If you own a car, you know that tires don’t last forever. There will always come a time where your tires will get punctured, cut, damaged, or worn out. Replacing them with new tires will be necessary if you want to stay safe on the road.
But what happens with old tires? Some of them end up in landfills, while others can get recycled and turned into different products. But it’s also possible to keep your old tires and to make something new out of them.
If you would like to give it a try, these 11 creative uses for old tires should inspire you:
1. Hang a tire to make a tire swing
According to Best In A List, one of the most common ways to reuse an old tire is to make a fun tire swing with it. You can simply clean your tire, and use a thick rope to hang it from a sturdy tree branch.
You can also paint the tire to decorate it, or ask your kids to paint it themselves so they will enjoy their new swing even more.
2. Use half a tire to make a tire see saw
Unless you have four kids at home, or kids who have a lot of friends, you don’t need four tire swings in your backyard. But there are other ways you can use a tire to entertain young children.
To make a tire see saw, cut a tire in half. Cut a wood board the size of the tire opening, and secure it in place with screws. You can then screw a longer plank on top of this one, and add handles. Paint your tire see saw, wait for the paint to dry, and watch your kids have fun!
3. Turn a tire into a small sandbox
If your kids enjoy playing with sand, you could turn a tire into a small sandbox. Simply decorate the tire, or leave it black, and place it somewhere in your backyard before filling it with sand.
If you happen to have an old tractor tire, your sandbox will be a lot bigger.
4. Make a garden planter
Many people use old tires to make garden planters. It’s easy, convenient, and a lot more affordable than buying large planters.
You can paint tires, fill them with soil, and plant beautiful flowers in them. You can stack them up in your backyard if you have accumulated a few tires, or hang one as if it was a tire swing, and fill its bottom part with flowers and plants.
5. Build a convenient bike rack with a few tires
If your family owns a few bikes, you could use old car tires to build a convenient bike rack.
Cut a few tires in half, and screw each half to a wooden frame. Leave enough space for a bike wheel between your old tires so it will be easy to hold your bikes in place.
6. Create a trash bin
Do you need a trash bin for your patio or your garage? How about making one yourself out of old tires?
It’s quite simple, and the result will be unique. Pile up three tires, and glue them together, or secure them to each other with screws. You can paint them if you want, before placing a big garbage bag inside them.
7. Build tire stairs in your backyard
If you have many old tires, and a backyard with a steep slope on it, you could build fun and original tire stairs.
Stack your tires to form a staircase, and fill them with soil or gravel so they will stay firmly in place whenever someone climbs up or down on them.
8. Cover your stairs with tire treads
Do you have stairs that get slippery? If so, instead of purchasing rubber stair treads to make them safe in the rain or during the winter, you could cover them with the treads from your old tires.
You will have to cut the treads from your tires, to lay them flat on your stairs, and to secure them with screws.
9. Turn it into an ottoman or a coffee table
Old tires can also be used inside your home. You can easily create a chic ottoman or coffee table by covering the entire surface of a tire with rope or yarn.
If you want a coffee table, you could also paint your tire with an elegant metallic finish, and place a glass board on top of it.
10. Create a storage space for your kids
Old tires, when painted with bright colours, can become storage spaces for your kids. Screw a few wood boards inside a tire, and it will become shelves where toys can be displayed.
You can also make a storage bin out of a tire, by using a circular piece of wood as the cover of the bin. This cover can double as a fun seat, if you add a cushion to it.
11. Create a cozy dog bed
Finally, you could create a cozy dog bed by painting an old tire, and placing a comfortable cushion inside it.
