Chalkboard Alarm Clock Makeover

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I have a confession to make, I’ve kind of become a junk hoarder. I hold onto interesting things in hopes of making them into something great. Sometimes I just let go and they end up in our seasonal garage sales or they sit in my stash until the inspiration light bulb goes off. Well, this is one of those projects. I had the smaller alarm clock for a few years now. I love clock makeovers but I just didn’t have a plan for this one. I got it at Target on clearance for $2. Who could pass that up? Well, not me apparently.

Then last week I came across the larger one for a whopping $2.99! Seeing the bigger one just made the little one seem more appealing now. I knew they would look great as a pair. I took them apart and instead of making over the background inside and leaving them as clocks I thought they would make clever conversation pieces and functional message board for when you are coming and going.

Next was the color.. the super bright silver just wasn’t working for me so I decided they needed some age and patina to add character. Let me show you how I transformed these cuties.

Chalkboard Alarm Clock Makeover

Supplies:

2 cheap plastic alarm clocks
Acrylic paint: Medium grey, dark grey, metallic silver, light blue, dark brown and metallic copper
Chalkboard paint
Matte black spray paint
Screwdriver
Paint brushes & foam roller

Instructions:

Take the clock apart using a screwdriver.

These clocks have two sections to remove, the outer case and inner case. On the inner case remove the clock parts by unscrewing the mechanics of the clock box and pulling off the hands from the other side. Carefully remove the glass.

I chose to spray paint the glass first because the latex chalk paint will not stick well to the glass. Spray painting them first made a great base for the chalk paint to stick to. Spray paint both sides of the glass with black matte paint. Let them dry for over an hour. I applied 3 coats. You are supposed to wait 24 hours for spray paint to cure, but I’m pretty impatient.

Paint 3 coats of chalkboard paint with a foam roller.

TIP: Foam rollers are perfect for chalkboard paint, they leave minimal streaking or lines and allow the paint to dry smooth.

Painting the clocks:

The grey metal clock: I started with a medium grey and covered all the surface areas, even under the bells.

Next paint metallic silver over the grey, leaving it streaky.

With dark grey paint, use a dry brush method, very little paint, and lightly touch the creases and edge areas to make it look worn.

Go back over some areas with the medium grey to create a patina and highlight areas with the metallic silver.

The teal clock was a lot more fun to make. Paint the entire clock with a light teal paint. Lightly dry brush over it the teal with a rusty red color. Add sections where the rust has come through and eaten away all the color like the edge of the bells and sides of the clock.

Add small touches of metallic copper paint and a dark brown to simulate rust and wear. I painted the top bar and feet grey then added metallic silver over it in areas so it would look worn.

Before you put everything back together, season your chalkboards by rubbing a piece of chalk all over the glass. wipe it clean and it is ready to write on.

If you skip this step and you write on the chalkboard when you erase the words they will still appear on the paint as a shadow. Make sure you do not forget to season.

Put the glass back in the clock and screw the back pieces back on the clock, and that’s it! These clocks came out so great my husband couldn’t tell they weren’t antiques. They are adorable and look great when you come to my house. Love them!