Pressure Treated Lounger

Zac Builds
by Zac Builds
7 Materials
$125
6 Hours
Medium
So I've been working really hard to revamp my upstairs deck. I knew I was going to need a lot of seating for when I was entertaining, but I also wanted to make some comfortable loungers for when it was just me hanging out in the sun. So I decided to make something that could be both a lounger and bench, seating for 1 person or seating for 4.

It's a simple design but it works well and feels very sturdy. Should hold up well to the Canadian winters that are the bane of all deck furniture. My last set of Ikea furniture was done after just 1 winter outside.
The first thing I did was go buy everything I was going to need from Home Depot. Well almost, I didn't get enough wood the first time so I had to make two trips to get EVERYTHING I needed, but you get the idea.


The complete list is:
9 - 5/4'' x 6'' x 10's
7 - 2'' x 4'' x 8's
2 - 3 /12" 3/8 galvanized steel carriage bolts
2 - 3/8 Galvanized nuts
4 - 1/2 Galvanized washers
1 - Pair of garden gate hinges
1 - Box of 3" Brown Deck Screws
1 - Box of 2" Brown Deck Screws
First I assembled 2 of these frames that will form the ends of my chaise lounge. Each one is made of 4 15" pieces of 2x4. Anyone familiar with a pocket screw jig should understand how I screwed these together. I used 3" deck screws and screwed them in on a 45 degree angle. I didn't actually use a pocket screw jig, I just free handed it, but the idea and the connection is the same.
Next I attached two 77 1/2" long 2x4s to the frames. This frame will be the underlying structure of the lounger.
I flipped the whole thing over and added a cross brace 2x4 that's 19" long. This brace is exactly in the middle of the frame.


Again I want to keep this thing pretty rigid so I added another set of legs in the middle of the frame right below the cross brace I just put in. These 2x4 legs are 11 1/2" long.
Here I'm adding 38" 2x4s between each set of legs. Again this will make everything stronger and keep everything square. By the time I'm done with this lounger I'll be able to jump up and down on it, and throw it off the roof without ever worrying about it breaking.
Here I'm adding 38" 2x4s between each set of legs. Again this will make everything stronger and keep everything square. By the time I'm done with this lounger I'll be able to jump up and down on it, and throw it off the roof without ever worrying about it breaking.
Next I made this frame which will be the seat back and moving section of the lounger. The seat back is approximately 1/3 of the total bench length. I tried a few different designs and this felt the most comfortable.


It's made of 2 - 36" and 2 - 15 1/2" pieces of 2x4.
I then marked a spot 28 1/4" from the outside edge of the structure and 1 inch from the top. This spot will be where we drill the hole for our carriage bolt. The carriage bolt is the pivot point for the upright frame of the lounger.


I threaded the carriage bolt through the newly created hole. Because my carriage bolt is 3/8" thick I made my hole 1/2". I added a washer in between the two pieces of wood to hopefully cut down on friction and keep everything aligned.
Ok now we're done with the structure of the lounger I think its time we started cladding it and making it look a little bit more like a pieces of furniture you'd want to have on your deck.


I started at the end using 22" long 5/4 boards. I ripped the last one on a table saw to 2.5" wide and saved the off cut for the other side.


I screwed these boards on using the 2" deck screws.


Now it's time to add 82 3/4" long 5/4 boards. This part was a little tricky because I was working alone, but I made it work by starting at the bottom with a couple of spacers and working my way up. Again I had to rip the bottom board to 2 1/2" inches.
Next I cut 14 pieces of 24" long 5/4 board and started attaching them to the top of the frame to form the seating area.


I did my best to space the board evenly on top of the lounger using a piece of wood I cut to be 3/8" thick. I'd screw one board in, use the spacer to align the next board and then screw that one in. Rinse and repeat 14 times.


I had to make the spacing at pivot point slightly larger to allow for the full articulation of the seat back, but you don't really notice it unless you're looking for it.
Here's where I attached the garden gate hinges. I measured 7 3/4" from the top of the upright frame, this marked the outside edge of the garden gate hinges.


The garden gate hinges will hold a stay that keeps the seat back in the upright position when you're using it. When you're done with the seat being up, simply fold the stay into the inside of the lounger and lower the seat back.
Of course, I still had to build the actual stay. Here it is all assembled.


It's made of a 2x4 that's been ripped in half on a table saw.
Once the stay was done I brought it back over to the lounger and attached it to the garden gate hinges.



I liked the lounger so much I actually made a second one! After that I dragged them up 3 sets of stairs and onto my deck. Definitely broke a sweat doing that, but it was well worth.


This is what they both looked like in the lounger position.
And here they are in the bench position. As you can see my outdoor deck project is almost done, I just have to make a table as the center piece.


This was a complicated project and I actually had to breeze over a couple of steps in the process. There's a complete guide on my website that's much more in depth if you are thinking of trying this project at home. You can find the link for my website below.


Also if you're interested in the planter boxes or other bench you can see here I have guides on how to build those as well. They're available here on Hometalk and on my website.


Hope you enjoyed my project, feel free to ask any questions or leave any comments below.
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  3 questions
  • Christine Cajigas Christine Cajigas on Apr 15, 2018

    These are amazing Zac. Did you design them yourself or follow a posted pattern? My favorite part is their solidarity! Thank you for sharing.

  • Diane Horn DeMontalvo Diane Horn DeMontalvo on Apr 17, 2018

    Those are really great looking. I worry about the chemicals in the pressure treated. Is that safe for young children?

  • Michele Marie Morrisini Michele Marie Morrisini on Jun 20, 2018

    I’m very impressed! I’ve always wanted to learn how to build simple things out of wood. Maybe a friend could help me. How much were all your supplies?

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3 of 24 comments
  • Wendy Jones Wendy Jones on Mar 19, 2018

    Put on outdoor fire pit there and all that should add to your property value. Its very nice

  • Mcgypsy9 Mcgypsy9 on Apr 12, 2018

    Now that’s one heavy duty piece of work but in the end result ....WOW...just WOW! Well done!

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