Introduction: Old Car Tyre Stool
Old car tyre waste is a big problem worldwide with enormous quantities of tyres being dumped in landfills each year. While lots are used for fuel or recycled to make other products large amounts still go to landfills each year. I know making stools from them will not get rid of the problem but it definitely stops a few from being dumped and sure every little helps. Before I start I will clear up any questions about the spelling of the word tyre. Tire is the preferred spelling in the U.S. and Canada. Tyre is preferred in most varieties of English outside North America and being from Ireland that's the way I spell it.
Step 1: Have a Look at the Video Below.
Look at the video above to see how I made the stool from start to finish.
Step 2: Materials and Tools Needed.
Materials:
Car tyre(s)
Plywood 3 Pieces
Fabric of your choice
Heavy duty faux Leather fabric.
4oz polyester padding
2 inch (50mm) thick foam
Spray adhesive
Furniture legs
Staples
Felt
Screws
Tools:
Stapler
Jigsaw
Screwdriver
Measuring tape
Pencil
Utility knife
Step 3: Measure the Tyre.
To start I measured the inside diameter of the tyre and then added 1 inch (25mm) I did this so when the plywood was cut it would sit on the lip in the tyre.
Step 4: Frame (Marking and Cutting the Plywood. )
I didn't have a compass big enough to mark the circle onto the plywood so I made my own with a piece of wood. I drilled a hole for a pencil to fit through and hammered a nail into the wood for a swivel point. The distance between the pencil and the nail (Radius) is half the diameter of the circle. Using a jig saw I cut out two pieces the same size.
Step 5: Frame Continued.
Next I cut some pieces of scrap wood (in my case it happened to be 2 x 3 (50mm x 75mm)) to fit between the two pieces of plywood. I did this so I would have something more substantial to screw the legs to later on and strengthen the whole stool. I probably over did it with the strengthening but better safe than sorry. Using some 1 1/2 (40 mm) screws I fitted the four pieces of 2 x 3 to one piece of the plywood and put it into the tyre.
Step 6: Wadding.
To get rid of any imperfections I stuck on some 4oz polyester wadding with some spray adhesive. At this stage I only stuck it to the sides and the top of the tyre.
Step 7: the Seat.
While the adhesive was curing I cut out another circle of plywood ; the same as the previous two. This piece would be used to make up the seat. Using the spray adhesive again I stuck some 2 inch (50mm) fairly rigid foam and trimmed it to the plywood circle with a hack saw blade. Thanks to Mick from foam and fibre solutions for the foam.Foam & Fibre solutions
Step 8: Covering the Seat.
To cover the seat I used jet black textured heavy duty faux Leather fabric. I stapled the leather fabric to the plywood. This took a little time, trying to stretch and take out any creases before stapling. When I had finished attaching it I cut away any excess.
Step 9: Upholstery.
To wrap the tyre you can use any material you desire. In my case I used some cheap material I had from IKEA. I wrapped the material around the tyre and pinned it in place. I did not want a seam to be visible so I carefully aligned the patterns in the fabric. Using an iron hem I stuck the fabric together and then stitched the fabric with thread (not shown in the video). After all the stitching was done I slid the material back over the tyre and stapled it to the top taking care to try and keep it as neat as possible.
Step 10: Attaching the Seat & Finishing the Upholstery.
I carefully placed the stool onto the seat (upside down) and screwed through the plywood to hold the seat in place. Doing it this way ensures there will be no fixings visible when the stool is finished. While it was still upside down I screwed the final piece of plywood to the base and tacked the wadding before pulling and stretching the fabric and stapling that into place and removing any excess.
Step 11: Felt Base.
To tidy up the bottom of the stool and give it a more professional look I stapled on some black felt.
Step 12: Fitting the Legs/feet.
As it would have been too low with just the tyre I decided to use some chrome legs/feet to raise it up and give it a sleeker look. The legs/feet used were from some old sofas. I had initially intended to use four feet on each stool but some were broken and actually using just three feet means it will not rock on uneven ground so it worked out for the better that some were broken. The feet were just screwed into the base with 30mm screws.
Step 13: The Finished Stools.
The finished old car tyre stools! I think these stools are a great way of re using materials that would normally be dumped. They are quite an easy project to try and you can use any fabric you like to suit the look you want. You could even make them with no material on so the tyre is actually visible and with a few adjustments you could create a storage area inside the stool. Let me know what you think of it and if there is anything you would do differently. Thank you for viewing.
If you would like to see more projects from me you can subscribe to my YouTube channel here: Eamon Walsh DIY

Participated in the
Trash to Treasure
28 Comments
3 years ago
I love the white people because they have the willingness to help people even without asking for any favor in return. Thanks for sharing this great ideas free
3 years ago
Tell me about the Problem Statement of this project
5 years ago
I love this idea! Thanks for posting the instructions. One question, how heavy would this stool be? Am worried it might be too heavy to lift (I have a bad back). :)
Reply 5 years ago
Hi, thank you. Each stool weighs about 25lb.
Reply 5 years ago
Thanks for the weight info, again, I love this idea!
Question 5 years ago
Love the stool! Especially the chunky legs. Where did you get them?
Answer 5 years ago
They are furniture legs, I got them from old furniture but they can be purchased online.
5 years ago
Nicely shown project, I might give this a try. I wonder if there is a way to attach the top and bottom circular boards can be attached to the tire, but NOT to each other. If it can be done, it would allow the flex of the tire to be retained and give some extra cushion to the seat.
5 years ago
What a great idea and design. I could see this in Man Caves if it looked like a tire. And using different size tires could be fun as well. My question is if you had any thoughts about somehow keeping the tire exposed? I first thought about using clear vinyl, but that might be a little too shiny. Has anyone made a tire swing? What did you use so the rubber wouldn’t be a mess?
Reply 5 years ago
Thank you, it would not be a problem to keep it exposed. A good clean and it should be ok I think. It could even be painted.
Reply 5 years ago
Thank you for getting back to me! I was thinking about spraying it with some clear Flex Seal after cleaning. I also had an idea for this project. I had come across a rusty but still usable old wheelbarrow on the side of the road and once I got it home I discovered the tire wouldn’t hold air. Like any good DIYer I held on to it. After reading your Instructable I pull the tire out and am going to make a children’s stool out of it. Still working on scaling your design down to fit but I thought covered it will work but uncovered and painted it will look great next to Dads in the Man Cave. Thanks again for the great Instructable!
5 years ago on Step 13
Very good:)
Reply 5 years ago
Thank you Jonathan.
5 years ago on Introduction
That was one of the most satisfying 'make it' videos I have ever watched.
Reply 5 years ago
Thank you very very much!!
5 years ago on Step 1
THANKS FOR THE COMPULSIVE VIDEO! Can't stop watching it, and I love the stools. Might do that with a couple of painted tyres we leave in the Repair café for the kids benefiting adults bring with them to play with (but never notice). .
Reply 5 years ago
Thank you very much thats a great idea,
5 years ago
Very nice. Thank you for being so environmentally conscious. FYI mobile devices cannot see the video you actually have to embed the link.
Reply 5 years ago
Hmm I just watched it on my phone so maybe refresh or update your device?
Reply 5 years ago
Oops, I got to the conversation late and I'm glad I had no problems watching that uber-satisfying video.