I've been on the hunt for a new ottoman for a while now, but like many things in life, the money has been needed elsewhere. I've obviously survived, but there might be a new DIY creation in my future! Check out what this old tire looks like now!
Nikki over at That Was A What? has turned this trusty old tire into her new ottoman. She had been coveting rope covered versions online, but even inexpensive ones were pushing $500 or more. So she made her own with bags of rope and super glue from her local hardware store.
A plywood top and bottom were added to round out the look, and when all was said and done, Nikki had exactly the ottoman she wanted. It's a perfect place to put your feet up at the end of the day. Want to see how it's made?
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Beautiful! But doesn't it smell... well, like a tire?
How I love love love this. What a great new purpose for a bald tire that would have ended up in a landfill.
I'm not saying this isn't well done or creative, but the thing is now that I know this is used to be a tire, I can't look at it without seeing a tire :)
Yeah, I just keep seeing a tire too.
Wow! This is great! I love it when stuff is recycled into something beautiful! Well done!
This is awesome.
I just wonder about keeping it clean. In my house, the joints between the rope would be filled by dust, dog hair, and crumbs in no time!
But I bet you could tweak it, perhaps cover the top with leather, and just have the rope on the sides? And could you tweak it yet another step to have it also be for storage?
What a neat idea, and wonderfully executed. Well done!
Huh. I'm just looking at this and thinking "omg I can make a new scratching post for the cats instead of buying the ones the store is selling for 40+$!!"
Possibly not the intended reaction, but thanks for the inspiration! :)
(The ottoman DOES look really cute with the chairs, though! Well-done! :))
I LOVE it!!
Shazaam! Fabulous!
This is AWESOME!!!!
What I'd like to know is how she did the top. What did you use for the flat surface?? Great idea!
This is absolutely fabulous, but I'm curious too... does it smell like an old tire?
This is incredibly cool. i love it. Also, I love the smell of tires.
Wow, never thought I'd be one of those "why do you have to be negative" people, but seriously, why are people picking at this? Oh really, it looks like a tire to you? That's because it was a tire. Jesus.
For the record, after reading through the comments on her blog she says it does not smell like anything. She added that she used an old tire and cleaned the crap out of it first, so both of those things took care of any smell.
Ahahaha! Brilliant! So many ways you could redo this too...I'm picturing the jute sides with a cute canvas top, or just leave the sides as is and stick it in a man-cave. Would love to see fabric on top with tufting too. How funny.
Clever, creative minds at work are wonderful!
thats AMAZING!
@SherylRCooper
The post said it was a plywood top.
Great re-use of something that would be in the landfill for millennia. I guess it will be at some point in the nearish future, but this is good.
I've always wanted to pick up tires from the road but never knew what to do with them beside putting gardens in them. There was a store on lower Haight in SF that sold purses made out of tires but they closed long time ago or re-located but I have no idea where.
THIS IS EXTREMELY WELL DONE. This is truly a TERRIFIC way to up-cycle.
That is amazing! I would never have thought to use an old tire. Excellently creative!
@ carrotsticks Thanks!
I think it would be nice for an outdoor space. Wouldn't want to rest my legs/feet on that scratchy scratchy rope. But it is very beautiful and well done!
This looks awesome... How much di you end up spending on the project?
Amazing. REALLY nice looking final product. I rarely see things that I think are good enough to really constitute "up-cycling" but this qualifies. Brava!
Awesome!
One of my favorite DIYs ever!
This is amazingly creative! Nice job!
Nicely done!
I'm now thinking this would be perfect for my cats.
Nifty idea . . . but it's just one more thing my cats would destroy. ;)
Wow, what a great idea! Well done!
My kitties would love this project too!
To the people who say "it looks like a tire" - seriously, you could say that about any drum shaped object. I think its an amazing job and looks fabulous. The decision to use a spoke pattern on the top rather than the (I presume) easier spiral was excellent.
Ohhhh i just got a flat tire last week that can't be repaired. looks like i might have some DIY work ahead of me :)
On her original blog post she says the materials cost around 117 dollars. Considering her inspiration piece retailed for over 700 thats substantial savings.
She also used plywood cut to fit and screwed into the tire with wood screws.
What I'd love is to see some way to make this with storage on the inside. Storage is always key for me.
One dream of mine has always been to have a coffee table made out of a Firehawk Racing tire. Doesn't exactly match the rest of my decor but I'd make an appropriate cave to go with it. They sold a table such as this ONCE and it ended up going for over 4,000 dollars. Out of my budget, but it was for Dan Wheldon.
That's awesome! What a stroke of total brilliance!
(And yeah, you folks who say it looks like a tire are nuts. It looks nothing like a tire. I'm thinkin' they be jealous 'cause they didn't think of it first.)
I would like to know how you attached the legs. Is there a piece of plywood on the bottom as well as on the top?
Thanks for sharing!!
The "it looks like a tire" thing doesn't bother me (it looks like a cylinder... like an ottoman would?), but I'm left thinking holy crap, how much super glue must you have gone through!? That stuff ain't cheap! ;)
That said, GORG. And very clever. I love resourcefulness!
Awesome and ingenius!
The ottoman is gorgeous and looks like a very expensive, high end piece. It is perfect with the chairs, making a very pretty sitting area. I admire the patience involved in the construction.
I think you could make this for A LOT less than $117, just by using a hot glue gun (on the high setting). Even if you had to buy the gun.
For storage, you could make a removeable upholstered piece for the top- batting and fabric over plywood (even that could be hot glued).
I so would have super glued my finger to the tire.
This is really cute, great job!
Wow more, and more commenter are quick to point out faults instead of actually saying something positive. I for one think this idea is sweet.
This looks very professional and really good! Kudos! I am virtually applauding over here :)
It has been an extremely long time since I've been impressed with a DIY from ANY of the blogs I visit. This is just fantastic! Don't listen to the nitpickers here. It looks nothing like a tire and if you slapped $500 price tag on it and called it "vintage" these same folks would buy it in a hot minute.
That is so original and creative! Well done!
What is wrong with people? This is an excellent DIY job. If it's not your thing, that's fine, but why the need to criticize something so well crafted? Great job!!!
Clever. As. Hell.
astonishing transformation --I would never know that it had a previous tired life. Great Idea.
Very cool--I'd love it outside.
Question: why not read the original blog post for all the specifics or how-to's? I never understand why people don't spend a few minutes more to figure it all out...
Jeez, some people are clever! That looks like something you'd pay a fortune for. Kudos!
Do a google pictures ' tire table' search.. and you will be amazed.. :-)
What's up! My tire ottoman is ALL over the Web. Heard you all were talking about my little creation over here, so thought I would stop by. Thanks for all the compliments and non-compliments! I enjoyed every second of making the ottoman (even the sore fingers afterward). As Ellen says, "Be kind to one another."
~Nikki
http://www.thatwasawhat.blogspot.com
I think it's terrific - you'd never in a million years guess it used to be a tyre, and it goes so well with the wicker chairs!
This is amazing - great job!
Brilliant!
That is totally cool.
Neat!
Very creative! And the final project is just gorgeous!! You could throw a round pillow on it to add softness if desired. Also, I love the idea of creating storage inside if someone could take it to that next level. Maybe a great spot to store knitting supplies and current project. Very well done. I too would be concerned about the smell from the tire, the jute and the glue.... but i have found smoke (like incense) to over time be able to transform bad smell, but im not sure about that with this project. Hard to believe it would have no smell.
Very creative! I wouldn't have thought of this in a million years!
LOL! This is now so Right On Time! My husband just changed & replaced a very worn out tire & was going to take it to the recycle facility. I said WAIT!!! I am going to make a Dog Bed with this tire after being inspired by this idea!!! One of our dogs loves to curl up on a ratty old couch cushion out in the yard. I've been wanting to get rid of it for a while. My idea- I am going to put a foam cushion across the center of the tire then wrap the whole thing in old burlap (happen to have some burlap grain bags). I need a new dog bed for the yard more than I need an ottoman. If it hadn't been for this post I never would have been inspired!
4 stars for creativity and 5 for execution. REALLY well done!
Late to the party but that is awesome!
How did you do it? Got to try this :D
It looks awesome, but like others I would NOT want an old tire IN my home. Smell = TOXIC chemicals in the air. I refurbish old furniture using non-toxic environmentally safe materials so I am all about reuse/recycle, so I'm confused why someone would want to knowingly bring toxins into your life. Is it worth it?. Seems like the same look could have been achieved using recycled plywood or looking for an old ottoman that needed some love. Tires are hazardous waste that need to be disposed of properly for a reason.
I use old tires for raised bed gardens, but cannot fathom the idea of bringing one in the house. Too gross. No matter how you cover one. Maybe patio not inside though.
Ecuadoriana--- I would not let my dog sleep on a tire. Period.
I understand the comments about the hazards of tires but isn't playground cushioning made from recycled tires? And when those who commented that they still see a tire, do you think that when they look at a cashmere sweater they still see the goat?
The how to's have been removed from the website. Bummer.
You mean to tell me I could have taken my neighbors old tires and made ottomans? Man, I need to think outside the box. Great transformation.
@ furby, why not? Your dogs probably eat dog food that was made from chemically fed cows (and lord knows what other animals were tossed into the grinder), slathered with preservatives, & pumped into cans that probably are lined with lead (hey, remember the Chinese dog food poisonings?) My 2 dogs eat fresh organic local free range chicken, eggs, and rice. People put flea collars on their dogs & good grief the chemicals emitted from those nasty things! Well, like "pollypressure" said "isn't playground cushioning made from recycled tires?" Well, I went ahead & made a dog bed from the tire. I cut a round piece of old carpet & laid it across the center of the tire. I poked holes around the edge of the carpet & tied it down with rope (wrapping it like a drum head.). I wrapped the whole thing with one of the old quilts that they like to lay on in the yard & placed it under their favorite tree (this happens to be the best spot for watching the comings & goings of the neighbors, mail carrier, UPS driver..). I didn't want to cut up & use the old burlap bags until I knew for sure they'd take to it. They fight over who gets to lay on it so I may have to get another tire! I'm sure I can find a few clogging up a landfill somewhere. I just hope they don't get tired of it! (ba dum bum!)
A truly super duper job!
That is awesome! It looks fabulous with the chairs too. Very well done indeed!!
It has just occurred to me- the PATHers ("Pebbles As Tripping Hazards" people) who are so afraid of chemicals coming out of the tires must NEVER have swung on tire swings as children! Who ARE these people and where is the Big Bubble they all live in?!
BOS113, i think 3 bucks for the instructions is a bargain price. Why should she give away her great idea for free?
WoW. Love the idea. Great job.
And thanks for sharing!
Nice look.
Thanks for sharing! Very inspiring! Definitely going to do this! Never mind the "NEGATIVE" people....negative people are jealous people..people you just got to ignore and avoid!
Amazing. Really well done. Who cares if it was a tire?
For the negative Nancys - do you go to your friend's houses and wonder what the bones of their furniture looks like?
that's why god invented the vacuum cleaner.
they are disposed of "properly" by charging you a recycling fee then shipping them for profit to poor countries to be sold for a few dollars and used for a few unsafe weeks or months, then burned.
I feel like this would be awesome for an outside mini lounge. Hubby likes the rough look to it too..