This is a follow up from our last blog, 5 Steps to Building A Porch Swing Bed. In this article, we are going to talk about the next steps of this project, which is how to hang the beautiful porch you made!
MATERIALS NEEDED:
- 3/8″ Eye Screws
- long screw driver
- 3/4″ Rope – Two pieces each over double the height of the porch ceiling
- Drill with 1/4″ drill bit
- 2 five gallon buckets or something similar in height
PLAN
First, you’ll want to determine how many eye screws are needed to hold the swing. Four eye screws are recommended for the swing built in our last blog. The eye screws are what is used to hang from the joists in the ceiling.
Next, it’s time to locate the ceiling joists, these will support the weight of the bed and those who are using it. Material planks on your porch ceiling, such as wood, can make it difficult to locate the joists with a stud finder. A trick to finding the joists would be locating nail holes in the ceiling material, this indicates where the planks are nailed into the joists.
PLACEMENT
Once you have located the joists and have determined how many eye screws you’re going to use, it’s time to figure out where you’d like to place your swing. We suggest placing your swing at least 2 feet away from any walls to avoid any damage to the walls or swing. From here, you will determine where the eye screws will need to go into the joists, which are typically directly above the corresponding holes on the swing. If you followed our last blog on how to build the swing, you will have added the eye screws in step 5, so this part should be fairly easy!
After you have the placement of your swing and measurements of where the eye screws will go, mark the placements in the ceiling. You will then use your drill to place pilot holes into the ceiling joists. Next, screw in the eye screws by hand; once it becomes too difficult to turn, use a long screwdriver for leverage by placing it through the eye and turning.
We’re almost finished!
HANG
Once all the eye screws are secure and tight into their location in the ceiling, fish the rope through each one so that the ends are evenly hanging at the bottom. One rope on each side will thread through the two eye screws in the ceiling, leaving one end on the front and the other on the back of the swing. Lastly, place your swing on top of 5 gallon buckets, or something that will hold it a few feet off the ground. Keep in mind that this will put your swing a bit higher from the ground, but once it’s gotten some use, the ropes will stretch and it’ll lie at a comfortable height. Thread the ends of the rope through the eye screws in the swing and tightly knot them underneath.
And you’re done! Time to enjoy your new porch swing!