Installing Kids’ Swedish Wall Bars: Floor-to-Ceiling Mount and Extra Bolts
At last I’ve ordered and bought the Balu kids’ sports corner – basically, a modified set of Swedish wall bars :-) – plus a climbing rope and a big black mat. I had been meaning to buy wall bars for my child for a long time and spent ages choosing which ones and where. Finally I found a set with a good price, a smart design and free delivery :-)
The Balu wall bars after installation
Assembly took me two days and quite a bit of fiddling, because I wanted it to be solid and safe. I went back to the hardware store several times and bought a pile of extra bolts, nuts, washers and anchors. The hardware in the box would probably have been enough, but I was ready to put in some work and use my imagination. The photo shows the result: as a kid, I couldn’t even dream of wall bars like these.
How wall bars like these can be mounted
There are two ways to install it:
- fixed to the side wall at the top, where the monkey bars are; you can also order extra brackets that attach the ladder to the wall;
- wedged between the floor and the ceiling.
I think the floor-to-ceiling option is more reliable. Besides, my side wall isn’t load-bearing, so drilling it and putting in big anchors is out of the question. That’s why I chose the floor-to-ceiling mount – but I didn’t rely on it alone.
How I reinforced the mounting
The numbers mark where I reinforced the mounting
The idea is simple: the frame is wedged between the floor and the ceiling and screwed to the wall at the top. I added a few things:
- I drilled the round metal ceiling plates and fixed them to the ceiling with anchor bolts.
- I took long bolts and passed them through the tube and the plate so that they stuck out about 5 cm beyond the plate. Then I drilled holes in the ceiling for them: the bolts screw through the threads in the plates and go into those holes. This way the frame can’t shift in any direction.
- I added lock nuts on top of the nuts and put washers everywhere.
- I put a nut on the top side as well.
- I added more bolts – three in total now. It may be overkill, but I’d bought plenty of bolts anyway.
As a result, the wall bars easily hold me, and I weigh about 95 kg (210 lb). You can do pull-ups without worrying.
Tip: check the rope’s carabiner
The weak spot turned out to be not the mounting but the carabiner the rope hangs on. Kids love to tuck the rope behind the ladder rungs and pull it back out. If you pull it at an angle, the carabiner’s gate can bend out of its notch: ours bent that way, and the rope fell down, lightly hitting my child.
I couldn’t find a stronger carabiner at the time, so I straightened the old one, hung it back and wrapped it tightly with tape – now the gate won’t bend out so easily. If you’re buying a rope, get a sturdy screw-lock carabiner right away.
What to check before installing
- Find out which walls are load-bearing: big anchors don’t go into a light partition wall, and that’s where a floor-to-ceiling mount helps.
- Measure your ceiling height before ordering and compare it with the model’s dimensions.
- Don’t skimp on hardware: washers, lock nuts and longer bolts cost next to nothing compared with peace of mind.
- Put a mat under the wall bars.
- Check and retighten the bolts and nuts from time to time.