DIY Rope Porch Swing

Late last fall, Mike completed one of my favorite house projects to date, my rope swing.  I've been dreaming of one of these since I saw Chassity's on Look Linger Love when I first started following her when I moved to Charleston.  I love the idea of a dreamy outdoor space.  I still need a few more pillows to get to the LLL comfort level, but I am thrilled with the way ours turned out.

We started with this classic porch swing.  It wasn't very hard to put together with all of the wooden pieces and bolts included, but what I didn't like was the metal chain.  We bought this swing with every intention of transitioning it to the rope swing, so we just made sure that we chose one that could fit the diameter of the rope we needed.*

To convert your own swing to a rope chain, you will need the following equipment:
- 3/4 inch diameter twisted sisal or natural manila rope (length: ground to ceiling height x 4)
- electric tape
- 2 eye lag bolts (rated for at least two people's weight*)
- 2 s-hooks

And these tools:
- Dremel
- knife to cut rope
- tape measure
- cordless drill
- stepped unibit
- proper drill bit to pre-drill lag bolt
- bar of soap
- any screwdriver

1. Start by using the Dremel to cut the chain that came with the swing.  Make sure you only cut the chain, not any other hardware connected to the swing.  

2. Cut the rope in two even pieces and wrap the ends in electrical tape so it won't fray.  At a later time, we plan to whip the rope with twine to make it look a little nicer.

3. Measure the width and depth of the swing from hanging point to hanging point.  You will make two holes in the ceiling, as wide as the swing's hanging points and equally in the middle of the swing's depth.

4. When you've chosen your hanging spots, use a drill with a stepped unibit to cut through the vinyl ceiling-liner.  This hole should be just wider than the shank of the lag bolt.
5. Pre-drill a hole into the ceiling/floor joists overhead.  This hole size is dictated by the size of the lag bolt you choose and should be listed on the bolts.*

6. Coat the lag bolt threads with bar soap to reduce friction and heat before screwing them into joists.

7. Screw the lag bolts all the way in by hand, very slowly.  Mike used a screwdriver for leverage to turn the bolt 180 degrees every 30 seconds or so.  Generating too much heart can weaken and break the bolts during installation.

8. Tie an overhand knot on a bight in the middle of each of the two pieces of rope.

9. Hang each knot from the lag bolts, using an s-hook.  To make each knot snug (and as a sanity-check to make sure bolts were secure), Mike swung from each side before proceeding.

10. Now it's time to hang the swing!  Prop it evenly on a chair or table that's approximately at the right height.
11. Run the rope through the holes in all four corners and tie into knots.

12. Finally, release the swing, and go around, adjusting the knots to get the final swing perfectly even.

There you have it!

For the porch details, you can find the matching rocker here, and I am so excited that those outdoor starfish pillows and the round end table are back in stock at Target.  You can also find similar lumbar pillows here and here.  

Obviously, everyone (including Shadow) loves our outdoor spot as the weather is getting warmer!

*Borrowed Heaven makes no representations or assertions on what the proper weight rating is for your individual application.  If you need guidance, please consult your local hardware store.