Use Marine Paint To Make Old Vases New

Add rich colour to plain, old clear glass vases by using this simple painting technique.

DO IT YOURSELF | Clear glass vases are the classic and obvious choice for displaying flowers and branches, which is why most of us have probably collected a few extra ones over the years. Many of these are no doubt tucked away in the dark reaches of rarely opened cupboards. Why not bring these dusty specimens back into the light and turn them into something different and original by painting their insides with coloured enamel.

This technique has been a design trick for years on sheet glass (to create lustrous walls) or as ornamental glass insets in furniture.

Marine enamel is the recommended product for back-painting glass. I used it for this project and it worked like a dream. Available at most hardware and paint stores, generic marine enamel is obviously impervious to water but it is also tougher (read more scratch resistant) than a lot of other kinds of paint-and even though it is neither dishwasherproof nor food-safe, it is fine for flower vases.

How To Back-Paint Clear Glass

1. In a well-ventilated area, apply a thin coat of the well-shaken enamel to the clean interior of the vase. A one- or two-inch foam brush is well suited to this task.

2. Allow one coat of enamel to dry for at least 16 hours before applying another coat. You will need to paint the interior  several times.

The first three coats will look streaky and you will wonder whether or not your project is going to fail, but it won’t. After four or five layers of enamel, the vase will look like a glossy, lustrous, streak-free piece of art glass.

The beauty of back-painting a vase is that it highlights its most interesting characteristics: the thickness of the glass and its interior shape.—Brendan Power

Photo: John Sinal