Outdoor

Crib Mattress Porch Swing

A simple porch swing that uses a crib mattress for a seat cushion.

About this build

A simple porch swing that uses a crib mattress for a seat cushion. With minimal tools this can be build and finished in a weekend.

Overall cost: $$. Lumber prices vary by region, species, and season, so we give a band rather than a figure we would only be pretending to know.

Part	Qty	T × W × L
Sheet of Plywood - see orange in cut list photo	2	3/4" × 27" × 52"
Boards - see red in cut list photo	2	1" × 3" × 19"
Boards - see mint green in cut list photo	4	3/4" × 3" × 27"
Board - see neon green in cut list photo	1	1" × 3" × 55"
Boards - see white in cut list photo	2	1" × 3" × 29"
Boards - see pink in cut list photo	2	1" × 5" × 48"
Boards - see pink in cut list photo	2	1" × 3" × 14"
Boards - see yellow in cut list photo	4	1" × 3" × 27"
Boards - see green in cut list photo	2	3/4" × 3" × 13"
Boards - see blue in cut list photo	2	3/4" × 3" × 48"

Buy 11 boards at 8 ft.

2 boards

4 boards

2 boards

3 boards

Assumes 8 ft stock, a 1/8" saw kerf, and buying each part at its own width. Change the board size or kerf on the full board plan →

1Cut to length
1. Cut all your stock to final dimensions and add pocket holes where needed.
2Build Front Section
Build the front section of the swing frame. Attach the 2x4s to the cut to size 2x6 with 2 ½” pocket hole screws and wood glue.
3Build Back Section
- Build the back section of the swing frame.
- Attach the 2x4s to each other and to the cut to size 2x6 with 2 ½” pocket hose screws and wood glue.
- Once the outside frame is assembled, add the interior decorative ¾” thick backrest boards. Use 1 ¼” pocket hole screws and wood glue to attach the backrest.
4Add seat supports
Add the seat support board to the front section of the swing frame. Be sure to have the pocket holes on the front section on the inside of the frame. Use 2 ½” pocket hole screws and wood glue to attach the 2x4 support sections to the front frame section.
5Join front and Back Sections
- Join the front section and back section of the swing frame with 2 ½” pocket hole screws and wood glue.
- Add the arm rests with 2 ½” pocket hole screws and wood glue. The decorative side boards will be added with 1 ¼” pocket hole screws and wood glue.
6Finish
Finish! Decide if you’d like to paint or stain and then add your own hardware to hang the swing.