A father and son are tiling their garage floor – using 33,000 2p coins.
Dominic Lowe, 55, and son Jon, 25, will no doubt consider it time well spent when they finally finish the stunning copper mosaic, covering 5m X 5m.
The mammoth project at Dominic’s home, in Pensford, Somerset, also involves soaking the pennies in Coca-Cola to make them shine.
Eventually, the floor space will be covered with about 33,700 coins – worth £674 – and so far about 17,000 have been meticulously stuck down with tubes of glue.
Amateur brewer Dominic Lowe, 55, and son Jon, 25, are creating the stunning copper mosaic, covering 5m X 5m at Dominic’s home in Pensford, Somerset
The floor space will eventually be covered with about 33,700 coins – worth £674; so far, about 17,000 have been meticulously stuck down with tubes of glue
Dominic, who is retired, came up with the idea after seeing a picture on Facebook and decided it would be the perfect way to jazz up the newly built garage at his home.
He said: ‘We’ve been polishing some of the coins and leaving some dull to create a two-tone effect.
‘I wanted to put the coins in a pattern – I think it reminds different people of different things. For some people, it’s like the pyramids, inside the tombs.
‘In the evening, the sun comes through the windows and bounces off the metal – it’s beautiful. The cost will be about £670.’
As part of the work in progress, Dominic has 150 coins soaking in a bowl of Coke, and washes them off under the tap and dries them with a towel before sticking them down.
It is a two-man job, with him and Jon spending about ten hours a week bending over their handiwork and laying down the triangles of coins.
‘When it’s done, we’ll have a party with a disco ball and a smoke machine – it’s going to be the best dancefloor in the village,’ said bar manager Jon
As part of the work in progress, Dominic has 150 coins soaking in a bowl of Coca-Cola, and washes them off under the tap and dries them with a towel before sticking them down
Bar manager Jon’s twin brother James has helped collect coins, and younger sister Katie, 21, has spent a few hours helping to get the floor ready.
Even Dominic’s father, Roy, 90, who is partially blind, comes in to see how the floor is going and proudly tells neighbours how well it is progressing.
Friends have donated their spare change and Dominic has had strangers coming up to him on the street and handing him 2p coins since he started it three weeks ago.
The amateur brewer plans to keep his biking gear in the ‘man cave’ once it is complete.
Friends have donated their spare change and Dominic has had strangers coming up to him on the street and handing him 2p coins since he started it three weeks ago
News of the coin mosaic spread in the village after Dominic held a barbecue and asked guests to donate any spare 2p coins.
He added: ‘I’m planning to put a layer of lacquer over it to keep the shiny ones looking bright.
‘I used to enjoy doing jigsaws with my mum. I don’t know if that’s connected.
‘We’ve used 12 tubes of glue so far, we’ve been given coins from the Isle of Man, the Falklands, Gibraltar, and I might use pennies to fill up the gaps near the edge.’
Jon added: ‘It’s been a great project to be involved with, and I can’t wait for it to be finished because my back’s starting to hurt.
‘When it’s done, we’ll have a party with a disco ball and a smoke machine – it’s going to be the best dancefloor in the village.’