How to Reuse Tires for Home Projects

If you’ve owned a car, you may know that you have to change your tires at least once every 5-10 years. Before thinking of discarding your old tires, you may want to consider reusing them as interior and exterior décor, for example. Or, make use of them as dog beds, planters, swings, furniture, etc.

5-Minute Crafts has rounded up some upcycling ideas to turn your old hefty tires into useful items.

1. Create furniture for your pets.

You can upcycle one of your old tires for your furry friends and make different pieces of furniture like a pet bed.

• To do so, you need to clean the tires using a hose. Keep in mind that you can get rid of the small rocks stuck in the tire with the help of a nail. Using a stiff bristle brush, scrub it with some soapy water, rinse it off, and leave it outside to dry.
• When it’s fully dry, you can start painting. Make sure to keep it on its edge. Holding the spray bottle 8 inches (20 centimeters) away, paint the tire section-by-section, then leave it to dry. Next, rotate the dry painted section to the bottom, and start painting the new-top part.
• When all parts are completely dried, bring the tire inside and use pads to protect the floors and the paint job. After you tuck a round pillow inside, your dog bed is ready to use.

• You can upcycle your old tire as a pet bowl too. To do so, start by washing your tire and leave it to dry. When it’s fully dried, place a bowl for food or water that fits in the center, and your dog bowl is ready.

2. Create trash bins for your outdoors.

You can make some colorful additions to your outdoors by spray painting 3 tires according to your liking.

• To start, glue and stack each one of them on top of another. Your trash bin is ready after you insert a garbage bag. Keep in mind that decorating or painting them in cute fun ways will add to your outdoor decor.
• If you decide to make a few tire bins, you can color-code all your upcycled trash bins. Blue for recycling, yellow for landfill, and green for composting, for example.

3. Use them to decorate your garden.

Another way to reuse old tires is to convert them into outdoor seats. But, make sure the tire is clean.

• Start by cutting 2 equal-sized circles from a plywood panel for both openings on the top and bottom. Using a hot glue gun, stick them on both sides of the tire. Next, glue the rope onto the plywood starting from the center in a spiral shape. Then, wrap the rope all around the entire tire until you reach the center on the other side.

• You can convert your old tire into a coffee table and use it indoors or outdoors. To do so, start painting old tires in, for example, lime green, or any other color according to your liking. Then top it with a round piece of glass.

• Hanging planters: Start painting the tire according to your taste. After drilling some holes from the bottom to drain the water, it’ll be ready for you to plant your favorite flowers in it.
• Raised beds: If you’re into growing vegetables or flowers, converting your old tires into raised beds is a good idea. You can pile colorfully painted tires to display various plants. When decorating, you can use rhinestones, glitter, etc.

4. Create playground equipment for your children.

• Create a sandbox: Simply paint the tire and add enough sand inside.
• Make a teeter-totter: Cut a tire in half and attach a board over its top. Make sure the tires are strong and durable enough that they are able to carry a heavy weight. Also, you can insert some smaller boards inside.
• Transform them into climbers: Build this for your little ones with a few bolts and a power drill. You can shape it in any way you like, whether you want it to be domes, pyramids, hanging walls, etc.
• Create tire swings: You can hang them vertically or horizontally with a tree support rope (or chain). Children will have hours of fun with their tire swings.