How to make a pallet sofa

We were looking for a corner sofa for our garden, but found the standard sets from garden centres were a bit pricey. Searching around on Pinterest for outdoor furniture, I came across lots of inspirational pictures of furniture made from pallets. This is a step by step guide for our version, but there are links to other ideas at the bottom of this article.

You will need:

x9 pallets (we got ours from Ebay, they cost peanuts and are free to collect if you find some locally)
lots of wood screws (an electric screwdriver will save your arm and alot of swearing!)
outdoor paint
Sponge for cushions (I bought made to measure sponge from E Foam)
Fabric to cover the cushion pads (To continue the upcycling theme, you could use old bed sheets or curtains. For waterproof covers, you could use shower curtains)

Step 1 – Cut your pallets to size

You could simply stack x3 pallets on top of each other to make the base, but we didn’t want the seat to be as deep. We also didn’t need a back as our sofa is nestled into the corner of the house, so the walls have become the back of the seat.

Step 2 – Edge the front of the pallets

We wanted to use the off cuts to edge the seating, but you could leave the pallets stacked as they are.

Step 3 – Paint

We used Cuprinol outdoor paint in a dark colour, but there are some fantastic colours available. Also French Chic have just started to make outdoor paint – check out their ‘Al Fresco’ range of environmentally friendly paints.

Step 4 – Cushions (optional)

If sewing is not your thing, instead of making full on sofa pads, you could just use scatter cushions and blankets to make your seating comfy and cosy. Here’s a selection of my handmade cushions at my shop: Handmade Cushions

Oh and the coffee table was made using four apple crates turned on their sides! Add some candles and fairy lights and there you have it – a homemade, upcycled corner sofa for your garden.

More info:

For more inspirational pictures of pallet sofas, check out my Pinterest page ‘Outdoor Rooms‘
For ideas of other things to make with pallets, click here: ‘Pallets Upcycled‘