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If there is a small child in the house, you cannot do without a playground. Not every parent can build swings or slides, but you can install a sandbox in the yard. And you don't have to spend it buying expensive materials. A sandbox made of car tires will cost parents absolutely free. Alternatively, you can find a large tractor tire. Then you don't have to design anything. It is enough just to fill the tire with sand. But first things first, and now we will consider different options for making a sandbox from old tires.
Why old tires are often used to make a children's playground
Residents of large cities rarely face the problem of organizing children's leisure time. The corresponding companies are engaged in the installation of playgrounds. In the private sector, parents have to independently equip their children's recreation area, and in order to somehow save their budget, they resort to various tricks. Wooden sandboxes look nice, but good planks are expensive. Resourceful parents adapted old car tires for these purposes. Sandboxes made of tires have their own advantages over wooden counterparts:
- Old tires will cost free, which means that parents will not spend a dime on making a playground.
- If the parent does not have the skills to make curly sandboxes from tires, you can get by with one large tire.
- You can build a sandbox out of car tires very quickly, and you don't need a lot of tools.
- Tire rubber is much softer than wood. Parents can safely leave the child to play, without fear that he will be hammered against the edge of the board.
- Small car tires are easy to cut. They can be used to make many shapes that decorate the sandbox.
- Unlike wood, the tire does not rot. The sandbox can be in the rain, scorching sun and severe frost for years.
No matter how many advantages are listed, the main point is the safety of the child. The rubber is soft, and the likelihood of injury to the child while playing in the sandbox is reduced to zero.
Sandbox placement guidelines
Before you rush to make a sandbox from tires with your own hands, you need to think about the place of its placement. It is clear that a small child should always be supervised. For these reasons, it is worth locating the playing place in a well-visible area. However, there is another problem - the sun. The constant hit of rays on the child will provoke sunstroke. Plus, on a hot day, the tire will get very hot and give off an unpleasant rubber smell.
There are two ways to solve the problem with the sun:
- If a large tree grows in the yard, a tire sandbox can be installed under its crown. The child will play in the shade all day, but at night the sand will have to be covered so that foliage does not attack it. For these purposes, you will have to build a cover. The question of choosing such a place may not come up if the tree is fruit. This is due to the large number of pests such as caterpillars. They will fall on the child.In addition, the tree will be periodically sprayed, and the contact of sand with poison is dangerous to the health of the baby.
- When a sunny area is the only suitable place to install a tire sandbox, then the design will have to be slightly improved. A small mushroom-shaped canopy is placed over the tire. The size is enough to shade the playing area. The simplest canopy can be made from a beach umbrella.
Having decided on the location, they begin to make a sandbox from tires.
What is needed when making a sandbox
There is an opinion about the toxicity of tires, as if they are hazardous to health. However, according to the hazard class, the tires stand in the same place with the vinyl wallpaper, which is pasted over the walls in almost every house. If we are scrupulous about this issue, then the most toxic substances are emitted by old, heavily worn tires. When choosing tires, you need to pay attention to this nuance. The less wear and tear on the rubber, the safer it is to use, even in the sun.
Tires fit all sizes. Small tires will have to be cut into segments and then stitched into one large frame. The large tractor tire can be used as a ready-made sandbox. You can find such good at a nearby landfill or by visiting a tire workshop. It is better to give preference to tires without visible damage, as well as smeared with fuel oil or oils.
To make a sandbox, you need a piece of plumbing insulation or a simple rubber hose. They trim the places of cuts on the tire. Rubber cutting is performed with a sharp knife and a metal file.
When making a structure from small tires, you will need bolts and wire to stitch the workpieces together. The play area should delight the child with bright colors, so you need to prepare several aerosol cans with waterproof paints.
Three options for making a sandbox from old tires
Now we will consider three options for making a sandbox out of tires, but regardless of the model chosen, several basic requirements are met:
- Dig a small depression under the sandbox. It will prevent the tire from sliding to the side. In the case of a large groove tire, the bead height can be adjusted to make it easier for the child to step over it.
- Before filling the sand, geotextiles or black agrofibre are placed on the bottom. You can use a film, but then it must be slightly perforated in places so that the rainwater does not stagnate, but is absorbed into the ground. The lining will keep the sand from mixing with the soil and will also keep weeds from sprouting.
- The finished structure is filled with clean sand. It can be a river or recruited from a quarry.
Taking these requirements as a basis, they begin to make a sandbox.
Single large tire construction
There is enough room for one small child to play in the sandbox from one large tractor tire. An example of such a design is shown in the photo. A play place is made according to the following principle:
- On one side of the tire, the side shelf is cut with a sharp knife close to the tread. As a last resort, you can leave a small folded edge.
- The rubber hose is cut lengthwise and slipped onto the cut near the tread. It can be fixed with glue or stitched with copper wire.
- If the sandbox is supposed to move around the site, it is not buried. Plywood or other moisture-resistant and durable material is laid under the tire. The lining will prevent sand from spilling out during the movement of the tire.
- The finished structure is painted with multi-colored paints. On the side, you can attach additional elements from small tires that imitate the figure of a turtle, crocodile or other animal.
To prevent the yard cats from staining the sand, you need to take care of a light cover.
Flower shaped sandbox
An adult child or if there are several children in a family who need more space to play. You can increase the size of the sandbox with small tires from a car. Using a hacksaw for metal, the tires are cut into two equal semicircles. In place of the cut, nylon threads and a metal court in the form of a wire will definitely stick out. All this must be cleaned up so that the child does not get hurt.
The resulting half rings are painted from spray cans with paints of different colors. When they are dry, the blanks are laid out on a flat area in the shape of a flower, and each segment is sewn with wire or bolted together. Near the resulting sandbox, chairs and a table can be made from thick hemp.
Figured sandbox on the frame
The frame will help to give the sandbox an unusual shape. This concept means the manufacture of a board from any material. It must bend well so that you can give the sandbox any curly shape. The finished frame is dug into the ground and proceeds to the upper strapping.
Small car tires are cut into three equal pieces. The workpieces are cleaned from the protruding court, after which they are painted with multi-colored paints. The dried elements are put on the end of the installed frame, and the side shelves are fixed with bolts on both sides. An example of a curly round sandbox is shown in the photo.
The video shows a sandbox made of tires:
Conclusion
Each version of the considered sandbox can be supplemented at your discretion with different conveniences. This refers to the installation of a roof, umbrella, benches and other devices.
