Faux Mercury Glass

I am one happy camper right now, after making my own Faux Mercury Glass to hide all the media equipment in my new credenza.  It was so easy!  All it took was Krylon Looking Glass Spray, vinagar and water.

This was my brand new credenza Before.  It was almost exactly what I needed.  I wanted glass doors, so the signal from the TV remote could reach the cable box, but I hated the fact you could see the cable box, the DVR, and the giant white subwoofer right through the glass.

That’s when I decided to try my hand at faux mercury glass.  Again, here is all you need:

You can find the Krylon Looking Glass for about $9 at Walmart.  As for the vinegar and water, just mix equal parts in a spray bottle.  Take whatever item it is you want to paint (This is a great DIY project for glass vases!) and lightly spray it with the looking glass paint.  You’ll want to wear a protective mask and make sure to do this in a well ventilated area because the fumes are ridiculous.

Because I was being careful to spray very light coats (I didn’t want any drips) It took me 5 or 6 coats of spray to get complete coverage.  I let it dry for a couple of minutes between each coat.  And when I was done with this step, I took my vinegar and water solution and lightly sprayed it over the entire glass.

This solution causes the paint to sort of bubble up.  (Not too much, but you will definitely see a difference)  Let it set for about 30 seconds or so, then pat it with paper towels. This will cause the paint to lift off and crinkle.  Be careful to pat down instead of wipe.  If you wipe, the paint will wipe off in big chunks and may not give you the effect you want.

I did this to one side of the glass, then flipped it over and repeated the exact same steps to the other.  So, if you’re working on a vase, you would do this to the inside of the vase first, then do it to the outside.  The end result was exactly what I wanted.  Now that my Faux Mercury Glass is on the doors of my credenza, it not only covers up all the unsightly media equipment, it looks beautiful.