Mamabee

DIY Crafts: Repurposing Old Ropes

Repurposing and upcycling is very much an on-trend way of using old material to give your house a little pick me up without spending loads of money. It’s also good for the environment as far less is being thrown away for processing or even worse, ending up in landfill. Most of the time it can seem pretty obvious what to do with your larger bits of furniture to give them a new lease of life, but when it comes to smaller items and objects the possibilities are endless and often require a bit of inspiration.

Ropes might seem like the last thing you’d repurpose, but you’d be surprised at the versatility of what they can achieve as long as you have the right tools and ideas, it also depends on what kind of rope you have as a steel wire rope won’t make a very comfortable sofa!

Climbing Ropes

It’s going to take a while for you to wear out your rope if you are a climber even if you’re using it every weekend, these things are designed for heavy-duty use. Manufacturers know and understand that it’s going to be rubbed up against the rock or tree you are climbing, it’s going to take heavy falls at the slip of a finger and be tied up and bent around thousands of times. So creating high-performance products is nothing but essential.

Once the day comes that you can retire your rope, here are some ideas you can try.

From life-saver to lounger

The Teufelberger ropes are a brilliant option to make your seating from, the good thing about climbing rope is that it isn’t too hard and is easily manipulated, this makes it a good alternative to large pieces of material that aren’t too flexible. Creating a base structure of  wood is a necessity, make sure you have contact points to wrap the rope around, and you can weave your old rope creating a nice comfortable seat.

Rugs/mats

If it’s to carry with you when climbing so you have somewhere to sit down at the bottom of the crag, or if it’s for your house so your dog has somewhere to sit down, then repurposing rope this way is not only comfortable but also looks pretty cool too.

Rope ladder

If you have a garden large enough to have a tree house then there’s only one way to get to it and that’s by rope ladder. Assuming you aren’t retiring your rope because it has worn out areas and the ends are fraying then using it for a rope ladder will give you a safe basis to make an authentic style ladder. That’s not to say you can’t use a rope ladder elsewhere!

Natural rope

Usually thought of as a more traditional style, natural rope is usually made from a more natural material and will have a musky light brown color. It’s also much thicker than synthetically made ropes and these traits make it the perfect object to upcycle into something that not only looks cool but is also functional.

Tight spiral

Wrapping these flat and into a spiral makes a beautiful looking pattern and something that can be used for many things. Make some smaller spirals and use them as mats for the dining table or for putting hot dishes straight out the oven onto. Make some larger ones and fix them onto the top of a cushion giving it a new lease of life, or if you’re more of a car person why not make some garden stools and fix it to the top of some old tires you might have lying around.

Plant pots

Wrapping this style of rope around plant pots make them look even more appealing and give a bit of a nautical theme, so if you’re close to the sea then why not embrace the look of an old travelling ship.

Baskets

If you have some smaller natural rope, then creating a basket will give a trendy and practical solution to carrying groceries home from the store.

When it comes to repurposing ropes the possibilities are endless, there are so many different styles that it fits in with and can add a nice touch to any home. Synthetic style rope is far more colorful and is a lot softer so will work with a certain type of upcycling project, even though it’s soft it’s still mighty strong so be adventurous with your projects. The more natural style of rope brings you back to either the nautical days or something that works incredibly well in an open space with lots of plants, so choose this rope carefully. Get your upcycling hats on and go create a masterpiece!

 

 

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