Often seen on old porches, hanging chairs are an essential component of modern interior design aesthetics. They frequently provide an otherwise conventional environment with a pleasant sense of surprise, motion, and pleasure. 

Contrary to popular belief, installing an indoor swing chair correctly doesn’t have to be expensive—you can DIY. But if you don’t take the time to do it right, hanging a chair from the ceiling might leave you with a sore behind. 

You could end up with a broken ceiling and dust from the drywall all over your house. Making a new repair and leaving a hole in your ceiling is the last thing you want to happen. 

Fortunately, you don’t require a sophisticated toolkit or a lot of experience to set your hanging chair. With these five simple steps, you’ll be good to go. Check them out! 

1. Assess Your Ceiling’s Strength 

First, see whether you can access a ceiling joist that is stable. It is impossible to install a hanging chair from ceiling without fastening the hanging hardware to a ceiling joist. 

 

The typical size of ceiling joists is 2 by 6 inches. However, this might change according to the location and age of your home. You will need to fasten into a 2×6 or larger joist if your hanging chair is meant for adults or older kids. A youngster under fifty pounds can have a chair supported by a 2×4 ceiling joist.

 

Sadly, it’s not always simple to determine your joist’s precise measurements. Measuring the exposed joists in an unfinished area, such as the basement or attic, is one of the more dependable methods. As an alternative, review the house plans if you have access to them. If none of these are available to you, drill a small hole where you want to install the chair. 

Afterward, you can use a handy carpenter’s inspection camera to get a view inside the ceiling to check the size and placement of the joists. After making sure there is a strong joist that can be screwed into, you’ll be ready to begin installation.  

2. Gather Materials and Tools 

After determining the ideal location, it’s time to assemble the equipment and supplies needed for a flawless installation.  You’ll need a stud finder, pencil, drill, drill bits, pliers, painting supplies, caulking gun, materials, hanging chair hardware kit or large lag screw eye bolt, thick rope or sturdy chain, paintable caulk, and ceiling paint. 

The values of various materials vary. Again, make sure every part is strong and able to handle the weight of the chair and the occupant, from robust chains and carabiners to heavy-duty ceiling hooks. Purchasing sturdy hardware is an essential step in transforming the hanging chair from the ceiling into a cohesive element of your room. 

3. Locate the Ideal Joist 

Finding the ceiling joist to which the hanging chair will be fastened is essential to both the final appearance and the structural stability of the seat. To locate joists, turn on your stud finder and lightly press it against the ceiling. Move it slowly across the ceiling, marking with a pencil the location of each joist as it is detected. 

After locating a few joists, stand back and decide where and how you want the chair to be suspended.

 

Ordinarily, a hanging chair’s top is three to four feet from the conventional ceiling height, and its bottom is often between eighteen and twenty-four inches from the earth or floor. Additionally, a hanging chair needs to have at least 14 inches of clearance from any walls. After deciding which joist or joists to use as the chair’s anchor, go back and remove the light pencil marks you previously drew on the ceiling.

4. Drill Pilot Holes After Marking Them

Pilot holes need to be drilled at this point. So, after selecting a drill bit that is somewhat smaller than the screw eye (eye bolt) shank’s width, center the bit in the designated hole or holes. The ideal length for fasteners is 3 to 4 inches, and the pilot holes should be ½ inch shallower than the length of the fasteners. Meanwhile, drill 3½-inch pilot holes when utilizing 4-inch bolts.

5. Put the Hanging Hardware in Place

Congratulations! Start installing the hanging hardware already. Use a shouldered eye bolt that can sustain the required weight at an angle without shearing when mounting a hanging chair on an angled or slanted ceiling joist. 

One expert technique is to insert a second eye bolt into the drill chuck, loop it through an eye bolt that is just halfway tightened. Then, gradually use the drill to firmly screw it into place with force.

 

When the time comes to assemble the hanging chair swing, you’ll save time and work by measuring the rope or chain ahead of time. After measuring your rope and cutting it to the desired length, fasten it to the ceiling joist’s screw eye using the available hardware. 

Finally, adhere to the manufacturer’s instructions for the hanging chair.

Conclusion

After ensuring that the hanging chair is securely fixed and that all components are safe, sit in the chair and tie the knots. If you use tiny drill holes to locate the stud edges, fill them with a paintable caulk. After the paint dries, touch up with ceiling paint to restore the beauty of your home.