Decorating & Design
July 2, 2020
DIY: A Playful Indoor Swing
Bring the outdoor fun indoors by installing a swing in your home — your little ones will love it and so will your inner child. Even John Baker and Juli Daoust-Baker, the duo behind Mjölk, have one in their “Japandi”-style farmhouse near Stirling, Ontario.
Thanks to DIY home design bloggers Chris and Julia Marcum of Chris Loves Julia, you can easily swing into summer with their step-by-step guide to installing an indoor swing. Best of all, this simple project can be completed in just under two hours! Scroll down to see how to transform your space into a playground everyone in the family can enjoy.
You will need:
- 1 x solid piece of wood
- 1 x 150-grit sandpaper
- 1 x 300-grit sandpaper
- 1 x ½ pint water-based Polycrylic
- 2 x screw eyes with rings
- Palm sander
- Stud finder
- Drill
- Screwdriver
- Lighter
- 25 ft. of rope
Before installing your swing, consider which space in your home has room. Chris and Julia chose their family room — which doubles as a playroom — and positioned what is now the most coveted seat in the house: 21 inches away from the window wall, 57 inches away from the couch in front of it and 66 inches away from the fireplace.
The swing sits 18 inches from the floor — the perfect height for their young daughter to easily hop on (their ceilings are 8 feet high). You can hike the swing height up to whatever is most comfortable for you, but keep in mind that means you’ll need a little more rope than listed in this tutorial.
Cut a piece of solid wood to measure 8½ x 23 inches. Chris and Julia used black walnut, but any hardworking wood such as poplar or pine will work, too.
Sand the wood with a palm sander and 150-grit sandpaper, ensuring the corners are slightly rounded and not sharp.
Mark four holes 1½ inches from each corner and drill them using a ½ inch drill bit. Then, sand to remove any splinters and apply three coats of a water-based Polycrylic seal. Make sure to sand using 300-grit sandpaper in between each coat for the smoothest finish.
Locate floor joists in the ceiling using a stud finder to ensure the swing is extra sturdy and secure. Drill two pilot holes, 20 inches apart, before screwing in the screw eye. A screwdriver (or small paint roller handle) looped through the eye makes screwing it into place much easier.
Cut your 25-foot-long rope in half and string it through both rings. Burn the edges with a lighter to prevent fraying.
Put each end of the rope through a hole in the seat and tie a knot. And you’re done!
Courtesy of Chris Loves Julia
Chris & Julia Marcum