Lauren has wanted a hanging chair in her room for a very long time. We found a good deal on an egg shaped papasan chair at Southeastern Salvage recently, so we purchased it. Now we are left with figuring out how to hang it. My mom asked what tutorial we were planning to use to hang the chair. My answer: None! We are making our own tutorial. That said, neither Jason nor I are engineers, so..........
As far as inspiration goes, I found several inspirational pictures, but they all used ropes. We had enough chain left over from previous outdoor swing projects and also felt more confident with the stability of the chain versus the rope. I should admit that I have a total lack of confidence in our rope tying ability! On to how we hung the chair:
Materials we used: 1) 2 Quick Links 2) Hitch Ring 3) Chain 4) 2 1/2 wood screws NOT PICTURED: 5) carabiner clip 6) sheet of poplar wood 7) paint 8) drill bits
1. Figured out Chain Length: We took typical chair seat height (18 inches from the floor), took our ceiling height (120 inches) and subtracted the 18 inches from 120 inches to get 102 inches needed for chain length.
2. We Marked the Studs. Using the stud finder, we figured out which way the studs ran and marked a 24-36 inch on two of the studs (in the area around where we wanted to hang the chair)
3. We Figured Out Where We Wanted The Chair Hang. This was a tough one. We wanted the chair somewhat centered in the corner and wanted Lauren to be able to gently swing or twist without beating up the walls. Of course, when we found this "perfect spot," there was no stud in the center.....creating a stud dilemma!
4. We Managed The Stud Dilemma: The studs run 16 inches apart, so we decided to cut a square large enough to run stud to stud. Our center hanging point will not be in a stud; however, it will be in a board that will screwed into two parallel studs.
5. We Made A Hanging Plate: Using some of our repurposed wood, Jason cut an 18 inch by 18 inch square. We think the wood is popular wood, repurposed from the entertainment center remodel. We discussed using scrap MDF we had in the garage, but decided that the screws would get a better grip in the poplar wood.
6. Painted: I painted the square before it went on the ceiling, because I am the painter of the house, and I despise cutting in paint around hardware.
7. Secured The Plate: Jason put a few finish nails running along the stud lines to hold the board up and then followed this up with screws. He drilled 3 pilot holes along each stud run and then counter sunk the screws (2 1/2 wood screws). Jason informed me that this was the poor man's way of counter sinking because the didn't own the counter sinking drill lbit......ok, I never knew this!!
8. Centered the Hitch Ring: Jason measured to find the centerpoint of the wood square, marked the four screw locations and then installed the 2 inch hitch ring with plate. The hitch ring will hold the chain which suspends the chair.
9. We Attached The Chain To The Ceiling and Chair: Jason purchased two quick links, which we thought would attach the chain to the hitch on the ceiling and the chain to the chair however, the hook on the papsan was too fat. This required a follow-up trip to the store to purchase a carabiner clip. The carabiner clip connected the quick link to the chain.
10. The Trim Out: We added wood filler to the screw holes. We have yet to sand and add another coat of paint (that's for next weekend!). We will potentially trim out the edges of the square. The important part is that the chair is up and is functional! Can you guess who beat Lauren to the chair......the Hatchette Caboose!!!
7.. Using a finise naild gun, Jason snailed the wood in the
