The Penny Buffet, Part 2!

As you've realized, this has been a project in flux from the start. I've been making it up as I go. Now that the pennies are in place, I wish I'd used a different adhesive, because the mastik showing between the pennies is bright white--too much contrast with the pennies. This means it's time for trip number 7 to the hardware store for a stone gray grout!

Applying the grout adds another day of drying time, but I'm much happier with the neutral background and the way it lets the pennies shine. I wasn't sure whether or not I'd want to pour epoxy over the pennies, or just keep the surface a bit rough, but found that when everything had dried fully, the mastik and grout didn't keep a good hold on the pennies. Back to the hardware warehouse...

 Pourable epoxy polymer is not cheap--about $25 for one box, which when mixed will cover about 20 square feet at a depth of a quarter-inch. Smaller quantities were not available, and in the end I had to throw away a good deal of it.

I rimmed the tabletop with duct tape to keep the epoxy from running over the sides. I poured the two components into a gallon baggie, zipped it closed to mix them thoroughly, and poured it directly from the baggie. The surface took a full day to dry to the touch, and a full second day to harden.