She Turned Old Wine Barrels Into Cozy Deck Chairs

Finding the perfect deck furniture can be a challenge when you feel like pieces from big box stores are basic, uncomfortable, or don't match your decor. If you're looking for chairs that will finally feel just right for your deck, then it may be time to build your own. Thankfully, you can make a set of matching seats out of a wine barrel with some power tools, elbow grease, and woodworking know-how. YouTuber Nature's Courtyard! pulled off this impressive DIY, taking an old wine barrel and transforming it into cozy deck chairs.

To build the frame of these seats, you will need a wine barrel, a 4-by-8-foot plywood board at least ¾ inches thick, 2-by-4 boards, measuring tape, both 2-inch and ¾-inch wood screws, a screwdriver, an electric drill, a circular saw, a pencil, cardboard, and bar clamps. You will also need wood stain, a paintbrush, a staple gun, foam, fabric, and pillows suited to the outdoors to make your seat more comfortable.

Not everyone has wine barrels lying around that they can use. However, you can find used ones online for reasonable prices. Or, if there is a winery near you, you could ask if you can buy some from them. It may be worth buying several if you want to create more than two chairs. You can do a lot with wine barrels, including turning an old wine barrel into a cheaper DIY pond with a rustic touch.

To start, the YouTuber added extra support by pre-drilling holes along the barrel's metal hoops — four spaced equally around the diameter of each hoop — before adding the ¾-inch screws. The larger empty space between the two center-most hoops is where you'll cut out the shape of the back of each chair. Your guidelines for cutting will end up looking like a blocky "S" shape with two horizontal lines going towards the center of the barrel and a vertical line joining them at the halfway point, as the creator demonstrates in her video. This should give you two chairs of equal size.

Then, it's time to create the outline for your seat. Start by measuring the inner and outer diameter of the open space. Measure the diameter twice: once to include the outer rim of the barrel, and once for just the inner section. Draw two concentric circles with these diameters on your cardboard. Creating a makeshift compass with a pencil and a piece of string the same size as the circle's radius can help you get the perfect circle. Cut half of the outline to the size of the smaller circle, and half to the larger. This will be your template for cutting the base of a seat for your wine barrel chairs.

In the video, the creator suggests using oriented strand board (OSB). However, it is often full of splinters you can cut yourself on, and it's not made to handle moisture. Though this board will be covered by your cushion, it could still get damp in heavy rain, so it's better to go with something like plywood. You want it to be at least ¾-inches thick as well, so it can support the weight of a person.

To prep your plywood, hold it in place using the bar clamps, using your circular saw to cut out two seats using the cardboard template. Sand the edges. You'll also use 2-by-4 boards to create a rectangular frame slightly smaller than the barrel's diameter that will go inside it. The frame should touch the bottom of your barrel and the underside of the plywood board to add more support. Use your 2-inch screws to secure the frame pieces together, then screw this frame into the bottom of the barrel.

Next, sand all the barrel's rough edges and stain it to help make it water-resistant and change the color. If you don't want the natural grain to be visible, paint can be better than stain for your outdoor wood features because it often lasts longer and is easier to clean. The next step is to make your cushion. 

Use your cardboard template to cut out a thick piece of foam. Then, cut out a piece of fabric that's a couple inches wider than the foam on all sides so you have enough fabric to wrap under the cushion and plywood— after tucking the fabric over the foam and plywood, staple it to the wood underneath. This is one of the best ways to DIY durable patio cushions for a fraction of the price. Now all that's left to do is place the cushions on the chair frame you've created! Just add a pillow or two, and you will have charming little deck chairs repurposed from old wine barrels.