Modern Clock Gets a Vintage Look

by Patricia

2 Materials

30 Minutes

Easy

I've been in the market for a vintage clock to use for photography staging. I've found some fabulous clocks, but unfortunately they were too expensive for my budget (cheap). On a recent trip to visit my mom, I talked her into going to a thrift store with me and we happened upon this clock. I didn't know if it kept time, but for $3 it was worth the risk!

modern clock gets a vintage look, chalk paint, how to, painting

It's obviously a modern piece with an old world look, but I felt the finish was too contrived for my purposes. To get a more authentic look, I applied a base coat of Graphite (Annie Sloan Chalk Paint) to the wood base and the metal frame.

No one is going to see the back, but I painted that as well. As you can see in the photo below it's a battery operated clock, and at this point I still didn't know if the clock worked or not since I couldn't readily get my hands on a AA battery.

For the face of the clock, I took fine grit sand paper and gently rubbed away the painted surface. The key is to go nice and easy to start with so as not to remove too much. I would stop now and then to evaluate the look and then take off more until I got the look I wanted. Next I dry brushed small amounts of Graphite and then used a slightly damp cloth to blend it in.

I gently sanded the base to reveal small amounts of the original finish.

For the metal frame I dry brushed some Old White paint to give it an aged look. I lightly sealed the base, frame, and face with soft clear wax.

I scrounged around the house and found a AA battery and discovered the clock actually works and keeps excellent time. So now I have a "vintage" clock for only a few bucks - score!