Pinterest Fail

So I tried to make "Mercury Glass" by following a tutorial I saw on Pinterest. It was supposed to be quick and simple, and in the end you have a beautiful shiny vase (or any glass item) that looks like it has been weathered over the years. If you don't know what I'm talking about, this picture is a perfect example of what I was trying to achieve:

 

You are supposed to use "Krylon Looking Glass Mirror-Like Paint." Everything I read said to make sure you get this, and ONLY this.  Well I couldn't find that brand at Lowe's, so I used another brand of chrome metallic spray paint.  I figured it would work just fine.

 

 

 

These are all the items I used to make my vase.

 

 

 

 

I started out painting the inside of the vase. I was told to do this on the website I was looking at. When I finished, it didn't look "mirror- like" at all. So I decided just to spray the outside of the vase instead.

 

 

 

While the paint was wet, it looked very shiny and chrome. However, as it dries, and as you blot it with vinegar (to give it the weathered look), it becomes dull again.  I think that is why you MUST use Krylon Looking Glass paint. It can withstand the blotting and drying process and still ends up being chrome and mirror-like.

 

 

 

 

Here is my final product.  Somewhat shiny, but not mirror-like. It does not look like the mercury glass I was trying to emulate. I really want to try this project again, and use the Krylon paint instead of the Valspar.

 

ps- I did this project over a week ago and it's still sitting in my garage. I kinda hate it. Maybe when I buy the Krylon paint I'll try to spray over it and just let it be a shiny vase.  I just can't bring myself to throw away an almost perfectly good vase.