Advice in dealing with studs
October 13, 2010 7:31 PM Subscribe
I need advice on indoor hammock installation.
Has anyone out there installed a Brazilian hammock* into studs inside a house with wood construction? I'm thinking about buying this installation kit and giving it a try. The whole process seems somewhat harrowing, however, so it would be great if anyone has done this and can offer advice based on their experience.
*or, probably any non-spreader bar hammock
Has anyone out there installed a Brazilian hammock* into studs inside a house with wood construction? I'm thinking about buying this installation kit and giving it a try. The whole process seems somewhat harrowing, however, so it would be great if anyone has done this and can offer advice based on their experience.
*or, probably any non-spreader bar hammock
Best answer: I don't know if you really need that kit - you can buy the individual bits you need at any hardware store - the eyebolts & rope etc. The tricky part, that this kit won't help you with, is finding the stud - especially as you have to find the centre of this 1-1/2" stud to place your bolt securely. Unless you are willing to punch all sorts of holes in your wall until you hit the right spot,You're going to need to buy, or ideally borrow, a pretty accurate stud finder. If possible you should try and anchor it close to a window or door opening, where the studs should be double up and thicker.
But really, it's not rocket science and shouldn't be harrowing. Once you have a stud finder, try it out and you should find (if this is a fairly modern house) that the studs are 16" apart, measured centre to centre (it might be 24"; either way this is so the studs align with a standard 48" wide sheet of gypsum board). Once you have a fairly good sense of the 'logic' of your studs, and where there centres should be, make a mark and drill a thin pilot hole. You should hit nothing but wood. Then, maybe widen this with a bigger drill, a bit smaller than your bolt. Then, just screw in your bolt. If it feels solid, if there's a lot of resistance, you're fine.
The one time I did this myself, I screwed a lag bolt with washers on it into a wooden window frame on one end, and a climbing piton pounded into an exposed brick wall for the other, so there wasn't any guesswork as to where the anchor points were. It was very sturdy though and held up well. Hey, maybe I should hang up my hammock again. Thanks for the idea!
posted by Flashman at 7:59 PM on October 13, 2010
But really, it's not rocket science and shouldn't be harrowing. Once you have a stud finder, try it out and you should find (if this is a fairly modern house) that the studs are 16" apart, measured centre to centre (it might be 24"; either way this is so the studs align with a standard 48" wide sheet of gypsum board). Once you have a fairly good sense of the 'logic' of your studs, and where there centres should be, make a mark and drill a thin pilot hole. You should hit nothing but wood. Then, maybe widen this with a bigger drill, a bit smaller than your bolt. Then, just screw in your bolt. If it feels solid, if there's a lot of resistance, you're fine.
The one time I did this myself, I screwed a lag bolt with washers on it into a wooden window frame on one end, and a climbing piton pounded into an exposed brick wall for the other, so there wasn't any guesswork as to where the anchor points were. It was very sturdy though and held up well. Hey, maybe I should hang up my hammock again. Thanks for the idea!
posted by Flashman at 7:59 PM on October 13, 2010
Best answer: I had one setup in my room in a previous house. I just sunk heavy duty eye-bolts sunk into the studs and it worked great. If your walls are plaster, be prepared for a little cracking around the bolt as it will move slightly with weight. This happened in my room, easy fix, but the fact that it happened was a bit disturbing.
posted by jellywerker at 9:09 PM on October 13, 2010
posted by jellywerker at 9:09 PM on October 13, 2010
Response by poster: Thanks, all. I think I'm going to go ahead with it.
posted by umbú at 11:33 AM on October 14, 2010
posted by umbú at 11:33 AM on October 14, 2010
« Older How to tell which fundraising technique is the... | Snickers Grocery Store Lady Costume? Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.
The only problem I had was finding the studs. The screws a reasonably wide so they have to be centered pretty well. I used my smallest drill bit to drill initial pilot holes to make sure I had the stud. I used a stud finder and measured (after asking my ex-carpenter dad) and still drilled a few extra holes in the wall. Once I was confident that I had found the center of the stud, I drilled a larger pilot hole and then put a little bit of wood glue in the hole. The glue was probably overkill but I'd rather do it too well than not well enough.
posted by VTX at 7:50 PM on October 13, 2010