DIY REPLACEMENT CANOPY!
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A year or two ago we purchased one of those swing sets that include monkey bars, slide, rock wall, and ladder. You probably know the kind (or have one). You also probably know that the canopy wears out after a few years or seasons in the sun, rain, and if you live up north, the snow.
I am a DIY person when it is possible and when it makes economic sense to do so. In this case, I was not about to spend one hundred+ dollars on a new canopy from the website or store. So I ran off to my second favorite store (number one being Amazon) with coupons in hand to find new fabric.
I knew I'd need some sort of outdoor fabric and being May I knew Joann Fabrics would be well stocked. I found a colorful blue and red flowered fabric that I would like to look at. I knew the kids really didn't care and they weren't helping me so it wasn't up to them.
This outdoor fabric was one of the thicker options. I didn't want it to wear out too quickly. I would compare this to a duck cloth but with more of an artificial feel.
This fabric came in a normal sized bolt which I figured would be wide enough to cover the area I needed if I hemmed it 2 inches on each side. I measured to make sure I had enough to cover the length of the canopy while accounting for the peak. I believe in our case, I purchased 4 yards and that was more than enough. I had originally thought I'd cut the fabric to the width I needed and then hem pieces together to get the length, however once I got the fabric home I knew hemming the edges would be easier.
This fabric came in a normal sized bolt which I figured would be wide enough to cover the area I needed if I hemmed it 2 inches on each side. I measured to make sure I had enough to cover the length of the canopy while accounting for the peak. I believe in our case, I purchased 4 yards and that was more than enough. I had originally thought I'd cut the fabric to the width I needed and then hem pieces together to get the length, however once I got the fabric home I knew hemming the edges would be easier.
I didn't bother washing the fabric because I knew it was just going outside, but I did spray it with Rustoleum Never Wet to give it a bit of protection against the weather. It is probably recommended to wash the material first before spraying with Rustoleum Never Wet, but I'm inpatient. This product is VERY smelly. Make sure you do it outside in a well ventilated area.


Anyway, back to making canopies. Here is what the canopy looked like ironed and hemmed.
I didn't worry about ironing the hem out of the middle because honestly I didn't care and it was just going outside. Our home is not on the Parade of Homes.
Once I got the fabric outside and I climbed onto the platform of the swing set, it was time to figure out how to attach it to the frame. I could have stapled it into the wood, but I was concerned that they wouldn't hold if there were high winds. I didn't want my fabric to rip so I decided to place grommets into the corners and then tie them to the frame.




Take the hole punch part and place it with the wood under the fabric. Use your hammer and give a good whack (or two or three) on the hole punch until you get a clean hole out of your fabric. You want one clean hole and one bigger or your grommet won't hold to the fabric.
You then take the base of grommet kit and put the bottom part of a grommet on top. Put your hole on top of the bottom piece of the grommet. There should be a piece that fits into the hole. Then take the top piece of the grommet which looks like a ring.
Put the top attachment piece (you can see it in the above photos) on top of the sandwich you've created. Now, take your hammer and give about three good hits. The piece that was sticking out of the bottom grommet should have squished down and is now holding the top ring in place.
I did these for all four corners of the canopy. I could have attached it to the top of the platform as it was but I had a lot of fabric left over and couldn't find a good spot to tie on the four corners. If you find that you measured your fabric correctly and your can tie each corner and the canopy fits snugly, then you can stop here. In my case, I decided to add four more grommets about 8 inches from the original and then fold the fabric over the frame and bring the grommets together and tie them.
If you decide to use any sort of synthetic rope, make sure you melt the ends so they don't fray. It is a bonus if you have a solid fire source and the wind stays away. I was fortunate enough to have an extra windy day hence the pile of matches in the background of the above photo.
Here is how I attached each side to the platform. I came to find out that no design in perfect. In this case, the part on the bottom collected water every time it rained and the fabric could have stretched out, but I just dumped the water quickly and this was not a problem. This year I may shorten the canopy so I don't have any fold over.
Here is the finished product! Overall, I'm very happy with how it turned out. The width was perfect (even without measuring) and even though the length was too long, it wasn't something that couldn't be fixed. It definitely helped keep the sun off the kids while they played and it was a lot more pretty to look at than the multi-colored rainbow ones or generic ones that are offered. I also made it for a fraction of the price.
You then take the base of grommet kit and put the bottom part of a grommet on top. Put your hole on top of the bottom piece of the grommet. There should be a piece that fits into the hole. Then take the top piece of the grommet which looks like a ring.
Put the top attachment piece (you can see it in the above photos) on top of the sandwich you've created. Now, take your hammer and give about three good hits. The piece that was sticking out of the bottom grommet should have squished down and is now holding the top ring in place.
I did these for all four corners of the canopy. I could have attached it to the top of the platform as it was but I had a lot of fabric left over and couldn't find a good spot to tie on the four corners. If you find that you measured your fabric correctly and your can tie each corner and the canopy fits snugly, then you can stop here. In my case, I decided to add four more grommets about 8 inches from the original and then fold the fabric over the frame and bring the grommets together and tie them.
Here is how I attached each side to the platform. I came to find out that no design in perfect. In this case, the part on the bottom collected water every time it rained and the fabric could have stretched out, but I just dumped the water quickly and this was not a problem. This year I may shorten the canopy so I don't have any fold over.
Here is the finished product! Overall, I'm very happy with how it turned out. The width was perfect (even without measuring) and even though the length was too long, it wasn't something that couldn't be fixed. It definitely helped keep the sun off the kids while they played and it was a lot more pretty to look at than the multi-colored rainbow ones or generic ones that are offered. I also made it for a fraction of the price.
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