DIY: How to make blue and silver faux mercury glass

I love mercury glass. With its characteristic metallic shine and distressed finish, it goes with any style interior. What I don’t like about it is the cost. Even in discount stores, mercury glass items can be expensive. That’s why I like making my own. Using dollar-store glassware and just a few simple supplies from the crafts store, you can create spectacular faux mercury glass in just minutes.

Mercury glass is typically silver or gold, but I’ve made faux mercury glass in all sorts of colors, including orange for Halloween and red for Valentine’s Day. For Chanukah, I’ve gone blue and silver with these vases and candleholders. The mercury glass may be faux, but the stunning results are real.

What you’ll need:

• Glassware
• Mod Podge
• Acrylic paint (in blue and silver)
• Plastic cup
• Wooden stir stick
• Foam brush
• Sponge
• Glitter (in blue and silver)

1. Mix Mod Podge and paint

In a plastic cup, mix about 4 teaspoons of Mod Podge (available at crafts stores) with 1 teaspoon of acrylic paint, stirring them together with a wooden stick. You’ll have enough to cover three 6-inch-high vases. (Although I used metallic blue paint for this project, a nonmetallic blue would work just as well. Of course, the silver paint is automatically metallic.)

2. Paint the interior of the glass

Using a foam brush, apply a generous coat of the paint and Mod Podge mixture to the inside of the glass container. The mixture will appear cloudy at first, but the Mod Podge will dry clear, leaving the paint color to shine through the glass. Don’t worry about brush marks or uneven coverage at this point.

3. Texturize with a sponge

Dampen a sponge, and press one side of the sponge onto the wet surface of the glass as if you were sponge painting. The texture of the sponge creates a mottled finish on the surface similar to that of mercury glass. The brush marks also disappear at this point. Keep going until the entire surface has a dappled look.

4. Sprinkle glitter

Sprinkle glitter that is the same color as your paint all around the inside of the glass container. The Mod Podge will instantly hold the glitter in place. You’ll see that the glitter adds sparkle and shine to the glass as you look at it from the outside.

5. Distress the finish

After your paint mixture has dried for about 15 minutes (so it’s still a little wet, but most of the color has dried on), take your sponge and press down at random points to remove some paint. Distressing the finish gives it the cracked patina of antique mercury glass. Then let the glassware dry overnight.

6. Protect the interior

If you’re using the container as a vase, you’ll want to protect the interior first. Place a small glass inside that can hold flowers and water, so moisture does not come in direct contact with the paint and glitter. If you’re using it as a candleholder, opt for battery-operated LED candles to avoid the mess and potential damage to the finish. 

Jonathan Fong is the author of “Walls That Wow,” “Flowers That Wow” and “Parties That Wow,” and host of “Style With a Smile” on YouTube. You can see more of his do-it-yourself projects at jonathanfongstyle.com.