How to Hang a Porch Swing

Don’t buy a porch swing without making sure it can hang safely on your porch. Only a joist can safely hold the weight of a swing with people sitting on it. The joists must be adequately supported at both ends for load-bearing applications.

• Length of span, other loads being supported by the joist, and condition of the wood must also be taken into account. Don’t hang a swing from a joist with rot or damage.
• Consider other weight that the joists are supporting. For example, if the porch area is underneath a deck, don’t hang the swing beneath a grill or heavy planters.
• Joists can be reinforced by “sistering” another piece of wood to the side or adding perpendicular wood from one joist to the next, known as “blocking” to prevent twisting or bucking.

Don’t buy a porch swing without making sure it can hang safely on your porch. Only a joist can safely hold the weight of a swing with people sitting on it. The joists must be adequately supported at both ends for load-bearing applications.

• Length of span, other loads being supported by the joist, and condition of the wood must also be taken into account. Don’t hang a swing from a joist with rot or damage.
• Consider other weight that the joists are supporting. For example, if the porch area is underneath a deck, don’t hang the swing beneath a grill or heavy planters.
• Joists can be reinforced by “sistering” another piece of wood to the side or adding perpendicular wood from one joist to the next, known as “blocking” to prevent twisting or buckling.

To hang your porch swing, you will need chains or ropes and hardware and connectors that are suitable for outdoor exposure and have a working load rating of 500 pounds or more.

Steel Chains or Rope

Porch swings are held up by either steel chains or rope. New swings usually come with hanging chains or ropes. Pick the one that matches the style of your swing the best. Steel chains tend to be the more popular option due to their durability. However, for a rustic-style hanging porch swing, you can use marine-grade braided nylon rope or polyester rope. If you want to use rope, it needs to be a minimum of 3/4-inch thick.

Hanging a porch swing with chains requires two chains, one long and one short, for each end of the swing. If you’re using rope, swings can hang from a single rope on each side.

Hanger Kits

Hanger kits are available that include swivel-type hanger mounts and heavy-duty springs for smoother swinging. The hanger mounts are installed with lag screws.

Eye Bolts, Screw Eyes or Hooks

If you prefer not to use a hanger kit for your porch swing, use heavy-duty galvanized or stainless-steel screw eyes, screw hooks or eye bolts with an enclosed ring or hook on one end so you can attach your rope or chain. The screw or bolt diameter needs to be at least 1/2 inch and screws should have a threaded shank that’s at least 4 inches long.

You need at least 18 inches of space behind the swing and 14 to 16 inches of side clearance on either side of the swing. The hooks, screws eyes or eye bolts need to be installed 2 to 4 inches wider than the swing’s length to ensure even weight distribution and prevent the chains from rubbing against the swing. Also, the swing should hang about 17 to 19 inches above the floor.

Porch and patio roofs typically have horizontal joists that support the ceiling. It's easier to determine the joist depth on unfinished ceilings. If you have a finished ceiling, you will need to remove some of the trim or paneling on the ceiling to determine the joist depth.

• Remove enough of the ceiling to inspect the joist or joists your swing will be using.
• Look for any signs of weakness like excessive knots, cracks or rot.
• Once you've determined that the joists are strong enough to safely hold your porch swing, you can lay out the measurements for the hardware installation.
• Before replacing the ceiling, make several marks in locations that won’t be covered up.
• Measure from these marks to the screw locations.
• Take good notes and make a simple drawing that shows where to hang your swing.
• When the ceiling is replaced, you can measure from the marks and have precise screw placement with no guessing.
• If the joists don’t fall where you want them to, or they go the wrong direction, you can install blocking between joists. Match the size to the existing joists and use a combination of screws through the existing joist into the end grain plus joist hangers with the appropriate fasteners.

Mark the measurements before drilling. The ceiling hooks need to be 2 to 4 inches wider than the width of the swing. This will help distribute the weight evenly and keeps the chains from rubbing against the swing. Pre-drill a hole smaller than the eyebolt through the joist. Slide a 6-inch machine-threaded eyebolt up through the porch ceiling and twist it in. Once it pops through the other side of the joist, secure it with a flat washer, lock washer and nut.

Many swings come with hooks already pre-installed and with the chains already attached. All you need to do is adjust the back tilt of the swing before you hang it. Swings can also be suspended from either two or four hooks in the ceiling. The classic setup has two chains hanging from the ceiling that each split into two separate chains that are attached to the swing itself.

If your swing did not come with chains or hooks pre-installed, you will need to install them. Where the hooks go will depend on the design of the swing. If your swing comes with chains/ropes attached, hook the chains onto the hangers in the ceiling and you are done.

For a Chain

• Secure one end of each long chain to the front mounting point of the swing with a quick link.
• Secure each short chain to the rear of the seat with a quick link.
• Connect the short chain to the long chain on each side—about 2 or 3 feet above the seat using small S-hooks.
• With the aid of a helper, hook the long chains onto the hangers in the ceiling with a quick link. The short chains pull backward on the long chains, causing the seat to tilt back for comfort.
• Adjust the tilt and the seat height as desired by hooking onto different links.

For a Rope

• Fold each rope in half and tie a simple overhand knot.
• Create a 2-inch long loop 2-inches from the bend.
• Hook each loop over the screw hook in the ceiling or use an S-hook between the eye and the rope loop if you have a screw eye or eye bolt.
• Prop up the swing on a box to get it level and at the desired height.
• Thread the front half of each rope through the front mounting point on the swing and secure it underneath with an overhand knot (make sure the knot is big enough so that it won’t slip through.)
• Remove the box and tie off the rear halves of the rope to the rear mounts on the swing, tilting the swing back at the desired angle.
• Test the swing and adjust the knots as needed.
• Trim the excess from the bottom ends of the ropes.

Even if you don’t have a covered porch, you can still enjoy a swing. Not all swings need to be hung from a porch. Some swings come suspended in their own frames or with an arched or flat-topped arbor to hang from. After assembly, you can place this type of swing in your yard or on your patio.