The way to Lay a Copper Penny Tile Floor

“Find a penny, pick it up” takes on a completely different meaning when you are in a room hall using them. As an alternative to ceramic and glass tile, copper pennies will stand out enough to be noticeable — hello, Abe! — however won’t detract from a room’s overall layout. Forget about the debt ceiling and begin focusing on your floor.

Make Change

To tile a floor with copper pennies, expect to spend between $2.50 and $3 per square foot, depending on how you lay your tilefloors. You can work out the number of square feet you want to cover by measuring the width and length of the room and then multiplying these two numbers together. You may want to tack on a few extra feet just in case. Most banks will allow you to purchase change from these, provided that you are a customer. If you want your pennies at a pattern — all facing one direction or rows of pennies facing alternating directions — lay out your routine before you begin. Soak tarnished and muddy pennies in vinegar for a few minutes to bring out their shine.

Educate Your Floor

Just how much cleaning and planning you will need to do will be based on the surface where you intend to lay your copper penny tiles. Interior designer Laura Quinn, author of the design blog happyroost.com, needed to take up vinyl floors and wash and out the underlying tilefloors. Momina Khan of decoist.com recommends removing any foundation molding before evening out your floor, and after you are done, thoroughly wash the floor with a detergent-based solvent, rinse and let dry.

Penny Wise Layout

The way you lay your pennies on the floor will determine just how long this job will require. Quinn laid her copper penny tiles right on the floor with glue. You also can attach your pennies to self-sticking fiberglass — usually accessible 6-by-6 inch or 12-by-12 inch sheets. Gluing the pennies to your floor may result in crooked rows and can be hard to remove if one day you change your mind on your floors. It could also be hard keeping everything in line if you are working in the middle of the area where you’re tiling. When you are done, cover each one of the pennies with an epoxy-based transparent adhesive to assist them place. No grout wanted. Attaching pennies to fiberglass sheeting first enables you to do the work elsewhere, such as on a table. After filling one sheet with pennies, add your epoxy adhesive and move to the next sheet. Put down the sheets one at a time, pressing each securely to assist set. You may want to trim one or two sheets to fully cover the floor. You require at least six hours of drying time before you grout.

Grout and Establish

After combining your grout and water, then use a rubber grout float to propagate grout over the pennies. More is less, Khan stated, because you can always wipe off excess, and this excessive can go a long way toward filling in gaps. After providing the grout the three days or so it ought to set, clean off any excess and then seal it with an epoxy sealant, covering the entire floor evenly. You can buy epoxy sealant kits in your regional home-improvement store. You can walk on your new shiny floor after giving another three days to fully set and dry.

See related