Floor Made From Pennies Is Priceless

Floor Made From Pennies Is Priceless

A hammered copper sink and Vetrazzo counter complement the floor of pennies in the bathroom of 

New Braunfels resident Doreen Fisher.

Photo: Tracy Hobson Lehmann / SA

Over the years we can seen some pretty unique and creative projects but this penny floor bathroom remodel in New Braunfels, Tx  was a first. We came across this story on www.mysanantonio.com and love how this remodel came together.  Doreen Fisher got the idea on facebook and when it was time for her bathroom remodel she went to the bank and got 10,000 pennies. After 20-40 hours of patience, time and labor of love her master piece floor was complete and on to the finishing touches. She choose a hammered copper sink which tied in nicely with the patina pennies and the Charisma Blue with Patina Vetrazzo counter top. The Charisma Blue with Patina was a perfect choice for fisher because the brown recycled beer bottle nicely compliment the cooper sink and floor. The hints of green from recycled wine bottles and the blue from the recycled Skky Vodka bottle in the counter top give the small space a little splash of color and really make the counter top stand out. From the floor to the counter top to the hammer copper there are so many great textures in this bathroom. Yes, visually there is a lot going on in this room but that is what makes it so fun, unique and one of our favorites! 

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When Doreen Fisher wanted change in one of her bathrooms, she went to the bank and got 10,000 pennies. Now those coins cover the bathroom floor, some heads, some tails, some shiny and some well worn.

"I like the richness of the color variance in the floor," says the retired industrial engineer. "Whichever penny came up next is what went next."

Fisher got the spark from a Facebook thread that originated with a penny-tiled backsplash. She clicked through many other options and filed away the idea until a few weeks ago, when she was ready to tackle a bathroom in her New Braunfels home.

"Since it's not a primary bathroom, you can take some design liberties," Fisher says. The space, about 30 square feet, is divided into two rooms, one with the vanity and one with the toilet and tub. In all, it took about 9,700 pennies and somewhere between 20 and 40 hours of Fisher's time and patience.

"It's tedious work … but the visual impact, the uniqueness of it is so cool, it totally makes up for all the effort, the sore knees and the cramped working conditions."

Though some sources recommend cleaning the coins with an acid wash, she left them alone, removing only misshapen or green pennies from the mix. "I didn't want to rob the patina from the pennies."

After removing two layers of vinyl, Fisher painted the concrete floor with latex paint. She laid the coins out along a straight line in rows about 10 feet long and glued them down with Loctite Power Grab construction adhesive. Keeping the lines from veering required patience, and Fisher had to finesse rows around doorjambs to make the coins fit without cutting.

Once the floor was covered in coins, she sealed it with epoxy. The coating is thin, so bare feet still feel the texture and the cool copper. "In Texas, that's not a bad thing at all," Fisher says.

Though she could have purchased flooring that cost less than $3 a square foot and was easier to install, it wouldn't match the panache of her pennies.

A hammered copper vessel sink complements the copper floor in the renovated bathroom. Fisher selected a Vetrazzo counter made from shards of cobalt blue glass, recycled from Skyy vodka bottles. Like the floor, the counter provides the curious eye with lots to explore.

When Fisher finished the floor, she was intrigued to find a dark penny surrounded by six shiny ones. The flower shape, she assures was completely random.

The bank sold her boxes of pennies, 2,500 to a box. "Out of those, I found one dime in each box. I made 9 cents out of every $25. I wouldn't use that as a money-making scheme," she says. In the thousands, she only saw one wheat penny, from 1945. "I probably overlooked some." Those will be for roaming eyes to discover.

Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/life/article/Floor-made-from-pennies-is-priceless-4023689.php#ixzz2CgxTKmj2