DIY Thrift Store Clock Makeover Idea; Learn how to simply transform an old junk shop find into a gorgeous modern piece of artwork with a little bit of paint and a few plastic stencils.

This is a project that I did a while back and shared over on Kenarry.com but because it is one of my favourites (and I am in the middle of umpteen different DIY projects that still need to be finished off), I thought I would give it another airing and share it with you guys here.

I found this big plastic clock at a local kringloop shop (thrift store/junk shop) and I knew immediately that it would be a perfect upcycle project.

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The clock does not look that bad in the photos but it was actually quite yellowed and sad looking.  It was simply crying out for a little TLC.

Initially, I didn’t know exactly which direction I was going to go with this clock makeover.  So I just applied some silver metallic chalk paint that I had sitting in the shed to give myself a blank canvas and took it from there.  It’s funny how projects develop once you get started.

Thrift Store Clock Makeover

Supplies & Equipment Needed

• Large Plastic Clock
• Tin of Silver Metallic Silver Chalk Paint
• Blue Acrylic Paint (I used phthalo blue)
• White Acrylic Paint
• Chalk Paint Brush
• Stencilling Brush (I actually used a normal small flat paintbrush with stiff bristles)
• Small Paintbrush (fan-shaped)
• Jewellery making pliers
• Patterned Stencils (7cm + 14cm in diameter)
• Sand Paper

Clock Makeover Instructions

Preparation

First, I took the clock hands off the clock.  To do this, I used a small pair of jewellery making pliers to undo the tiny screw holding them in place.

Then, I cleaned all the dust, dirt, and greasy marks from the plastic clock face.

I also took a pencil and marked the number positions on the backside of the clock.  I did this so that I would still know where to re-paint them after I had painted the clock with the base coat.

Applying The Base Layer Of Paint

To get the marbled effect (which was a happy accident by the way 🙂 ) I applied the metallic silver paint (which I had leftover from another project: DIY Ikea Mammut Kids Stool Makeover ) quite roughly in all directions so that there were clear brush marks in the paint.

I then allowed it to completely dry and then sanded it back a little.

After wiping away the excess sanding dust, I then added the white acrylic paint.  I used just a small amount of acrylic paint on the ends of the splayed-out bristles of the fan-shaped brush and applied it to the clock face.

Using a very light sweeping motion I created a bit of a crosshatch pattern.  Then randomly dabbed light splodges here and there. The more random you do this the better.

For saying I didn’t really know what I was doing with it I was pretty pleased with the end results.  Once it had dried, I thought it looked as though it had a marbled finish.

The beauty of using chalk paint is that if you are not entirely pleased with the results you can just sand it back a bit, add another layer and try again.

Stencilling The Clock

I already had some gorgeous round patterned stencils that I had found a few weeks prior to starting this project.  I thought this project was the perfect opportunity to use them.

Together with the stencils, I used phthalo blue acrylic paint to decorate the clock face and mark out the number positions.

I used the large stencil in the middle of the clock, the smaller one for the 3, 6, 9 & 12 positions, and the centre of the small stencil to mark out the rest of the numbers.

Because I didn’t have a proper stencil brush I used one of my old paintbrushes that had stiff flat bristles.

I applied the blue acrylic paint by keeping the brush upright and using a dabbing technique.

*Tip* Paint on top of the edges of the stencil rather than up to.  Your brush needs to be kept vertical and the paint should be dabbed half on the stencil and half on the cut-out section.  This will stop the paintbrush bristles from sliding underneath the stencil and help to give you cleaner lines.

The Finishing Touches

When I went to put the clock hands back on I thought that the black didn’t quite look right against the painted clock so I added a light layer of blue acrylic paint.  They still look black but they blend better and the contrast is not quite so stark.

I was already pretty pleased with how my clock turned out, but when I went to hang it up, I had another flash of inspiration.

I saw my old large round wooden tray (another junk shop find – chalk paint upcycle) sitting on the side and I thought that I could make the clock look even bigger and better.

To mount the clock on the white tray I just used some super strong glue dots.

If you liked my thrift store clock makeover why not pin it for later?

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