Faux Mercury Glass

Wellll...my post on faux milk glass was pretty well-received, so I thought, "Why not? I'll try mercury glass!" You may have seen some pins about this and been skeptical...as was I. So, my friends, I thought I'd take one for the team and find out if it truly is that easy to create your own mercury glass, and guess what? It is!

So here's the deal. The pin I saw said to spray your glass with water, then use Krylon Looking Glass spray paint on top of it so that the paint wouldn't adhere properly. So I gathered my supplies, which included a spray bottle filled with water, the specified paint (which is a bit pricier than normal spray paint...I paid $11.99 at Hobby Lobby), and my guinea pigs (i.e. 2 silver-ish candlesticks and 3 glass votives).

Then I did exactly what the pin said. And I've gotta tell ya, I was really happy with the results (see above)! I liked the candlesticks, but the effect was more realistic on the clear glass votives. They had more of the spotted, mottled effect I was looking for. Here are the steps spelled out HMM style.

Faux Mercury Glass

Tools and Materials

• Glass vases, candle holders, etc.
• Spray bottle with water
• Krylon Looking Glass Spray Paint

Steps

1. Lay out your objects to be sprayed on a sheet or newspaper.
2. Lightly spray the objects with water. Don't douse them. My results were better when I set the nozzle to a mist.
3. Immediately spray the paint on the objects using a light hand. I used short, choppy sprays, if that makes sense. You'll notice some beading, and even dripping. That's OK.
4. Let dry completely, then repeat steps 2 and 3 until you've achieved the look you want. Let dry completely between each coat.

Like I said, I still like the candlesticks, but the clear vase votives looked pretty darn authentic, if I do say so myself. So clear glass is really the ticket. I think these will look awesome in a Halloween display. Yay! I'm so glad I didn't waste 12 bucks. And I have some paint left over for a vase.