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VIDEO TUTORIAL

Downloads (1)

Penny Floor Handbook5 MB

USED IN THIS PROJECT

Although not necessarily an exhaustive list, the following tools and materials, supplied by Easy Composites, were used in this project.

The quantity shown below is the approximate amount used in the project rounded up to the nearest available kit size or quantity.

RESIN & PIGMENTS
GlassCast 3 Clear Epoxy Coating Resin 5kg Kit Thumbnail
EP-GC-5-V2GlassCast 3 Clear Epoxy Coating Resin 5kg Kit£76.46 /kit

Total £0.00
MATERIALS & CONSUMABLES
Nitrile Gloves - Pack of 10 Large Thumbnail
NG-L-10Nitrile Gloves - Pack of 10 Large£1.50 /pack

Total £0.00
TOOLS & EQUIPMENT
Safety Glasses Thumbnail
PP-SGLSafety Glasses£4.75 /each

Notched Resin Spreader Thumbnail
RS-N-2Notched Resin Spreader£1.75 /each

Plastic Resin Mixing Stick Thumbnail
PMS-1Plastic Resin Mixing Stick£0.60 /each

10kg High Capacity Digital Scales Thumbnail
SCALE10KG10kg High Capacity Digital Scales£11.63 /each

5L White Plastic Mixing Bucket with Lid Thumbnail
PMB-W-55L White Plastic Mixing Bucket with Lid£1.75 /each

Total £0.00

VIDEO TUTORIAL

How to Lay an Epoxy Resin Penny Floor

GlassCast® 3 is a remarkable clear epoxy resin developed specifically to provide a beautiful, hard wearing, clear gloss surface for tabletops, bartops, decorative floor effects, furniture and creative projects such as penny floors, bottle top tables, crushed glass features and more.

This step by step guide will show you how to do a copper penny floor using simple equipment and techniques from start to finish. The same technique can be used for a range of similar projects such as encapsulating records, bottle tops, crushed glass and even advanced composite materials such as carbon fibre for a new technical look


TUTORIAL BREAKDOWN

Laying the pennies

1. Laying the pennies

First of all ensure your floor is as level as you can practically achieve as well as clean and free from dust and debris. You then want to glue down your penny's. Any good quality DIY adhesive will be suitable. Only a thin bead is needed to hold the penny's in place as the resin itself will bond the penny's to the floor. We chose a glue that cures clear to help see when it is dry and ready for the next stage. Allow the glue to cure fully before moving onto the next stage

Grouting the floor

2. Grouting the floor

Grouting the floor helps produce a smoother overall finish in the resin and also fills the gaps between the pennies to create a nicer looking floor. Any good quality black grout is suitable. Apply the grout according to the manufacturers instructions using a squeegee to help spread the grout and fill any gaps. Once the grout has been applied and cleaned up, allow it to fully dry before moving onto the next stage. The grout MUST be dry before resin is poured onto it as the GlassCast 3 is sensitive to moisture which could seriously damage the cosmetic effect and cure of the resin.

Mixing and pouring the GlassCast® 3 resin

3. Mixing and pouring the GlassCast® 3 resin

Once the grout is fully dry, give the floor a quick sweep and vacuum clean to ensure there is no dust or loose debris that could ruin the resin pour.

This step describes how to resin a penny floor, for large floors, the biggest batch size we recommend doing in one go is 5kg of combined resin and hardener. Label up two buckets 1 and 2. Using bucket 1, weigh out the GlassCast® 3. Remember to follow the mixing ratio of 2 parts resin to 1 part hardener by weight. Using a clean mixing stick, thoroughly mix the resin and hardener for 3 minutes taking care to ensure all the resin from the top to the bottom and right around the sides is fully mixed. Once 3 minutes have elapsed, transfer the resin in bucket 1 into bucket 2. Mix thoroughly for a further 3 minutes.

Once the Resin is mixed in bucket 2, immediately begin to pour the resin onto the penny floor. You must work quickly at this stage to prevent the resin exotherming in the bucket. Once the bucket is empty, repeat the mixing processes in bucket 1 and 2, again immediately pouring onto the penny floor, until all the necessary resin has been poured.

Each subsequent pour of resin will blend seamlessly with the previous pours as the resin begins to self level and spread out on the floor. You can help the process on large areas by using a notched spreader to move the resin around ensuring it reaches the edges of the floor.

At this stage the resin may appear to have a lot of little bubbles within it. However, do not worry, GlassCast® 3's unique formulation includes agents that help expel air during the curing process. Wait around 10 minutes after pouring and spreading the resin and you will see most of the bubbles come to the surface and dissipate.

Curing the GlassCast® 3 resin

4. Curing the GlassCast® 3 resin

Now the pouring is complete, we must allow the resin to fully cure to give us the hard finish we desire. The resin will achieve an initial cure in approximately 24 hours - temperature dependent. You must not touch or attempt to use the floor during this period and avoid opening doors and windows in that room to reduce the chance of dust and debris falling on the floor.

Once the initial cure has been achieved, the floor will be safe to walk on. The resin can take up to 7 days to achieve full strength so we recommend you minimise traffic for that time where possible.

You will now have a stunning floor that with care will last many years, amazing family and guests alike. Over time you may pick up minor scuffs and scratches but these can be polished out to restore the high gloss finish.

If you are interested in learning more about the product and alternative ideas go the GlassCast® 3 product page.


DISCUSSION (25)

Please share any questions or comments you may have about this video tutorial.


Tina Bzdziak
Can I use gems instead of pennies?
Easy CompositesMatt
Yes you can, although coloured ones work best as clear gems and crystals tend to blend into the resin as the resin makes the edges less visible.

Tariq Hakim
Does GlassCast resin yellow under UV?
Easy CompositesMatt
Under high levels of UV, such as outside in the sun, GlassCast will eventually slowly yellow over a long period of time. Although GlassCast has a very high level of UV resistance, in common with all epoxies, it is not 100% UV stable hence we recommend it for indoor use.

Super Whites
Does this work with underfloor heating?
Easy CompositesMatt
Yes it is fine with underfloor heating. In fact, turning the heating on during the cure can help speed up the cure process.

Retro X
Does this work for making a clear desk top?
Easy CompositesMatt
Yes, this resin system can be used on desktops as well. If you are looking at a totally clear desk top, perhaps with some wood or similar (like a river table), then you may be better off looking at our GlassCast 50 product.

MeteoSprite
Can this resin be used for jewellery making?
Easy CompositesMatt
Yes, it can. You can do small clear castings (or embedments) or you can use it as a domed coating over the top of badges/broaches/pendants etc.

Benjamin Whiffen
Could I use GlassCast resin to make a window?
Easy CompositesMatt
No, although it's called GlassCast it's not intended to be a glass substitute. If you wanted to do something along the lines of a stained glass window then there are different resins from our range that we would suggest but in all cases the cast resin would not be as strong as glass so you'd need to do some experimentation and keep this in mind when you plan your project.

Archie Flint
How should a resin floor like this be cleaned?
Easy CompositesMatt
Cleaning should just be done with a mild detergent and water. Epoxy resin is a tough material and resistant to most chemicals. For obvious reasons, the cleaning materials to be avoided would be any abrasives or surfactants.

Benjamin Dietz
what do you use to fix the coins on the ground? is it a simple glue?
Easy CompositesMatt
Yes, most household glues will do the job. In this tutorial we used a 'no more nails' product. Remember that the epoxy will do a very good job of bonding the pennies down so the glue used to stick them down is more of a temporary measure.

Mike Blalock
Will this work in a garage with cars driving on it and tools falling on it?
Easy CompositesMatt
No, It is not an industrial grade floor coating so in a hard use environment like that then it will quickly get scratched.

Alex R E
How will it react to stuff like pieces of cardboard, from say old game boxes?
Easy CompositesMatt
The resin is fine with those sort of things but what you're more likely to see is that absorbent or porous inclusions (like paper, card, photos, magazine cuttings etc.) will soak up resin and look wet, rather than look how you would want them to look. To overcome this, it's normally recommended to seal them first using PVA glue; once it's fully dried they will look dry again but no longer be absorbent to the resin.

DeathValleyDebbie
Would it work with any fabric, or do you need to use heavy specialized fabrics.
Easy CompositesMatt
It works with just about anything. We've seen customer projects over the top of denim, sack cloth, carbon fibre, all sorts! There might be different techniques to get the most out of different materials but generally speaking, anything the resin can bond to will be OK.

Sandra Williams
Can you do the same concept except with pictures/photographs in place of the pennies?
Easy CompositesMatt
Yes you can although depending on the grade of paper, you may need to seal over the paper with a thin coat of PVA wood glue to stop the resin soaking into the paper and making it go translucent.

Apollo
Can metallic powders be added to this product? I really love the finish with absolutely no bubbles
Easy CompositesMatt
Yes you can add a variety of metallic/pearl type pigments to the GlassCast 3 resin as well as other epoxy compatible pigment pastes and tints. You can see our range of pigments for GlassCast on the GlassCast website at www.glasscastresin.com

Resinit Ltd
Can your resin be mixed with a mixer on slow speed? of course need to keep mixer to the bottom. Thank you
Easy CompositesMatt
We do not recommend using mixing machines as they tend to aerate the resin.

DeletedVelna
Would this be suitable for a shower floor ? What could I lay on it to mold some stripes (to avoid glittering) ?
Easy CompositesMatt
We would not recommend the use of GlassCast in Showers and other places subject to constant water exposure.

Brynley Lewis
Surely the epoxy could end up all scratched under foot? People with stiletto heels and furniture being scuffed around etc?
Easy CompositesMatt
The GlassCast 3 is a very durable resin but like any glossy surface it will eventually start to pick up scratches, especially if it's subjected to stilletto heals and dragged furniture. However, if this does occur there is always the possibility to polish out such scratches.

Charles Moore
If I put the pennies on a plywood sub-floor I am worried it will flex and crack the epoxy. Do you think this is likely to happen?
Easy CompositesMatt
If the substrate is well supported and does not flex too much then there should not be a problem. Most floors that the system is used on are plywood/Sterling board and we have not seen or had reported any problems of cracking after the floor has flexed. Use your judgement though, if the floor is really springy then it might be better to improve the way it's supported first in the same way that you'd need to for tiles.

Helly's Abstract Art
Hi I am an artist and wondered if this would be suitable for covering paintings, embedding embellishments and also for pouring into wood ??
Easy CompositesMatt
Yes you can use the GlassCast 3 over paintings and Artworks. For thicker castings up to 10mm I would look at our GlassCast 10 and for thicker sections - especially wood such as river tables and knot filling then our GlassCast 50 may be more appropriate.

The Yorkshire Digger
Can I use this to cast paperweights with items added into the resin? I metal detect and would like to make paperweights or display pieces with it.
Easy CompositesMatt
No, GlassCast 3 is not really intended for 'casting', it's more of a coating resin. You would be better using GlassCast 50 for casting paperweights.

Travis Pope
Easy Composites Ltd what do you recommend to use as a physical barrier? Don't want it to be stuck and end up peeling/ cracking the edge of the resin
Easy CompositesMatt
Polypropylene plastic is ideal as it does not stick to resin - you can get it in sheet and strip form from building merchants. Alternatively any hard plastic or metal treated with a release agent will work fine. If you struggle with either we sell both release agents and polypropylene sheet if you need it.

Michelle Hancox
Hi I have floorboards, rather than concrete, what is the best surface to put down before using epoxy resin? (May just use glitter/mica, rather than pennies) Great video, by the way!
Easy CompositesMatt
As long as the surface is sealed then you should be fine. If there are lots of large gaps or movement in the boards then skimming it in plywood or a thin layer of OSB will help stabilise the surface.

bmb1980
I plan on GlassCast-ing over my existing penny floor. I have underfloor hearing which means the plywood floor sometimes shifts with the heat. Will this affect the glasscast and cause it to split or while the weight of the resin ensure it is firmly pressed down?
Easy CompositesMatt
Glasscast is compatible with under floor heating systems that go up to around 40-50°C in temperature. We would not expect any movement of the GlassCast itself once it has fully cured.

Dj Archie
I'm embraking on a table project with some inset lighting. I've used Silicone to seal the inset perimeter under the light tubing. I've read reviews online of epoxy melting silicone, are there any issues with compatibility between the silicone sealant and GlassCast epoxy resin?
Easy CompositesMatt
We have not heard of this happening with any epoxies before and certainly in our experience, the GlassCast range of products are not known to have any issues with silicone.

L. F.
Very nice but how do you make sure you have put enough resin to make the floor perfectly level with the other rooms' floors? For instance if I were using pebbles other than pennies.... Also is this durable for years or will you end up with scratches all over the floor in 6 months' time?
Easy CompositesMatt
Normally you would be using a self levelling screed or similar to ensure the floor is properly flat before you start and giving you a reference point to get the height correct. Other situations you just need to measure it correctly. You then need 1kg of resin per mm depth per sqm of coverage. GlassCast is highly durable and is unlikely to be heavily scratched and worn in such a long period.

Travis Pope
Very nice but how do you make sure you have put enough resin to make the floor perfectly level with the other rooms' floors? For instance if I were using pebbles other than pennies.... Also is this durable for years or will you end up with scratches all over the floor in 6 months' time?
Easy CompositesMatt
You will need to build a physical barrier at the door opening. Many floors will have a wooden or metal door threshold which can be removed while a temporary barrier is put in place. You can then neaten the edge after curing of the resin to refit the threshold or fit a new one to suit. If done neatly, you should be able to hide the edge of the penny floor casting under the threshold trim piece.

LEAVE A COMMENT OR QUESTION

Note: Your name will be abbreviated and your email address will only be used to email you the answer directly

Downloads (1)

Penny Floor Handbook5 MB

USED IN THIS PROJECT

Although not necessarily an exhaustive list, the following tools and materials, supplied by Easy Composites, were used in this project.

The quantity shown below is the approximate amount used in the project rounded up to the nearest available kit size or quantity.

RESIN & PIGMENTS
GlassCast 3 Clear Epoxy Coating Resin 5kg Kit Thumbnail
EP-GC-5-V2GlassCast 3 Clear Epoxy Coating Resin 5kg Kit£76.46 /kit

Total £0.00
MATERIALS & CONSUMABLES
Nitrile Gloves - Pack of 10 Large Thumbnail
NG-L-10Nitrile Gloves - Pack of 10 Large£1.50 /pack

Total £0.00
TOOLS & EQUIPMENT
Safety Glasses Thumbnail
PP-SGLSafety Glasses£4.75 /each

Notched Resin Spreader Thumbnail
RS-N-2Notched Resin Spreader£1.75 /each

Plastic Resin Mixing Stick Thumbnail
PMS-1Plastic Resin Mixing Stick£0.60 /each

10kg High Capacity Digital Scales Thumbnail
SCALE10KG10kg High Capacity Digital Scales£11.63 /each

5L White Plastic Mixing Bucket with Lid Thumbnail
PMB-W-55L White Plastic Mixing Bucket with Lid£1.75 /each

Total £0.00

DISCUSSION (25)

Please share any questions or comments you may have about this video tutorial.


Tina Bzdziak
Can I use gems instead of pennies?
Easy CompositesMatt
Yes you can, although coloured ones work best as clear gems and crystals tend to blend into the resin as the resin makes the edges less visible.

Tariq Hakim
Does GlassCast resin yellow under UV?
Easy CompositesMatt
Under high levels of UV, such as outside in the sun, GlassCast will eventually slowly yellow over a long period of time. Although GlassCast has a very high level of UV resistance, in common with all epoxies, it is not 100% UV stable hence we recommend it for indoor use.

Super Whites
Does this work with underfloor heating?
Easy CompositesMatt
Yes it is fine with underfloor heating. In fact, turning the heating on during the cure can help speed up the cure process.

Retro X
Does this work for making a clear desk top?
Easy CompositesMatt
Yes, this resin system can be used on desktops as well. If you are looking at a totally clear desk top, perhaps with some wood or similar (like a river table), then you may be better off looking at our GlassCast 50 product.

MeteoSprite
Can this resin be used for jewellery making?
Easy CompositesMatt
Yes, it can. You can do small clear castings (or embedments) or you can use it as a domed coating over the top of badges/broaches/pendants etc.

Benjamin Whiffen
Could I use GlassCast resin to make a window?
Easy CompositesMatt
No, although it's called GlassCast it's not intended to be a glass substitute. If you wanted to do something along the lines of a stained glass window then there are different resins from our range that we would suggest but in all cases the cast resin would not be as strong as glass so you'd need to do some experimentation and keep this in mind when you plan your project.

Archie Flint
How should a resin floor like this be cleaned?
Easy CompositesMatt
Cleaning should just be done with a mild detergent and water. Epoxy resin is a tough material and resistant to most chemicals. For obvious reasons, the cleaning materials to be avoided would be any abrasives or surfactants.

Benjamin Dietz
what do you use to fix the coins on the ground? is it a simple glue?
Easy CompositesMatt
Yes, most household glues will do the job. In this tutorial we used a 'no more nails' product. Remember that the epoxy will do a very good job of bonding the pennies down so the glue used to stick them down is more of a temporary measure.

Mike Blalock
Will this work in a garage with cars driving on it and tools falling on it?
Easy CompositesMatt
No, It is not an industrial grade floor coating so in a hard use environment like that then it will quickly get scratched.

Alex R E
How will it react to stuff like pieces of cardboard, from say old game boxes?
Easy CompositesMatt
The resin is fine with those sort of things but what you're more likely to see is that absorbent or porous inclusions (like paper, card, photos, magazine cuttings etc.) will soak up resin and look wet, rather than look how you would want them to look. To overcome this, it's normally recommended to seal them first using PVA glue; once it's fully dried they will look dry again but no longer be absorbent to the resin.

DeathValleyDebbie
Would it work with any fabric, or do you need to use heavy specialized fabrics.
Easy CompositesMatt
It works with just about anything. We've seen customer projects over the top of denim, sack cloth, carbon fibre, all sorts! There might be different techniques to get the most out of different materials but generally speaking, anything the resin can bond to will be OK.

Sandra Williams
Can you do the same concept except with pictures/photographs in place of the pennies?
Easy CompositesMatt
Yes you can although depending on the grade of paper, you may need to seal over the paper with a thin coat of PVA wood glue to stop the resin soaking into the paper and making it go translucent.

Apollo
Can metallic powders be added to this product? I really love the finish with absolutely no bubbles
Easy CompositesMatt
Yes you can add a variety of metallic/pearl type pigments to the GlassCast 3 resin as well as other epoxy compatible pigment pastes and tints. You can see our range of pigments for GlassCast on the GlassCast website at www.glasscastresin.com

Resinit Ltd
Can your resin be mixed with a mixer on slow speed? of course need to keep mixer to the bottom. Thank you
Easy CompositesMatt
We do not recommend using mixing machines as they tend to aerate the resin.

DeletedVelna
Would this be suitable for a shower floor ? What could I lay on it to mold some stripes (to avoid glittering) ?
Easy CompositesMatt
We would not recommend the use of GlassCast in Showers and other places subject to constant water exposure.

Brynley Lewis
Surely the epoxy could end up all scratched under foot? People with stiletto heels and furniture being scuffed around etc?
Easy CompositesMatt
The GlassCast 3 is a very durable resin but like any glossy surface it will eventually start to pick up scratches, especially if it's subjected to stilletto heals and dragged furniture. However, if this does occur there is always the possibility to polish out such scratches.

Charles Moore
If I put the pennies on a plywood sub-floor I am worried it will flex and crack the epoxy. Do you think this is likely to happen?
Easy CompositesMatt
If the substrate is well supported and does not flex too much then there should not be a problem. Most floors that the system is used on are plywood/Sterling board and we have not seen or had reported any problems of cracking after the floor has flexed. Use your judgement though, if the floor is really springy then it might be better to improve the way it's supported first in the same way that you'd need to for tiles.

Helly's Abstract Art
Hi I am an artist and wondered if this would be suitable for covering paintings, embedding embellishments and also for pouring into wood ??
Easy CompositesMatt
Yes you can use the GlassCast 3 over paintings and Artworks. For thicker castings up to 10mm I would look at our GlassCast 10 and for thicker sections - especially wood such as river tables and knot filling then our GlassCast 50 may be more appropriate.

The Yorkshire Digger
Can I use this to cast paperweights with items added into the resin? I metal detect and would like to make paperweights or display pieces with it.
Easy CompositesMatt
No, GlassCast 3 is not really intended for 'casting', it's more of a coating resin. You would be better using GlassCast 50 for casting paperweights.

Travis Pope
Easy Composites Ltd what do you recommend to use as a physical barrier? Don't want it to be stuck and end up peeling/ cracking the edge of the resin
Easy CompositesMatt
Polypropylene plastic is ideal as it does not stick to resin - you can get it in sheet and strip form from building merchants. Alternatively any hard plastic or metal treated with a release agent will work fine. If you struggle with either we sell both release agents and polypropylene sheet if you need it.

Michelle Hancox
Hi I have floorboards, rather than concrete, what is the best surface to put down before using epoxy resin? (May just use glitter/mica, rather than pennies) Great video, by the way!
Easy CompositesMatt
As long as the surface is sealed then you should be fine. If there are lots of large gaps or movement in the boards then skimming it in plywood or a thin layer of OSB will help stabilise the surface.

bmb1980
I plan on GlassCast-ing over my existing penny floor. I have underfloor hearing which means the plywood floor sometimes shifts with the heat. Will this affect the glasscast and cause it to split or while the weight of the resin ensure it is firmly pressed down?
Easy CompositesMatt
Glasscast is compatible with under floor heating systems that go up to around 40-50°C in temperature. We would not expect any movement of the GlassCast itself once it has fully cured.

Dj Archie
I'm embraking on a table project with some inset lighting. I've used Silicone to seal the inset perimeter under the light tubing. I've read reviews online of epoxy melting silicone, are there any issues with compatibility between the silicone sealant and GlassCast epoxy resin?
Easy CompositesMatt
We have not heard of this happening with any epoxies before and certainly in our experience, the GlassCast range of products are not known to have any issues with silicone.

L. F.
Very nice but how do you make sure you have put enough resin to make the floor perfectly level with the other rooms' floors? For instance if I were using pebbles other than pennies.... Also is this durable for years or will you end up with scratches all over the floor in 6 months' time?
Easy CompositesMatt
Normally you would be using a self levelling screed or similar to ensure the floor is properly flat before you start and giving you a reference point to get the height correct. Other situations you just need to measure it correctly. You then need 1kg of resin per mm depth per sqm of coverage. GlassCast is highly durable and is unlikely to be heavily scratched and worn in such a long period.

Travis Pope
Very nice but how do you make sure you have put enough resin to make the floor perfectly level with the other rooms' floors? For instance if I were using pebbles other than pennies.... Also is this durable for years or will you end up with scratches all over the floor in 6 months' time?
Easy CompositesMatt
You will need to build a physical barrier at the door opening. Many floors will have a wooden or metal door threshold which can be removed while a temporary barrier is put in place. You can then neaten the edge after curing of the resin to refit the threshold or fit a new one to suit. If done neatly, you should be able to hide the edge of the penny floor casting under the threshold trim piece.

LEAVE A COMMENT OR QUESTION

Note: Your name will be abbreviated and your email address will only be used to email you the answer directly

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