What you’ll need:
•pallets
•2 x 4 lumber (we used three 8-foot pieces)
•drill
•screws
•saw
•measuring tape
•rope**
•mattress or cushion (we used a standard twin mattress)
•2-3 vinyl zippered mattress covers*
How to do it:
•Measure the size of the mattress or cushion you’re putting on the pallet and figure out how many pallets you’ll need to use to fit your mattress on. We used 2 pallets and added additional pieces in the middle to get the right length for ours. (We added 12 inches to the middle. The total length of our pallet was 80 inches.) Take into account the space you’ll need for the rope at the ends.
•Slide the 2 x 4′s through the inside of the pallets, one on each inside edge of the pallet and one through the middle.
•Screw the 2 x 4′s to the sides and middle of the pallet.
•If needed, add additional boards from another pallet to your main piece, we added two boards from a broken down pallet to the middle of ours.
•Cut off 2 x 4′s that are hanging past the length of the pallets.
•Drill holes in the four corners of the pallet, both the top and bottom boards of the pallet. Make sure the hole is big enough for the rope to fit through.
•Thread the rope through the hole, making sure rope goes under the bottom of the pallet and around the 2×4 (see picture below). Tie securely.
•Tie rope securely to tree.
•Enclose mattress in vinyl covers. Place on top of swing.
*Not necessary, but will keep your mattress dry & protected
**We used a solid braid pro-grade rope. Look for a rope that won’t rot or break down easily and that has a high working load limit – 700 pounds or higher would be ideal. They have a big selection in home improvement stores, like Home Depot (where ours is from).
