I love milk glass. It is so simple and beautiful. Unfortunately for my budget, everyone else seems to love milk glass too, which often gives it a high price tag.
Every once in a while, I come across a piece at a thrift store for a decent price, but this has become more and more rare in the past few years. My budget friendly, diy solution? Faux milk glass!
Yes, the real thing is fantastic, but the faux version is so fun and it gives you freedom to create a unique piece.
What you will need:
- various glass vases, bowls, and containers {my local thrift store sells these by the by the truck load for super cheap}
- semi-gloss white spray paint
- a drop cloth or old cardboard box to paint on
This how-to project is so simple, yet it produces big results.
Simply take any glass vases or bowls you wish to faux-up and wash them thoroughly, making sure no dirt or dust remains.
Next, set the glass pieces on their sides on a drop cloth or old cardboard box and evenly coat with white spray paint. There is no need to coat the inside of the vessels, just the sides and tops.
Wait a few hours for the paint to dry and go back for a second coat. If you are a skilled spray painter, two coats will be enough. If you are not the most skilled spray painter {such as me} you will need three and maybe even four coats.
Once the paint dries completely {give it a day} fill with fresh flowers and enjoy your simple, yet stunning project.
A few tips:
- Spray paint is messy and gloves are a good idea.
- Spray paint also seems to get everywhere, so painting outside is preferable.
- When thrifting glass vases for this project, look for ones with texture, they seem to look the most “authentic” when complete.
Regina Morrison is the owner of a small handmade accessories business, 
What a lovely idea! Those glass bottles and decanters are really easy to come by at my thrift store too!
I might have to give this a go! Thanks for sharing!
OOh, great idea!! Really dresses up otherwise plain inexpensive glass vases.
What a wonderful idea!
What a genius idea! Milk glass is so hard to come by and this is the perfect solution. Thank you for posting
This is a great idea. I am definitely going to try it. Thank you!
Nice! I have an accidental collection of the real thing I inherited from my Mother and have recently come to appreciate it. This is a great idea if I want more as I am definitely not up to paying for the real deal.
This is totally awesome – I saw something similar to this recently on the Nate Berkus show. What a great budget friendly redo!
great idea! it looks fresh & clean, and I love the pop of bright flowers against the white vase.
Thats awesome! Here in italy i can find heaps of old cut glassware and im off to a flea market tomorrow! Thanks.
Wow, so simple to make and yet so stunning! Wonderful article, thanks for sharing!
spray painting glass…sorry, but I don’t get how this is genius…
[...] How-To: Faux Milk Glasses ScoutieGirl Looking for a fun crafting project that’s easy, cheap and great for gift-giving? Check out [...]
What a great idea. I would love for you to come and join my blog party. The link opens tonight at 8pm EST. Hope to see you there.
This is great. You could use other colours too. Or use a pearlescent colour to give it more depth.
[...] the thrift store, and often expensive online. Because of this, I was super excited to come across this great DIY milkglass project over on Scoutie Girl. The only materials needed are some cheap glass [...]
[...] Scoutie Girl Blog: DIY Tutorial for Faux Milk Glass [...]