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Sustainable ideas ❋ Te oranga ō te taiao, from Thrive magazine

Try stylist Hsin Huang’s clever idea for making painted rope-laced seats out of old tyres.

Painted rope-laced seats made from old tyres

For a simpler option, just have fun painting the tyres in Resene colours and use them as planters, or add a glass top for a coffee table. Paint walls in Resene Sea Fog to complete your outdoor space.

What you need

Materials and tools:

An old tyre
Ruler and marker pen
Drill and Speedbor drill bit (ensure the drill bit is larger than the rope; we used a 13mm drill bit)
Plain, unstained rope at least 8mm thick. See point 6 below to calculate length required.
Resene MacGyver paint brushes, set of three
Resene detail paint brush
Resene Membrane Primer
Resene Lustacryl in a range of colours for the base coat and decorative accents

Resene lustacryl decoration colours:

Resene base colour:

Resene Half Tea

Method / steps

Thoroughly clean and remove any little pieces of rubber sticking out from the tyre. The surface must be completely clean and dry.
Using a ruler, mark 32 dots evenly spaced around the top surface of the tyre. (A)
Using a Speedbor drill bit, drill 32 holes on the spots you’ve marked on the tyre. Ensure the holes are large enough to thread the rope through easily. (B)
Paint the tyre with Resene Membrane Primer, then let it dry. Read the product instructions carefully, as this is an important step that will ensure the paint will stick well on the tyre. (C)
Apply two coats of Resene Lustacryl in your chosen colour (we used Resene Half Tea) making sure the first coat is thoroughly dry before reapplying. (D)

Steps - Photo A Photo (A)

Steps - Photo B Photo (B)

Steps - Photo C Photo (C)

Steps - Photo D Photo (D)

To work out how much rope you need, measure from hole 1 to hole 16 (directly across) and multiply this by 16, then add the circumference of the tyre. (E)
Thread the rope into the tyre and tie a knot inside the tyre. (F) Count clockwise 9 holes and thread the rope from the outside in. (G) Then thread the rope into the hole beside the one you’ve just threaded and then into the one opposite. Repeat 8 times, pulling the rope tight each time. (H)

Steps - Photo E Photo (E)

Steps - Photo F Photo (F)

Steps - Photo G Photo (G)

Steps - Photo H Photo (H)

On the 16th hole, thread the rope into the 17th hole and start threading in the opposite direction, weaving the rope in and out of the ropes that run in the other direction. (H)
Tie a knot at the end to secure. A double overhand stopper knot will work well and instructions can be found online. (I)
Have fun decorating the tyre with your chosen Resene Lustacryl colours. (J)

Steps - Photo I Photo (I)

Steps - Photo J Photo (J)

Steps - Photo K Photo (K)

Steps - Photo L Photo (L)

Optional: Paint the rope to match the tyre

Method 1: Place rope in a container and drip Resene Lustacryl onto it, using gloved hands to rub the paint evenly into the rope. Hang to dry. (K, L)

Method 2: Paint the desired Resene colour carefully onto the rope after it is threaded into the tyre.

› Download this project as a PDF

Project by Hsin Huang. Photography by Luke Harvey. February/March 2022

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