Introduction: Resin Penny Floor Project!
You've probably seen the viral video's that did the rounds recently - featuring floors, bars and tabletops made from pennies.
One of the most popular videos was made by one of our customers who created his own penny floor using one of our products. You can see his handiwork at DIY Penny Floor - as you can see it looks amazing and it's no wonder everyone wants their own Floor of Pennies!
Our technical team receive several calls a day asking how it's done so we thought we'd share a tutorial with you on how to do penny flooring!
Step 1: Preparation & Materials
What you'll need:
Clear Epoxy Resin - the product featured is GlassCast® 3
Adhesive
Black Grout (we used Ready Mixed)
Squeegee
2 Buckets
Protective Gloves / Goggles / Clothing
Spirit Level
Pennies - work out how many you need and decide if you want dirty / shiny or a mixture
For this tutorial we used a mock up area of floor - so make sure that your floor is completely level and clean and you can start!
Step 2: Pennies, Pennies and More Pennies
- First run a bead of adhesive in a line and start laying pennies side by side
- Make yourself comfortable you could be here for some time!
- Continue laying pennies until the entire area is covered and allow to dry properly (ideally over night)
Step 3: Grouting
- Now using a black grout and a squeegee cover the pennies all over
- Push the grout into the gaps between the coins and into the spaces around the edge (next to the skirting board)
- Allow it to begin setting
- Clean off the excess grout with a cloth and polish as much or as little as you want - the grout will act as a polish to some degree so if you want the pennies to have a dirty effect don't rub them too much
- Then leave to fully dry and vacuum the surface
Step 4: Resin Measuring & Mixing
Accurate measuring of the floor space is essential to work out the correct quantity of resin required. Our website has a useful table to work out the quantity of resin required Penny Floor Epoxy Calculator and you will also find a video tutorial here.
- For a penny floor the recommended depth of resin is a minimum of 2mm
- Make sure you have 2 mixing buckets and make sure your wear protective clothing, gloves and goggles
- Measure out the Clear Epoxy Surface Resin
- Measure out the Epoxy Hardener
- Mix thoroughly in bucket 1
- Transfer into bucket 2 and mix again
It is advisable to mix up to (but not more than) 5kg of Resin in one batch and repeat the process if more is required - this enables you to accurately measure and thoroughly mix and pour within the pot life of the resin.
To work out how much resin you need for your project use this useful resin calculator.
Step 5: Resin Pouring and Spreading
Now you can pour the resin, starting at the furthest part, using a spreader to distribute evenly.
GlassCast® is a self leveling resin and is highly self degassing which means that bubbles shouldn't be a problem, but you can use a heat gun or hairdryer if you have any persistent bubbles..
If the area you are covering requires more resin, repeat the process and pour up to the previous section and when finished leave to cure (as per the manufacturers instructions).
Step 6: WOW!
When the floor is cured you will see the beautiful glass like quality, which is smooth to the touch!
The timescale is dependent on the size of the floor or work area, plus the additional drying / curing time between processes.
Epoxy Penny Floor Resin (on GlassCast Resin)
No More Nails Adhesive (on Screwfix)
Black Wall Tile Grout (on B&Q)
Squeegee (on B&Q)
You can find all the other supplies in most good DIY shops.
Step 7: Ideas ...
You could use this product and process to coat:
Tabletops / Bartops / Furniture / Coasters / Placemats You could also embed objects like bottle tops, crushed glass, pebbles, wood ... and many more things. You can also clean up small scratches quite easily using abrasive paper and polishing compound - although direct heat and heavy traffic should be avoided.
Check out our brand new project - Neon Resin Plank Table!