Oct 10, 2010: Nickel Floor

[xoxoxoBruce]

Awhile back we looked at a floor covered with pennies. So did a couple from Seattle who were in the process of renovating their home, but they were well into the project with the color scheme set of gray and white. So when it came to the master bath floor, pennies would clash, but nickels would blend right in.



It still wasn't expensive, 13,650 nickels ($682.50), but, and it's a big but, they had to make their own tiles. 30 straight days of glueing the nickels to the mesh backing.

1.Using packing tape, tape the circle template to a piece of cardboard to create a sturdy, temporary support for the weight of the nickels.
2.Cut 1 foot squares from the mesh — my squares were actually 12¼" x 12¼" allowing for 195 nickels per tile — and adhere the square of mesh to the template taped to the cardboard.
3.Using the Weldbond Glue, attach the individual nickels to the mesh — which is adhered to the template that is supported by the cardboard.
4.Each square accommodates 195 nickels or $9.75
5.To prepare for installation, remove the cardboard, tape, template and use a sharp knife to cut any excess mesh away from the nickels.
6.Install like tile

Looks like they just glued down the nickels as they came to hand, rather than a head/tail pattern. Probably a good move, not having to match tile edges. I wonder if the cleaned the glue side?

The end result is cool though.

link