If Your Vase is Simply Ugly

Paint it! Paint it white. Paint it a bright color. Paint it with metallic. Any way you do it, you’ll be amazed at how elegant the end result is!

(The vase at the left is one of the creations shown at My Two Butterflies.)

Reface a Metallic Vase

If you have a vase with metallic decorations that have worn away in spots it’s quite easy to resurrect.

What You Need

• gold-leaf kit (or silver or copper leaf)
• scissors
• 2 small, soft paintbrushes

What to Do

Dip a paintbrush in the adhesive from the gold-leaf kit and paint loose, slightly irregular strokes 1 to 2 inches wide to cover the outer rim of the vase. Set aside for an hour while the adhesive becomes tacky (it will turn clear).

Cut sheets of gold leaf into 1- to 2-inch strips. Press the gold leaf onto the adhesive. Peel off the paper backing. Dust away any excess gold leaf with the clean paintbrush.

Apply the sealer and let dry for 30 minutes.

You can use the same technique as above to recover the damaged section, but you may find that after metal leafing the rim, that you’re happy with your vase again.

Quickie Repair: Use a metallic ink pen to fill in damaged spots on your vase.

Repairing a Cracked Vase

If you’re not worried about the vase holding water then you can use quick drying super glue to repair it. If possible, spread the super glue over the crack on the inside of the vase. Let it dry and then fill with water to check for leaks. If it still leaks then spread another layer of glue over the crack, again from the inside.

If you want the vase to hold water follow the procedure above but use a two part epoxy instead of quick drying super glue.

Fixing a Broken Vase

If your vase is completely broken you can still save it from the trash can. Choose your weapon, quick-drying super glue or two part epoxy, depending on whether or not your vase will be holding water.

Dry piece your vase together without glue to get an idea of how you’ll glue it together.

Assemble your glue of choice, painters tape (which is better than masking tape as it won’t leave a sticky residue on your vase), rubber bands big enough to fit snugly around your vase and a shallow pan filled with sand.

Glue your vase together one piece at a time. Depending on how your vase is broken you may glue it together one piece at a time, allowing the glue to dry before adding another piece to your vase puzzle. Use your rubber bands, painters tape and pan of sand to hold the vase together while it drys. The pan of sand allows you to rest the vase in a reclining or sideways position while the glue dries.