For many, a hammock is associated with blissful relaxation and if hung on a terrace or balcony, it is ideal for relaxing. You can read more about how to hang a hammock on a balcony in our balcony hammock guide.
Benefits of a one-person hammock or double hammock at home
Before starting to study the question, of how to hang a hammock on a balcony, you should familiarize yourself with the design.
The hanging bed on the balcony railing is characterized by compactness and mobility.
Unlike a sofa or couch, a hammock is placed at any angle.
Pushing the flexible structure aside, lifting it, or completely removing it is not difficult. Hammock has other advantages:
- having provided an additional fastening system, for the winter or during bad weather it can be moved into the room;
- products are sewn from durable fabrics with a dense weave or knitted from equally strong ropes designed for the adult’s weight;
- properly equipped fastenings at the anchor points provide additional reliability for the hanging hammock bed.
Materials
When deciding how to make a hammock on the balcony railing yourself or choose a ready-made option, the material is selected taking into account the following nuances.
Fabrics of natural origin (canvas, tarpaulin, teak) are pleasant to the touch, can withstand a weight of at least 160 kg, and are easy to wash.
At the same time, they absorb moisture, so in wet weather, they are removed from the balcony so that mold does not start. Synthetics (polyester, nylon) are designed for a load of up to 120 kg, it is more rigid and is not afraid of water.
Synthetic fabrics do not breathe, in the heat, it is not very comfortable to lie on them.
The permissible load is 180 kg. In this case, the weaving should be small so that the knots do not crash into the body.
The grid is quite popular, but not the best option. To sleep on the grid, you have to buy a mattress. And the maximum load that the mesh fabric can withstand is only 80-100 kg.
Suspension
This is a classic solution for a balcony or loggia. The choice is quite wide in stores, but you can make it yourself: sew it from hammock fabric or weave it from a rope. Such a hammock is attached to the wall, ceiling, or balcony railing.
Some hanging models have wooden planks at the ends, which makes the canvas more stretched and is suitable for several people to relax at once, this is especially true for a large family. But, hammocks without slats are cheaper to stand, and they also fold easily and take up very little space.
It is worth noting that you can buy a hammock with a mosquito net. This option is suitable for those whose balcony is not glazed, the mosquito nets are not installed on the windows, and the person likes to sleep in a hammock.
Hammock chair
If a hammock is chosen exclusively for a child, then an ideal option would be a hanging hammock chair. You can make the hammock chair manually.
Frame
This is a universal option that is suitable for any room, including a loggia or balcony, and the street. That is, in the summer, you can take it to the apartment balcony in the winter.
Additional fastening is not required, since the necessary support is already included in the design of the hammock. Or rather, a frame that can be made of metal or wood.
By design, frame hammocks are stationary and collapsible. Stationary, of course, is more stable, but much heavier.
It is better to install such a hammock once and not take it anywhere later. Also, some models come with a table, which is especially convenient for a balcony.
Collapsible hammocks are very convenient in terms of mobility but less reliable than frame ones. They, as a rule, have a metal frame and can be easily disassembled and transported from an apartment balcony to a country house and vice versa.
How to hang a hammock?
Before choosing a hammock for a balcony, you need to think in advance about how you will hang a hammock.
With the frame version, everything is simple, but with the suspended one, it all depends on the design, and materials of the walls and ceiling. Consider the main options and features of fastening.
Walls or ceiling
The best base for a hammock is concrete walls – they withstand almost any fixture. In brick, it is also possible, only it is necessary to do this so that the anchor is installed in the brick itself, and does not fall into the seam between them.
Attention! It is better not to attach a hammock to plasterboard walls at all.
This is a very fragile material and simply may not withstand such a design.
If the walls of our balcony are wooden, mounting a hammock is possible, but not recommended. In this case, it is still better to use a rack, which can be fixed to the balcony floor for reliability.
How to hang a hammock on a balcony with concrete or brick walls
To hang a hammock on concrete or brick walls, we need:
- roulette;
- marker;
- a hammer;
- pliers;
- wrench 17 mm;
- drill with a drill for concrete 10 mm;
- anchor bolt with hook 10×80 – 2 pcs.
Anchor bolts are ideal for fixing concrete and brick, and are sold in almost any hardware store. For a regular balcony wall, you can use 10×80 mm anchors.
Procedure
At a height of 1.5 m, mark the points where there are hooks for hanging, their location depends on the length of the hammock, so you must first try it on and take into account that the lower point should be at least 15,7-19,6 in from the floor.
Drill a hole for the anchor with a depth of 31,5 in. After inserting anchors with hooks so that our structure can be suspended from them and tighten the nut until it stops, holding the hook with pliers.
If a balcony hammock is bought in a store, usually a mount is provided in the design, and it remains just to hang a hammock on hooks.
If it was made by yourself, then you may need a rope or other additional materials, depending on the design. To hang a hammock, you can use hammock straps; however, the chains look much more interesting.
Depending on the design of the balcony or loggia, the balcony hammock can be attached both to the walls and to the ceiling. Anchors can also be used for the ceiling, but it is better to take eyebolts instead of hooks.
Railing
Often people ask the question, can balcony railings support a hammock? If the walls of the balcony are not strong enough, you can use the railing to attach the hammock.
For metal railing
To attach to a metal railing, we need:
- roulette;
- drill with a drill for metal, 10 mm;
- eyebolt M10 – 2 pcs, the length depends on the thickness of the railing (they need to be drilled through, and the length should be enough to tighten the nut);
- screwdriver;
- wrench 17 mm.
Procedure
Measure the length of the balcony hammock and mark two points on the railing. Drill a hole through, insert the eye bolts and tighten the nuts tightly.
To make it more convenient to hold the eyebolt, we insert a screwdriver How to keep flag from wrapping around pole: a detailed guide into it, and the other hand, use a wrench. Hang a hammock, the distance to the floor should not be less than 15,7 in.
Fixing a hammock on a balcony: step-by-step instructions
You can often hear the question, can you put a hammock on an apartment balcony? If you already have a balcony hammock and all the necessary tools ready, you can start fixing it. The process cannot be called complicated. However, you have to work carefully.
It is difficult to get injured while hanging a balcony hammock. However, if you do not fix everything correctly, you can injure yourself by falling off it.
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Definition of beams on a balcony
If your balcony is about 8 feet, you can make holes to hang the balcony hammock from the ceiling or wall.
Regardless of the choice, you should correctly determine the location of the rays. If the walls are made of drywall, then the balcony hammocks are unreliable. If you sit in them, you may fall.
Balcony beams are easy to spot. They can be identified in several ways, namely using an electronic spike finder, or by tapping.
You can also look for exits. In the first case, you need to click on the finder, which starts making a sound as soon as it finds the beam.
You need to scan both the walls and the ceiling of the balcony. Exits are often located on wall beams. If you have a power outlet on your balcony, you should disassemble the wall a little to get to a place ideal for fixing the balcony hammock.
The distance between the wall beams is 16-24 inches. If you use the tapping method, you can identify the beams that come out from the exit. This method consists of the fact that you need to gradually tap on the wall and ceiling. In the process, do not forget to listen to the sounds that appear.
Where there is no beam, you hear a dull sound. As you get closer to the rays, the sounds become deeper. This step is very important and should not be ignored.
Marking the drilling area
It is very important to determine where the center of the wall or ceiling beam is. After all, this way you can achieve maximum fixation and support of the balcony hammock, which ensures your safety. If you use a spike finder, finding the center of the beam is easy.
If you were looking for an outlet in the form of sockets, then it is located in the very center of the beam.
You can also use the logic method by tapping on the wall or ceiling. After determining the center, mark the place with a pencil or marker.
Measuring the distance between the beams
If you have found the place where the first beam is located, start looking for the second one. You can use the same methods discussed earlier.
There should be a distance of about 8 feet between the beams. If you are looking for the optimal distance between the beams for a balcony hammock, then the indicators are 10-15 feet.
This contributes to better control of the height of the balcony hammock. Try to hang the structure so that it is 18 inches from the ground.
Fixation of eyebolts
After, you need to arm yourself with a drill to make a hole. The optimal diameter is 3/8 inch from the area that was marked on the beams. Then use a screwdriver to screw in the bolts. Try to choose options with a hole. And remember that their length should be enough. After all, they need to be screwed in by 2-2.5 inches.
Fixing a balcony hammock
In the end, you can proceed to the very fixing of the hammock. This process may vary depending on which balcony you have and which type of balcony hammock you prefer. If the balcony is small in size, in most cases, it is required to fix the hammock eyes to the bolts themselves.
You can also independently choose the optimal length using a rope. You can tie the ends of the balcony hammock to the bolts. However, many people like to use carabiners, which you can easily remove and put on a balcony hammock if necessary.
If you prefer the second option, try to use fairly powerful carbines. Focus on the weight that falls on the balcony hammock.
If you have an open balcony and plan to place a grill on it and invite friends, you can easily remove the hammock so that it does not interfere.
Other ways to fix a hammock on a balcony
The universal version of hanging a hammock has been described above. However, it is not suitable for the rented apartment balcony, where it is forbidden to drill holes in the walls and ceiling. Therefore, other alternatives are always appropriate, which will be discussed later.
Application of top beams
If the balcony is equipped with strong beams, you can wrap them with ropes, to which the hammock is fixed. In this case, no drilling is required. It is enough to stock up on a dense and thick rope, which can be found in hardware stores.
After the rope wraps around the beam several times. The other end needs to be threaded through the eye of the hammock.
Use of a hammock stand
Not everyone likes hammock stands because such coasters are quite bulky and take up a lot of space. That is why people prefer to drill a hole in walls and ceilings.
However, a hammock stand would be appropriate for those who boast a spacious balcony and do not want to make holes in the wall.
The hammock stand is presented in various options on the market. Each hammock stand differs in stylish design and high-quality materials. It is possible that a hammock stand would be appropriate as additional decor.
Choosing a hammock based on the size of the balcony
As you know, all balconies differ in shape and size.
Fortunately, there are different types of balcony hammocks on the market, so you can choose the best option for yourself.
Some people think that it is impossible to place a hammock on small balconies. However, this is a big mistake.
How to hang a hammock on a balcony 8 feet long?
If your balcony is 8 feet long, opt for a hammock chair. The hammock chair hangs on a rope that is fixed to the ceiling. A hammock chair is the best solution if you like to spin in a hammock, or swing on it. However, you cannot lie down comfortably in hammock chairs.
The classic hammock swing that you can lie on is only appropriate for large balconies. The optimal length of the room is more than 8 feet.
Results
As you can see, it is not difficult to fix a suitable hammock on a balcony. However, you should focus on the size of the room, as well as your capabilities. You can use the hanging chair for one person or hang the double hammock.
If you are renting a house or apartment, then drilling methods are not the best option. However, if the landlord does not mind, feel free to drill holes, forming reliable support.
