Thursday, December 2, 2010

Copper Penny Backsplash


I so, totally, want to do this someday.



These photos are from a local B&B, off of Sayles Boulevard, here in Abilene.

I think I can imagine how it was done ... just regular adhesive?  Regular grout?

Any ideas or pointers?



11 comments:

  1. Encased in acrylic or at least coated with a good clear enamel to prevent oxidation. From the looks of the bottom edge, I'd guess these are encased in acrylic. I'd think lay out the pennies on a masonite board with some edging to keep the acrylic in place. Pour the acrylic and let it set, then affix the board with encased pennies on the wall. Just my guess.

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  2. Hello! Thrilled to see you pop in over here, Julianne ... I hope you are well.

    Now about what you said ... alrighty............I thought this would be so simple, but a lot of what you said went plum over my head.

    I am going to have to read, and re-read, and re-read, again, to learn myself on what you're teaching :)

    Thank you, though, very much for responding.

    Okay, one question for sure ... this oxidation you mentioned: that's when the pennies would eventually have a pale-green patina, right? I would soo love that.

    Browns and greens are among my favorite colors.

    So to encourage this natural effect, I would just leave it be and not seal it with anything, right? Just let time do its thing?

    Would this "encasing in acrylic" inhibit the oxidation process?

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  3. oh wow! I have no clue about home improvement... but that is GORGEOUS!!!! and I would SO, SO do it when we get our own home... wow!

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  4. Happy to see you Mandy!

    I think it's gorgeous, too, and just HAD to share.

    Wait till I post some of this B&B's other unique decorating styles ... recycling things in ways you'd rarely think of.

    Yes, wow :)

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  5. Lay it up on a cloth mash and spray adhesive, like needlepoint cloth first, then glue it on the wall with regular tile adheasive. You got the idea, grout as usual. Great Idea! I like it too.

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  6. A fellow down my way did his bathroom floor with pennies. Said he would then never be broke.

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  7. Acrylic is a plastic/resin that can be mixed from two liquids, poured over something and allowed to harden. The masonite is just a really thin board for the pennies to be set out on, but you'd need something around the edge to keep the liquid acrylic from dripping off the edges. A little collar made of cardboard or masking tape. Did you see the tables at the Starlight Theater when you visited? The table tops were made that way. It's a nice hard clear surface that is easy to clean, and yes, encapsulating things in acrylic isolates them from the air and keeps them from oxidizing.

    Just letting time do its thing with the pennies would be OK, but you'd have to be really careful about getting any acidic stuff on them. I'm not sure I could can tomatoes without getting little splatter spots on the backsplash or make sweet pickles without the vinegar vapor contacting it. I'd be concerned about having spots that oozed or crusted with blue-green oxidation. Leaving the pennies un-coated could make some really pretty surfaces, but I wouldn't want them as a backsplash. Maybe for an accent around the walls, either up high for trim or around waist height as a faux chair-rail, or trim on both sides of a door to make the doorway appear larger.

    Have you visited this B&B and looked at the penny backsplash up close? Check to see if they look like they're coated with anything and ask the owner about it. The effect IS absolutely gorgeous.

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  8. Thank you for chiming in, Lou, and Dick ... that made me laugh!

    Julianne, that's makes so much more sense to me ... thank you for taking the time to explain ... I understand now.

    If I get to see the place with my own eyes, I'll post a follow-up of my findings ... shoot, if I ever do this for my Self, I'll show my progress.

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  9. This post has nickels and full instructions for creating "tiles" and laying the floor:
    http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/sf/how-to/nickel-tile-floor-a-seattle-bathroom-renovation-127976

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