The up-cycled tire

So this really great idea was passed on to me... how to make an ottoman out of an old tire. Being a motivated DIY'r I jumped at the chance to make one. From a picture I started gathering all the supplies needed. There wasn't a list of materials to refer too? Fortunately it was an easy project and could be figured out. You may want to put your own spin

Here's what I used:

• 1 used tire
• 300 ft of 3/8" sisal rope
• a couple of scraps of MDF that will need to be cut to tire diameter.
• 2x6 to cut legs out of
• wood glue
• course drywall screws 1 5/8"
• and staples from my pneumatic gun (I hear super glue works)

stage 1 gathering supplies

 After you have everything you need you'll want to measure the tire diameter for mdf. The ottoman requires an upper top and a lower bottom support for the legs. The order is important be sure to install the bottom first because it makes installing the legs easier. I chose a modern leg style and cut them with a miter saw 15 and 30deg angles glued them and placed a couple of course drywall screws in each to secure. When securing the mdf use course thread drywall screws (anything over 1" in size works) you want the screws to pierce the tire.

stage 2 bottom first

 Installing the top will be just like the bottom (several screws around the diameter) secures it quit well.

stage 3 the top

 Here's where the project gets a bit awkward and I didn't have a picture to illustrate. You want to start running your rope from the bottom so flip it for ease. Once you covered the bottom sidewall and your working on tread a lazy Susan works nicely and eases the dizziness. My method of applying the rope was with pneumatic staples. I found a tire is a great medium for the gun to work with and you cant see the staples. Here's where others have used super glue but I'm not experienced to instruct how.

stage 4 roping

With the roping just about done finish the top of your project (I used flat black paint on top and the legs). Let whatever your using dry then finish out your roping up and over the mdf. I've seen it done with the entire top roped. But that makes an relatively inexpensive project quit pricey...

stage 5 the finished product

In the end I absolutely love this project but recommend finding the rope online where it can be found cheaper than a hardware store.


Have fun and make it yours!!