DIY A Cozy Porch Seating Area With Simple Dollar Store Pool Noodles

Having a chic outdoor seating area doesn't mean you have to drain your bank account. With a fairly straightforward DIY project, you can get a stylish seat for your porch or patio. All it takes is some fabric, wood, and that classic go-to DIY material — pool noodles. As shared by DIY YouTuber Annika Hinds, this ingenious pool noodle hack takes inspiration from an expensive tufted bench that Hinds spotted in a store — Hinds doesn't name the specific product, but the image looks similar to the AllModern Brandt Upholstered Ottoman that costs nearly $450. To recreate the bench, Hinds uses regular pool noodles that you can find at any dollar store. For the wood, you can go to a home improvement store (like Home Depot or Lowe's) to pick your wood and have it cut down to your desired size. Hinds gets three 15 by 15 square panels for the bench frame, as well as a 2x4 piece that's slightly shorter than the squares, to be used as a brace for the bench legs.

To match the upholstered look, choose a velvety fabric with a cushioned feel in any color you prefer. The key is to get fabric that's comfortable to sit on but durable enough for high-use furniture, such as Richloom Upholstery Velvet Fabric, made from polyester and vinyl. This project also requires metal corner braces, screws, wood glue, and a staple gun. After you gather these materials, you're ready to begin building your fabulous pool noodle bench.

The first step of this DIY seat is to make the bench frame out of the wooden panels. Use your wood glue to connect two panels forming a corner. You can then screw in the corner braces to secure the structure. Repeat this to attach the other panel to the side opposite of the first panel — forming a bench shape. You may want to put your 2x6 wooden block in between the panels to keep them upright as the glue dries.

Use the staple gun to tightly secure the fabric to the underside of the bench. Then, wrap fabric all around your 2x6 wooden block — this will be the brace that goes between the bench legs. Take the wrapped brace and slide it tightly into the gap between the legs. Insert screws from the outside of the bench (the unlined part) and secure the brace.

Next, put the lining fabric upside down on one edge of the bench seat and staple it. Place a pool noodle along the edge, fold the fabric over the noodle, and then snuggly staple it down along both the seat and legs of the bench. Continue this with your other pool noodles until the entire bench is filled with cloth-covered noodles. When you're done, trim and staple down any excess fabric. And just like that, you have new outdoor patio furniture to revamp your space, all for the low cost of wood, fabric, and pool noodles.