DIY Faux Vintage Mercury Glass - 804 Sycamore

For my Jane Austen Pride & Prejudice tea party, I made some compote vases for the DIY craft time of the party. The craft was simple, flower arranging, but to stick with the regency tea theme, I wanted the vases to be special and connected to the regency era. So, I bought glass cereal bowls and glass candle stick holders from the Dollar Store. With a little E6000 glue, my compote vases were set, but the plain glass looked a little cheap and understated for the occasion. I set up a tarp outside, grabbed my supplies, and quickly had three compote vases looking like pretty mercury glass.

DIY Faux Vintage Mercury Glass – Supplies

• Glass vases (or whatever you’re transforming)
• latex gloves
• Looking Glass spray paint
• white vinegar in a spray bottle
• paper towels
• plastic tarp

DIY Faux Vintage Mercury Glass – Tutorial

Lay out plastic tarp outside in a ventilated area.

Wear latext gloves.

DIY Faux Vintage Mercury Glass – Tutorial

Focus on a small area of your glass item, spray an even layer of the Looking Glass paint and immediately spray vinegar onto the wet spray paint.

Using a spray bottle with a mist setting is best when applying the vinegar.

DIY Faux Vintage Mercury Glass – Tutorial

Immediately blot the dripping vinegar from the glass. This will remove some of the paint, and most of the wetness from the vinegar.

The glass doesn’t have to be completely dry before applying a second or even a third coat if desired. Just make sure it’s fairly dry between coats.

That’s it! There’s no need to seal the paint, but it is NOT food or dishwasher safe. Allow to fully dry and then enjoy decorating with your new creation.

This faux vintage mercury glass technique is for decorative purposes only, it should not be used on items for food. I’ve seen this technique done inside a glass jar and this is fine, but I wouldn’t use this will real candles. With any DIY craft, be careful to use safety precautions.

I think this faux mercury glass finish would be awesome to repurpose glass food jars, Dollar Store glass decor, or even to give a new look to an old mirror or lamp. This technique could be used to create wedding or party decor as well. There are so many possibilities, and one bottle of spray paint goes a long way.

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Let me know if you have any questions, thanks!