On my HGTV show Splurge & Save yesterday I made mercury glass vases to add a nice tough to a traditional style space. I’ve been asked how to do this project so I thought I’d post the very easy DIY recipe for making mercury glass vases on your own!

Have a mask and gloves before you begin. Use a shiny, glossy metallic spray paint (like Silver Metallic Reflective Finish Spray) and large mouthed clear vases in a size that fits your hand easily. To prep, cover the outside of each vase with plastic and taped it tightly along the outside top (to keep spray paint from getting onto the outside). Be sure tape stays on the outside of the vase – don’t fold over the edge.

Do this project outside because fumes will spray back at your face. Spray paint the interior of the vase covering most of it. The trick is keep it light, don’t over spray. Just coat the surface once.

Go back in with a cotton ball and randomly pat around the surface. Antique mercury glass is often peeling away or unevenly distributed. And if you really want an authentic look, spray a light coat of gold metallic spray paint over the silver, and pat with cotton ball in a random pattern. When mercury glass ages it often has a gold/silver mix.

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Author: Krista Watterworth

Krista Watterworth considers herself a true multi-tasker: mom, author, television personality, and interior designer. Krista starred in four seasons of HGTV's Save My Bath as host-designer and in 2009 will star in a new HGTV show called Splurge & Save. She has quickly gained celebrity for branding her unique aesthetic. According to Krista, designing and performing have two things in common: you have to delve into the heart of a person (or a character) to find out their intimate secrets, and then create an entirely personal world around that.

Krista Watterworth has written 101 articles for us.