Faux Mercury Glass Candlesticks

I like the look of mercury glass - for the past few years I have been looking for some mercury glass candlesticks in the half off sales after Christmas with no luck. So I decided to do some googling on how to create faux mercury glass to see if I could create my own. I wasn't able to find the Krylon Looking Glass spray paint that most of the tutorials recommended. So here's the method that I came up with. I did some trial and error first on some glass jars before I made the actual candle sticks.

First I purchased a few clear glass pieces (a couple of goblets, a glass, a candy tray, and something that might be an ashtray) at the goodwill store for a dollar or two, as well as a couple of clear glass votives at Michaels for 99 cents. (Way too many trips to Michaels this week!)

I used Valspar silver brilliant metal (found at Lowes) as well as a bit of Krylon paint in antique bronze (which you really don't need). You also need a spray bottle with water. Rubber gloves are also helpful!

I lightly sprayed the inside of the glass with a bit of water. Then a very, very light spritz of the antique bronze on the inside. And then a light spray of the Valspar brilliant silver metal paint on the inside. I let that dry for a bit, but I wasn't happy with the look, so I did a very light spray of the Valspar silver on the outside as well. Hold the can at least 12 inches away for best effect. If you spray it too heavily the candlelight will not shine through the glass. Let dry completely overnight.

Once dried, I hot glued two pieces together to create a base and a stand. I know the hot glue is just temporary - what I need to do is use epoxy, but I was in a hurry.

I'm pretty happy with the end result, especially when the candlelight shines though! Not bad for $10 worth of glass and the cost of the spray paint.