Diy coin countertop. Crafts from coins. Decorating a coffee table with coins
The coins should shine. To do this, they need to be sanded.
Fill the bowl about a quarter full with water, pour in some Tarn-X, then swirl the bowl over the sink (in case of splashes) to evenly soak the coins in the liquid. It only takes a few seconds. When they are evenly shiny, discard them in a colander in the sink and rinse thoroughly with water. Put coins on a towel and dry 
We made the top of the desired shape out of plywood and then painted it. Since the front end was rounded, we started with it
The husband pressed a long metal ruler against the end of the table so that the coins would not slide out until they were fully fixed with glue. 
So how did you bent the coins? - you ask. Here's how: My husband found an old titanium ring and wound some electrical tape so that the inner size of the ring would fit the size of the coin inside. After some trial and error, he found that by pinching the coin inside with pliers, he could make the correct fold to match the fold of the edge of the table. However, keep in mind, this is DIFFICULT. I tried my best and couldn't bend a dime. Even the husband wore gloves to protect his palms while he was working. 
NOTE: If you do not want (or cannot) bend the coins, do not get stuck on the radial end, make a right angle. In the end, this is a feature that can be completely dispensed with.
After the first line of bent coins was glued, the job was just to cover the entire table with coins .... 
We used the same size coins, but the denomination is different, there are even Canadian and Bahamas. Glued with an offset relative to each other. The husband later cut off the coins hanging on the edge with the help of a dremel. Using heavy metal scissors, he also cut small "patches" from coins to fill empty spaces and joints. 
All this took him about two nights. By that time the table was completely covered with coins, we worked on it for 6 nights.
Next comes the scariest part: coating our piece with epoxy. We install our countertop in a small room, the floor of which is covered with a thick layer of plastic wrap. Epoxy dries for several days and during this time you need to protect the drying area from dust, hair, animal hair, etc. (close the room, ventilation hole, if you can) 
You can see that our epoxy is tinted with the "golden orange" color, this is not on purpose - it was lying around for a long time, and since it is expensive (about $ 100), we decided to use it anyway. Also, this shade just makes the coins a little more gold and it looks pretty cute. 
After everything is poured with epoxy, you need to level it so that the ends are also covered with the composition. Its excess will drain onto the film. They can be collected with a spatula and applied to non-smeared areas at the ends. 
Then take an autogen 
Torch to get rid of bubbles in the epoxy. And believe me, there will be many, many bubbles. Without bringing the flame closer than 6 inches from the surface, drive it and watch the bubbles magically rise up and away, leaving a beautiful glassy-smooth surface.
We are waiting for two more days and ... Voila! A bright work surface in the wall is ready! 
Based on materials from epbot.com
And here is a floor of coins for you. Made using the same technology.
First, of course, you need to have enough coins to cover the entire surface of your chosen table. Believe me, a table inlaid with half coins will not look the most attractive way. In order not to be mistaken in the calculations, it is also worth considering the fact that we will glue the coins along the edges of the table too. Another question, what coins should you use to decorate your table with your own hands? It is entirely a matter of your taste, preferences and convenience. For example, we used coins of 1 American cent, but at least Russian kopecks or Japanese Yenns are suitable for inlay.
Whatever coins you use, most likely you will want to polish them to a shine, because among the large number of them, you will probably come across old, faded copies.
How do you do it? This is done easily and quickly using a container that is a quarter filled with coins and a stain remover with which the coins are washed. After rinsing the coins, we drain the liquid into the sink. For coins, we use a colander.
When the liquid is completely drained, transfer the coins to an old towel and dry them thoroughly.
We now have dry and shiny coins ready to use. We begin to glue the table surface from the edge. In order for the edge coins to lay down on the surface "smoothly", they need to be rounded a little with pliers.
If your strength is not enough (and this is really not a very easy process) and you are not able to bend the coins, feel free to discard the pliers and glue the edges with flat coins. You will not spoil the composition with this in any case.
With the rest of the space on the table, everything is much easier, just each coin needs to be glued carefully and thoroughly to ensure strength.
This process is not difficult, but long (the size of the table, of course, also plays a big role). 
What will give you more of a hassle is the epoxy resin coating of the table surface. You will need to place the table in a small, isolated and dust-free room and cover the floor under the table with strong plastic wrap, otherwise you can say goodbye to the parquet / carpet with a new carpet. We will cover the entire table with this mixture, with the edges, so the dripping of resin on the floor cannot be avoided. The resin will give our fantastic idea even more golden shine. 
Master class on creating a "money" countertop. My translation.
Firstly, if you want your coins to have a shine, you will need to polish them, quick way to do this:
Fill the bowl about a quarter full with water, pour in some Tarn-X, then swirl the bowl over the sink (in case of splashes) to evenly soak the coins in the liquid. It only takes a few seconds. When they are evenly shiny, discard them in a colander in the sink and rinse thoroughly with water. Place coins on a towel and dry.
We made the top of the desired shape out of plywood and then painted it. Since our front end was rounded, we started with it.
The husband pressed a long metal ruler against the end of the table so that the coins would not slide out until they were fully fixed with glue.
So how did you bent the coins? - you ask. Here's how: My husband found an old titanium ring and wound some electrical tape so that the inner size of the ring would fit the size of the coin inside. After some trial and error, he found that by pinching a coin inside with a pair of pliers, he could make the correct fold to match the fold of the edge of the table. However, keep in mind, this is DIFFICULT. I tried my best and couldn't bend a dime. Even my husband wore gloves to protect his palms while he was working.
NOTE: If you do not want (or cannot) bend the coins, do not get stuck on the radial end, make a right angle. In the end, this is a feature that can be completely dispensed with.
After the first line of bent coins was glued, the job was just to cover the entire table with coins.
We used the same size coins, but the denomination is different, there are even Canadian and Bahamas. Glued with an offset relative to each other. The husband later cut off the coins hanging on the edge with the help of a dremel. Using heavy metal scissors, he also cut small "patches" from coins to fill in empty spaces and joints.
All this took him about two nights. By that time the table was completely covered with coins, we worked on it for 6 nights.
Next comes the scariest part: coating our piece with epoxy. We install our countertop in a small room, the floor of which is covered with a thick layer of plastic wrap. Epoxy dries for several days and during this time you need to protect the drying area from dust, hair, animal hair, etc. (close the room, ventilation hole, if you can).
You can see that our epoxy is tinted with the "golden orange" color, this is not on purpose - it was lying around for a long time, and since it is expensive (about $ 100), we decided to use it anyway. Also, this shade just makes the coins a little more golden and it looks pretty cute.
After everything is poured with epoxy, you need to level it so that the ends are also covered with the composition. Its excess will drain onto the film. They can be collected with a spatula and applied to non-smeared areas at the ends.
If you have an old table that has lost its former attractiveness over time, do not rush to get rid of it. Any furniture that has outlived its life can be given a second life, for example, the table can be restored using the fabric decoupage technique or decorated with a mosaic of coins.
For decoupage the table, you can use three-layer napkins, photographs or newspaper clippings.
Fabric decoupage of a wooden table
You will need:
- the cloth;
- PVA glue;
- brushes;
- soil for wood;
- acrylic lacquer;
- rubber roller;
- white acrylic paint;
- sandpaper.
Decorating a table using fabric decoupage technique is quite simple. The first step is to prepare the surface. In the event that the old table is not very damaged, you can limit yourself to reworking the table top. If the furniture has an unpresentable appearance, then it is better to redo it completely. First you need to get rid of the old paintwork. The surface of the table is sanded with sandpaper dipped in water. They also use a special tool called a cycle (sold in construction departments). Instead of a cycle, you can use a piece of broken glass, with its help, the varnish is scraped off the surface, then polished with sandpaper.
After the old varnish is removed, proceed to priming the table. For this purpose, use a special primer intended for a wooden surface (can be replaced with an artistic one), apply it in a thin layer with a brush. Next, the table must be painted with acrylic paint in any shade that is present in the material drawing. The table top will be decorated with fabric, so it will be painted white, which will create a background and favorably set off the texture of the material.
Then the countertop is coated with PVA glue, covered with a cloth, after which, using a rubber roller, they begin to smooth the matter, moving from the center to the edges. After about 15 minutes, the fabric is glued again, left to dry completely, if necessary, trim the edges with a sharp knife or scissors. After that, the surface is glued 2-3 more times.
The next day, the result is fixed with acrylic varnish, which is applied 3-5 times with obligatory intermediate drying. If you notice that the varnish is uneven, and layers have formed in some places, then this trouble is eliminated with sandpaper dipped in water. Then the surface is again varnished. For this purpose, it is very convenient to use an aerosol varnish; it is sprayed with a thin layer at a distance of 30-40 cm from the surface. If you apply a thick layer of varnish at once, then streaks and bubbles will appear, which is highly undesirable. In order to avoid sticking of the spray nozzle, at the end of the work, turn the can upside down and press the pump until the remaining varnish is completely sprayed. The side of the table can be decorated with braid, tassel cord or fringe. The decor is glued with a glue gun.
Back to the table of contents
Decorating a coffee table with coins
To give the coins an antique look, they are pre-painted with gold or silver paint.
You will need:
- coins;
- antique bitumen;
- car varnish;
- universal glue for mosaic;
- acrylic paints;
- grout for joints.
You can redo the table with your own hands using a mosaic. Consider an example of decorating using ordinary coins, which, by your efforts, will turn into old ones. In order to age coins, you need to paint them with gold, copper or silver acrylic paint (it is better to use aerosol paint). After it dries, apply antique bitumen, after 10 minutes, wash off the excess with a cloth soaked in vegetable oil. In this case, the bitumen should remain only in the recesses and along the edge of the coin.
After that, blue and green acrylic paints are mixed, then a foam sponge is taken, lightly passed over the surface (in some places). Thus, the effect of patina is obtained (imitation of old metal). In order to make rust, you need to mix red, yellow and brown paints until you get a reddish tone. Next, apply the resulting shade along the edge or center of the coins. After that, you can tint the surface again with bitumen, and also apply gold paint in places. Here it is important to show imagination and not overdo it with the material, the main task is to achieve maximum effect aging. The result is fixed with automotive varnish in an aerosol.
The coins are ready, which means you can start the mosaic.
The surface of a plastic or glass table is degreased with an alcohol solution, a wooden one is sanded with sandpaper, then primed.
Glue is applied directly to the coins, glued from edge to center, moving in a spiral (if the surface is round or oval). Square or wooden table decorate in rows in a checkerboard pattern. After the glue has dried, the joints are filled with tile grout. Instead of coins, you can use ordinary mosaics, shells, pebbles or broken colored glass.
If you've ever wanted to purchase inlaid furniture in the form of a cheap coffee table, then this Instructable is for you! I was about to throw away the old cheap glass table when I got the idea to inlay it with coins. Since I really hate throwing everything away, naturally this turned out to be a good idea. By the way, this is not the first piece of coins I have proposed. Look - it's also very curious!
Step 1. Pick up furniture according to your capabilities
I only needed a few things for this project. First, there was an old, ugly little table, with glass top. Secondly, I used an adhesive that works on non-porous surfaces (I used Goop, but there are other similar adhesives). Thirdly, it cost me a lot cheap- I probably used a penny worth about $ 4. Finally, I used a solution. I first had to check the various compositions of the solution before choosing the color range of the solution for myself.
Step 2. Start gluing
We started gluing pennies from the outside edge table... In our particular case, we decided to make two rows of heads, two rows of tails, and so on. After gluing all the coins, we leave the product to dry the glue according to the manufacturer's recommendation.
Step 3. Add the solution
Once the glue was dry, we applied a filling solution between the coins. I mixed a very small batch of the solution, mixing it with a rather thick consistency. After mixing, I left it on for 20 minutes and mixed again to make sure all dry ingredients were well mixed. Since I was doing this part myself, I was not able to photograph the process, but it was quite simple. I put some of the mortar on the table and covered every crevice with it with a plastic spatula. After going through all the voids, I left it for another 20 minutes. Next, I took a damp sponge and began wiping off the solution from the coins, often scrubbing the sponge. After cleaning all the seams, I wiped them off with a dry paper towel. All that is left is to let the mortar dry overnight.
Step 4. In conclusion
It turned out to be a fairly simple and inexpensive way to turn a cheap, ugly table into inlaid furniture- a real work of art. And this is the most cheap coffee table which I had.
By the way, it doesn't make sense to tell me that I violated federal laws by spoiling the coins. The coins were not damaged in any way (no cutting, drilling, or anything else had to be done). All coins remain intact. None of the coins were harmed in the creation of this table ....