Old car tires are a headache for environmentalists. According to statistics, 76% of tires are not recycled or disposed of. If you also have worn-out tires lying around in your garage, do not rush to throw them in a landfill, do not pollute the environment. After all, tires are an excellent material for DIY! Show your imagination and put in a little effort, and they will benefit you for a long time.
To inspire you, we've collected over seven dozen ideas for repurposing old car tires.
How to make original furniture from tires with your own hands
Before the process of creating furniture, of course, the tires must be pre-treated. To do this, they are washed, dried, treated with an alcohol solution or acetone solution. If you want to give a car tire a certain color, it is better to use acrylic, alkyd or specialized paint (for rubber). There are many ways to create furniture from car tires. Here are some instructions for putting theory into practice:
- Comfortable armchair. One tire will be the base, and the other two will be the legs. The tires that serve as supports are cut in half and then attached to the seat with nuts or bolts. A sheet of plastic or wood of the appropriate size is installed on top of the seat.
- Another way to create a chair. Take several car tires with a pre-prepared slot (a plywood or plastic backrest is placed in it). The backrest is secured with bolts or wire. The base can be filled with soft foam rubber, pillows, or a hard seat can be made.
- The table can be made from several tires that form a rigid base, and a piece of plywood that will serve as a working surface.
- If you need a pouf, then take several tires from a car, connect them together, and fill the space inside with pillows or foam rubber wrapped in fabric. Wheels can be additionally attached to the structure to allow movement.
But this is just the “skeleton” of your furniture. You will have to work hard on finishing to give the product its final look. You can make a soft upholstery, a woven rope cover, or a removable fabric cover. It all depends only on your imagination. The surface of the table can be decorated with a pattern or decorative sheets of plastic can be attached. This way the design will acquire a finished presentation.
DIY furniture made from tires master class:
How to do it?
Step-by-step instructions for the home version
The chair manufacturing process will look like this:
First, we take two tires, install them on top of each other and fasten them together with self-tapping screws .- We attach felt to the bottom of the product so that the product does not spoil the floor covering, and it is easier to move it from one place to another.
- We fix the felt around the entire perimeter using a furniture stapler.
- We cut off the remaining felt with scissors.
- We turn the product over so that the felt is at the bottom, and proceed to the construction of the back.
For the back we use plywood . It is desirable that this material be flexible and elastic.- We fasten the backrest to the rubber with self-tapping screws at a distance of 10 cm.
- For ease of use of a piece of furniture, we fill its frame with foam rubber , which we place inside the product.
- We also make the back soft. But for this it is recommended to use thinner foam rubber.
- For the seat , cut out 2 circles from foam rubber and fix them to the tires with a stapler.
- fabric cover
That's the whole simple process of making an original piece of furniture for the home.
Uncover
Before starting work, it is recommended to watch a video where you can see the details of making the chair
After studying the drawings, transfer them to graph paper. After cutting out the patterns, mark the plywood. It is necessary to place the elements on the surface of the sheets so that the material is used sparingly.
The material should only be cut with a suitable tool:
- for sheets less than 15 mm thick, use a jigsaw;
- more than 15 mm – circular saw.
The sheets are cut taking into account the direction of the fibers - always along. Otherwise, the edges of the parts will delaminate. If it is necessary to make a cross-section, first apply notches to the surface of the plywood using a bench knife.
The cutting tool should not be applied directly to the marking line, but beyond half a millimeter. Then, after sanding the ends of the plywood, the parts will retain the desired size.
Cutting plywood. Chair detail
The edges of each part are treated with medium-grain sandpaper. You should not skip this stage, even if the cut areas look even. There may be small, unnoticeable particles of wood at the edges, which may become embedded in the leather during use of the chair. The surface of the plywood is sanded with fine-grained sandpaper.
If, according to the selected sketch, the parts should have rounded edges, they are processed with a file or special tools: a drill with a milling attachment, a grinder.
Based on the drawings, places for fasteners are marked on the prepared elements. Drill holes with a drill of suitable diameter. It must enter the material strictly vertically. If this condition cannot be met, it is better to drill another hole, retreating some distance from the originally intended point.
After the rocking parts are ready, they are coated with a primer. You should choose antiseptic compounds that increase the resistance of wood to moisture. They wait until it is completely dry, after which they begin to assemble the chair.
Chair made of tires under a cover
Even greater comfort for relaxing or sitting is provided by a DIY tire chair. It can be made without much effort and time. A general scheme for creating a chair is proposed, which can be supplemented with various innovations or other original design solutions.
Required set of materials and tools
To transform old tires into attractive and original chairs you will need:
- screwdriver;
- furniture stapler;
- self-tapping screws;
- scissors;
- car tires (2 pcs.);
- felt;
- bendable plywood (100x90 cm);
- dense and thin furniture foam;
- knife (shoe or with a retractable blade);
- scissors;
- cover made of quilted fabric.
Step by Step Actions
- First you need to fasten the tires together. This is done using a screwdriver and large self-tapping screws that are threaded through the inside of the tires.
- Felt is attached to the bottom of the tire chair so that the rubber does not come into contact with the floor and the chair is easier to move.
- The felt is fixed around the perimeter of the tire with a furniture stapler.
- Excess felt is cut off with scissors below the fixation level.
- The frame is turned over so that the felt base is at the bottom.
- Next, construct the back of the chair. For this, bendable plywood made from special types of wood is used. Plywood is flexible and resilient. The fibers of such plywood are not located like a regular sheet, but in one direction. These structural features make it easy to shape the plywood sheet into the desired shape.
- The plywood backrest is attached to the tires with self-tapping screws with an intermediate step of 10–15 cm.
- To make the chair soft and comfortable, the frame is filled with thick soft furniture foam. The material is cut around the circumference so that it can be placed inside the tire.
- The corresponding parts are cut out from thinner foam rubber for the back and soft part of the seat. For the seat, it is better to prepare 2 circles: one equal to the inner diameter of the tire (to fit inside), the other larger (the area of which can only be 2-3 cm less than the outer diameter of the tire).
- A thick foam circle is placed inside the tire. You'll have to put in some effort.
- The top pads are made of thin foam rubber. A circle of smaller diameter is placed first, and a larger one is placed on top. To prevent the circles from slipping, the upper part must be secured with a stapler.
- Thin foam rubber is placed on the back. Attached to the plywood sheet on both sides using a stapler. The excess is trimmed off.
- The lower edge of the thin foam rubber is carefully tucked between the back and the seat.
- A cover is sewn from quilted fabric and put on the chair (you can order its production in the workshop). Internal filler – padding polyester. Such a cover will give the chair even greater softness and make it cozy.
Read also: How to make gravy if there is no flour
The idea of using a cover is attractive because the material is easy to remove from the frame. It can be washed and refreshed. Over time, you can change the color of the cover to suit the updated interior.
Chair with seat and back made of books
If you have unnecessary old thick books, then you can use them to make the back and seat of a chair or armchair using the method indicated in the step-by-step photos. The author of the photo used a single sheet of plywood from a parcel mailbox for the side posts of the chair. In this case, he got a chair entirely from recycled materials. Of course, you will still have to buy threaded rods of the required length to tighten the chair.
Please note that sawing books usually generates a lot of fine dust, so prepare a work area and respirators for this in advance.
Attention, the author wants to draw your attention to the fact that you use one half of the book on the seat, and the second half of the same book on the back, this way the width of the back and seat will be the same, and you will not have to select the required number of sheets to achieve the desired thickness
Round coffee tables
Tires are also used to create an unusual coffee table. There are many ideas: on wheels, with or without legs, with a glass or wooden surface, painted or natural.
The option with a gold plated finish on chrome legs and a glass tabletop looks harmonious if it fits into the color background of the interior.
The option with a wooden tabletop and wenge-colored legs is perfect for a classic style. The legs are screwed to the lower wooden disk, and the tabletop is fixed with hot glue.
Country chairs made from old tires
There are several options for creating a product. Let's focus on the most popular, spectacular and uncomplicated.
- Cut off the beads of one of the tires. Cut the resulting ring on one side.
- Cut off one third of the second tire along with the bead.
- Paint two whole tires, one piece with the beads cut off to form a cut ring, and a second piece representing one third of the beaded tire.
- To make one chair from bald tires, you need to stack two whole tires on top of each other.
- To fix the joints between them, it is necessary to coat them with hot bitumen mastic . Glue or sew a plastic lattice onto the top tire with a strong thread.
- Screw or bolt vertically one third of the tire with the bead at the bottom to the top tire .
- screw the middle with the cut off beads to the top of the vertical one-third of the tire with the Bend this part into the shape of the back and handrails of the chair.
- Secure the lower ends or bolts to the upper lying tire.
It turned out to be a very comfortable chair made from tires for a summer house, a private farmstead, or a recreation center.
It is best to build several of these chairs for all family members.
Another chair option:
- You will need one whole tire, and from the second tire you need to cut a sector the size of one third .
- Wash both parts, dry them, and paint them with black rubber paint.
- Find legs from an old chair or from a Soviet TV. Screw the legs to the bottom of the whole tire with screws.
- Saw off two or three wooden blocks measuring about 5x5 cm, 40 cm long. Sand and paint with black rubber paint.
- the hole for the disc in the whole tire with a plywood circle covered with leatherette. This will be the seat of the chair.
- The inner cavity and ends of the second tire with the cut out sector are also covered with plywood and covered with leatherette . This will be the back of the chair.
- Assemble the structure: screw two or three bars to the tread surface of the whole tire with screws.
- The backrest is also screwed higher to the bars.
The result is a cozy chair with a minimalist and laconic design.
It can be as in the photo or slightly modernized depending on the materials that are at hand.
Why not an impressive leather chair from a designer furniture showroom!
It’s not a shame to furnish not only a country courtyard, but also the creative interior of an apartment or house.
In Europe, such furniture in residential premises has long been not uncommon, because the environmental trend is gaining popularity every year.
Tables
There are several options for creating tables from tires. Let's look at each of them in detail.
On two stacks of wheels
Washed, dried, degreased rubber wheels without discs are first painted with acrylic, bitumen, enamel paints.
The most suitable coloring mixture for treating tires is rubber paint . It can withstand hundreds of cycles of sudden temperature changes, as well as precipitation, without cracking or deforming.
The tires are stacked one on top of the other in the place where the table needs to stand. It is necessary to install two stacks of tires 4 pieces each , preferably of different colors, at a distance of about half a meter between the outer walls.
A rectangular sheet of strong material, which is at hand, is placed flat on top of two stacks of multi-colored tires:
- flat plywood;
- plastic;
- Fiberboard;
- chipboard;
- thick safety glass;
- metal sheet.
The tabletop is fixed to the top rail of each stack with four screws diagonally at the contact points.
The edges of the sheet should protrude beyond the outer diameter of the tires by at least 10 centimeters.
The table cover can also be painted in any color pleasing to the eye.
To prevent the wheels from moving, there are two ways to fix them:
- pour earth or sand inside each stack of tires ;
- Lubricate each joint between the tires - hot bitumen mastic 1 cm thick, which will allow the tires to reliably stick to each other after drying.
Depending on the design, such a table will be perfect for a country house, a playground, or a garage.
Magazine
This type of product is made from one tire, but in larger sizes . Using the same principle, you can make stools and chairs.
Of course, it will not work as a full-fledged dining table, but it can serve perfectly as a coffee table.
- Wash and dry the tire of the required size .
- Find four legs from an old chair or make them yourself.
- Screw the legs to the tire with screws.
- Place a circle on top to cover the disk seat.
- Decorate - completely wrap the tire on all sides with yarn or create a pattern on the tabletop.
Such a decorative table with legs will serve as an effective stand for a beautiful vase, magazines, or pocket items.
Wicker
The next method will require a little more effort and creative skills.
- Cut a truck tire along the tread into two equal halves . One half will serve as a countertop.
- Cut the outer beads from five smaller diameter passenger tires to create five rubber rings .
- Using screws, screw four rings from below on four sides vertically to the table top. Using the fifth ring, connect together the vertical rings on the floor surface. This will be the reference plane of the table.
- Use the remaining rubber strips to tightly weave the mounting hole for the disk in the tabletop.
At such a table it is perfect to play board games in the evening at the dacha or read newspapers.
Finishing
As for finishing, a tire chair can be decorated in different ways. If the furniture is intended for outdoor use, it can be painted any color . You can also apply any ornament or design to the product using acrylic paints.
When using the product under a canopy or in the house, it is better to decorate it with textiles . To do this, you can make a cover for the chair. For those who know how to crochet, the cover can be made from thread.
Tip : If you are attracted to non-standard materials, try making a chair, table or even a bed out of pallets. And in the garden, next to such a chair, you can put a simple table or a table in a gazebo.
Peculiarities
The simplest garden furniture is outdoor benches used in parks and squares. However, summer residents and gardeners often make chairs, benches, and benches designed for use in the garden, and not just on the veranda or gazebo.
Do-it-yourself country furniture is much more durable than that bought in furniture stores. To save money, pieces of furniture are often made from chipboard, somehow protected from moisture using a film-adhesive layer. Sometimes wood dust with plastic is used - waste from other production as lumber. Both materials are diluted with epoxy resin or glue - this is how interior doors are cast, for example. It is not a problem to set up the production of similar furniture for a summer cottage: the slats and boards cast in this way have longitudinal voids inside, and in cross-section we see a box-shaped profile.
An example is the same Soviet benches installed in city parks back in the 70s of the last century, which in some places have survived to this day. There are no special secrets to their durability. These benches were painted with exterior paint every two years. It is resistant to fading under conditions of annual temperature changes, moisture and ultraviolet radiation.
Finally, making garden furniture is testing the skills of a real owner. If you are a jack of all trades, then you can make a chair using, for example, a dozen large scraps of wood after replacing the floors in the rooms.
Manufacturing instructions
The process of making an ottoman is simple, even a beginner can handle it:
- Lay the tire on the floor and measure its diameter. Make markings on a sheet of plywood and cut out 2 identical circles.
- Place a circle on the tire and attach it with self-tapping screws, screwing them along the edge. Turn the product over and secure the second circle in the same way.
- Glue the end of a rope or thin rope to the bottom plywood circle with a gun.
- Start wrapping the blank for the ottoman. The coils are laid tightly, but without overlap, in a spiral, from bottom to top. Each row is secured with a few drops of glue.
- After finishing the work, cover the pouf with a layer of furniture varnish - this will protect the product from moisture and dirt.
- If desired, the pouf can be placed on legs. The finished parts are attached at the bottom with self-tapping screws or liquid nails.
The ottoman can be made with a removable top, then you can put some things inside.
Low ottomans for the garden and home: soft, comfortable and practical
The simplest thing that can be made from used car tires is comfortable ottomans for relaxing and gathering with friends. They can be in the form of “tablets” covered with thick rope or with fabric upholstery on legs. Let's consider several manufacturing options.
First, the tire is wrapped diagonally with a thick cord crosswise to block the through hole. Then completely cover the circumference. To do this, the rope is twisted in a spiral starting from the center of the hole blocked by the cord. The rope is fastened with a glue gun.
In another option, 2 plywood disks of the appropriate diameter are used to close the holes in the center. They are attached with self-tapping screws. Next, the structure is wrapped with a thick rope, fixed with hot glue.
You can make a soft ottoman covered in fabric. To begin with, make blanks from a plywood sheet to cover the holes. Then a foam strip is glued to the side of the tire along the entire circumference.
Using a screwdriver, screw the plywood disk from below. Next, they cover the tire with thick material, fastening it with a construction stapler. Legs or wheels are screwed to the bottom plywood.
The remaining disk is wrapped in foam rubber and covered with fabric. The resulting lid is placed on top. It can be fixed with glue.
Several fabric-covered ottomans can be used to create a cozy seating area.
Preparing wheels step by step
Before starting the work process, you need to draw a sketch of the future piece of furniture and prepare the material itself for use:
Tires are thoroughly cleaned of dirt and washed with soapy water.- To clean the wheels, it is recommended to use special products that will give them a beautiful and shiny appearance.
- Next, the material should dry well and for reliability it is recommended to treat it with a solution of acetone or alcohol .
- To create interesting design solutions, it is worth purchasing acrylic paints .
Tip: You can use textiles instead of paints. With its help you can hide all the defects of old tires.
Flowerbed in the shape of a swan
Garden crafts in the shape of a swan are quite common figures, but few people use them for planting. Master class on creating a figured garden flower bed in the shape of a swan:
- One tire is used as the base and body of the bird. The tire is firmly fixed in the ground.
- The neck and head of the figure are glued along the upper edge, the wings are formed from rubber strips.
- After painting and decorative finishing, you can start planting flowers. Soil is filled inside the chamber, moistened and plants are planted.
The swan flowerbed perfectly emphasizes the overall style of the garden plot. Crafts made from tires for the garden are a great idea for those who have some patience, imagination and accumulated old tires.
Other furniture and crafts
At the dacha, every item, every useful thing is welcome. The spirit of fantasy and creativity is in the air here. Every seemingly unnecessary item will always have its own use. Worn automobile tires are a valuable material here, a strategic raw material.
It makes excellent swings for children, front gardens for flowering plants and green spaces. Tires are used to make brightly colored houses.
Benches for sitting, rocking chairs, funny bugs and striped caterpillars, flowerpots - this list of uses for old tires can be listed endlessly.
Third way
If you don’t want to bother with the rope, no problem. To quickly make a seat, you can simply place an old cushion inside the wheel. In this case, also prepare:
- foam;
- fabric/mesh;
- lace or fringe;
- thick threads for sewing;
- self-tapping screws
If you want the pouf to be as tall as a chair, use two wheels. Connect them together with self-tapping screws. Cut a rectangle of foam rubber large enough to wrap around the wheel. Sew its edges. Thanks to this, the frame will become soft and beautiful.
Tall poufs in the dining area of a private house
The two tires are connected with bolts or screws from the inside. Next, the structure is painted or left as is.
A wooden circle made of MDF or chipboard is nailed on top, which is also painted, and soft bedding is laid. Also, a wooden circle can be covered with foam rubber and fabric.
An excellent set will be made from high poufs and a table. The table is made according to the same principle, only its height is twice as large. Casual painting with white paint while maintaining a contrasting black tread pattern gives the furniture a stylish look.
Decor options
It should be said that even for such chairs, appearance is an extremely important aspect. At the same time, it is not necessary to buy any accessories for this at an exorbitant price. To do this, you can use some old unnecessary things. For example, the same pillows and bedspreads to make the chair not only beautiful, but also soft. For example, you can cover the seat and back with padding polyester, and simply stretch decorative fabric over this material. It is better to fasten such upholstery using the simplest furniture stapler.
A number of people believe that it would be best to decorate the back with buttons and cover it with fabric of the same color. If you need to hide the staples, you can do this with laces or simple decorative edging. The surface can also be painted, which will make your furniture an even more interesting addition to the interior. And if you wish, you can make some bright and beautiful cape.
Result
This is how the most common chair for home, garden or work is assembled. Over time, a beginner can complicate the design, add decoration, and use other types of connections and materials. You can also use recommendations from the Internet.
A handmade chair is not only a comfortable household item, but also a symbol of comfort, a source of pride for every craftsman. With experience, such a chair with your own hands can even become a piece of art, but the main thing is that it is comfortable to sit on. And a chair is really better and more comfortable than a stool; it is much more attractive and indispensable in the house. Therefore, every master should know how to make a chair.