Create eco-friendly DIY things made from used tires, such as upcycled tire planters, tire window box, tire bench, tire ottoman or side table, plus more!

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When my son purchased a used car, he also upgraded to new tires at the same time. Yay him! What’s a newish car with bald tires? Nothing! So it was a good move. We went with all weather so he won’t even have to change them over come winter.

But what did we do with the old tires you ask?! Did we leave them at the dealer so we didn’t have to deal with recycling them? Of course not! That would have been too wise. LOL

Like any good horder, we brought them home to stack in a shed. Lovely, is it not? These my friends, are pretty much bald, cracked and expired tires. My thought was they’d be good in case of emergencies. But 4 of them?! Yeah. No.

So it was time to clean out that pile to get my shed back! But rather than simply recycle the tires, or worse, having the tires end up at the landfills, I decided to DIY things made from used tires for home and garden instead! Isn’t that what any repurposer would do? No? Well, you just may change your mind and even hunt for tires to try out your own creativity when you see a few of these ideas…

I love a good repurpose for the backyard or garden! I’ve done so many I’ve lost count… however, let’s try tires next!

Three of these upcycled tire projects are now TOTAL keepers I get to enjoy everytime I walk outside! One I couldn’t keep because, well, I needed more than 4 tires. So guess what… now I wish I had more! Who knew?

But you don’t have to revamp old tires to the point of not even recognizing them. This round, put away the paint. I’m going to embrace the good ‘ol black tire for what it is, and use that to my advantage to make decadent black accent pieces with a high level of durability!

So here’s some easy DIY things made from used tires for your home and garden that you may just want to make too!

Creative Diy Things Made From Used Tires For Home And Garden

Supplies I used:

Cordless drill

Drill bit that makes fairly large holes

Large wood plank (bench seat size)

Smaller reclaimed wood boards (ottoman)

Hanging baskets

Flowers and soil

Wood round, or joined wood planks

Full swivel casters that screw in place

Upcycled tire window box planters

I love to change up my garden shed each season with something fun and different! It’s a little like playing house. So here’s an idea I came up with that I thought would marry the shed porch perfectly!

I cleaned off the right porch side, minus 3 stumps.

1. Using a thick drill bit, I drilled about 5 holes along the top of one tire.

Tires have metal inside them so you’ll probably see smoke! And they stunk! So heads up, wear a mask if you’d like to avoid inhaling that toxic mix. But the effort was worth it.

2. I then rolled the tire with the holes facing down.

3. Fill some rocks over the holes.

4. Position some soil inside, flowers, then top with more soil.

5. Screw the sides of the tire to the shed for extra stability.

Then after repositioning the tire on the jumble of stumps, I ended up with the cutest tire window box planter in the land! I love how the black tire ties in with the rest of the shed door and trim! The tire even helps protect the flowers from harsher weather, so that’s kinda cool! A window box with its own roof so-to-speak!

I love how clean and simple this flower display looks! So this tire planter is staying all summer long! And the flowers are doing great!

Upcycled tires into a garden bench / table

1. Next up, I rolled two tires onto the lawn in a pretty shady spot, then placed a large 2×6 plank on top.

2. The board was positioned just on both edges, so the tires remained nearly empty and bare.

3. I then plunked in two hanging fern baskets into each tire.

If the tires were to remain permanently, you could also officially plant inside them as well.

Teaming up a few more flowers and plants around the tire focal points, I now have an instant garden bench that’s as cute as can be!

What a nice way to sit for a spell to enjoy your surroundings, or just rest up after a gardening stint!

Want a taller bench? No problem! Double up the tires on each size to raise the board! I just ran out of tires.

But honestly, it felt a little like I was about to host a fancy garden party with all this pretty going on! The board can easily be lifted to mow. You just have to dedicate two spots in the lawn to eventually die off.

But here’s a perk for the short bench…

This tire bench also doubles as a makeshift low-rider table top too! Simply place a chair pad on the lawn, then use it to journal, read, have a picnic or just enjoy a coffee outdoors.

I LOVED it like this. It’s comfy, plus I could totally see enjoying a picnic right in this lovely spot!

Imagine if you get surprise guests on a beautiful day but run out of seating. This takes 30 seconds to set up! I think the tire bench is an excellent fix for firepit seating too, don’t you think? It was comfy too, with a little spring in the seat!

But alas… I had two more ideas I did keep the tires for…

Easy and instant upcycled tire planters

I always seem to have some kind of bare spots in my yard, whether it’s a chunk of lawn that hasn’t taken off, or there’s an empty spot in my garden.

1. I simply rolled the tire where it was bare.

2. Plunk a hanging basket or plant inside the tire.

3. For a food safe planter, insert a food-safe container with drain holes inside the tires, then plant inside that.

How easy and instant is that?! Can you imagine a full-size zucchini sprouting out of one?

I did the same to some daisies I had planted by this bench. I placed the tire over them before they grew this large and bloomed, and this is what became of them! The tire makes it easy to trim around when mowing, plus it adds some height and interest to any flower bed!

But there’s one more upcycled tire idea that is so over-the-top cool, be prepared to make this one pronto…

Upcycled tire ottoman and coffee table on casters

This idea is a TOTAL keeper! While you could also use it indoors, I’m currently totally enjoying it on my patio!

1. Position two planks across one tire.

2. Cut the board ends on angles to follow along the tire shape.

3. Screw the boards into the bottom of each tire.

They screw in like butter!

4. Attach two full swivel casters to the bottom of each board.

I like full swivel so it scooches wherever you want it in an instant!

4. Select or make a wood round that fits across the top of the tire.

I had this old wood round I made into a DIY salvaged clock once upon a time. Since I never throw anything out (heh… the tires are proof, yes?) I used it as a wood round on top of the tires.

How to make your own wood round from reclaimed wood:

Line up one thickness of boards across your tire until just covered.
Brace the boards together by screwing two wood strips to the boards, but running in the opposite direction.
Draw a circle on the flat side of the boards, then cut the shape out with a jigsaw. Finish by sanding the edges until nice and smooth.

Or go buy one from a hardware store, or use something else! It doesn’t have to be wood at all.

I then painted one board in Fusion Mineral Paint’s Coal Black (get 10% off) to create a funky accent.

And friends, that’s how I made my easily movable upcycled tire coffee table plus ottoman! This piece is sized perfectly for both side table and ottoman when placed in front of my pallet sofa on the patio!

It’s so functional, funky and quite honestly, the perfect size and height! Or just stack another tire to create a taller side table.

A mini faux sheepskin rug off to the side provides a cozy place for feet, while you can still use the other part for beverages.

And you can bet, since this was the last project I made from upcycled tires, this one got used the most since I needed to recoup from making all those projects!

But so so worth it! I love all these DIY things made from used tires without resorting to a standard tire swing or playground equipment! However I have one more surprise bonus to share…

I filmed these tutorials for Hometalk, so you can also watch them being made in action!

Hometalk YouTube video – old tire upcycles

Visit above to watch how I turned old tires into home and garden treasures! Includes upcycled tire planters, tire bench, and a tire side table or ottoman!

Aren’t these old tire ideas fun?! Which of these recycled tire ideas would you try? And would you paint yours or leave them black?

Other favorite upcycled garden projects to make:

Ceiling fan blade flower on a garden fence

DIY stepping stones made from recycled party trays

Instant garden station with a vintage desk

Garden tool storage with a repurposed file cabinet

See many more creative outdoor projects HERE

I would love it if you’d pin the above or any images from this post! Thank-you for your support!