Easy Way to Make a Balance Beam

Complete step-by-step tutorial on how to build a raised balance beam for around $60 —

From watching Olympic gymnast Simone Biles on the television to running, flipping and twirling all around our living room — my girls LOVE everything gymnastics. Both girls began competing with a local gymnastics club. Now that my oldest has moved up and is pretty serious about practicing her beam handstands and dismounts, she begged me to build a raised balance beam with suede covering so it would have a similar feel to her beam at the gym.

If you can relate to this, or even if you have a new gymnast (like my youngest in the pic above) wanting to improve their skills at home, then this comprehensive tutorial on how to build a raised balance beam is for you.

A little back story on this design: Before I started this project I began searching DIY pics on Pinterest and the web, and couldn't find exactly what I was looking for – the right height, the right materials, etc. I combined several ideas into one and came up with a design that was fairly easy to build, cost effective, and my girls now love. I hope you find it helpful!

Tutorial: Build a raised balance beam for kids |  Est. time: 4 hours  | Est. cost $60

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Materials you'll need:

Tools I used:

Tutorial:

First, start by prepping the beam. I used a 4x4x8 piece of wood. I purchased treated lumber because it withstands the elements a bit better, and I knew we would be storing the beam in the garage. Even though the beam will be covered with padding and fabric, you may want to use a sander or hand sand the edges and ends to prevent any snagging.

For newbies to building, a 4×4 piece of wood is not ACTUALLY four inches wide. It is 3.5 inches by 3.5 inches. A regulation balance beam is 4 inches wide. If you want to add a bit of width you can clamp, glue and screw a 1×4 to the side of the beam, but keep in mind once you add the 5mm foam to pad the beam later it will add nearly a half inch to the width. A traditional beam is also sixteen feet long. While you could make a beam that long, this tutorial is for 8 feet because we needed something easy to transport and store.

Next, pad and cover your beam:

Next, it's time to pad the balance beam to cushion your little one's feet. I searched and searched and padding and foam was so expensive. I ended up finding yoga mats at Walmart for $4. The price has since gone up because it was a closeout, BUT, you can snag yours at a Five Below store for $5 each. I chose 5mm for the thickness, which is just shy of a quarter of an inch.

Padding Instructions:

Begin by lining your yoga mats up and planning where you will place them. One mat will not be long enough to cover all eight feet, so you will need 2 mats and will have a seam in the middle. If you line the ends up close together, it will not be noticeable once you cover it with fabric in the next step. Leave about 4 extra inches on each end because you are going to wrap the ends of the beam like a present.

The yoga mats will need to wrap all the way around your beam and overlap a bit (about 15 inches wide). You can trim them before you wrap, but I wrapped, glued, pulled and smoothed until it made it around and then trimmed to fit with household scissors. Even though it was glued, I secured the mats by tacking them down with roofing nails about every 12 inches all the way down the beam.

Wrap the ends like a present. I trimmed as shown below and then tacked the long piece with another roofing nail.

Fabric/Suede Instructions:

Next it's time to wrap the balance beam with the suede. It may be easiest to trim the suede to size first. The fabric width is typically 54 inches. You'll want to trim it to about 16 inches wide (that gives you a little extra to overlap.) The length of three yards is 108 inches. The eight feet beam is 96, so plan to leave about 6 inches on each end to wrap (similar to how you wrapped the ends with the yoga mats).

T

I followed the same technique as with the yoga mats starting at one end and making my way down the beam. I sprayed, stretched and pulled all the way around the beam, overlapping the fabric on the underside and tacking it down with roofing nails again with a hammer for extra security.

NOTE: Go easy on the spray adhesive. If you spray too much it could seep through fabric and leave a stain. I learned the hard way.

Next, build the balance beam base:

Finally, it's time to build the base of the balance beam. I cut each piece first (EXCEPT FOR THE SUPPORT PIECES – those are cut to fit), sanded with a palm sander and painted with an outdoor Valspar paint I purchased at Lowe's. Once the paint was dry, I assembled the beam.

Lumber Cut List:

1 - 2x4: Leave 96 inches

2x4: 2 @ 15 inches

2x4: 2 @ 24 inches

2x4: 2 @ Mitered (20 degrees) cut to fit

Begin by making your lumber cuts using your miter saw. Remember to measure twice and cut once. You can find the cut list in the table above.

Base Assembly:

Now you will assemble the base of the beam. I used deck screws for this because they eliminate the need for me to pre-drill holes and are just my preference in projects like these.

First, build the legs. Mark the center of the 24 inch pieces (the bottom bases). Center and secure your 15 inch pieces to the 24 inch pieces. You will want to line up and position the 15 inch piece flush with the edge of each of the 24 inch bases (see below). Secure with decking screws from the bottom.

Next, add the 96 inch 2×4 to the top of the legs (I used a 1×4 in my example below but am calling for a 2×4 in this tutorial since it is cheaper and ultimately sturdier). I positioned it with the legs so there is about a 4 inch overhang. Secure with two screws from the top for each of the legs.

Support Assembly:

Now it's time for the trickiest part – the extra support (see diagrams below). You'll want to cut these pieces at a beveled angle of 20 degrees using your miter saw.

It is VERY IMPORTANT that you cut these pieces to fit because if you are off by any small amount on your measurements they won't fit tightly. To do this I cut one end at the correct angle, then placed it on the base and next to the top of the beam that goes all the way across. I used a pencil and marked where it would connect at the top so I knew exactly where to cut.

Once you've made your cuts, put the pieces into place and put two screws in each end – two angled into the top and two angled into the bottom. Be careful not to split the wood.

For a more professional look, you can use a Kreg Jig to make pocket holes, like I did in mine. (see below)

Finally, put it all together and enjoy!

Now it is finally time to add the padded beam to the base. I used clamps to hold it tight and used 3 1/2 inch deck screws in pairs about every couple of feet from underneath the base into the padded beam. (see below)

Once the entire beam is assembled, you can make your finishing touches. I painted my beveled pieces and touched up where it needed.

Voila! You now know how to build a raised balance beam to keep your little gymnasts busy for hours.

Tell me about your creations!

I would love to hear about your creations. Or, do you have a project idea that has helped keep your kiddos entertained and away from the television? Comment below and share your creations!

Shop project supplies:

If you are new to DIY and want to find out what tools I depended on as a beginner, check out my DIY resources and tools page for my must-haves.

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Source: https://thecreativecarrpenter.com/buildaraisedbalancebeam/

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