Outdoor daybed vs chaise lounge — One body or two
The Wooden Stars is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. We may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site, at no extra cost to you.
Outdoor daybed vs chaise lounge is a choice between a piece for two people lying down and a piece for one person reclining — and the daybed costs roughly three times the floor space to make that possible.
Both are for lying on. Only one of them is for sunbathing.
A chaise lounge is a single recliner, about 72 to 80 × 26 to 30 inches, with an adjustable back that goes from flat to nearly upright, usually on wheels so you can chase the sun. A daybed is a wide flat platform, 78 to 84 × 48 to 60 inches, often with a canopy and side rails, fixed in place because it weighs 120 to 250 lb. The chaise takes about 16 square feet of patio; the daybed takes 30 to 35. Buy chaises to sunbathe and to move; buy a daybed to lounge in the shade with someone else. A daybed’s cushions almost never fit in a deck box.
Outdoor daybed vs chaise lounge: the dimensions
The length is nearly the same. The width is everything.
A chaise at 28 inches wide is a single bed for one person on their back. A daybed at 54 inches is a double: two adults side by side, or one adult and two children, or one adult lying diagonally with a book.
In floor terms — including the space to get onto it — a chaise wants about 16 square feet and a daybed 30 to 35. On a 12 × 12-foot terrace, two chaises plus a small table is comfortable; one daybed plus a small table fills a third of it and then dictates everything else.
| Measure | Daybed | Chaise lounge |
|---|---|---|
| Typical size | 78 to 84 x 48 to 60 in | 72 to 80 x 26 to 30 in |
| Floor needed | 30 to 35 sq ft | About 16 sq ft |
| Sleeps or seats | Two adults | One |
| Back adjusts | Rarely | Yes, flat to upright |
| Wheels | No | Usually two |
| Weight | 120 to 250 lb | 30 to 60 lb |
| Canopy or shade | Often built in | No, needs a parasol |
| Cushion storage | Large, rarely fits a deck box | Fits a 100 gal box |
| Price each | Higher | Lower, and often sold in pairs |
The thing the chaise does that a daybed cannot
It moves, and it sits up.
Sunbathing is a moving target. The sun crosses the garden over an afternoon and the shade from the house follows it, so a chaise on two wheels gets tipped and wheeled four feet every hour. A 200 lb daybed goes where it is assembled and stays there for the season.
And the back matters more than people expect. A chaise’s back ratchets from flat through four or five positions to nearly upright, which means it is a bed for sleeping, a recliner for reading and a chair for talking to someone. A flat daybed is only ever the first of those unless you pile up cushions.
Two chaises also do something a daybed never can: separate. One in the sun, one in the shade, or one either side of a side table. Furniture that can be arranged differently every week suits a garden, which is the same reason separates often beat a matched set — outdoor dining set against separate table and chairs.
What the daybed does that chaises cannot
Two people, facing each other. On a daybed you can lie at opposite ends with a book each, or sit cross-legged facing each other with a tray in the middle. Two chaises side by side put you shoulder to shoulder, both facing the same fence.
Built-in shade. Most daybeds come with a canopy, and a canopy over a bed is far more pleasant than a parasol beside a chaise, because it is fixed relative to you. If you would otherwise be buying a large cantilever parasol, the daybed’s canopy is doing a job worth real money — see what size patio umbrella you need.
It is a destination. A daybed in a corner with planting round it makes that corner somewhere to go. Two chaises on a terrace are furniture; a daybed under a canopy is a place.
It doubles as seating. With the cushions arranged against the back rail, a daybed seats three for a drink. A chaise seats one, awkwardly.
The cushion problem nobody mentions
A daybed’s mattress is 54 × 78 inches and 4 to 6 thick. That is roughly 8 to 11 cubic feet, 60 to 85 gallons, of cushion — for one piece of furniture.
It will not fit in a normal deck box alongside anything else, and it cannot be folded without creasing the foam. In practice daybed owners either buy a fitted cover and leave the mattress outside all season, or lose a whole storage box to it. Both are fine, but they are decisions to make before buying, not in October. The sizing arithmetic is in how big a deck box should be and deck box against storage bench.
Chaise cushions are a different order of problem: 75 × 26 × 3 is about 3.4 cubic feet each, so two of them fit a 100-gallon box with room for other things.
What to check on either
- The frame timber. Both spend the whole summer outside and a daybed spends the winter there too — best wood to use outside and acacia against teak.
- Chaise wheels. Small hard wheels bind on gravel and lawn. Wheels of 3 inches or more are the useful size, and the whole point of a chaise is that it moves.
- The ratchet. Stainless or nylon. A plain steel ratchet in a chaise back seizes after two seasons.
- Canopy fabric. A cheap canopy is the first thing on a daybed to fail — look for a UV rating and a removable, washable cover.
- Weight rating. A daybed carrying two adults should be rated well above their combined weight; the reasoning is the same as how much weight a patio chair can hold.
If what you actually want is a seat rather than a bed, the honest comparison is chaise lounge against adirondack chair, and the length question is in how long a chaise lounge is.
For either piece
- Outdoor furniture cover The daybed mattress will not fit in a deck box
- Replacement chaise wheels Three inches or more, or it will not cross gravel
- Acrylic outdoor cushion Solution-dyed acrylic is what survives a full season of sun
- Teak or hardwood oil Both frames sit in full sun all summer
What to buy
For the chaise in detail, see how long a chaise lounge is and chaise against adirondack. For shade, what size patio umbrella you need. For storage, how big a deck box should be.
Questions we get asked
Is an outdoor daybed better than a chaise lounge?
A daybed takes two people and usually has a canopy. A chaise takes one, adjusts and moves. The daybed costs about twice the floor space.
How much space does an outdoor daybed need?
Thirty to 35 square feet including access. A chaise needs about 16.
Can a daybed be moved to follow the sun?
Not realistically. They weigh 120 to 250 lb and have no wheels. Chaises have wheels precisely because sunbathing moves.
Does a chaise lounge lie flat?
Yes. The back ratchets from flat through several positions to nearly upright, which a daybed generally does not.
Where do daybed cushions go in winter?
Usually nowhere — the mattress is 60 to 85 gallons on its own. Most owners use a fitted cover and leave it outside.
Which is better for two people?
The daybed, clearly. Two chaises put you shoulder to shoulder facing the same way; a daybed lets you face each other.
