Bike Tire Tube Rug

Intro: Bike Tire Tube Rug

Easy to make rug using bike tire tubes!

STEP 1: Gather Your Materials

You will need:
- Scissors or an X-acto (I used pinking shears because it makes regular cuts much cuter!)
- Discarded bike tubes (I started with 9, but the more you use, the bigger your rug can be.)
- Masking or painters tape (electrical tape doesn't hold as well and duct tape sticks to the rubber.)
- A hard/flat surface such as a table top, tile or wood floor. 

STEP 2: Next

Start by cutting the valve off, then cut the tubes into two strips using the lines as guides for your cutting. 

If you want a thicker rug then don't cut your tubes into halves (this would also save you a bit of time.)

The white powder that falls out of the tube is just talcum powder to keep the tube from sticking together. Don't worry, it's non-toxic! I don't suggest doing this step over any kind of carpet or fabric or having any cops over. 

Tip: Holding the tube between your knees while you cut will provide resistance and make cutting easier. 

STEP 3: Wash and Dry

I washed and dried my tubes because I'm OCD. 

If you don't care about that then this step can be skipped.

I believe the hot water also helps to soften and flatten the tube strips.

STEP 4: Half Again

Depending on how big you want your rug you can cut the pieces in half again, it will allow for more pieces depending on how many you originally had. 

STEP 5: Weave!

Tape down and start to weave! But make sure you use an even number of strips for length and width! I used sixteen.

As you begin to add strips going down, (or towards yourself, I sat on my strips to keep them flat) double knot them together. 

I just kept adding pieces until I ran out. 

The ruler picture can give you an idea of how big it is, roughly 2' x 2'. 

Now step all over it and enjoy your work!

Comments

[austin]

I bet you could make a pretty awesome hammock like this

[Jent13]

I am not sure if this would work for sure but here is an idea. What if you just cut the tube once to make it not a circle, wove a mat and left one edge unknotted and then make another mat and left both edges unknotted and knotted one unknotted edge wit the other and just kept adding on more pieces?

[Valaynetine]

I'm sure that would work. It would probably be a good idea to use rubber cement, though, since there's the possibility of it coming undone from body weight.

[mikolynn]

to work with rubber tires, I prefer use of knots to join them, together than cement, or rivets...
And boyscout/seaman knot techniques can be an amazing learning!

:)

[Valaynetine]

Ooh! That's a great idea, the only problem would be the length, even when they're just cut in half the first time they're only about four feet long.

I think I'm going to make some coasters out of the remaining smaller pieces.