DIY: Mercury Glass Revisited

A couple of weeks ago I showed you how I made my own mercury glass, and I mentioned that you could get really shiny results if you use Krylon's Looking Glass spray paint instead of the metallic silver paint that I had used. I wanted this to be one of those projects that I love as-is, but I have to admit that my curiosity got the better of me, and I went out and purchased the Looking Glass spray to see what kind of "mercury glass" it would produce.

Wow!

I am SO glad I tried it! The new paint made for a super shiny mirror-like finish, and I think that I really love the new glass better than my original pieces. In these photos, the square vase was made using the original method, the small votive holder has one coat of Looking Glass paint, and the cylinder vase has two coats.

You can see that the glass gets shinier with each coat of paint, but don't forget that you will also have to spray your water again before each additional coat of paint. I used a 50/50 mix of water and vinegar this time (based on a tip from a reader!), and I like that it produced more irregular shaped blotches instead of just water-drop spots. I waited until the Looking Glass spray paint was tacky, and then I used a paper towel to very gently blot the water inside of the glass.

Here's one taken with a flash, just so you can really see the difference in shine. The two on the left are done with standard silver metallic spray paint; the right with Looking Glass spray paint. They both look really nice, so use whichever method works best with your decor or go crazy and mix it up!

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