DIY Mercury Glass With Looking Glass Silver Paint On Clear Glass

You can achieve a beautiful mercury glass finish on clear glass using silver and black spray paints and a solution of vinegar and water. This DIY technique is very easy.

Today is Thrift Store Decor Day, and we have some tremendous makeovers for you, so let’s get started!

For the mercury glass project piece, you will need a picture frame and a glass insert. This green frame is a 5×7-inch one that I found at the thrift store.

The frame can be hung on the wall or placed on a tabletop.

I removed the glass from the frame, but the paperboard backing was attached to one side and opened like a flap. 

Before spray painting the frame, I covered the paper backboard with a paper towel. 

Next, I painted the frame with flat black primer because that is the only black paint on my work shelf. But it works really well for this project.

I keep a spray bottle filled with a 50/50 mix of water and vinegar because I enjoy creating DIY mercury glass projects. Did I mention I love the look of mercury glass?

I lightly misted one side of the glass with the water/vinegar solution.

Then I sprayed Krylon Looking Glass silver paint on the glass. You can see the paint bubbles on the glass. Do not wait for the vinegar/water mixture to dry.

To burst the bubbles, I lightly dabbed the glass with a paper towel. 

And I’m not proud to say this, but I forgot to take a photo of the black spray paint. I’m currently in Arkansas writing this post, so I don’t have the project with me. (I will take a photo and add it here when I return home)

Anyway, after blotting the paint bubbles, I sprayed black spray paint to cover the silver paint and all of the glass on that one side. Think of it as looking at the back of a mirror, solid black.

And the first mercury glass project on clear glass turned out so well, I made a second project using a Dollar Tree frame!

Every DIY mercury glass project is different. It would be impossible to make an exact duplicate of the mercury glass finish. 

I decided to decorate the mirrored mercury glass with Halloween window clings. These colorful window clings came from  Dollar Tree. I picked up the 8×10 picture frame.

I started by placing the “still dead” tombstone decal in the middle of the large frame, but then changed it out.

The 3 tombstone window clings I selected fit the frame better. 

And you guys all know I’m a big fan of googly eyes…..and spiders. The sticky-back googly eyes were in my craft stash. I’ve used them on projects like this one…..DIY Halloween Treat Containers and this one…. DIY Candy Crate

Simple projects like these can be decorated to suit the season or any holiday. The window clings and googly eyes are easy to remove.

You can create faux mercury glass with different finishes by using various spray paint colors, such as this one, where I used multiple colors to achieve the glass effect.Mercury Glass Made With Silver, Gold, And Bronze Spray Paints.

You can also use this technique to create faux mercury glass vases, jars, bottles, and more. 

I hope you try this project. Make it unique to you. Now it’s time to take the Thrift Store Decor Tour. Just click the text links below the “before makeovers” photo collage….

As always, thanks for being here, Kathy