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I'm putting in a "hanging chair" in the basement and it's supposed to hang from a single hook in the ceiling. The ceiling is reinforced concrete.

Now, I'm about 125 kilograms (275 lbs) so I reckon the hook should easily be able to bear twice that for safety. Is that a good enough margin?

What would be the easiest and best way to mount a hook in the ceiling that will hold about 250 kgs (550 lbs)?

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    2x margin seems low. People tend to hang/swing on stuff way to much. Also what is behind the concrete? I.e is it a poured ceiling, is there structure in there, a beam, etc?
    – Alex Feinman
    Sep 8, 2010 at 20:41
  • I think it's just poured concrete with rebars in.
    – henriksen
    Sep 9, 2010 at 9:03

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I'd recommend a concrete epoxy for this application. It's expensive at $19 but is stronger than a mechanical anchor, and you can sink a standard eye bolt in there for a nice clean look. I'd recommend a heavy 1/2" one perhaps up to 6" long, but if the ceiling is thick enough you could bury most of it in your hole so just the eye is exposed.

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Your margin of error sounds a bit low - one thing to bear in mind is that while the static force of you in the chair is half the rating of the hook, the peak force will be higher as you "drop" into the chair. If you can get a bigger hook it might be worth it.

If you have a hook on a plate then you'll spread the load across more bolts thus each one won't have to bear the full weight.

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  • Good idea. I was going to say the hook will be the weak link too.
    – nportelli
    Sep 8, 2010 at 20:49
  • Thanks for the input. What kind of margin should I go for? 3x, 4x? I like Mike's idea of sinking a standard eyebolt in, it will look nicer.
    – henriksen
    Sep 9, 2010 at 8:58
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    @henrikson - I don't know for certain, you may be limited by what you can actually buy. Perhaps you should go for the largest you can afford.
    – ChrisF ♦
    Sep 9, 2010 at 10:35
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I know that mechanical anchors are mentioned, however i would have simply used a rawl-bolt of sufficient diameter for the task.

This would be dependent on the quality/strength of the concrete.

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Have you thought about using a chair stand....

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If you are going to drill into a concrete ceiling; The weakest part of the ceiling is the center point, where gravity is at its greatest. Avoid placing hooks at this point. Position them as close to the supporting walls as possible. Drilling holes in a concrete ceiling will probably not cause structural problems but adding weight via a hook might. Keep in mind, there is probably rebar in the concrete. If you run into this you will need a Rebar Cutting Drill Bit.

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Try a marine supply store like West Marine for a stainless steel "u-bolt" or galvanized "dock ring" on a 2, 3, or 4 hole base plate. There are various sizes and weight loads. The U-bolt is welded to the plate and load limits, based on size can vary from 500 lbs. to 2000 lbs.

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