The summer holidays are fast approaching and before you head off on your travels, you might first stop by your local garage for an extra check-up. Have your tyres still got enough profile for a safe journey? If so, then you’re set for the off. However, if it’s high time you changed your tyres, then you might consider a new destination for your once faithful companions.
Despite the amount of mileage they may have already done, car tyres can often last for years. Fasten a few ropes to a tyre and you instantly have the perfect garden swing. Then, hang it up, vertically or horizontally, on a sturdy branch so young and old alike can have hours of fun with it.
Saw a car tyre through the middle with a power saw or metal saw. Paint both halves in bright, cheerful colours. Then saw four sturdy blocks of wood that are of equal width as the tyre. Fasten the blocks inside all four corners of the two halves. If you then screw a long plank to them, painted to match or contrast with the tyres, of course, then you can create a very unique see-saw. Needless to say, you can finish it off by adding supports for the children to hold on to.
If you want to work on your condition or on your six-pack, then with this idea, you’ll never need to leave your garden. Lay a car tyre flat on the ground and then flip it over. Now, just keep repeating this exercise for as long as you can manage it. Or you could lift the tyre over your head by raising it first to just over your shoulders, before then lifting it upwards until your arms are outstretched. It can be pretty heavy, but this is a great exercise for building stamina. Search online for ‘boot camp car tyre’ or ‘exercise car tyre’ for more ideas. If you suffer from any injuries or physical limitations, then you should, naturally, consult your doctor, therapist or sports instructor for their advice or instruction first.
A boring wall or fence can easily be brightened up using your own unique artworks made from painted car tyres. Once the paint has dried, screw them to the wall and fill the base with soil, plants and flowers. Just don’t forget to drill a few holes at the bottom for drainage, and to help your plants avoid mould growth.
Only one final little job to do and you’ll have the perfect relaxing spot in your garden. Saw the upper outside edge off the tyre, so you create a kind of shell. Dig a hole in the ground that it fits snugly into when lying flat, but make sure that some of the edge of the tyre is above ground level. Put some sturdy, folded-up, waterproof sheet in the hole and sit the tyre on top. Then, cover it with more of the waterproof sheet, so it reaches well over the edges and place the previously sawn-off upper edge inside the base of the tyre to hold the sheet in place. Bury the sheet edges with soil and strengthen it by perhaps adding some large decorative stones around the outside to secure it in place. Now just fill it with water, add your favourite water plants, and there you have it, your very own decorative pond!!
How do you recycle your old tyres? Share it with us on Facebook!
~ Lorna ~