Penny floor

[Retrosmith]

Saw this today. What would the durability be like in a garage compared to porcelain tile (PEI IV or V) if using pre '82 copper pennies? Supposedly these floors are popular in hotels and restaraunts.

 

[Jure]

sick>^^ how many usd you have built in that floor??

 

[pauloman]

had a customer do a penny floor in there bathroom and sent me a picture. problem is the clear epoxy will scratch and slowly turn yellow. And if you don't get the coins glued down without any air space around them, you'll get bubbles.

Finally, a gallon of anything poured out at 1/4 inch thick only covers 6.2 sq feet. And with epoxy at about $65 a gallon......

 

[General Geoff]

pretty sure the pennies will be way cheaper than whatever you set them in, per square foot.

as to durability, I think the pennies themselves will hold up fine, I'd be more concerned with them being pried loose from the edges with particularly heavy loads rolling over them on small-ish caster wheels, or if something heavy was dragged over them, with a sharp edge.

 

[blackdart66]

Google is our friend !

Answer:There are 304 pennies in a square foot



16 pennies = 12 inch line.

16 X 16 = 256

***************************************************************

Despite the difference of 48 pennies between the two answers above, both answers could be correct.

If pennies were square, then answer #1 would be incorrect.
Answer #2 relies on the pennies being arranged in a grid pattern. 16 x 16 = 256.

However pennies are circular and can be "nested" when arranged. That means that the first row would be 16 pennies. The second row would be 15 pennies, the third row would be 16 again, then 15 again, etc. Because of the nesting, additional rows can be added in the same square foot of space. I haven't tried to see how many more pennies could be accommodated by this nesting (or "staggering") so I don't know if the 304 is an accurate count in such a case. However there would certainly be more pennies per square foot in a nested arrangement than in a grid arrangement.

 

[WhoWhatNow]

My problem would be I would need them all facing the same way.

 

[bdamico]

this has been discussed here before. a search might be helpful

 

[lateracer]

A friend of mine had pennies on the bathroom floor with a white grout and an epoxy coating. It looked great at first, but after the epoxy yellowed it looked a little grungy.

 

[thegarageguy]

We do plenty of white floors and yellowing only happens when it hasn't been sealed with a proper top coat.

The pennies should be grouted in with something in order to not have a dirt trap.

 

[laserman35]

+1 to thegarageguys tip. I have seen this done before and cleaning was a big problem.

 

[Rusty Musket]

Boy everybody seems to be putting their two-cents into this thread

 

[gahrajmahal]

It would make a nice table or bar top!

 

[Zeke]

That doesn't make cents.

 

[notchy]

approx 1200buxs in pennies for a 400 sqft garage

 

[ChargedUp!]

I just read an article on this the other day where the people doing I were even putting down rare pennies that could have been sold for hundreds of dollars. That's just dumb to me. Use a regular penny if you're going to do it!

 

[jhelrey]

approx 1200buxs in pennies for a 400 sqft garage

Plus labor...

 

[Zeke]

Well, if your floor is worth only pennies....

 

[Retrosmith]

Thanks for all the replies (Puns included). A little background, I'm starting on my garage build. It will be my first, my last, and most importantly, my garage. I want a unique floor. I a big fan of porcelain hex tiles, like this:

Why would anyone put one of those in a garage? Its a long story but a mid life crisis only comes around once. But with the tile at $4-5/sq ft at the cheapest, a lot of other crazier ideas become possible. Enter the penny floor.

And if you don't get the coins glued down without any air space around them, you'll get bubbles.

Thanks but I wasn't planning on epoxy. I'd leave them exposed with possibly sealer but I'm ok with the wear and patina on them.

as to durability, I think the pennies themselves will hold up fine, I'd be more concerned with them being pried loose from the edges with particularly heavy loads rolling over them on small-ish caster wheels, or if something heavy was dragged over them, with a sharp edge.

Yes this is my concern also. Time for a 2'x2' test.

Google is our friend !

Answer:There are 304 pennies in a square foot

This is what I was figuring. So it would be roughly 300,000 pennies unless wiser heads prevail.

My problem would be I would need them all facing the same way.

Yeah there is that... They would at least have to be heads up.

this has been discussed here before. a search might be helpful

Got it, thanks. Let me know if you recall another discussion than this one.

http://garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=115619&highlight=penny+floor

We do plenty of white floors and yellowing only happens when it hasn't been sealed with a proper top coat.

The pennies should be grouted in with something in order to not have a dirt trap.

Thanks, using this site as a go-by. They went with CEG lite - a 2 part epoxy thinset/grout.

http://www.glasstileexperts.com/2012/04/you-can-keep-change.html

Does this accomplish the "grouting in" you mention to avoid the dirt trap?

Boy everybody seems to be putting their two-cents into this thread

Thread derail for puns? In for a penny, in for a pound.

approx 1200buxs in pennies for a 400 sqft garage

Yeah, I know...for a garage too.

even putting down rare pennies that could have been sold for hundreds of dollars.

No wheats and no rares if I can find them but they would be pre-82 pennies. So I guess the value would be $5-6/sq.ft. in copper.

 

[HotrodHR]

1982 and earlier are worth about 2 cents each (value of copper)... you would be willing to look at each penny for wheats and rare dates, mis-struck etc? Then glue down... maybe arrange with heads up ...

You've got way too much time on your hands...

Just my two cents!

 

[ChargedUp!]

I wonder if a nickel would give you more coverage for the $$$ based on size? Or maybe have a nickel border.

 

[djjsr]

Using a combination of different coins would be a nice 'change'.

 

[Henricogolfer]

Cool idea, I think my boys would try to pry them up though.

 

[gahrajmahal]

One of my favorites

 

[ckadams00]

Does a floor like that increase home value?

 

[Falcon67]

Look! A 1909 S VDB! Quick, give me a chisel....

 

[woodrail]

Brings new meaning to "changing the oil"

 

[upndown]

About halfway thru I'd have to have all the guns removed from the property!! But hey,, have fun

 

[NewShockerGuy]

Thanks for all the replies (Puns included). A little background, I'm starting on my garage build. It will be my first, my last, and most importantly, my garage. I want a unique floor. I a big fan of porcelain hex tiles, like this:

Why would anyone put one of those in a garage? Its a long story but a mid life crisis only comes around once. But with the tile at $4-5/sq ft at the cheapest, a lot of other crazier ideas become possible. Enter the penny floor.



Thanks but I wasn't planning on epoxy. I'd leave them exposed with possibly sealer but I'm ok with the wear and patina on them.



Yes this is my concern also. Time for a 2'x2' test.


This is what I was figuring. So it would be roughly 300,000 pennies unless wiser heads prevail.



Yeah there is that... They would at least have to be heads up.

Got it, thanks. Let me know if you recall another discussion than this one.

http://garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=115619&highlight=penny+floor


Thanks, using this site as a go-by. They went with CEG lite - a 2 part epoxy thinset/grout.

http://www.glasstileexperts.com/2012/04/you-can-keep-change.html

Does this accomplish the "grouting in" you mention to avoid the dirt trap?


Thread derail for puns? In for a penny, in for a pound.


Yeah, I know...for a garage too.


No wheats and no rares if I can find them but they would be pre-82 pennies. So I guess the value would be $5-6/sq.ft. in copper.

The picture above looks like a cleaning nightmare to me, honestly.... If the grout would come UP to the boarder of the penny then i could manage it but having to clean the recessed areas where the grout is below the penny is a no go for me...

Good luck though if you do this, please post pictures of progress..etc.

-Nigel

 

[dcs Inc]

Elite Crete installers have done several of these applications and always encapsulate their prized possessions with a clear coat of epoxy making the floor smooth. Cool application but I'd have to get a fortune for installation for the time involved.

 

[Chucktown]

Why pre82? I get the copper content significance, but why does it matter on a floor? Aren't the faces of modern pennies still pure copper stamped onto zinc blanks?

 

[FLgarageDreamer]

My OCD would kill me. I would need to have them facing the same way with the same gaps lol!

 

[Tim The Tool Man]

Heck, just go with cash!

 

[decimmy]

Yes, One of the more improvements of our new baths room is the penny floor made up of real money, not cent floor tiles. The floor was a easily to do, but it is difficult discovering the tolerance to lay the money one by one.

 

[darkk]

In the grand scheme of thinks, I wonder if it's really worth it?

 

[haugy]

Jeezus christ I don't have the patience to do that, I would kill someone.

 

[sakurama]

This is a crazy idea but I kind of like it. Any progress?

Here's a chair to put in when you're done: Johnny Swing

 

[GSEninja]

Wanted to revive an old thread to see if the OP ever got around to doing this?

My wife and I did the floor in our guest bath back 2011, still holding up great.. no yellowing of the epoxy or air bubbles... I think i kept the epoxy i used, it was a 2 part bought at Lowes

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=220212

and yes, all the heads face the same way

 

[James-W]

That doesn't make cents.

Now that was funny.

 

[Retrosmith]

No never did it. I went as far to sort out $500 in copper pennies and laser the templates but the install cost was crazy compared to porcelain. I'm guessing the installer didn't want the hassle of 1000 ft2 of pennies. This is what I, or the installer, did instead.

Your floor looks very cool. Consider me jealous. I heard that the penny floors hold a surprising amount of heat. Have you found that to be true?

I'm still looking for a project for the pennies. Lacking a floor for them, I've been experimenting with TIG welding them...much to the amusement of my welding "coach".

 

[GSEninja]

Not too sure about holding heat as I live in Southern Cali... the weather never really gets too hot or cold here

Whatever you do decide please post to the forum.. always interested in the creativeness of the members here