DIY Outdoor Bench That Converts to a Picnic Table

Looking to make the most of warm summer evenings and backyard get-togethers? This clever DIY project functions as a charming garden bench, ideal for relaxing in the sun or sipping something cold in the shade. And with an easy flip of the bench back, it converts into a half-size picnic table, ideal for serving up a delicious meal. 

Designed and built by Jay, a Dunn Lumber Normandy Park employee of more than four years, the project was inspired by his desire to create something useful and enjoyable for his own backyard. “I’ve always been handy—they used to call me MacGyver because I’m creative and good at fixing things,” Jay says. “I wanted to build something my wife and I could enjoy together.”

Step 1: Cut wood

Begin by measuring and cutting your decking boards. Use a circular saw—and reference the diagram below for guidance and angle specifications:

Use a square with an angle guide so your 15º cuts are exact. (Note: Jay also used scrap pieces of two-by-four and one-by-four lumber to elevate the boards for cutting to protect the saw blade from potentially hitting the work surface beneath.)

In total, you will want the following pieces:

• 5/4 x 6 - 10' Cedar Decking
  • Four (4) pieces at 60”
• 5/4 x 4 - 12' Cedar Decking
  • Two (2) pieces at 60”
  • Two (2) pieces at 55”
  • Two (2) pieces at 16 ½” with 15º cuts in opposing directions on each end 
• 2 x 6 - 8' Cedar Decking (1)
  • Four (4) pieces at 17” with 15º parallel cuts on each end 
  • Two (2) pieces at 4 ½” with 15º parallel cuts on each end 
• 2 x 4 - 10' Cedar Decking (2)
  • One (1) piece at 53”
  • Four (4) pieces at 10 ¾”
• 2 x 4 - 8' Cedar Decking (2)

  • Two (2) pieces at 14” with parallel 15º bevel cuts on both ends 

  • Two (2) pieces at 12” with a 15º bevel cut on one end

  • Two (2) pieces at 8 ½“ with parallel 15º bevel cuts on both ends

Step 2: Arrange bench seat

Lay flat two pieces of 60” 5/4 x 6 decking to frame the bench portion, similarly to what you did in step 2. Between them, lay one piece of the 60” 5/4 x 4; make sure to position the more appealing side of the board face down, as this will become your bench seat surface. Place ¼” spacers between the three decking pieces.

Don’t remove the spacers yet—you’ll want them intact for attaching the legs.

(The three 60” boards are shown here beneath the frame you will build in the next step.)

Step 3: Assemble bench seat box frame

Make a box frame for the bench seat using two (2) pieces of 55” 5/4 x 4 running parallel on the underside of the decking. 

Place the four (4) pieces of 10 ¾” two-by-four across the length of the 55” horizontal boards, spacing them out evenly, with the end pieces flush with the ends of the horizontal boards (ours were about 12” apart from each other). 

Use 4” screws to attach the 55” boards to the 10 ¾” pieces from the side (two per board, for a total of eight).

Your box frame should be centered about 2 ½" from the ends of the bench and 1" from the sides.

Note: Use two screws per board to fasten all attachments from here forward. You may use more if you’re concerned about stability. (We used additional screws in a few places—for example, when attaching the armrests to the back of the bench and the tabletop).

Step 4: Attach box frame to bench seat

In each of the 10 ¾” pieces, drill pilot holes with a 7/64” bit. Then, countersink your 2” screws using a ¼” bit.

Step 5: Attach legs to bench seat

Next, attach the legs, which you cut in Step 1.

Grab the four (4) 17” two-by-sixes with the 15º parallel angles and place them upside down under the bench seat and against the box frame end pieces.

Use a 9/64” bit to drill pilot holes an inch from the ends of the legs. Drive the screws into the box frame end pieces using 4” screws (three per leg).

Remove the ¼” spacers from the bench seat.

Step 6: Attach leg cross braces

Grab your 16 ½” pieces with 15º cuts in opposing directions on each end. Use a clamp to secure these pieces to the legs, creating an A shape. Using a 9/64” bit for pilot holes, drive two (2) 2” screws per leg. Your cross brace should be attached approximately 3 ½” from the bottom of the two leg pieces.

Attach your cross brace toward the bottom of the leg for stability.

Step 7: Attach connecting support to cross braces

Center the 53” two-by-four connecting support between the inside of the legs, then clamp in place. Use a 9/64” bit to drill two pilot holes through each cross brace. Drive two (2) 4” screws through the braces into the ends of the connecting support to attach. 

Step 8: Assemble armrests/tabletop supports

For this step, you will need your 8 ½”, 12”, and 14” two-by-four pieces, and your 4 ½” two-by-six pieces. The 14” piece will go along the back. The 12” piece will become the armrest. The 8 ½” piece will go on the bottom, and the 4” two-by-six piece will go in between the 8 ½” and 12” pieces.

On the back end of the 4½” piece, pre-drill a pocket hole approximately 1” deep with a ⅜” drill bit. Screwing the screws from the underside will give the finished product a cleaner look without having visible screws on the armrest. We made pocket holes by using 4” screws and screwing into the bottom of the arm. Then, from the other side, use a 7/64” bit to finish the pilot hole. Copy these smaller pilot holes on the inside of the 12” piece.

Use two (2) 4” screws to attach the 4½” piece to the 12” piece with the 4½” piece sitting ½” up from the bottom of the 12” piece.

Attach the 8 ½” piece to the other end of the 4½” piece about ½” up from the bottom of the 12” piece. Attach the 14” piece to the top of the 8 ½” and 12” pieces. Use two (2) 4” screws per board. Be careful not to hit the interior pocket screws when attaching the top of the armrests.

Step 9: Attach hinges to armrests

Test out the placement of the hinges before drilling pilot holes to ensure that the hinge sits flush with the bottom of the 8 ½” side of the arm. You’ll want the bottom of the armrest piece to attach to the back piece about ¼” from the bottom. This will determine if your tabletop is level when you flip the bench back over (because the hinge is about ¼” tall when closed). 

Drill pilot holes with a 3/32” bit before you attach the hinges. When attaching the hinges, use two (2) ¾” screws that came with the hinges for the outer screw placements and use two (2) longer 2” screws for the middle placement. 

Step 10: Assemble back of bench/tabletop

Lay flat two pieces of 60” 5/4 x 6 decking to frame the back of the bench (which will double as the tabletop). Between them, lay one piece of the 60” 5/4 x 4 in the middle upside down, with ¼” spacers between the three decking pieces.

Step 11: Attach artmrests to back of bench/tabletop

Keeping the spacers in, attach the armrests to the back of the bench (which consists of two (2) pieces of 5/4 x 6 decking and one piece of 5/4 x 4 decking) with 2” screws.

You’ll want a minimum of two (2) screws per tabletop board. For each 14” armrest, this means twelve (12) 2” screws will be needed to attach it to the back of the bench/tabletop.

Place 1” from the edge of the top. Screws should be driven ¾” from the top of the arm and ½” from the edge. 

Remove spacers from the back of the bench after the armrests are attached.

Step 12: Attach armrests to bench seat with hinges

Square up the armrest ¾” from both the side and bottom of the bench back. You’ll want to make sure the barrel of the hinge falls between the spacing of the seat boards. (We used a speed square and tape measure to measure and mark before pre-drilling.) 

Note: We used the two ¾” screws that came with the hinges for the outer screw placements, but used two (2) longer 2” screws for the middle placement.

Step 13: Sit back and relax!

And there you have it—a two-in-one gamechanger for outdoor living. When you’re ready, you can build a second bench to create a full-size picnic table with even more seating.

If you enjoyed this project, check out some of our other outdoor living projects like our DIY Dog House and How To Make an Elevated Planter Box.