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hanging chair from a ceiling joist

3 years ago

Hi everyone. I’m thinking of hanging a clear acrylic bubble chair from the ceiling. I came across pics of my ceiling during construction and noticed the joists are 2x4s that are laid horizontally as opposed to something seemingly more sturdy like 2x6s that are in a vertical position.

Would anyone in construction know if it this would be strong enough to put an Eye bolt into and hang a chair from? Total weight about 200lbs while sat on and it swings a bit. Maybe I can reinforce the joist somehow by adding another 2x4 in that area?

Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance

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Comments (10)

millworkman
3 years ago
You are looking at the bottom chord on floor trusses. No you cannot hang a chair from them. They were not engineered for that type of load. Is this a tract home or a custom home? If custom you can speak tot he lumberyard and see if the truss company can offer a suggestion to enable you to do this. If this is a tract or developer home, no chance as the trusses will be the bare minimum to meet code to start with.
res2architect
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
Hang it from the top chord or add vertical wood or steel reinforcement from the top to the bottom chord on each side and hang from that.

One method is to apply plywood to each side of the truss similar to they way a floor truss is reinforced for a top load.
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I think other are saying to possibly use rectangular "inside" the wall behind this cabinet that is between your kitchen and DR. If that is the case, I do not think that will work or is necessary. 1st you would have to bend/transition to get that into the wall cavity. You want to eliminate bends as much as possible if you can. Not to mention you will have to take a nice chunk out of the back of the cabinet to accomplish this I would think. Not to mention I think you need something like a 5x12 rectangular duct (narrowest) for the same cubic foot of air movement for an 8" round (according to charts I have seen on the web). This will not fit in the wall. If I am looking at the 2nd photo in your attic correctly, you are saying on the right side on the photo, above the electrical junction box, that is mounted on the joist, is where the hole is located. There is another joist behind it that is the attachment point for the DR ceiling Drywall. There is block on top of the joists connecting the two and there also appears to be horizontal blocking between those 2 joists as well. So again not sure anything could be run inside the wall. If the walls are 2x6 then you have a shot. You said you have 6" from the edge of the joist to the front of the cabinet. So you may be able to transition something here within this space. I brought up Oval duct since it has much better/smoother flow, compared to Rectangular. Also, it would be 3 1/2" width and you should have about 3" now, from the front edge of the circle to where the wire was hanging down. Thus, you would only need another 1/2" of cabinet cut to fit the duct towards the front. But the duct would require you cutting wider.
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PRO
Mark Bischak, Architect
3 years ago
Personally, I would rethink the clear acrylic bubble chair.
ksc36
3 years ago
These are where it's at...
Danny Tsang
Original Author
3 years ago
Thanks everyone. I’m glad I reached out. It might not be worth the effort to go this route just for the look of a hanging chair. I’ll likely end up just getting a normal accent chair for that corner of the living room.
Danny Tsang
Original Author
3 years ago
This was the original idea. I still like it but seems like a lot of work to open up the ceiling and reinforce it just for a chair
worthy
3 years ago
Fine to hang the chair. Just don't use it for other than stuffed animals

or (synthetic) dummies.
PRO
Mark Bischak, Architect
3 years ago
Consider an Eames Lounge Chair.
Lindsey_CA
3 years ago
Or, you could get an egg-shaped chair with a stand from which to hang it. And, yes, you can get them in plain colors.
kudzu9
3 years ago
To the OP or anyone else thinking of hanging any kind of chair or swing or bench using eyebolts: don’t. That is an accident waiting to happen. The only safe and proper way to attach something like that is with bolts going through the structural member that are secured by washers and nuts. Or by a specialty bracket sold for that purpose. And that is after the determination is made that the structural member can support the load without being compromised.

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