Plastic bottles, considered secondary raw materials, have become a decorative element. There are a lot of ideas for using the material. Large-scale projects are attractive. An example is a DIY fence made from plastic bottles. Considering its practicality and low cost, it turns out that a plastic bottle is an ideal building material available on the household. A lid is attached to the container. The number of options for productive use of raw materials is increasing. The article offers the reader a modest master class on “using plastic bottles for the garden.”
Fence made from lids from plastic containers
We stock up on a sufficient number of caps, prepare a sketch, think over the color scheme and scheme. The decorative fence will be the envy of advanced designers. When there are not enough caps, we turn to relatives, friends, and neighbors asking for help. Soon the desired volume of parts will be in stock.
The work process is conventionally divided into stages performed in a certain sequence. The procedure is not difficult to understand. A fence made from plastic bottle caps will turn into a local landmark and become a source of pride for the owners.
The first stage is preparation
We prepare the material and sort the lids by color. Old buckets or flower pots will work as storage containers. We work with the lid individually, making 4 holes on the walls, clearly located opposite each other. Marking will help - draw perpendicular lines through the center of the circle. The size of the hole corresponds to the thickness of the wire that fastens the span. We select the wire in accordance with the dominant color.
Second stage - calculations
After the preparatory stage, calculations are performed. Experienced summer residents recommend making a fence made from plastic bottle caps low and starting work from a small area (gate, short opening). For accuracy of calculation, we lay out the covers strictly according to the diagram. The design must correspond to the size of the span; it is repeated and alternated with another version of the ornament.
The third stage - decoration according to the mosaic principle
The process of creating a cork fence is a creative activity, reminiscent of working with a mosaic. Mosaic art has been used since ancient times and will decorate an old, unsightly fence. At this stage, the plugs are fastened according to the pattern using pieces of wire. When fastening parts, you should regularly check the finished canvas with the pattern. The slightest discrepancy will ruin the work.
The final stage - installation
The finished canvas is attached to the supporting bases. Wire is suitable as a fastener, but special fastenings in the form of clamps will make the fence more reliable. Each decorative canvas is attached separately, trying not to disturb the overall design. The finished cork structure can be attached to an old fence without dismantling it.
A lot can be said about the benefits of decorative fencing made from plastic bottle caps. Its main advantages: low cost and ease of execution are captivating.
Original idea
It's time to pay attention to the containers. How to make a fence from plastic bottles is described below. The owner can come up with a design scheme independently, taking into account the characteristics of the ground surface, the area to be decorated, and personal preferences. The parts are attached in different positions: vertically, horizontally, depending on the intended scheme.
Advantages and disadvantages
Any material for construction has advantages and disadvantages. Before you create a fence from plastic bottles with your own hands, let’s get acquainted with the nuances.
Advantages:
- Cost of raw materials. There is no special purchase of plastic, which saves money. This is a free building material. There are no shipping costs required. Raw materials are profitable.
- Water resistant qualities. Initially, the container is intended for storing liquids and has excellent water-retaining and water-repellent properties. Plastic structures do not get wet, do not rot, and do not lose color.
- Light weight, easy to use. Structures made from plastic parts are light in weight. The material is plastic, easy to cut and process.
- Durability of products. It is known that plastic retains its quality for 180 years.
This sets it apart from other materials.
Disadvantages of plastic products:
- They are not resistant to physical force, break easily, and lose their neat appearance;
- A fence made from plastic bottles for the garden is a beautiful fence, but it does not provide reliable protection from thieves and intruders.
What you need for work
The following will help you create a masterpiece on your personal property:
- Bottles in large quantities, preferably identical in color and size;
- Cutting tools - scissors with a knife;
- Wire approximately 6 mm thick;
- Drill, drills for metal and wood, the thickness of the drill corresponds to the diameter of the wire.
The first stage is preparation
Rinse containers and dry. Cut off the bottom. One vertical column consists of five units, the bottle at the bottom remains with the bottom. The cut off bottoms will be useful later, they will serve as a structural element; there is no need to throw them away.
The bottles are placed one on top of the other, forming a column. The trick is this: the bottle reliefs must match. The strength of the future fence and the neatness of the facade depend on this.
Second stage - bottoms
A hole is drilled in the center of each bottom. They put it on the wire so that the bottom is adjacent to the bottom, and the cuts are in opposite directions. A column of five bottles is drilled through three times, the holes are made at the same distance, a wire will pass through them connecting the vertical picket columns. Two bottoms on the wire - the distance between the picket fences.
The number of columns depends on the span length and is calculated individually at the initial stage.
Third stage - installation
Iron supports are dug into the ground along the boundary line in advance, and the assembled spans are attached to them in such a way that the wire acts as a tension element. The parts fit tightly together. A fence made of colorless bottles looks like a crystal structure, delights and pleases. The upper parts are screwed on with lids, the product will acquire a finished appearance.
Conclusion
The use of plastic containers as a building material is not a new idea and has gained popularity among the population. Homemade fences are used to decorate flower beds, mark out a zone or specific territory, design beds, paths, garden paths, and perform crafts.
Making an unusual fence will not be difficult; you won’t need any deep knowledge; all you need to do is be patient, accumulate the details, use your imagination, and get down to business.
A fence made from recycled materials can become not only a decorative element of a summer house or country house, but also an excellent alternative to expensive fencing made of metal profiles, wood, concrete slabs, brick, stone and other traditional materials. Let's see what available materials you can use to build a fence for your dacha with your own hands, to the envy of your neighbors.
Selecting available materials from which to build a fence: their advantages and disadvantages
The construction of a fence from improvised means involves the use of waste that must be recycled or materials that are available in large quantities and are suitable for the construction of such structures. Let's see what kind of fences can be built from plastic and glass bottles, old tires, vines, pallets, etc.
Glass bottles
Fencing made from glass containers can be found in many places, since for quite some time this “material” has become very popular among craftsmen. To work with bottles you will need washed sand, cement and clay.
Currently, there are several options for constructing a fence made of glass bottles:
First option. The bottles are laid in a row horizontally, across the fence wall. During the laying process, the direction of the container must be alternated “neck to bottom”. Thus, we can make a fairly strong fence with “thick” walls (the length of a bottle).
Second option. All bottles are placed with their bottoms facing out and their necks inside the yard. Thus, by choosing the color and shape of the bottle, you can create a specific pattern. Cement mortar is used as a binder.
Third option. Construction of a fence from empty bottles strung in a certain order on steel pins (reinforcement). To do this, a small hole is drilled or cut out in the bottom, and each bottle is threaded onto a metal rod. Everyone can choose the method of stringing at their own discretion. It turns out to be a good decorative fence.
The first two fence options can perform a protective function, while the third is only decorative. Such fencing is quite durable, since bottle glass is thick and durable, and the cement mortar will serve as an additional “fastening”. Stringed bottles can be easily broken, but they can just as easily be replaced with others.
PET (plastic) bottles
There are several ways to construct permanent and decorative fencing from PET bottles. To build a strong and reliable fence you will have to spend a lot of time. It is necessary to pour sand or clay into each bottle, and then lay them in rows and fix them with a cement-clay mortar (cement - clay - sand in a ratio of 1: 3: 6).
To build a decorative fence for a flower bed or vegetable garden, you only need a few pins driven into the ground and a wire on which bottles will be strung in one or several rows.
You can also make a wooden frame, inside of which there will be bottles filled with sand and fastened to each other in a certain order.
The advantages of bottle fencing: long service life, ease of construction, low cost of material. A fence made from plastic containers not secured with cement mortar can be easily damaged, so it is mainly used only for decorative purposes.
Plastic lids
To create a decorative fence from lids, you need to collect about 15–20 thousand of them. This is a large number, but the lids will be fairly easy to find. But the work of creating a fence will not be easy and painstaking. You will need to drill holes in each lid, and then string everything onto wire in a certain order to create a unique pattern.
You can make a frame out of wood, and then screw plastic covers onto its façade with self-tapping screws, creating a beautiful pattern.
Tires
Old car tires can be found at every driver and at a service station. If you try, you can collect enough tires for free to build a permanent or decorative fence for a country house.
During the fence construction process, the tires are laid horizontally next to each other and secured together with screws. Then the next row is laid in a checkerboard pattern, which is screwed to the bottom one. As a result, all tires must be firmly fastened to each other. Soil is poured inside each tire.
In the resulting fence, so-called “pockets” will remain in each tire, into which various ornamental plants can be planted for beauty.
Such a fence will be strong and reliable and will serve until the tires become unusable under the influence of precipitation, sun and other factors. But since the rubber from which tires are made contains strong substances such as rubber, soot, resin and other plasticizers, their service life is quite long.
Pallets
From pallets you can build not only garden furniture or gazebos, but also fences. Wooden pallets are great for constructing any type of fencing. They can be used to make a permanent fence around the entire site. To do this, it will be necessary to install support pillars around the entire perimeter, concrete them, and then fill them with pallets in a certain order or screw them with special screws. You can simply disassemble the pallets and build a fence from individual elements.
Gallery of fences made from improvised means
Fence made of glass bottles on a metal frame 
Fencing for flower beds made of wicker vines 
Decorative fence - wattle fence 
Original fence made of dry bushes 
Fencing for the front garden made of natural stone 
Decorative fence made from cart wheels 
Fence made of plastic bottles for a summer residence 
Decorative fence made of plastic bottles and chain-link mesh 
Fence made of plastic caps with ornaments
Preparation for construction: area calculation
We will build a fence from PET bottles, as they allow you to choose any type of fencing.
- To lay a permanent fence, we will need cement mortar and 100 plastic bottles (per 1 sq.m. area).
- A decorative sectional fence will require 30 bottles (per 1 sq.m.) and strong wire or metal rods.
- To fence small flower beds and front gardens, you need about 10 bottles (per 1 linear meter).
The fence can be built from any PET bottles. The main thing is that they are the same in size and shape to avoid deformation of the structure.
If you collect bottles of different colors, you can build a fence with an original design or ornament.
- Plastic bottles should only be selected in good condition: without damage, dents or other defects.
- Before starting work, it is recommended to wash all bottles and remove the labels from them. It is best to use bottles made of durable plastic.
- To erect a permanent fence, a certain amount of cement, washed sand and crushed stone will be required.
Advantages of plastic (PET) bottles as a building material:
- Availability and low cost. You can collect or find bottles for collection yourself in a few months. And if you buy a lot of mineral water or lemonade in the summer, you will have the required amount within a week.
- Strength, elasticity and lightness. From PET bottles you can build a variety of structures that are resistant to mechanical damage.
- Water and moisture resistant. Plastic bottles are not afraid of water and are resistant to the development of fungi and mold. They do not fade in the sun. Contact with fire will only melt the plastic.
- Plastic bottles have good thermal insulation characteristics.
Flaws:
- Plastic can be greatly deformed due to temperature changes. In the hot sun it can shrink greatly and decrease in size, and in the cold it can crack.
- Some people think plastic is not a sufficiently environmentally friendly material, but everyone has a personal opinion on this issue. Since plastic products surround us everywhere, a fence made from PET bottles is unlikely to greatly harm the environment and human health.
Calculation of material for construction
- To build a strong fence 20 meters long and 1.5 meters high, we will need about 3,000 plastic bottles if we build the fence in one row.
- If you want to build a small decorative sectional fence around the front garden, then for a 10-meter fence 1 meter high, you will need 300 bottles.
- For a low flowerbed fence, with a circumference of 6 meters, we need about 60 bottles.
We may also need wooden and metal poles for support. When installing every 2 meters for a ten-meter fence, we will need 6 beams - 2 meters long.
To create the frame, 10 or 20 wooden boards are needed, depending on the method of fastening the fence. The size of the boards is 2 meters.
Tools
To build a fence from bottles, you won’t need many tools, since here you will have to work more with your hands.
- Concrete mixer;
- Trowel, spatula;
- Building level;
- Roulette;
- Plumb.
Do-it-yourself fence from plastic bottles - step-by-step instructions
Capital construction
- We will build a fence around the house. First, we need to make some kind of “bricks” out of bottles. Pour sand or regular soil into each bottle and close them with a lid.
- We mark the place where the fence will go and remove debris, grass and other vegetation from the area. We level the site and, if necessary, arrange a small strip foundation. To do this, we dig a shallow trench, make formwork and fill it with concrete mortar in the ratio: 1 part cement, 3 parts sand and 5 parts crushed stone. Before pouring, we dig in metal or stone pillars at a distance of 1–2 meters from each other. This is necessary for greater structural strength.
- Prepare the binding solution. It may be different. For example, engineer from Germany Andreas Froes, who is the developer of the ECO-TES technology, advises using a mixture of clay, soil, sawdust and cement for the construction of various structures from plastic bottles. This solution will be the most durable and, most importantly, the cheapest. But you can also use ordinary cement of the lowest grade.
- We lay the bottom row on the prepared foundation. We place the first row of the fence on the mortar very tightly. The back of the bottles should face the street. Thus, in a checkerboard pattern, we lay row after row until we have built the entire fence. Its height should be no higher than 1.5 meters, otherwise the structure will be unreliable.
- After the masonry has completely dried, the façade of the fence must be plastered, leaving the bottoms of the bottles visible. If you stack bottle “bricks” of different colors, you can create a beautiful pattern or mosaic.
Decorative
- We install wooden supports along the entire length of the future fence. You can simply bury them in the ground and compact them well. Or you can fill it with concrete for greater reliability.
- We assemble the frame from wooden boards. Its size is calculated depending on the number and width of the bottles. Between the side parts of the frame inside we attach longitudinal jumpers. The distance between them should be equal to the height of 2 bottles.
- After this, we attach the covers to the jumpers using self-tapping screws at a certain distance from each other. When everything is ready, we simply screw the bottles onto the screwed caps with the bottoms facing each other.
- Then we insert the resulting sections between the support tables and fasten them using special screws or other hardware.
- You can simply stretch strong wire onto the frame, make holes in the bottles and string them in a certain order. Such a fence will be an interesting decorative solution.
Low fencing for flower beds
Construction on reinforcement
- We will make a meter-long fence using rebar. To do this, we take metal pipes and dig them into the ground along the entire length of the fence at a certain distance. If desired, the supports can be concreted.
- Next, we take the required number of bottles at the rate of 5 pieces per rod. We cut off the bottom of four bottles, but the fifth remains intact. Thus, we carry out this procedure with all the material.
- Then, one by one, we put all the cut ones on the whole bottle as shown in the figure.
- We do not throw away all the cut off bottoms, as they will serve as a kind of separator between the rows of bottles. We string all the assembled posts onto the reinforcement along with the bottoms as shown in the photo and secure it between the metal supports.
To finish a permanent fence made of bottle “bricks” we will need paint and whitewash. We can paint all the bottoms of the bottles that remain visible with oil paint in various colors, and simply whitewash the rest of the fence.
In the same way we can paint bottles on any decorative fence.
If you use your imagination, you can turn an ordinary fence into a real “work of country art.” Bottles painted in different colors on a fence will certainly attract the attention of neighbors and people passing by.
Video on the topic
Video: original fence made from plastic bottle caps
A fence made of colored plastic bottles will be an excellent solution for your summer cottage if you decide to do something unusual and original. A solid fence made of plastic “bricks” can reliably protect your territory, and decorative fences made by yourself can decorate your clubs, flower beds and front gardens. Structures made from this “building material” will be inexpensive, durable and original.
Deposits of used plastic containers in the country are an eternal problem. Of course, you can burn it, but you don’t want to poison the clean air that you rarely get to breathe with acrid smoke! Therefore, let's try to find a worthy use for it. For example, let's think about how to make a fence from plastic bottles.
A variety of crafts have long been made from them - decorative and quite utilitarian, so why not use them as a building material for fencing a garden plot or at least part of it?
How to use bottles
Food-grade plastic, from which disposable tableware and bottles are made, is a fairly durable material that cannot be destroyed by exposure to moisture, sun, high or low temperature and other environmental influences. Therefore, it is excellent for the construction of not only fences, but also various other street buildings. For example, an original gazebo, canopy or greenhouse.
Most often, cylinders are used as is - entirely, with plugs. But they can be cut lengthwise, removing the bottom, into several picket pieces. Or you can take only the bottoms or corks and decorate an old wooden fence with them.
There are many options, but if you are faced with the dual task of building a fence and recycling plastic cylinders, then we will only consider those that involve “waste-free production.” Rest assured that .
Most likely, your reserves will not be enough, and you will either have to replenish them by visiting friends and acquaintances, or carry out construction in stages, as new bottles spontaneously appear on the site and in its surroundings.
Types of “bottle” fences and methods of their construction
Fences made from plastic bottles can be very different both in type and purpose.
- The simplest option is fencing flower beds, flower beds, garden paths, their visual highlighting.
- Frame fence. Light, transparent or translucent (depending on the color of the bottles), serving more as a decoration than a reliable barrier to uninvited guests.
- Capital fence- the most expensive option, which involves the use of a binder solution. But the price of cylinders filled with sand or earth is still incomparable with the cost of brick or stone, so we will consider this option.
Many summer residents, in conditions of limited finances, have learned to create fences from unnecessary things and leftover building materials.
A striking example of the imagination of craftsmen is a fence made of plastic bottles. Construction costs are minimal, and with proper assembly technology, plastic will not be inferior in service life to corrugated sheets or polycarbonate.
Instead of fastening with self-tapping screws, you can lubricate the racks with construction glue and place bottles filled with sand or earth on top.
From fragments
To properly assemble such a fence, you will need to prepare a wire frame in advance and secure posts made of metal pipes and timber.
Photo: wicker fence made from plastic fragments cut from bottles An alternative to wire is, but the cells should be selected according to the size of the containers.
Using fragments of plastic, you can interestingly decorate an old chain-link fence by adding bright colors to the surface.
When decorating, it is allowed to use the bottom, top, and central part of the bottle separately. The last option is the most popular.
Step by step it looks like this:
- The top and bottom are cut off from PET.
- The resulting fabric is leveled and cut lengthwise or crosswise, depending on the diameter of the wire frame.
- The elements are connected to each other with a stapler.
You can cut off only the bottom of the container. In this case, the blanks are put on one on top of the other.
Out of traffic jams
Craftsmen have learned to make entire paintings and mosaics from multi-colored lids.
But to get even a simple pattern, you will need a large amount of material, your time and patience.
Photo: painting made from bottle caps The main function of such a fence is decorative.
A cork structure is created in two ways:
- Weaving. 4 holes are made in each lid, through which a horizontally or vertically positioned stainless steel wire is passed. In this way, patterns are created according to a pre-prepared scheme. To avoid mistakes, you should first calculate the required amount of material and how the elements should be located in each row.
- Gluing to wood. It is necessary to take a plywood sheet equal in width to the distance between the pillars. You can use a pen to apply the approximate location of the lids and pattern. The corks are glued to the sheet in the required order. This method is good because the mosaic can be assembled indoors and secured between the supports in its finished form.
Craftsmen create not only fences from plastic covers, but also original tables, stands, and garden paths.
On a wire
The assembly is performed as follows:
- In this option, picket fences are formed from bottles. The minimum number of containers per 1 picket fence is 5 pieces. The number of planks depends on the selected span width.
- The containers are cleaned of dirt and labels are removed.
- All containers, except the last one, which will be located on one picket fence, have the bottom cut off.
- The elements can be attached to the wire frame horizontally. Then a hole equal to the diameter of the wire is made in the center of the containers. An alternative is vertical fixation. In this case, holes are made in the bottle caps.
- After this, all the cut containers are put on top of the whole bottle and passed through the wire.
- The finished sections are welded to metal poles. They are simply screwed to wooden supports with wire.
For stability, it is recommended to fill the entire bottle that will come into contact with the ground with sand and dig it a little into the ground.
Decorative (for flower beds)
For such a fence, you need to prepare a trench up to 20 cm deep around the perimeter of the flower bed or bed. Fill the bottles with earth and place them in the trench with the neck down. Place each element close to each other.
Photo: zoning of flower beds To make the fence bright, you should take multi-colored containers and, if desired, paint them in contrasting colors.
The photo below shows an example of a fence under a garden bed, where each container is tied with rope for reinforcement.
Making such fences takes no more than 2 hours, and even one person can handle the process.
For zoning the site
To divide the garden and estate into separate zones, a border made of plastic bottles is erected. For beauty, the top of the transparent containers is cut off, colored stones and crushed stone are poured inside. The workpiece is turned over with the open side into the prepared trench. All elements are placed close to each other.
For this purpose, a design option on a wire up to 1.5 m high, described above, is suitable.
Such an unusual use of plastic containers allows you to create unique fences and decorative elements literally in a matter of hours without investment, and the assembly process is easy to master yourself.
The amount of garbage that each person “produces” is growing every year. The problem is becoming global, as flying plastic bags and plastic bottles lying everywhere have become an eyesore for everyone. I’m grieving, it turns out that you can help, and even for your own benefit. In any case, this applies to plastic bottles. You will be surprised how varied and, importantly, useful crafts from plastic bottles can be made in literally a matter of minutes. Well, or a watch... Depends on the scale.
The buildings
PET (polyethylene terephthalate) is a thermoplastic from which bottles are made. It will be useful to know its physical properties:
- density - 1.38-1.4 g/cm³,
- softening temperature (t size) - 245 °C,
- melting temperature (t pl.) - 260 °C,
- glass transition temperature (t st.) - 70 °C,
- decomposition temperature - 350 °C.
Plastic bottles are very convenient to use, but are harmful to the environment, since the polyethylene from which they are made takes more than 200 years to decompose. This same property allows the use of practically waste raw materials as building material. Craftsmen already even build houses from plastic bottles, as well as sheds, dachas, greenhouses, greenhouses, and fences. Various technologies have been developed - the approach is quite serious.
How to build a house from plastic bottles
The basic idea is to pour bulk material into bottles, screw them on with caps and use them as bricks. Fill the bottles with sand and soil. Sand is preferable because there is too much plant debris in the soil that can rot. It must be sifted, dried, filled into bottles, compacted well, and topped up. The result is a kind of brick.
To build a house from plastic bottles, you will need a solution that fills the gaps between the “bricks”. There are options here too. This can be a regular mortar, which is used when laying brick walls, or you can make a clay mortar. To keep the “bricks” in the wall until the mortar sets, they are tied with twine on the side of the lids. Later, these “grids” will come in handy when you plaster the walls. They turn out uneven, so you can’t do without leveling.
We make a greenhouse, barn, greenhouse
You can build a greenhouse or greenhouse from plastic bottles. In this case, only transparent plastic is used, since it is necessary for sufficient light to pass through. For the construction of a shed, on the contrary, it makes sense to choose darker plastic - it will be less visible what’s inside.
The first technology - one to one
The second requirement for bottles as a building material is an even shape. This one, you know, without recesses. Otherwise, folding the walls so that they retain heat will not work - it will “siphon” into the curly cutouts. Remove labels from bottles and dry. You also need to prepare pins or rods - bottles are strung on them. Their diameter is small so that the neck passes freely. Now you can start building a greenhouse/shed from plastic bottles.
To build a greenhouse or shed, pillars are dug in the corners. Frames are assembled from timber according to the size of the walls. These frames will be the base for the bottle walls. We assemble them (the frames) on the ground and, ready-made, attach them to the dug-in pillars. When you make the frames, don't forget the doorway and windows.
We build a frame, cut off the bottom of the bottles, and string them onto a pin. From such “columns” we assemble walls, roof
The construction process begins with cutting the bottom. We string the cut bottles onto pins, pointing the necks in one direction. We insert the bottles with force so that they become very tight. Having collected a row of the required height, we attach it to the frame. You can fasten it with clamps, strips cut from metal, nails... In any way available to you. We press the second row against the first so that there is a slight deformation. We fasten it in this position. So, row by row, we assemble all the walls, then the roof.
Using the same technology you can make a gazebo. But here there is no need for tightness, so you can collect shaped and colored containers. This will make it even more interesting (example in the photo).
Second technology - sewing plastic
Bottles will also need to be smooth, transparent or yellow. The central part is cut out of them, resulting in a square-shaped piece of plastic. The pieces are sewn together into long strips. In the strip, the pieces are placed so that they curl in one direction. Then the strips are sewn into canvases. To make the canvas even, the strips are positioned so that they curl in different directions. As a result, they equalize each other. The finished canvases are nailed to the frame. This completes the construction of the greenhouse for plastic bottles.
This type of “cladding” for greenhouses withstands winters well; it does not need to be removed. Due to the firmware (many small holes), there is no absolute tightness, which allows you to regulate humidity. You won’t be able to heat such a greenhouse, but it will delay autumn for you and speed up the arrival of spring.
You can sew plastic for a greenhouse by hand, but it is not easy. It will be easier for those who have non-capricious sewing machines. Old Podolsk machines cope with this task. There may be problems with others.
Fence and enclosure
You can make a fence from plastic bottles in various ways. If you need a serious monolithic fence, you can use bottles as bricks. The technology is the same as when building a house. To avoid plaster (after all, there is a high risk that it will collapse) - select the color of the plastic to obtain the required Rusinka. But in this case, you will have to look for “building materials” of the same diameter or lay out patterns from different sizes. In general, the process is creative, no matter how you look at it.
You can also make filling for the fence from plastic bottles. Make a frame, say, from wood, and come up with a beautiful filling from shaped containers and their parts.
Furniture from scrap materials: recycling plastic bottles
Not only can you make a house and a fence from plastic bottles, they are also used as the basis for upholstered furniture. The idea is to use plastic containers rather than wood for the frame. With the lids tightly screwed on, they have a high load-bearing capacity, and when assembled into blocks, they are quite capable of withstanding loads of up to 100 kg or more.
A bed made of plastic bottles... you need a good mattress, and the base is not too difficult to make
Although the furniture is made differently, the general algorithm of actions is the same:
- Select “building material” that is the same height and tighten the lids well.
- Assemble blocks of the required size, securing them with tape.
- Having assembled the base of the required shape, sew the cover. For softness, adding furniture foam.
The trick is to ensure that the bottles fit very tightly against each other and do not move. The slightest play can lead to destruction of the structure. Therefore, assemble the blocks slowly, carefully securing them. You can stack bottles in layers, securing each layer in several places. For the inner layers, it is better to use double-sided tape - the fixation will be more reliable.
Ottomans/banquettes
The easiest way is to make an ottoman or banquette from plastic bottles. We proceed in the order described above. You need to find bottles of the same height. It’s better if they are the same shape - it’s easier to assemble. From plastic containers with tightly screwed lids we assemble a base in the form of a cylinder. It is advisable that the radius of the base be greater than the height of the bottles - this way the bench will not tip over.
Next, you need to cut out two circles from fiberboard, which will be slightly larger than the resulting radius of the base - this is the “bottom” and the base of the seat. We secure them with tape. We take furniture foam rubber and, according to the obtained dimensions, cut out the necessary parts. We sew the cover from furniture fabric in a color that matches the interior.
Such a banquette can be not only round. It is quite possible to make it square. And so that this furniture is not too light, it can be made heavier by pouring water. But water is not very reliable. It's better to pour sand. Both heavier and more reliable.
Sofas, chairs, armchairs
If you need furniture higher than one bottle, proceed as when creating walls for a house. Find “material” of the same shape and height. Leave the first bottle intact, screw the cap tightly (you can add sand to prevent it from turning over). The bottom of the other is cut off and one is placed on top of the other. The bottle goes a certain distance and does not move further, no matter how much effort you make. If the resulting height is enough, great; if not, put on the next one. This is how you assemble rows of the required height, then fasten them into blocks.
There is another way. It is more reliable in the sense that the bottles are held not by compressed air, but by a mechanical stop. And they have double walls, which is also important. Disadvantage - more work, more raw materials are needed. The whole process is illustrated step by step.
- Take the bottle and cut it approximately in the middle of the height (the upper part with the neck is smaller).
- We insert the upper part of the neck (the lid is screwed on) until it stops into the lower part.
- We take a whole one, the same size and shape, and insert it bottom down into the prepared structure.
- We cut the third approximately in half and put the lower part on the top (with a lid).
From such modules we assemble blocks of the required configuration, fastening them with tape. Don't skimp on scotch tape. You can first fasten two bottles together, then assemble larger blocks from the double ones.
As you understand, with this technology there are a lot of bottle tops left (half of the third bottle). They can be used to make other crafts from plastic bottles: flowers, more practical things for the household.
Flower making methods
The most common crafts made from plastic bottles are garden figurines and flowers. Read about garden figurines. There are other interesting ideas, but there are many collected interesting animals and insects. And we’ll tell you about flowers made from plastic bottles below - these are probably the crafts made from plastic bottles that bring the most pleasure. The process is simple, there are a lot of possibilities, the result is amazing.
You've probably noticed that the bottom of a PET bottle looks like a flower. All you need to do is find a bottle of a beautiful color and cut off the bottom. Now you have a nice flower. In the middle you can add petals cut from the central part, a core from plastic strips cut into noodles, or glue beads inside, but more on that in a little more detail.
Using the power of fire
To work, you will need a marker, a lighter or a candle (it’s more convenient with a candle). If available, take pliers, tweezers or pliers to hold the workpiece while processing. You will also need acrylic paints, glue and beads may be needed. The entire manufacturing process comes down to a few steps:
There are a lot of options here. Just start doing it. It may not work out perfectly right away, but you will understand what and how you can fix it. Look at a few more pictures with step-by-step photos of the process of making flowers from plastic bottles.
The simplest
For beginner crafters, you can try making flowers from plastic bottles in simple shapes to decorate the garden. In this case, you can also use milk containers. To avoid painting plastic, look for colored ones. And it doesn’t matter so much whether they are transparent or not. They can be combined to produce flowers of different shapes.
To create such flowers, use the part near the neck. It is cut to form petals. Next - warm it up a little, giving the desired bend to the petals, a little paint, the core from a melted piece with a thread (a bottle of a smaller diameter, a pharmacy bottle will do). So it turned out to be a buttercup.
Another option is to cut from the neck into strips of equal width - 1-1.5 cm, bend them (warm up a little at the base). Make a middle whisk from the side of a milk bottle or paint clear plastic with acrylic paint.
The middle is any bright. Here is a piece of cork, but you can cut it into thin noodles, roll it up and then heat it. You will get a shaggy core.
It's all about the form... Despite the imperfections, they decorate the site
The topic is actually inexhaustible. A variety of flowers are made from plastic bottles. From simple and uncomplicated to very realistic. It's not so much a matter of skill as different tastes and desires.
Useful ideas for the home
PET containers turned out to be such a good material that many useful things are made from them. In this section we have collected useful crafts made from plastic bottles that can be used around the house.
For the kitchen and more
If you cut off the bottom of a bottle with a capacity of 2–3 liters, you get a bowl or a bowl, and so that its edges are even, they can be melted on a heated iron. But so that you don’t have to clean the sole later, use a special silicone pad. If you don't have one, you can do this through a sheet of baking parchment.
Container for food. The plastic is food grade...
From the same bottle we cut off the threaded part. There should be 1-2 cm of plastic left around the thread (we melt the edges using a well-known technology). Now it won’t be difficult to seal any package hermetically: we pass it through the cut neck, wrap it outward, and screw on the lid.
The bottom of the bottles attached to the bar makes an excellent newspaper shelf (photo on the right). You can also store umbrellas.
You can weave containers of different shapes from plastic cut into strips. Bottles need an even shape, with thick walls. They are cut into strips of a certain thickness. You need to cut in a spiral - the result is quite long strips. If their length is not enough, they are sewn perfectly.
Lampshades
You can even make a lampshade, but under one condition: you will use similar crafts from plastic bottles in lamps - only they hardly heat up. Plastic is incompatible with other lamps. We will describe three ways to make a lampshade from a plastic bottle.
First. You need a large capacity bottle. We draw it into strips of equal width. At the beginning and at the end of each strip, we make holes with a heated soldering iron or a nail heated on fire. We insert scissors into this hole and cut. The result is smooth stripes.
When the strips are cut, we also make a hole in the bottom, pass a thick fishing line through the neck, take it out through the hole in the bottom, and attach the decor to the back side. Maybe a button, maybe a pebble of a suitable color. Now, by pulling the fishing line, we get an interesting shaped lampshade. You can put a low power light bulb in it.
Another lampshade was made using a similar technology. But then they cut part of the bottle with the neck into strips, wrapped the strips and secured them to the neck. To give the desired shape, the bend can be slightly warmed over the flame of a candle or lighter. We attach the resulting “flowers” to the base. So we get an unusual design.
They also make lampshades from the bottoms. You need to find a sufficient number of identical bottles, cut off the bottom of them, and glue them together using universal glue (choose transparent). The main thing is that it glues the plastic and hardens quickly.
Flower vases
Making a vase from a plastic bottle - what could be easier... Just cut off the neck and you're done. But there is a technique that allows you to get patterned walls. You will need a soldering iron with the thinnest tip possible. Its power should not be too high. Then everything is simple: use a heated tip to burn out the patterns.
Magically! To make the drawing appear brighter, take acrylic paint and paint the resulting beauty. The paint can be in a regular can, but it’s faster and more convenient to work with a spray can.
These are the options...
Photo ideas
Crafts from plastic bottles is such a broad topic that it is impossible to talk about everything. What’s nice is that if you know a few tricks, you can easily find out how and what to do just by looking at photographs. So here we have collected a few ideas that we found interesting.
You can even make a boat...
And this is just decoration...
