30 Clever Ideas to Paint and Repurpose Old Car Tires

You have just changed your car tires and are wondering what to do with the old ones. Most people would throw them away or leave them in the nearest garage.

However, many brilliant ways exist to reuse and recycle scrap car tires. And one of them is to just paint and repurpose them as decorations in your home. So, don’t throw them away just yet.

Check below for my exciting tips and ideas (with pictures) that will tell you how you can repurpose those old car wheels, rims, and rubber tires. I am sure you will find at least a few unexpected and interesting uses for them from the tons of upcycling ideas shared here.

DIY Old Tire Craft Projects and Ideas

Before I start, remember that the EPA has restricted tires from being used in soil for a variety of reasons, primarily due to concerns about the long-term effects on both humans and the environment.

Although many of these studies look at long-term effects when exposed to weather, the majority of them suggest that tires leach hazardous chemicals into the surrounding environment. So, it’s probably better not to use them to grow edible plants.

But most other applications should be fine, especially if they will be covered in some manner or aren’t going to be handled too often – like you can paint rubber tires and use them for decor purposes in and around your home.

That being said, here is a list of painted rubber tire ideas for you…

1- Tire Mirror Frame

This black and gold porthole mirror is so cool, and I love how it looks like an old-fashioned window. To make this, you will need a large round mirror, black and gold paint, and obviously an old car tire.

First, paint the old tire black. Although it’s already black, you need to give it a new coat of paint to make sure that the color is even.

After the black paint is dry, apply gold paint to the tire’s rim and attach the mirror to the center of the tire using premium quality glue meant for rubber surfaces. Your new DIY tire mirror is ready to be hung on the wall.

2- Old Tire Chairs

These chairs made from old car tires look so comfortable, and they are very easy to make. All you will need is two old car tires, a drill, screws, and washers.

First, drill four holes into each tire. Then, attach the tires to each other using screws and washers.

3- Comfortable Tire Ottomans

This beautiful set of tire ottomans is prepared outdoors for kids’ birthday parties. They are very soft and comfortable and look great in any room if you want to place them indoors.

To make these tire ottomans look beautiful, you will need to paint them in different shades and place the cushions on top. Arrange some pallet tables nearby and your DIY furniture set is complete at a very affordable price.

4- Outdoor Sofa Set and Table

This beautiful sofa set and coffee table are perfect for any outdoor space where you want to welcome your guests or desire to spend some great family time on weekends.

This furniture set can also be used in your cafe, lounge, or restaurant’s outdoor seating area. The best thing about this is it’s easy to make with some old car tires, glass, leather cushions, and a little bit of paint.

Arrange the furniture set on your porch and decorate them with flower vases nearby.

5- Colorful Tire Swing for Kids

This is one of the most fun old car tire ideas on our list and it’s a great project to do with your kids – they will surely love it.

To make this playground swing, you will need an old car tire, a length of rope, clamps, and some paint.

First, paint the rubber tire in any color, pattern, or design you want. Then, cut a length of rope and attach it to the tire using some clamps. Now, your swing is ready to be installed. You can either hang it from a tree or a metal frame.

Below is a video tutorial I have found on YouTube where Paige Hemmis is turning an old tire into backyard entertainment. Make sure you check the video out if you love the creative idea of using your old car, truck, or tractor tires.

6- DIY Truck Tires Christmas Tree

Making a DIY Christmas tree is one of our list’s most creative old car tire ideas. It’s a beautiful and unique Christmas tree you can make in just a few hours.

The project isn’t very difficult, but to make this Christmas tree, you will need different sizes of truck tires, some green paint, decorative ornaments, ribbons, and stars to put on top. The more creative you are, the better your tree will look.

7- Tire Snowman Holiday Decoration

Like a Christmas tree indoors above, you will also need a Christmas holiday decoration for your front yard. And what can be more perfect than a beautiful snowman made out of an old car and tractor tires?

Get the old tires painted in white snowy colors and add black and red paint to make the snowman’s eyes, mouth, and buttons.

8- Old Tire Man Cave Table

Want to spruce up your man cave in a unique way but don’t have enough budget? Worry not; your old Ford tire in your garage can most likely do the job.

This exciting table to serve liquors, wines, and beers, is not only easy and cheap to make, but it will also become the center of attention in your man cave.

To make such a manly table, you need an old Ford tire; a round wooden board cut to the size of the tire’s opening, some polyurethane, and black paint.

If you want, add a single steel leg to the center of your table for more support and stability. And your old tire has been successfully converted into a stylish and sturdy liquor serving.

9- Tire Dart Game

This is, again, a great old car tire idea for men or kids. They will have so much fun playing this dart game when they are with friends.

You will need a dartboard and some darts to make this game. Simply mount the dartboard on the tire, and your game is ready to hang on the wall.

10- Porch Tire Table with Beads

Large-size old tires thrown in the backyard unnecessarily occupy huge space.

Consider painting them in beautiful colors and turning them into this gorgeous table for your porch by decorating them with some beads and other artwork. The project is pretty easy to do, and there’s no limit to showing your creativity with this one.

11- DIY Tire Cat Scratcher

Want to make a fun scratching post for your cat out of an old truck tire – why not check out this creative way of upcycling tires?

Attach the wood to the tire with screws after cutting a round-shaped piece that fits on top by gluing the upper platform with a non-toxic adhesive. Then glue the scratchable jute rope all around, and your cat is ready to go.

You can use this same technique to build an ottoman with storage for your room.

12- Dog Bed From an Old Tire

A comfortable bed painted beautifully in bright colors is all your puppy needs to relax peacefully.

Although it looks difficult, customizing this piece of art is super easy with just an old car tire, some plywood, a small pillow, and colorful fabric. Your furry friend will not only love sleeping on it but also playing with the colorful fabric attached to the bed.

13- Spill Proof Tire Pet Bowl

This creative spill-proof bowl for your pets can be easily made with small-sized tires in your home. The hard part, however, is stopping your pet from playing with the bowl all day.

Fill the bowl with food, place it on top of a saucer or bigger tire, and your pet will have to push the bowl around to eat the food.

14- Tyre Garden Stairs

Another way of reusing those old tires in your garage is by turning them into stairs for your garden. Not only will this give your garden an edgy look, but it will also be a great way of exercising your pets.

You can make these stairs with your old tires, some plywood, soil, and bricks. Just ensure to take some time and patience while making these stairs completely secure to walk on.

15- Adorable Flower Planter Yard Art

This one is super impressive and so colorful. And I am pretty sure that it will be a head-turner in your neighborhood.

To make this planter, you need six old car tires (or even more), some wooden boards/poles, colorful paints, and houseplants. This might be a time-consuming project, but the end result will be so worth it when you place it in your garden, porch, or backyard.

16- DIY Tire Minion Scarecrow

This is probably one of the most popular and useful projects to do with old car tires.

You can use them as a scarecrow to keep pests away or use them as planters, storage bins, or even make a whole minion army for a fun playground for your kids in the backyard.

Do not forget to paint them creatively in colors like blue, yellow, black, and red.

17- Old Half Tire See Saw

See saws, slides, swimming pools, sandbox, and many other structures for are straightforward to make from your old car tires.

It’s an excellent project if you are planning to arrange a party for your kids, as they will definitely enjoy playing on it during their playtime.

You can even make a whole Tire Park in your backyard if you have a bunch of old tires in your garage just lying around uselessly. Your toddlers and small ones will surely love to spend playful time here.

18- Quarter Tire Wall Shelves

Want to spruce up your boy’s or girl’s room with a creative car theme?

You can make wall shelves in the shape of car tires from your old ones and paint them with fluorescent or metallic colors to make them more attractive and noticeable.

Use them to display your child’s favorite comic books or other things like picture frames, mugs, soft toys, clothes, etc.

19- Wheely Tire Shelf for Toy Car Collection

This one is specially designed to display your kid’s favorite toy car collections. Your boy will definitely love to show off his toy car collection to his friends if you make this for him.

It will also help to keep the cars organized and in one place so that they do not get lost.

You can make this kind of shelf easily by attaching an old car tire to the wall with some screws or even glue. Use the thin plywood sheet for the shelves, and your shelf is ready.

20- Bathroom Sink

Want some ideas to create a unique look in your old bathroom without spending huge bucks on decor – use your old truck tires, rims, and license plates.

If you don’t have all these items, you can buy them at a very low cost from a salvage yard. Paint in black color and use them to create a unique bathroom sink like the one shown in the image.

You can even add a faucet and towel rack to complete the look. And I bet it will surely impress your guest the next time they visit your home.

21- Painted Wheels Fire Pit

Not specifically the rubber tires, but this project will use your old steel wheels and rims. So, if you want to build a warming fire pit in your backyard using repurposed wheel rims, this is a great idea to follow.

Simply place two rims, one over the other, and cut a little square shape (like shown in the image) to fill the middle space with gravel, sand, or cement under the firewood.

If you want, you can use heat-resistant spray paint to add some colors to your fire pit, allow it to dry, and your fire pit is ready to use.

22- Upcycled Car Clutch and Tire Wall Clock

This wall clock (available on Etsy) is UNIQUE because it uses metallic car parts (like a clutch plate) and tools (like wrenches).

If you like the idea of adding a vintage industrial wall clock that looks modern, you can make the similar one on your own that looks more like art rather than just a clock. All you will need is some old accessories, tools, and car parts from your old junk vehicle.

If you don’t have these car parts available, I would recommend buying them from any salvage yard as they are quite inexpensive there – you don’t need to get them in good condition.

23- Vintage Pendant Light Made with Tires

Planning to redo your basement bar or restaurant? Or perhaps you are opening a new business and want something unique for your décor. Either way, consider using old car tires to create hanging lamps and deco lighting, as shown here.

For making them in a DIY way, you will need a few supplies to get started, such as a drill, saw, screwdriver, and of course, old car tires (and other parts).

Numerous ways can be used for creativity to come up with different designs for these lights – like you can add some colorful paint shades or wrap the cords with colorful threads to make them more attractive.

24- Outdoor Palm Tree with Tire Cuttings

Can’t figure out the tires in the image? Check those green leaves of the palm tree. They are made of tire cuttings and are painted in green color to add visual appeal to your garden.

You can build one or two similar trees by cutting some old tires and using small tree logs or branches.

25- Outdoor Sculptures from Scrap Tires

Similar to the above, you can also create animals like crocodiles, monkeys, and elephants by cutting the old black tires into desired shapes.

I would recommend using a hot knife cutter as it will be easier to cut the tires with it. Don’t forget to paint the animals in beautiful colors to make them look more real and attractive. This will definitely be going to add some excitement as well as “fearfulness” to your backyard.

26- Beautiful Flower Pot Display for Retail Shop

Flower pots in a tire displayed vertically – what a great way to recycle those old car tires and at the same time create a beautiful and useful display for your retail shop.

You can use this idea to display potted plants, flowers, or even other things like books, mugs, etc.

All you need to do is find some tires of the same sizes, paint them in bright colors, and hang them on the wall of your retail flower shop or on a roadside wrought iron fence. You can even add some artificial flowers or greenery to make the display more attractive.

27- Old Tire Outdoor Bench

Turning your old tires and scrap plywood boards into an outdoor bench or a picnic table is yet another great idea. Use this bench in your garden, patio, or even on your deck to enjoy the beautiful outdoors.

Elders in your family will love to sit here and relax in the lap of nature while getting some warmth in the cold winter season. So, make sure to indulge them in building one when you plan to do it all by yourself – they will love getting involved, as it’s a pretty easy project to work on.

28- Compost Bin from an Old Car Tire

Creative compost bins or even a rain barrel can also be built while using your old garage tires that are of no use.

You can use this to create a compost pit in your backyard where you can throw all your kitchen waste which will help reduce the amount of waste that goes to the landfill and, at the same time, provide you with nutrient-rich compost for your garden.

Alternatively, make a rain barrel which is again an eco-friendly sustainable way to water your garden plants during the dry season.

29- Old Tire Turned into Subwoofer

Need to rock your party this weekend, but don’t have a subwoofer?

No worries! You can easily turn your old car tires into one. Just insert your speaker into the hole in the center, and you have your own subwoofer that will surely help you enjoy your party to the fullest.

30- Use Tires to Build the Wall And Home

You won’t believe it, but old tires are many times used to build houses in rural areas or even some urban slums.

Tires are filled with sand, dirt, or concrete and then stacked one over the other to create walls. This is a very cheap and sustainable way to build houses as old tires are easily available and can be used again and again.

If you want, you can also make a small wall in your backyard where you can keep your wood piles over them to avoid them getting moldy.

The Bottom Line

Those were all the creative uses and ideas I can think of for painting, reusing, and recycling your old car tires. So, go ahead, get those old tires out of your garage, and start creating something beautiful and useful out of them.

There can be many other ways in which you can use them to create something unique and functional. If you have ideas, please feel free to share them with me via the contact us page. I would love to hear from you and would also love to feature/reference your tutorials in my next blog post.