Chairs and Other Projects: How to Make the Most of your Old Rug

Did you know that you can make a chair out of anything you have laying around? You could even use an old rug that you don’t use anymore. It’s a fun craft that’ll also be very useful!

Rugs are usually very durable, but sometimes we just want to change them because they don’t match so well with our new decor, or maybe we want to give a room a different feel. Instead of throwing the rug away or just storing it, we could make our own chairs with it. Learn how to make your own chairs in our post today.

How to make chairs out of an old rug

You don’t have to shell out big bucks to have beautiful chairs for your living room or backyard. If you’d consider yourself crafty, and if you love DIY projects, giving a second life to worn out chairs is a wonderful idea. You could even use an old rug on chairs that you’ve bought second-hand that need upholstering.

Whatever the case might be, if you want to make chairs by recycling a rug, you’ll need a basic structure. Don’t have one? You could also make it! With a little ingenuity and imagination, create a base with a backing. Then, add the legs and your chair structure is complete. Afterwards, you could then line the chair’s seat and back with the rug.

Another fun and interesting idea is using an old tapestry to make beach recliners. These chairs usually have a steel or metal frame that’s left uncovered. But when you’re making yours, you’ll need to cover it with the tapestry to keep the rain from ruining the structure.

If your tapestry rips, you can replace it with a piece of rug. To connect it to the chair’s frame, you’ll need upholstery staples. It’s so easy and fun! Don’t forget that it’ll have to be nice and strong to support a person’s weight.

Are there more ways to recycle rugs?

Let’s imagine that you’ve taken a big rug from your living room and used a portion of it for chairs. What should you do with the rest? Don’t toss it in the trash! There are plenty of ways to recycle and make the most of it.

1. You could create a chill-out space on your patio or deck. Add some pillows to get comfortable and read or enjoy the sun.
2. Some people use rugs to make doghouses more comfortable and warm during the Winter. If you have a cat, make a DIY scratching post with the leftover pieces of the rug, rope and some cardboard boxes… it’ll be a hit!
3. Are you good with a sewing machine? If so, you could make original bags to give as gifts, or to take with you anywhere. They’ll be the envy of all your friends!
4. If your washing machine makes a lot of noise when it’s running, use a little piece of the rug to balance it.
5. You could also cut out smaller pieces out of the rug to make a shower, bedside or front door mat.
6. Do you work from home and spend a lot of time in front of your computer? Make a small, personal mat for yourself to keep your feet from getting cold in the winter.
7. How about turning your rug into a yoga mat? If you’ve started doing yoga at home, nothing will beat a rug’s soft yet tough material. Yoga mats are 80 centimeters wide and around a meter and a half long.
8. Another idea is car mats. You could cut out extras in case they get worn out or dirty.
9. You can also use an old rug in your backyard. Aside from making chairs or recliners, you could set flowerpots on top of them if you don’t want to stain your tiles. Or, you could use  a mat to cover your compost during the winter or as a knee-rest for when you’re weeding your garden or taking care of your plants.
10. If you have several rugs that you want to reuse, you can make a quilt by stitching the pieces of the rugs together into one, recycled piece. You could showcase it anywhere you’d like. All the sewing makes it a time-consuming project, but the results will really be amazing.

Don’t throw your old rugs away; you can still use them for plenty of uses and crafts. We’re not just talking about chairs, but for everyday things as well. You’ll be recycling and saving money at the same time!