Coin Resin Countertop

I was looking for a easy DIY countertop... I came across this so decided to try it.

Step 1: Preparation

Firstly I cleaned the old surface , it was tiled so had to remove the glue with a wood chisel.

Placed the new *supawood top.

(Note the fridge in the background, it's and old white appliance my wife and I painted red with a high gloss enamel , then I placed a vinyl sticker on the front. As you can see it makes quite a difference.... Mini instructable , within an instructable :) )

Step 2:

Here I added the wooden edge and cut the hole for the hob.

remember to keep about a 5mm lip above the board so that the resin doesn't spill over.

the hole for the hob is also boxed in with some old wood i'll remove later.

use silicone sealer underneath to stop the resin from leaking out.

Step 3:

paint the counter any colour , I chose black

pack the coins, I used South African 5c pieces

Step 4: Mix Resin

I got some professional advise from the guys at ABE , for instance mixing the resin and hardner in the can THEN pouring it over into a bucket for further mixing. This eliminates any unmixed material that might stick to the inside of the can.

Step 5: Not Done Yet

Once the resin is set I'm going to use a belt sander to bevel the edges to the level of the resin and then stain the wood a dark colour.

The kitchen is still a work in progress , please excuse all the clutter on the counters. :)

Comments

[Trish67]

Beautiful job. Love the countertop.

[Rocky8880]

What a beautiful idea! Any idea how much money is on your new counter top?

[meach51]

Great job! Looks fantasic! I've used this reson before on carpentry projects. Beleive it or not, the best tim I had was using a blowtorch to remove the bubbles! You have to move the flame swiftly, so it heats the resin enough to allow the bubbles to float up, but not long enough to burn it. Before you all comment, the resin I used was non flammable at low temperatures. I think most of them are, but wise to check first.

The blowtorch result is quite amazing.

[RedRock]

Can you give any tips on avoiding bubbles etc?

I want to cast some 1m cubed Resin blocks & wonder what 'issues' I'm going to encounter in doing so.

[RedRock]

Lekker one Boet! I thought those coins looked familiar ;)

[frikkie]

Are you staying in South Africa? Reason I ask I want to know where I can buy resin.

[valkyriesavage]

nice work! hoping to make something similar; do you know if the epoxy you used (or epoxies in general) are food-grade? I want to put a bit of seal on a cutting board I lasered a design into. the laser design went a bit deeper than I had hoped, and I need to seal some parts to avoid food getting stuck.

[alecvanwyk37]

Hi there , thank you .
I'm not sure if it is food grade , I wasn't too concerned as I'm not placing food directly onto the counter.

[joemaintenance]

its called defacing american currency and it is not allowed

[barb.larson.372]

First, he didn't use US currency. Second, it is NOT illegal to deface US currency at all. It's illegal to deface it (cut it in pieces, alter the apparent worth, etc) and then use it as currency. You can burn all the 100 dollar bills you want, you just can't burn part of them and then try to buy something with the remainder.

Meantime, that countertop is stunning! I'm looking for directions on how to do something similar, I hope mine comes out this good looking.

[yay021]

quote:I used South African 5c pieces

[alecvanwyk37]

Lol I didn't know South Africa and America shared currency

[phead13]

Great Job and awesome look! I love to get ideas from ideas! ?? thanks!

[alecvanwyk37]

;)

[WUVIE]

I love this! I've been threatening to do something similar, but haven't reached the point beyond saving pennies. Great job!

[Old McGrama]

Hate to have to say this but, isn't this kind of use of currency illegal? Something to know.

[opticalfx]

it is not illegal. It is only illegal if you are trying to make more money out of it.

[dmeneo]

Great job! I did my bar with colored fish tank stones. What resin did you use, what was the cure time before you could use the top?

Thanks,

Dave

[WildWhippetWoman]

Been wanting to cover my old island w/ something pretty and I love this! Can you also do coins as a backsplash and if so, HOW? I'd love to do that too! Great post. Wild Whippet Woman

[alecvanwyk37]

Thank you and yes you can do a splashback, you would have to do it flat and then install it afterwards.