How to make a sofa on the balcony with your own hands, stages of work
Today, a balcony or loggia is not just a place for drying laundered clothes and the gradual accumulation of unnecessary things. The room has a valuable resource for a small apartment - a free place that can be used as an office or a lounge. For example, some owners make a sofa on the balcony with their own hands, equipped with additional drawers, comfortable and pleasant to look at. Such practical furniture will require very little: a drawing, tools, building material, as well as a bit of patience.
Content
Model selection
Before you learn how to make a sofa for a balcony with your own hands, you need to decide on the configuration, design of the future product, find or draw up drawings, conduct preliminary measurements. It should be remembered that the main feature of such furniture is a small, compact size, from which it is necessary to build on. A soft product on the balcony means convenience, comfort, coziness, as well as the ability to create additional space for storing things.
You should not choose a dimensional sofa. In a small room, this will create additional inconvenience associated with a lack of free space.
It is recommended that you follow a simple sequence, the first point of which is the choice of model. There are several varieties of furniture for a balcony or loggia:
- Folding sofa or book. A popular option due to its versatility. Only the first model is transformed into a small bed by a few simple manipulations, and the second is enough to turn over, and you get a compact berth.
- Corner sofa. Designed to save free space, create a sense of harmony in a small room. Compact model that looks very aesthetically pleasing on any balcony or loggia. However, it should be placed correctly, best of all - with the back to the window.
- Soft non-folding sofa. A simple and practical solution, you can quickly do it yourself. The design is as follows: back, base, legs. Each of the parts is fitted with a soft, if possible natural material. A good rest and a long product life are guaranteed.
- Sofa without back or ottoman. This category includes products without unnecessary parts and armrests. They are replaced by soft pillows. It is most convenient to put such a model close to the wall, then you can lean on it by placing one of the pillows under the back.
When choosing a folding sofa for your balcony, you should remember that you will need additional space so that it can be laid out over the entire length.
If the budget is modest enough, and there is no particular desire to create works of furniture art, then it is best to choose a soft, non-separable option.This will significantly save time.
Measurements and drawing
Having decided on the choice, you should proceed to actions, namely: to search or draw up a drawing, as well as to conduct preliminary measurements. The drawing does not have to be of high quality, a simple sketch with all the necessary dimensions is enough.
The sequence of measurements and drawing up the following:
- Measure the width of the balcony. A simple rule: the width of the balcony or loggia is the length of the sofa. But you should make a margin of a couple of centimeters on each side so that the furniture does not stand close to the walls.
- Determine the width of the product. In this regard, you should rely on your own wishes. If you want to stretch out after a working day, then you need to do it wider, if you just sit down and relax - one and a half meters is enough.
- Choose backrest sizes. The most practical option: height - 50 cm, width - the same as at the base.
- Choose the height of the legs of the structure. Many home masters prefer to make the foundation solid, without additional supports. It is much more reliable, but it deprives the sofa of attractiveness.
The drawing should display only the frame of the back and base, there is no need to sketch the entire surface. Of course, if there is a desire and drawing skills, then you can make a sketch of the finished product, indicating the exact dimensions.
After drawing up the drawing and making the initial measurements, you can proceed to the next step - the preparation of materials and tools. You can build a sofa on the balcony with your own hands with a minimum set.
Materials and Tools
To make a sofa on the balcony, you should be prepared for two main expenses: the purchase of materials and the purchase of the necessary tools.
The list of tools will be as follows:
- Tape measure, construction level, pencil. Three irreplaceable things both during construction and when marking furniture. And if a pencil and tape measure are needed at the beginning of work, then the level is the most accurate device for checking the evenness of surfaces at the final stage.
- Jigsaw. It will save time and effort, but with a small budget, a simple hacksaw for wood is quite suitable. For thin cuts, a hacksaw for metal is also used.
- Screwdriver. Like a jigsaw, this is an expensive tool, but it can be replaced with a curly screwdriver.
- Pliers.
- Hammer.
- Construction stapler.
Do not buy tools from expensive manufacturers (Topex or Intertool). Simple domestic companies are also suitable, unless, of course, the manufacture of furniture does not turn into a hobby or the main type of earnings.
After purchasing the tools, you can proceed to the procurement of materials. Regardless of the complexity of the model of the sofa on the loggia, the list of necessary parts and consumables is standard:
- Wooden beam measuring 50 x 50 mm. The most common material in the manufacture of furniture. You need to select smooth and straight bars without mold.
- Plywood sheets (fiberboard, particleboard or OSB boards). If there is no strong constraint in the means, then it is better to pay attention to OSB boards. Such material is not afraid of moisture, exposure to harmful microorganisms, resistant to mechanical damage. Sheet thickness should be at least 12 mm.
- Fasteners (screws, screws, bolts, rubber seal and so on). The quantity and variety is determined depending on the complexity of the design.
- Foam rubber. The best material that is used as an affordable and durable filler. It has a good value for money.
- Upholstery fabric. It should be selected something inexpensive and rough, otherwise the removal of stains and dirt from the upholstery of the sofa will turn into a ritual for the next weekend.
After assembling the frame, the structure should be covered with several layers of protective equipment. For example, stain or yacht varnish.
Parts preparation and installation
Do-it-yourself balcony sofa begins with the preparation of the frame. For this, it is necessary to cut a bar of the dimensions indicated in the drawing. The slightest deviation will lead to spoiled material or uneven construction after the assembly process.
After completing the cutting, each part must be processed using fine-grained sandpaper until a smooth surface appears. After all the elements are sanded, they should be covered with stain or varnish, and then leave to dry. Preferably in a dust-free room at room temperature.
After drying, you can collect the frame. The beam is interconnected by self-tapping screws or screws. To make the construction more durable, all seams are additionally glued with good furniture glue. The following is the fastening of a rigid surface to the frame: sheets of plywood, fiberboard, particleboard or OSB boards. The base is also fixed with self-tapping screws.
The final stage is the upholstery of the sofa. For this, layers of foam rubber are laid on the base, covered with an upholstery fabric on top, which is fastened in inconspicuous places with construction brackets. Instead of a soft back, you can make simple pillows. This option will be relevant for the Ottoman.
It is very convenient to make a sofa for the balcony, which provides additional niches or drawers for storing things. Before starting work, you should determine the variety of these products:
- The space under the sofa can be one large drawer, it is enough to equip it correctly. Having made a strong structure and a rising base, you can additionally sheathe it with foil material, for example, for storing soft drinks.
- The base of the sofa on the front side can be made open and divided into several compartments. Each will be a separate box.
- There is another option for arranging one large drawer, but only a two-leaf, similar to a shelf. It looks pretty aesthetically pleasing.
When starting to make a sofa with drawers, you need to pay special attention to the frame, since the space under the product will be hollow. Accordingly, the design should be strengthened, for example, with metal corners or using a larger beam. As a surface for the frame, it is best to purchase OSB boards with a thickness of 12 mm.
The nuances of making an angular sofa model
Making a corner sofa is relevant in the case when the balcony or loggia have a very small area. It is very convenient to customize such a model for certain room sizes. The sequence of manufacturing a corner sofa for a balcony consists of the following steps:
- It is necessary to make a proportional frame. Furniture in the form of an acute angle will not look very aesthetically pleasing, so one of the sides should be rounded. At a distance between the two extreme points of the frame, you need to install several additional vertical strips, attach them to the upper and lower parts of the base.
- Having made several ribs and giving the product the correct curved appearance, you can proceed to cover the OSB frame, plywood or chipboard. It is best to fasten the casing material to the self-tapping screws, screwing the caps 1 mm below the surface of the sheet.
- The back of the corner sofa is recommended to be bent - it is not only beautiful, but also practical. It is very convenient to lean on a soft surface while watching your favorite movie after a hard day's work.
- The sofa should be wrapped with foam and covered with a cloth. Do not make the model big - all the attractiveness in its compactness.
Making a corner sofa is not too different from designing a standard seating area. The most difficult thing is to make a smooth bend of the acute angle of the frame.Some masters try to bend the facing material (fiberboard, particleboard, OSB), but this only leads to the fact that it gradually bends, loses rigidity.
Useful Tips
The art of carpenters is not subject to all, but with some perseverance, making a sofa for a balcony turns into an interesting fascinating activity. To build a product quickly and efficiently, you need to listen to a few tips:
- It all starts with two important details: a diagram and drawings, for the preparation of which real dimensions are required. Taking measurements of the room, all measurements should be carried out several times. This will help to make an accurate design in the future.
- The sofa should be comfortable, so its dimensions should be determined in advance. Narrow or too wide (depending on preferences) the seat will deliver a lot of inconvenience. Therefore, you can make a preliminary layout on the floor in the room.
- Less detail - a more attractive appearance. Today minimalism is popular everywhere, so the sofa on the balcony must meet all its criteria: from legs to soft pillows.
- No need to purchase materials (especially consumables) back to back. In case of failure with any part of the product, you have to re-assemble in a hardware store. It is better to take a small supply, which can come in handy if not during the manufacture of the sofa, then in the future.
- An antiseptic coating must be selected taking into account its resistance to temperature changes, changes in humidity indicators.
The basic rule is that it is better to spend more time on design and calculations than to lose money later because of the need to purchase new materials. Do not rush, you can even find several books on the manufacture of furniture, visit forums or just read the most popular articles on this topic. Then the balcony sofa will turn out beautiful and high-quality, will last a long time and will delight the owner with its convenience, aesthetics and appearance.
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