You may have always loved the idea of having a swing on your porch. You see it a lot in movies and you love how such a simple space in your house could bring a lot of benefits to you, your family, and your property.
A porch swing isn’t only a great extension of your outdoor living space. But it can also help tone your leg muscles, improve concentration, relieve stress and boost your circulation.
Being on the porch, a swing can also add to the overall value of your property if you choose to sell it in the future.
Here, we answer some of your most common questions about hanging a porch swing with a rope:
What kind of rope do you use for a porch swing?
Porch swings usually come with steel chains or ropes. But if you want a more rustic and natural feel to your porch, a rope is your best option.
Most porch swings use marine-grade braided nylon or polyester rope, which has to be at least ¾ inch thick. But when choosing the right rope for your porch swing, you need to consider a few things first.
If you’re installing the porch swing outdoors, you need to find a rope that can withstand the elements so you don’t need to constantly replace it.
You should also go for a rope that’s resistant to abrasion because the constant swinging motion could cause some types of ropes to weaken.
Of course, you need to consider the weight of the porch swing when choosing the right rope diameter.
How far should a porch swing be from the wall?
You’d want your porch swing to serve its purpose of swinging back and forth comfortably. So it’s ideal to give it enough legroom to do its job. For one, you need to make sure that you have proper ceiling beams with joists that should be at least 2x6 or larger. You can still hang your porch swing if you only have 2x4 beams, but you will have to reinforce the beam your decide to hang it on.
Your porch swing should also be at least 17 inches off the ground for optimum comfort. You will need at least 48 inches of space from the back and 14-16 inches on either side to allow the swing to really go back and forth comfortably.
Your hooks, screw eyes, or eye bolts should also be placed 2-4 inches wider than the length of the swing for an even weight distribution. It is also to keep the ropes from rubbing against the swing itself.
How much weight can a porch swing hold?
In general, porch swings can hold more than 1,000 lbs of weight, but that will depend from model to model, the type of mounting hardware used, and the beams where you’re hanging the porch swing from.
Some of the most common porch swings can hold up to 800 lbs of weight, which should be enough for most households. However, if you’re working with a budget, it’s good to know that the more weight a porch swing can hold, the more expensive it usually is.
If a manufacturer says that a porch swing can hold a lot of weight, yet it’s not pricey, you should think twice about buying it because they may have cut corners on the materials. Which means, it may not be able to support the weight they have rated it for.
A good thing to do is to look at the reviews for the model you are thinking of purchasing. If there are enough reviews, you should be able to figure out how well the swing is made. And you should be able to tell if the weight limit the manufacturer is advertising is legitimate.
How much does it cost to hang a porch swing?
A typical porch swing installation would usually cost between $100 and $200 depending on the amount of work that needs to be done on your porch beams. The additional work, if needed, is to make sure that your beams and support are strong enough to hold your porch swing and the additional weight in place.
If you’re building the porch swing from scratch, you can expect to spend between $150 and $1,000, depending on the size of the swing and the type of wood used for it.
The cheapest options are pine, oak and maple as they will cost around $150-$400; while teak is the most expensive at around $500-$1,000.
You should also take into account the other materials that you’ll need for the installation including the rope, eye screws, hooks and bolts.
How do you find studs to hang a porch swing?
The first step to hanging a porch swing is to locate the ceiling joists where your swing will be hung from. The joists are the strongest part of your porch ceiling and they can handle the weight of the swing plus the additional weight of its passengers.
But in some instances, locating the joists can be tricky, especially if your ceiling is made of wood or it has a lot of decorative elements on it.
If it’s impossible for you to use a stud finder, the next best way to find the ceiling joists is to search for nail holes because they usually indicate where the ceiling was nailed to the ceiling joists.
How do you hang a porch swing with rope?
Once you’ve determined the placement of your swing, you have to drill pilot holes and attach the eye hooks to them. Then, attach the rope so that it is hanging evenly on both eye hooks. Finally, attach the rope to the swing.
If you don’t have any extra help, use 5-gallon buckets to keep the swing elevated from the floor while you secure everything in place.
After you have attached all the screws and ropes to the swing, you have to test it out by pushing down the seat to make sure that it can support some weight.
You can move it back and forth will applying some pressure to see how it performs under pressure at different angles in the swinging path. You should observe how the eye hooks, rope, ceiling, and swing behave as you do this and the next step.
Then, you can test it out yourself, making sure that you listen to any creaks or unusual sounds that could mean there’s a problem with how the swing is attached. If everything is good to go, you can start to relax and enjoy your porch swing.
The bottom line
Having a porch swing is definitely a great way to unwind and enjoy your home from the outside.
So whether you’re building your own swing from scratch or you’re buying a pre-made one, these tips will surely come in handy. We hope that they help you get the porch swing you want and that you enjoy it.
