plywood accent wall | Diva of DIY
kids chairs with storage | Our House Now a Home
What an amazing project!! The step by step tutorial actually makes me think I could build this & I am a novice!! Thank you for the inspiration and for organizing this great challenge. I am blown away by the incredible projects all from plywood! #plywoodpretty
You can totally do it Michelle!! Thank you for joining in on our plywood pretty week!
Oh my goodness! Your Outdoor Sectional is fabulous. Thanks for the awesome tutorial. My deck is in need of a major makeover and this is exactly what we need for it.
Thank you so much we really love it! It’s amazing how pleasant it is to be able to go out in the backyard and sit really comfortably on the sofa just makes you want to go outside more often !
This is such a good idea! I’ve wanted an outdoor sectional for ages, but just haven’t been able to make it work budget-wise. I never even thought of a DIY plywood one. Super awesome post – thanks for sharing!
Thanks, Larissa!
Awesome project.
I’m thinking of doing the same out of pine plywood. For outdoor use. Would you recommend treated, or untreated and sealed with a varnish?
Cheers.
I do think pine (or cedar – but that’s more expensive!) would be a good choice for outdoors! We ended up putting hours under a roof to keep it safe and it’s holding up fine there but it really doesn’t get wet!
I think if I were finishing it I would do an oil that penetrates the word rather than a poly that will heat and peel in the sun ! That way when you need to put on an extra coat you won’t need to remove the previous coat of poly you can just add another coat of oil and it makes the word stronger and stronger every yea coat of poly you can just add another coat of oil and it makes the word stronger and stronger every year!
I want to see your project when you’re done !!
Thank you for this awesome design! I always see so many outdoor sectionals I love but the cost keeps me away. I used to build a lot with my dad when I was younger and this inspires me to get back into it! Hoping to build this over the winter and have it ready come Spring time 🙂
We’d love to see pictures when you do, Samantha!