How to Makeover a Thrifted Mantel Clock
Over the summer I did a fair bit of thrifting and yard saleing, but I was too busy to do anything with all my finds. I didn't even photograph most of them! Now that the harvest season business is settling down, and I find myself with little bits of time when I'm not frantically picking, pressing, canning or preserving, the kids and I finally have time to finally tackle some of these little mini fix-ups.
The kids especially love the little projects. Though they do help with the big construction work, there's only so much they can do, and it's nice for them to get a quick turnaround and see a finished project quickly.
Oh, let's be honest, that part is for me!
Daydreaming about finally having a real mantel this holiday (fingers crossed), the first piece I picked out of the fix up pile is this funky mantel clock I found at Goodwill. It's clearly homemade, maybe even a shop project, and I just think it's so charming. I immediately imagined it with white paint, so the other day the kids and I jumped in.
Everything I used I already had laying around. Spray primer and the ubiquitous Heirloom White spray paint. A few tools, some sandpaper (these cool strips Mr. Magpie found at Harbor Freight Tools), and a NIOSH mask. I always wear a mask when I paint because even the slightest fumes give me a killer headache.
First I disassembled the clock part so I wouldn't get paint on it (to see how to do that, see my tutorial on how to take apart a battery-operated clock movement):
Then we all sanded it. Sanding is always a family activity, right? ;-)
Then a quick wipe down with a damp cloth to get all the dust.
After sanding and wiping it looked like this:
It's not a perfect sanding job, but since this piece isn't really going to get any wear or use, I wasn't worried about it.
Then I set it up in our paint booth.
Just kidding! We don't have a paint booth. We have an upside down bucket and a back yard. Ha!
I did two coats of primer and two coats of Heirloom White and had a nice blank slate.
So much better already, don't you think?
I did a little distressing:
And then had Mr. Magpie fix up the numbers for me (to see how he did that, and also how I had a mini-project fail, you can see my post How to Rub'n'Buff Raised Letters and Numbers):
Put the clock back together, and it was done!
We took my $1.99 Goodwill clock:
And made this cute thing with just a bit of paint:
I especially love the little details.
Not bad for a couple of bucks and an afternoon, eh?
I'm really having fun fixing up all the things I found this summer and finding places for them around the house. What about you? Did you find anything good this summer? Have you fixed it up yet?
