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You can reuse old car tires when you know how to turn tires inside out.
Since old tires can be harmful to the environment when it’s dumped as useless material. The alternative of burning the tires is not better because it causes heavy smoke that is full of carbon dioxide.
You can make DIY gigantic flower pots with an old car tire. This idea has been around for over 60 years. You may have already seen them at homes and stores along the streets and feel inspired.
How on earth do you turn a tire inside out? When this question pops up, it might make you consider dumping the tire once again.
It’s hard to find instructions on how to do this, and this article is here for you. Using heavy machinery or applying raw force doesn’t always work.
Read on for the best way on how to turn a tire inside out so that they look great in any yard.
Here are step-by-step instructions on turning your old tire into a beautiful garden planter. All you need is some time, a few tools, and the right supplies. The end result will be one of the coolest things in your neighborhood!
How To Turn a Tire Inside Out – 4 Steps to Make it Easy
Step 1: Use an electric jig saw or a heavy duty knife
Tires are very thick in nature. And cutting the rubber components with a regular knife is kind of impossible.
So getting the right type of knife is mandatory to get the cut needed to do the job.
Use a heavy-duty knife with a pointed end and non-stick holes to cut the tire.
For safety, wear cut-resistant gloves while doing this.
You can also use an electric jigsaw which is a power tool that will make the cutting part easier.
Using a white crayon, draw the line you want to cut. Draw a zig-zag pattern and add curves in it if you want that for your planter.
Then cut a slit into the tire.
Step 2: Cut slits to the tire and remove a bead
Optionally, you can apply a shampoo mixed in water solution to help increase the slip you need to move the knife in and out.
Cut the tire on the top side, in a zig-zag pattern.
Cut the zig-zag pattern around the inner ring, also known as the bead, of the tire.
Remove the bead from the tire. You may have to carefully cut off any extra parts the knife missed that are still attached as you remove the bead.
Removing the bead from one side is the first step that will help you turn the tire inside out.
You can keep this bead to place under your tire pot as a decorative foot or pedestal for the DIY planter.
Step 3: Step on the tire and move the tire to the opposite side
Wear thick soled shoes for this part.
Turn the tire upside down.
Step on one side and grab the other side of the cut tire to pull it.
When you pull the other side of the tire up, keeping one foot in it will help stabilize the tire as you pull and flip it with your hands.
Placing your foot on one side of the tire will work as weight on the tire and help you pull the tire inside out.
Try to slide your hand on the side and keep moving them around. This will flip the whole tire slowly.
Tip: Make flipping the tire easier
Leave the tire out on a sunny day if you’re having trouble with the flipping part. The heat of the sun makes the tire a bit softer and easier to flip.
Step 4: Flip the tire inside out
Do not stop flipping the tire until it inverts fully.
The pulling can require you to use a lot of strength.
The result is that you’ll have an inside-out tire ready for use.
If you’re flipping a regular car tire, you’ll find that using this process is quite easy.
If you’re using larger tires, like SUV tires, the process can be easier done using a chained car to create the pull force on the tire. With a thick-soled shoe, step in the tire to flip it.
Whatever you use to invert the tire, you should keep in mind that the machine you are using should cast an even strength on the tire.
Otherwise, the unbalanced force on the tire could tear it apart. That means it’s better to use hands than use machinery to do the job.
Using the technique to turn the tire inside out can help you create things like garden planters.
You can hang an inside-out tire with sturdy rope and fill it with cushions to make a nice swing for kids.
And planters made out of inside-out tires have been around for over 60 years, lending to a vintage look.
Whatever you create with an old tire needs to be made with the right techniques.
However, turning tires inside out is not all that it needs.
The section below will discuss the process of making art out of it and ensuring the safety of using those things.
How to Make Tire Art?
Making arts and DIY projects out of tires can make your yard look beautiful. You can also make swings for kids.
Coloring the old tires can add to the decor look.
First, clean the tires of debris with dish soap and water.
Then, you can use acrylic paint or spray paint for outdoor use to add color.
Using spray paint is recommended because it spreads easily.
You could draw designs, create faces, paint cartoon characters, or give the tires a new solid color.
How to Make Planters Out of Tires?
Planters can be made out of inside out tires. Simply make the tire inside out and place plants in it.
The inside out tire gets the shape of a vase. And that shape helps hold up the plant inside of it.
First, clean the whole tire with dish soap and water.
Use a white crayon to draw the zig-zag pattern that you will be cutting. Then, using an electric jigsaw or heavy-duty knife, cut out the bead of the tire on one side along the zig-zag pattern.
If you’d like, save this bead to place under the planter as a planter pedestal.
Wearing thick-soled shoes, use one foot to step on the side of the tire. Then pull out on the other side with your hands to flip the tire inside out.
This will be easy for regular car tires and will require more strength for SUV tires or larger tires.
Now you have to option to use paint or spray paint on the outside of the planter to tailor the look. You have to color the planter before you plant trees in it.
If you are creating the planter pedestal, attach the bead to the planter with a power drill and screws.
Use stainless steel or coated screws that are at least 1.5″ in length. The stainless steel or coated screws will make sure it doesn’t rust when they come in contact with water. That way, your planter won’t fall apart when you try to move it.
Then place a pizza pan that’s slightly larger than the tire hole. You can also use an old tire plate on the bottom of the planter. Attach the pizza pan using a drill and screws to the bottom of the planter.
You can choose to add additional drainage holes by drilling a few holes into the bottom of the tire planter.
Lastly, add the soil and place the plant in it as usual.
How to Paint Old Tires for Planters?
Painting the tires for the planters made out of old tires needs to follow only a few steps.
First, use dish soap and water to clean the tire. You need to clean the tire properly and leave it to dry in the sun or air dry.
Then you can use acrylic paint or spray paint that’s rated for the outdoors. Use a paint with a primer on the tire to add color and design.
Once the paint has dried, your freshly colored inside out tire planter is ready to be filled with soil and plants.
Is it Safe to Grow Vegetables in Old Tires?
Growing vegetables in the old tires is generally considered safe.
However, the reason is not as straightforward. Tires are made out of mostly rubber, with about 5% being various chemicals. This small amount of chemical, like all chemicals, tend to leach out into the soil and surroundings.
Garden vegetables don’t spend much time growing in the tires compared to the chemicals in the tires that take a longer time to leach into the soil. However, root vegetables like potatoes can absorb more of the chemicals.
You can choose to line the inside of the tire planters with a layer of BPA-free plastic. The chemicals in the plastic may leach, too, but it’s less concerning than the chemicals found in tires.
Another thing, do not color or spray paint the tires while there are vegetables and plants in them.
As well, make sure that you plant your vegetable plant in the tire planter after you washed the tire properly. Wash the tire with dish soap and water. You can scrub it with baking soda, too.
However, if you’d like to avoid the toxicity questions, you can choose to grow only flowers and other non-food plants in old tire planters.
Inside out tires used as gardening materials are common nowadays. So, use yours to make your garden look beautiful and make large plant pots for gardening needs.
This simple reuse of old car tires in your yard can also help the environment while making your garden look fabulous.
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