How to Make Lawn Chairs | Lawn Chairs Making Tips

Have you ever looked at a garden chair and wished its manufacturers would have made it a little more colorful, decorative, or just more horizontal. Well, we all want our chairs in a unique customized way but are limited to the narrow options available on the market. Now, this article will help give your creative mind the framework to make the perfect lawn chair you have always dreamed of.

Below, I have outlined different lawn chairs’ methods using the two primary materials, wood and PVC pipes. These easy steps will help take you through an awesome, imaginative, and self-inspired journey that will help you see to the ideal lawn chair you have been longing to own.

Lawn chairs made using PVC pipes.

Lawn chairs made of PVC pipes can be customized into the design and size of your choice. The dimensions used in this article are equivalent to those of a standard dining chair. However, you can use different measurements depending on the seating area’s size, rest back area, or height you want.

Gather tools

The first thing to do when making a lawn chair is to gather the tools you will need to use. Here is a list of some of the materials you will need

Material for the chair frame:

• 12″ PVC pipe

• 18″ PVC pipe

• T joints

• L joints

Prepare chair frame

Step 1

• Make a T joint using the 12″ and 18″ pipes and place L joints at both ends of the pipes. Join another set of pipes in a similar way, so you have two identical pieces.

Step 2

• Use a 26″ pipe to join these two pieces, the L joint closer to the T joint.

Step 3

• Join two 12″ pipes with a T joint separately and use it to join the two separate pieces’ upper ends.

These three steps should guide you to produce a rectangular-shaped seat frame. Make sure you fit the pipes in tight to produce a durable lawn chair.

Tips

• Pieces can be trimmed down in order to fit them properly.

• Dry fit all the pieces before trimming them.

• T and L joints are important in maintaining a 45-degree angle between the pipes.

• Make sure that your T joints are facing towards the inside of the circle.

Make the rest back section

Step 1

• Cap 12″ and 18″ pipes with L joints and join them together using a T joint just as you did with the frame for the seating area.

Step 2

• Now use an 18″ pipe to join together the ends closest to the T junction.

Join the pieces

In this step, you fit a 2″ pipe to the long side with a T joint on the seat area frame. Now cap it with a T joint. You should now be looking at a frame with two rectangular pieces joined at the third lower point.

Adjust the joint as preferred

Before joining the vertical and horizontal parts of the chair together permanently, you can adjust the angle as you desire. You can choose to make it an upright lawn chair fit for formal outdoor business or a relaxing lawn chair fit for refreshing outdoor relaxation time. The angle at which you choose totally depends on your personal taste and preference.

How to adjust

• The chair can be adjusted on the area between the long part of the seating area and the short part of the back area.

• Pull in or out where these two pieces meet to create the angle of your desire between the back and seat of your chair.

Weaving the Chair

When you are done making the frame of your lawn chair, you will need to make the weaving to create a back brace and seat. Brightly colored weaving will help brighten your garden and give it a beautiful, stunning, and attractive look your family will instantly fall in love with. On the other hand, a sophisticated waving colors will comprehend your lawn to give it a stylish and classy look. 

There are a variety of materials to pick from that can be used to weave a chair. Among these materials is plastic, metal, stone, and nylon craft cord. In this article, we use nylon cord because it is not only sturdy and easy to work with, but it is also weatherproof. More often than not, lawn chairs are kept outside the house on the lawn. Hence the need to use a material that will not rust or corrode due to dynamic weather changes.

Below are six easy steps that will help make the task of weaving over your frame a walk in the park. Still, it is important first to gather all the materials you will need for your weaving.

Material for the frame decor

• Steel wool

• Nylon craft cord

• Scissors

• Large crochet hooks x 2 

Step 1

Clean your frame using a clean cloth or screwdriver to make sure it has no dust or dirt. Sand the pipes of your farm if necessary to make sure they are clear and lustrous.

Step 2

Place the whole cord inside the seat frame and keep it there throughout the entire process.

Step 3

Make your first loop

Using the nylon craft cord, tie a double knot on the front bar of the seat area frame. Make sure the knot is tied tight positioned where you would like the weaving to start. Wrap the cord around the bar and bring it up to the backrest. The cord should go under the pipe of the back and seat at the joining area to the top bar of the backrest.

Step 4

Make a second loop

The most critical skill you need to engage when making the second loop is pulling. This is important to avoid a loose seat that will not last long. So as you move on, you, your second loop, pull it as tight as you can.

Now bring the cord back down from the top part back to the bottom point where you started. Do not forget to go underneath the middle bar as you pass through it.

One crochet hook must be secured at the bottom part of the chair frame and the other at the top part of the rest back where the cord turns. These hooks are used to hold the loop in place.

Continue looping this way up until you have finished covering the entire back and seat part of your lawn chair.

Step 5

Finally, you must lock the last thread. Do so by looping it on the outside and tying a double knot. You will probably have loose ends that dangle untidily where your loop starts and ends. These should be trimmed down and sealed using a mild flame.

Step 6

Now you need to fortify the vertical loops using horizontal loops. These are created using the very same process as the vertical ones, except that you are now creating these loops in a different direction. With a creative eye, there are a million ways to decorate your chair. By doing so, you give your lawn chairs a personal touch customized to your eye. You can either switch the nylon cord colors during weaving to make it look more appealing. Then again, you can use glue to paste bits of decorative designs on your chair.

Wooden lawn chair

Wood is directly related to nature; that is why wooden chairs will effortlessly blend in with nature leaving your lawn area looking incredible. You can choose to use hardwood or softwood for your lawn chairs. Although hardwood will produce a stronger chair that will last longer, some of the most beautiful and comfortable chairs are made from softwood.

These are the materials required to make a wooden lawn chair.

Materials required

• Wood

• Deck screws

• Hacksaw

• Drill

1. Lawn chair legs

Cut 16″ 2 x 4 planks for the legs x 4

1. chair seat

Cut 22″ 1 x 4 planks x 4 and 21″ 2 x 4 planks

1. Chair back support

21″ 2 x 4 planks x 2

1. Chair arms

23″ 1 x 4 planks x 2

Use the hacksaw to cut the planks into the standard measurements. Afterward, use a drill to make holes in the joining areas and screw the planks together to make a perfect wooden lawn chair.

Conclusion

The choice between a PVC pipe and a wooden lawn chair depends not only on your personal preference but also on where you will be keeping your chairs. Even though efforts can be made to protect the wood from weather changes, it is more vulnerable to weather than its counterpart.

Purchasing a lawn chair may sound like a better and less strenuous idea but making your own can be even better. Not only will such an activity save you a few pennies, but it will also afford you and your family quality time. Uses the simple methods above to make your own custom-made lawn chair that you will be absolutely proud of.