apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Oh my god, wouldn't that be illegal?! What a waste of money. I would have gladly taken all those off their hands!

It looks really cool though.

llove this!! what a warm, shimmery effect! finally, something to do with all those pennies.....

@clampers

You do realize that sufficient copper, glass, stone or ceramic tile to cover this space would be significantly more expensive than the pennies, don't you?

It does look awesome, and it reminds me of Obsessions Make My Life Worse and My Work Better, a temporaryart installation on a public plaza by Stefan Sagmeister.

That is the cheapest penny-round i've seen - couldn't have been more than $2/sq.ft. I wonder how it will look as it starts to patina though?

wow that looks so cool, I love it.

Couldn't the federal government take the pennies back if they wanted?

Ironic that the value of the copper in pennies exceeds their monetary worth.

Pretty floor.

Idea rip-off from the sculptor Johnny Swing.
He's been using coins for over a decade.
http://www.johnnyswing.com/

*sigh*

Must everything that incorporates a similar idea as something that's been done before be referred to as a rip-off? Anything could be considered a rip-off.

That said, the floor is gorgeous. I think the effect would be awesome in a swimming pool.

How the crap would you do this! It's beautiful.

I would like to know how this was executed, as they seem to be perfectly spaced and you'd never achieve that setting them by hand, even if they were set onto mesh first. And what have they been set and grouted with? The close-up suggests epoxy grout...?

"Couldn't the federal government take the pennies back if they wanted?"

Could they arbitrarily take the $20 bill out of your wallet if they wanted?

ditto mattster...tired of everything being labeled a "rip-off"!

LOL.....no sign of coin floors at johnny swings site tho.

I wonder how they got them so evenly space?

I would rather see this done outdoors on a patio. Imagine the way it would age.

Looks very labour intensive. But it also looks great!

Do you think they would have sealed it? Part of what makes it so lovely is the slight differences in colour throughout. But I wonder if cleaning products would strip that off and make everything look uniform.

bepsf, yes, actually, I believe they could. They would just need some real or imagined reason.

Splatgirl- you can see how I executed it on the comments of the post linked above when AT featured my bathroom. I did do it by hand and it is almost perfect (If I do say so myself)
I sealed mine with the same stuff I used to seal my wood floors. Seems to be wearing fine.
-Tova

A mix of obverse and reverse with no distint orienation for either. I dunno.

I love the look but if I did it I would have to have all the pennies showing the same side up.

You can see how I executed my penny tiled powder room in the comments of the link above, when it was featured on AT. I did it by hand and it's pretty darn close to perfect (If I do say so myself)
anmar- initially I cleaned it and the pennies got a little too shiny, so i let it be for a while and it quickly re-patina'd itself. then I sealed it with the same stuff I used to seal my wood floors. Been pretty much the same looking since then.

Uch- my first post was there then disappeared...
Emeryville- mine are all heads up :-)

Love it!

A friend of mine was going to do this for an installation, but figured out that $50 (the allotted amount per installation) in pennies would not cover the 5'x5' space, so he ended up doing something else.

Also, since 1982 pennies have been composed primarily of zinc, with only a copper coating. The value of the metals is less than one cent.

This could open a whole new world of possibilities as a back splash.

The main room of the Cup Cafe at the Hotel Congess in Tucson was tiled several years ago by Patch Clark Design.
http://www.hotelcongress.com/

I'd be interested in what the cost is per square foot, the manner of installation, and whether the pennies are sealed in some sort of clear coat.

I love it! Would love to do a dime or quarter backsplash.

I would love to try this out but go small at first, like a table top or something. I also think this would look great as a bar-top.

Ok, so it's been done before, but I've not seen it, so: Wow, inspired! I would love to do this, as "swandiver" suggested, w/a small project. It would be great to cover my old pink tile bathroom floor with pennies, but when I try to sell, I don't think this would go over well.

Behold the penny van...perfect for Escapes Month!
http://www.artcaragency.com/popup.php?id=88

I love the Standard Hotels - especially downtown L.A. I haven't been to the New York one yet, but this might draw me in.

I got curious and decided to try and figure the cost of the pennies--based on the estimates I'm using, it'd be a little over $2.50 per square foot.

I love this. Hotel Congress in Tucson AZ has had penny tiled floors for over 15 years.

Super!

I find this disgusting. If I were a homeless I'd be offended by this display of despise for the poors. I guess my cultural references (Spain, rural) are different than those of Newyorkers or Americans, but nonetheless, I can't feel any sympathy for this.

I don't see how this shows more of a disregard for the poor than, say, someone spending several thousand to redo a bathroom with high end materials (possibly a copper sink?) and electronics and whatnot. It's a very inexpensive and resourceful option. I meant to look into whether or not this would be "technically" illegal... I rather doubt it though considering all those commemorative penny-press thingies as zoos and other attractions.

I just love it. I don't know anyone who doesn't respond positively to the warm glow that copper gives, literally and emotionally.

>>>I find this disgusting. If I were a homeless I'd be offended by this display of despise for the poors. I guess my cultural references (Spain, rural) are different than those of Newyorkers or Americans, but nonetheless, I can't feel any sympathy for this.


Look at this. Look at what you posted.

Shameful.

that looks fantastic, but also like a ton of work. I guess the cost of materials is low which makes up for the labor this would require.

Halfway decent floor tiles will run around $4-$20 per square foot for materials only. This is much cheaper, though no doubt the labor was much more expensive than installing tile.

Also, it is only illegal to deface US currency for fraudulent purposes. Clearly no one will be committing fraud with a penny-tiled floor.

Looks awesome by the way.

I had a bar that we put coins on it and covered them with a clear coating. Was fun to watch people try to pick them up when drunk.
I am glad to see what this looks like as I was going to do a backsplash with them or with some penny sized slices of cork which can be bought already mounted on mesh.

The artist Ann Hamilton tiled a floor with pennies and honey in 1989. (it also involved sheep, but we won't go there for now)

@safarikate

It's the Zinc that makes them worth more than 1c in material value - it passed the threshold last year.

It's not illegal in the slightest, as the coins weren't destroyed. Also, the government doesn't care about pennies, they cost more to produce then they are worth. I love this look, very cool! I would love to do a floor like this someday. Wish I knew more about how they did it.

The dark grout really sets this off.

Nice Work. Looks great.

Anyone who says this is a slap in the face to the poor needs to rethink that point. This is cheap.

As for legality, if the gov't comes after someone for this, I'm moving to Europe.

People are being silly. I do not hear, "but think of the poor!" when AT features a home with floors made out of exotic wood or marble or other, equally expensive materials. And please, these are pennies, not $100 bills. Sheesh.

I am in the processes of designing my upcoming new, small kitchen. I was considering a copper sink and after seeing this I would definitely try to replicate it! As for the money whether we put it directly on the floor or pay the piper for another tile it is not going to the poor! Now can some tell me how to do this????????

that floor is awesome, i kind of want to do it to my bathroom... but as i am a renter i won't b/c my landlord would probably kill me b/c i didn't use that money for rent. hopefully, when i buy my own place, i'll do that, even in a small entry way it would be a great conversation starter. i think it's lovely.

ps - who gives pennies to the poor? they'd laugh at you. dollars or more (especially if i don't get a job and would be that person on the corner with the sign: AT or bust!)

I will one day own my own house, and when I do, I will have a penny floor. This is fan-freaking-tastic. Koodos to Teeze too -- your bathroom floor is so great!

$2.56/sq.foot.

Not bad.

I think it's beautiful, too.

But, I think that if the government spent so much than pennies are worth to create them, they really should probably want to throw you into the slammer.

hahaha I would love to see the reaction when you pass a homeless person a penny out of the pure goodness of your heart! (Note I said a homeless person, not just "a homeless"?!)

How utterly satisfying it would be to mop this floor with vinegar!

People.

The person who posted about being offended by the floor SAID they're from rural Spain. But they are posting in English, obviously NOT their first language. Cut the poor guy/gal some slack, unless YOU are perfectly fluent in their language!

Sheesh.

And although I don't give a rip about the floor one way or another, it might be worth considering that Americans are not always looked upon with favor in the rest of the world for our non-green, narcissistic ways. Homeless people HERE wouldn't be gleeful about getting pennies, but when I was in Egypt and Lybia, I think the poor there would be pretty happy to get a floor's worth of American coins.

Here in LA, some guy did a penny backsplash, but it was so heavy it fell off the wall. It was in the old LAT home section.
And giving pennies to the poor of the world is great in theory, harder in execution. They cost so much to ship. Oh, those terrible Americans--they refuse to share their pennies. (Ever seen what our government hands out to Egypt? And Libya? )


And can there be a moratorium on comments about the poor of all nations, please? If you're offended by pennies on the floor, you'd be a dang sight more offended by what other people choose to spend their money on.

This is pretty cool. I can imagine a lot of other applications, like a penny-lined sink...

The Flying Saucer in Houston has it as the back splash for the beer taps it looks fantastic. I think it would be great as a floor.

Can i ask, does anyone know what adhesive the pennies were stuck down with or pressed into? I would love to do this at home.

I absolutely want to do this in a house someday, perhaps in a bathroom or entryway. Love it.

1) I don't see what the offended Spaniard's mother tongue has anything to do with his/her sentiments. I think s/he expressed his/her opinion quite clearly. We're allowed to disagree.

2) Americans are not the only ones in the world who engage in excess or enjoy luxuries.

3) Spain is hardly a developing country.

4) Perhaps this is going to further inflame the haters, but at least these pennies are going to good use. A lot would get tossed out or left in a jar. Reusing the pennies that most Americans don't want or use but our government continues to mint seems more 'green' than buying manufactured goods.

5) I hope those who are so offended by this vulgar display of American narcissism regularly contribute to charitable organizations helping the world's poor. Expressing outrage is easy.

The complaints re: the homeless strike me as silly. As several ppl have pointed out, a "penny floor" is much less expensive than what many spend on a more traditional floor. Not only that, the pennies would no doubt easily be found around anyone's home in jars ergo, this would then be putting otherwise useless items to good use. I consider myself to have a good social conscience, and honestly, this virtue does not seem to apply to this case.

love the patina and the shifts in design -face up and face down. Would love to see it a backsplash if anyone does it post it. Info on how to please.

Teeze-

I am DYING to do this to my bathroom. Out of sheer laziness (and lack of any graphic design programs or skill), i really don't want to create the "template" that you created for spacing. Would you be willing to email me a pdf of it? zook [dot] sarah [at] gmail [dot] com

Zook,

I too am enamored of the penny-tile floor. I found this template generator online: http://www.incompetech.com/graphpaper/circle/

What looks best (to me) is a 5pt weight (to give room for the grout) and a spacing of 0.86". You can print it in whatever size you want and the pennies should fit just in the white space of the circles, leaving the black as your grout line. You can vary the spacing to give you more or less grout in between each penny.

It also helps you estimate cost/sq ft.

Hope this helps!

V