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Swing Fit guide (Includes Swing Dimensions)

We often hear from customers who are limited for space on their porch or in an interior room

where they are wanting to install one of our bed swings, “Will my swing fit this space?” This is a

guide to help you determine if the swing you are looking at buying will fit the space you want it

in, and will also help you determine what size swing you can fit into a space. strongly

recommends that customers hire a licensed, insured, and professional contractor to perform the

installation of you swing. It is very important to make sure the swing is properly secured and

installed into the center structural ceiling joists to avoid any potential damages to your house or

potential injuries as the result of improper installation.

Step #1

The ceiling joists are the driver of swing mounting and locations that will work. The key is

to find one and know the direction it running and then you can take measurements off of

that point.

The first and most important step of determining where a swing can go and how it will work in a

space is to assess direction and spacing of the structural ceiling joists that the lag eye screws that

support the swing to the ceiling will be mounting into. Generally ceiling joists are 16 inches on

center- meaning from the center or one ceiling joist to the center of the next one over should be

16 inches. Older homes sometimes use 24" spacing for ceiling joists. We recommend mounting

the lag eye screws provided with your swing purchase into the center of the ceiling joist with the

joist being no smaller than a 2x6.

If you have exposed structural beams on your ceiling where you are installing your swing, you

can skip to the next section.

**Tips for locating your ceiling joists:

-Use a stud finder tool to help locate the structural timbers above the ceiling

-Look for nails or screws where the ceiling material (bead board, tongue and groove ceiling,

sheetrock, etc.) is attached to the ceiling joists above. If you see these nails in a row, that more

than likely means the ceiling joist is running the direction of the nails in the row.

-Use your hand and lightly pound your fist on the ceiling, areas when you are hitting under a

joist will sound solid and areas where you are not will sound hollow.

-If you have access to look at the crawl space above the ceiling to look at the ceiling joists that

can be helpful.

-Remove a ceiling mounted speaker or light and look around with a flashlight for the closest

ceiling joist.

-Drill holes or a screw into the ceiling until you hit a ceiling joist- This method is usually of a

last resort as it will require repair.

Summary of content (7 pages)

PAGE 1
Swing Fit guide (Includes Swing Dimensions) We often hear from customers who are limited for space on their porch or in an interior room where they are wanting to install one of our bed swings, “Will my swing fit this space?” This is a guide to help you determine if the swing you are looking at buying will fit the space you want it in, and will also help you determine what size swing you can fit into a space.
PAGE 2
***Tips for determining your ceiling joist direction: -Look at the exterior slope of your porch roof. For the most part, ceiling joists will be going the same direction as the slope of your porch roof (the shingle or metal roof on the outside of your house-not your porch ceiling) section of your house you are looking at. -If the slope of your porch ceiling changes directions creating a “hip roof” then it becomes a little more difficult.
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will go over the recommended spacing of any swing in relation to the walls or any other obstructions around where you want to put the swing. Imagine that the bold box in the middle of above diagram is your bed swing once assembled. The edges of the bold box would reflect the exterior dimensions of your swing. Then imagine the larger box is the space where you want to put the swing. We recommend a minimum of 6” of space from any obstructions on each side of the swing and a minimum of 12” behind the swing.
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** The mounting points into the ceiling joists need to be wider than the length of the swing to keep the ropes from rubbing on the handrails. The above diagram is generally how the ropes will look if the mounting points are wider than the length of the swing. Ceiling height as well as joist spacing can affect the angle of the ropes. **All of our swings can be mounted to a 96” joist spacing which will work on 16” on center or 24” on center joist spacing. The above diagram shows the ropes going straight up.
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Step# 3 This is the fun part. You have done your due diligence and planning of where your swing can go. Below is a chart showing various details about our swings we offer. The rope mounts to the swing either through hardware installed on the sides of the swing or goes through a hole in the runner.
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Aunt Janie Swing Swing size Petite Mid-size Grand (twin) Extra Large (full) Exterior Dimensions 67” x 32” 82" x 44" 91" x 44" 91" x 59" Mattress size 51" x 27"x 5" 64" x 39" x 5" 75" x 39" x 5" 75" x 54" x 5" Side height 18.75” tall 18.75” tall 18.75” tall 18.
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Hartwell Swing Swing size Petite Mid-size Grand (twin) Extra Large (full) Exterior Dimensions 62" x 31" 75" x 43" 86" x 43" 86" x 58" Mattress size 51" x 27"x 5" 64" x 39" x 5" 75" x 39" x 5" 75" x 54" x 5" Side height 26.5" tall 26.5" tall 26.5" tall 26.5" tall Back height 25" tall 25" tall 25" tall 25" tall Exterior Dimensions 72" x 33.75" 85" x 45.75" 92" x 45.75" 92" x 60.