Introduction: DIY Outdoor Wood Bench
With summer underway, I set out to transform my small 5 ft x 9 ft balcony into an intimate al fresco dining area able to seat 4 to 5 people. Having that many chairs on such a small balcony would have been cumbersome, so instead I decided to build simple wood benches to make a corner booth. I didn't want anything too complicated to build so I came up with a very simple design that only takes a couple of hours to make using basic tools and materials.
I'll walk you through how to make one of them and then you'll be able to customize the design to work with your outdoor space. You can also watch the video where I show how I made the benches (you can fast forward to 3:28 min)
Bench dimensions: 56" long x 16 1/4" wide x 17 3/4" high
Materials needed: 6 x 1" x 4" x 6 ft pine boards (~ $4.50 each), 1 x 2"x 3"x 6 ft stud (~$2.00), weather proofing stain or paint, decking screws (1 1/4", 2")
Step 1:
Cut list:
Frame (1"x4"): 2 x 55", 3 x 13 3/4"
Top (1"x4"): 4 x 56"
Legs (2"x3"): 4 x 17"
Step 2: Paint or Stain the Wood
Step 3: Build Frame
Use corner clamps to hold the pieces together (adding wood glue before doing this will make the joints stronger but skipping the glue will allow you to easily disassemble the bench later). Drill two pilot holes and put in screws (use 1 1/4" screws). After the four sides are put together, add the middle piece for extra support.
Step 4: Attach Top
Screw in place the remaining pine boards, using a scrap piece of 1" x 4" as a spacer.