Beautiful Things - June 2016

Swinging Into Summer

In this new DIY column by Holly Lemoine Raymond, you'll learn how to make a cozy porch swing out of salvaged pallets!  Complete with a materials list and photos. 
- story and photos by Holly Raymond

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​ Hi! My name is Holly. I want to share my secrets for making beautiful things from items others have tossed to the curb (literally!).
 
 I love to salvage and re-use items that people have discarded. There is great intrinsic value in finding something old, tattered, or otherwise seemingly beyond repair and bringing it back to life.

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 I hope you’ll enjoy reading my column and using some (or all) of the ideas I’ll share to repurpose items that you may find lying around.
 
We’ll start with my most recent weekend project, the crib-porch swing. 

​ What you’ll need:

• Brad Nails (Not to be mistaken for Brad’s nails…)
• Nail gun
•  Wood screws
• 1 1/4” screws
• Four 6-inch eye bolts, lock washers and nuts
• Paint brushes
• Pallets (at least two, depending on the size of your swing)
• Stain (In the color of your choice; I went with “Espresso” for this project)
• Ropes or chains (length may vary depending on ceiling height)
• Ply wood (for back if desired. I used the pieces of a deconstructed pallet)
• A crib mattress
• Random throw pillows
• Crib Sheet(s)
• Ladder (so you can anchor your bolt hooks)
• Bolt hooks
• Spray paint (To paint your chains)
• A strong helper!

 
 Other materials and/or tools you may need

• Sander
• Miter saw
• Table saw
• Drill
• Drill bit
• Air Compressor (if needed)

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​First, you’ll have to prepare your wood. Cut, sand, and stain your pallets. 

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​Next, begin assembling the back and the sides of the swing with a deconstructed pallet.

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Once your swing is put together, insert the eye bolts with locking washers and nut. Placement of your eye bolts will vary depending on where you will be hanging your swing. Make sure you secure your eye bolt with a locking washer.

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​Now it’s time to hang your swing.
 
The most difficult part of building this crib-porch swing is the installation! Here’s where your ladder and strong (and attractive) helper come in.
 
Mount your swing’s hardware into ceiling joists. (That was a word I had to look up! See, you’re not just building a swing; you are building your vocabulary, too!)
 
How far apart you set your ceiling hooks will determine what kind of momentum you’ll get on your swing. Since I want to sit and enjoy a good book and a nice summer’s eve, I kept mine the width of the swing. (Don’t want to swing so much that I’ll dump myself out!)
 
Now, will you use ropes or chains? Either way, you’ll need to determine how far off the ground you want your swing to be. I would suggest you find something that will sit that high and use that to determine how long your rope (or chains) should be.

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If you are using chains, make sure you count your links. DO NOT measure your ropes or chains in advance. Remember, you can always cut the ropes/chains to make them shorter. However, you cannot make them longer.
 
Now that you have successfully built your swing and suspended it from the ceiling, it’s time to put on the finishing touches.
 
I covered the crib mattress with a fitted crib-sheet and tossed some throw pillows on it to give it some personality.

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Now it’s time to sit, sip some sweet tea, and swing into the evening.
 
Thanks for stopping to read about our Beautiful Things! See you next month!