5 Ways to Safely Repurpose Tires You Have Lying Around
Old tires may be unsafe to use on your car, but they can still provide you with decades of useful service, long after you’ve replaced them. Here are some ways you can safely and easily repurpose old tires you may have lying around your garage or backyard.
1.) Tire ottoman
This rope and tire ottoman by Simon Raczka is a winner in our book. All this simple project needs is an old tire, enough rope to cover it, some plywood or medium-density fiberboard, a drill, screws, and some sealant. With a spare weekend afternoon, you too can create a chic, versatile ottoman that will tastefully accent your deck or man-cave. It’s got the type of rustic, down-home look that just works well with a wide variety of aesthetics, so it’s definitely a project well worth checking out.
2.) Tables and stools
With a little wood and some creativity, tires can easily be turned into hard-wearing stools and tables that function as excellent conversation pieces as well. There are literally hundreds of ways to convert tires to furniture, with some people literally just stacking and bolting them together and laying a round piece of wood or medium-density fiberboard on top of it, and other preferring more elegant pieces with separate legs and handcrafted table tops. One awesome thing about these types of furniture is that they’re often well-suited for outdoor use.
3.) Planters
There are dozens of ways to use old tires as planters. Some of these ideas include hanging planters, column-shaped planters, as well as flower-shaped planters, among many others. Of course, you can always just put a tire on the ground and fill it up with top soil, but there’s so much you can do to spruce up your tires (including carving and painting them) that you might not want to leave them as is.
The advantage of using old tires as planters is their extreme resilience to the outdoors, and more importantly, termites. If you want to try getting into gardening and already have a couple of tires lying around, you should be mostly set.
4.) Playgrounds and obstacle courses
Tires are, of course, a staple of playgrounds and obstacle courses the world over. The can stay outdoors, virtually for decades, and can be used for different types of equipment and obstacles, including swings, climbing walls, crawling obstacles, and more. They are even widely used as permanent outdoor jumping hoops for dog agility courses. If you love DIY projects and have some old tires lying around, they may just be the thing to keep your children or your dog occupied.
5.) Dog or cat bed
Nothing could be simpler! Just pressure wash the old tire to clean it (never do this on a tire you still have on your car, as this can damage the sidewalls!) then stick some old pillows, round pet beds, or pet-safe cushioning inside. You can spruce things up a bit of course, with paint or by cutting out part of the tire so smaller dogs could easily access it, or to increase the available cushioning for your pet.
Of course, we don’t always have the time or inclination to repurpose or recycle our old tires. In that case, Western Tire Recyclers is always ready to help.
