Skoolie Stays - Epoxy Resin Penny Countertop

Ruth from Skoolie Stays and her family spent a year travelling across the states in a similar dog-nose bus. They had an amazing year, covered 14,000 miles and drove the length and breadth of America, but of all the experiences they had, the part they loved best was the Skoolie - so they decided to bring one back to the UK!

The bus they travelled in had been converted by someone else and they spent a year thinking about what they would have done differently, particularly during lockdown when the campsites closed and they found themselves living with a group of full-time bus dwellers at a “Skoolie Homestead”. Some of them had beautifully designed homes, others were working on them and Ruth's family helped out. It encouraged them to think about selling their bus and buying a new one so that they could design and build it themselves. One thing that was definitely going in it was epoxy. Ruth spent several days working on a glow in the dark ‘pecky cypress’ shower wall with some friends. ‘Pecky’ is the name given to the wood when it has been infested by a fungus. The fungus is dead but the channels that it burrowed are still within the wood, leaving beautiful patterns. When they finally put it up and waited until nightfall, the wall glowed up like something deep under the ocean and Ruth wanted that back in the UK!

The bus arrived in the UK at the start of 2020 and Ruth and her husband set about converting it from scratch. They repurposed and recycled wherever they could and tried to blend a bit of old and new, a bit of America and a touch of England. It was a real labour of love, using all the things they’d learned from their year away – how to not only make it comfortable but also sustainable and interesting.

A key feature of their bus is the epoxy countertop. Ruth couldn’t recreate pecky cypress; as it's not available in the UK and a good alternative couldn't be sourced. It was decided instead that pennies would create the coppery glow that Ruth was looking for. It took several days but was worth the effort and it is regularly commented on by guests as their favourite part of the bus.

The copper penny countertop was built on a base of MDF wood. It was cut to shape, leaving a gap for the sink and the gas hob. £30 of one pence pieces and a handful of half pence pieces were cleaned and then glued to the MDF before a layer of black grout was applied. The top was sanded and buffed and then the whole counter was placed in a dust (and child!) free room. Next they lined the edges of the counter with tape before pouring the epoxy, and after a while removing the tape on one edge so that the epoxy would flow over and create a curved lip. Once fully cured the underside was sanded back to remove the drips and then fixed in place to the kitchen units.

What an incredible project Ruth, thank you for sharing your work with us and it's no surprise to us that your guests love it!