SANTA BARBARA LUCKY PENNY RESTAURANT HAS WALL OF COINS

Customers of the new Santa Barbara restaurant Lucky Penny may pass by the wall tiled in real coins and be tempted to try the design stunt at home, given that it calls for a simple material that seems so cheap. But think twice, cautions its designer, Doug Washington: "It's incredibly time-consuming, tedious and hard to install."

The fabrication of the penny wall at Lucky Penny turned out not to be for the careless or the OCD-prone. Wall assembly was a six-month community effort involving local high school students who volunteered their labor in exchange for Lucky Penny contributions to nonprofit organizations.

To create the penny tiles, coins were glued by hand onto 12-inch-square plastic mesh sheets. Those sheets then were applied to the building with epoxy mastic and thin-set mortar, just like conventional ceramic tile, Lucky Penny managing partner Sherry Villanueva says.

Designers have used penny tile to make dramatic statements before, but usually as floor tile. Real coins proved to be more challenging when used on a vertical surface. Villanueva also said the restaurant's location near the ocean was as a factor, requiring extra attention to the selection of grout and sealant.

With strong enough glue, the coins won't fall off the mesh backing, Villaneuva said, but in order for the pennies to line up and look attractive, they had to be arranged with precision. When Washington was asked to give advice to readers interested in repeating the project, he said: "Rent an entire season of some show they've never seen." This will take time.

To read the complete article, see: Lucky Penny? How about a wall of them: Copper coins as tile (www.latimes.com/home/la-lh-lucky-penny-santa-barbara-wall-tile-20130912,0,5986844.story)

Wayne Homren, Editor

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