DIY Mercury Glass Tutorial

Thermometers, The Solar System, Queen, my living room.  All things that have an element of mercury in them.

(If you don’t have an ounce of love in your heart for Freddie Mercury, his tight white pants, and his love of holding a microphone stand at a perfect 45 degree angle, I might need to question my friendship with you.)

I saw these vases from West Elm, and wanted them.  They are shiny and bright and covet-able.  They are also $20-$40 per vase.   Um, no.

Source

I stumbled on this tutorial from 17 Apart, and I knew I could easily make my own mercury-glassed things.

It started with a trip to the DI, our local thrift store.  I love that our thrift store is called the DI.  Because then you can say “I put the DI in DIY.”

Their vases and glassware range from $0.50-$1.50.  So I bought several shapes and sizes for under $10.

The supplies needed are:

-Krylon “Looking Glass” spray paint*
-Water
-White Vinegar
-Spray bottle
You will mix 1 part water with 1 part vinegar in your spray bottle.  I used 1/4 c each, and that was more than plenty.

*A note about finding Krylon Looking Glass… it took several trips to several stores before I found it at Hobby Lobby.  Also, be prepared to spend about $10 per can.  BUT- I only used one can for all 7 vases.

I know you’re not supposed to spray paint when it’s cold.  But I worked in 8 degree weather on Saturday, and they turned out just fine.  Winter ain’t got crap on nobody.  Also… ain’t nobody got time to wait til spring for spray painting.

The technique:
Lightly spritz water/vinegar mixture on the glass.  Make sure it’s barely beading.  If it starts running, you’ll have a problem.  After you spritz water, lightly spray a coat of paint.

This spray paint is a different consistency than other spray paints I’ve used.  It’s runnier, so if you spray too much, it WILL run.  Especially with misting your water/vinegar mixture first.  

Many light coats are better.

Let it dry for about 1 minute, and softly blot the glass.  Don’t rub it.  The paint is still wet, so if you rub or blot too hard, it will take the paint off.  

Repeat this process 3 or 4 times, depending on how much coverage you are looking for.  I did these vases 4 times.  They are still slightly see-through.  But I like that look.  You could keep going if you are wanting a more solid look.  Let your artistic desires control you and drive your spray painting hand.

I thought this process would take as long as watching Roots twice, but it took maybe an hour at most to get them looking how I wanted.  Kenzie be good.

This should provide you a good enough picture of how it turned out for me.

I threw in some pretty pink flowers and slapped these vases on the mantle.

That’s it.  It was simple.  It was cheap.  It was something anyone with any level of talent could do.  The only draw back is, your garage will smell like you’ve been dying Easter eggs.  Or it will smell like salt & vinegar chips.  Whatever.

I am crushing on my finished vases pretty hard.  I love the element it brings to the living room.  I feel like adding metalics is a perfect touch.  I didn’t need more white, or more grey, or more colors… just some shimmer.

That was my weekend.  What sorts of crafty voyages did you take?

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