Transform Spare Tires Into Your New Favorite Patio Ottoman In A Few Easy Steps
It's always nice when you can reuse and upcycle something, instead of throwing it away and having it end up in a landfill. Thanks to social media, it's easy to find different ideas for what to do with old tires. Tree swings, strawberry tire pyramids, planters, and exercise equipment are among the common examples, but you can also convert spare tires into ottomans and other furniture items.
Home Crafts by Victoria shared a DIY idea on TikTok using 14 mm thick jute twine rope (about 40 inches long) and a piece of circular plywood. The piece of plywood should be a little larger than the circumference of the inner ring of the tire. You'll want to trace the circle onto the plywood before cutting it with a saw. Then, use a power drill to nail over the tire, covering the hollow portion. This will become the top portion of the ottoman.
For the final step, use a glue gun to attach the jute twine rope to the tire in a spiral pattern around the top and sides, and that's it! You now have an ottoman that can be used as part of your outdoor patio furniture, but there are a few things to consider if you want your ottoman to stay looking new.
Dos and don'ts of jute twine rope tires
Your new tire ottoman should be strong enough to support your legs the same way a regular ottoman would. However, there are some things to keep in mind if you want them to last a long time and still look nice in your space.
Many jute twine rope is weather-resistant, but some can still break down over time if there are stray cats in your neighborhood that might make the ottomans their personal scratch posts. The same applies if you have an indoor cat and plan to use the ottomans inside unless you don't mind sharing the ottoman with your cat's claws.
Jute twine can also change over time after frequent or extended exposure to water. According to Ropes Direct, jute ropes are very absorbent and can hold as much as 34% of their mass in water. This means they can shrink while wet and eventually rot. To prevent this, you can treat it with fungicide or tar. You can also keep the ottomans in a covered outdoor area, in a waterproof storage bin, or a shed.