DIY Mid Century Wall Clock

If you’re looking for a statement piece for your home decor, this DIY Mid Century Wall clock is it!

DIY mid century wall clock - sugar & cloth

Well, we’re finally back to our regularly scheduled programming after last week’s blog birthday madness.

And we’re really excited about this DIY!

We’ve been on the hunt for the perfect retro clock for our living room (which we’re doing a room makeover we’re sharing soon)!

But we wanted to make it a bit bigger than the rest, so this one is jumbo-sized my friends!

Needless to say, this not-so-little DIY Mid Century Wall clock is the perfect statement decor piece!

Surprisingly, it’s actually pretty simple to make and will cost you a lot less than most home decor stores to create…

Mid-century furniture can be pricey. 

But we’ve managed to make affordable pieces like a DIY Mid Century Modern Side Table, DIY Mid Century Plant Stands, and even a Mid Century DIY Day Bed that mimics the look.

DIY mid century wall clock - sugar & cloth

Materials and Tools Needed to Make a DIY Mid Century Wall Clock

Wood round — Ours is a 1″ x 2′ x 2′ unfinished pine wood round.

Wood stain — Ours is Early American.

3-D clock hands time movement – A similar one is available here.

Metallic gold spray paint — Optional: Our clock hands were originally a silver brush. The gold look feels more mid-century.

Clear shellac spray paint

Foam brush for stain

Dowel caps — To represent the hours.

Super glue

D-ring hangers — To properly hang and secure your clock to the wall.

Picture wire

Drill, screws, and drill bit

DIY mid century wall clock - sugar & cloth

How to Make a DIY Mid Century Wall Clock

1 — Stain the wood round the color of your choice, and let it dry completely.

We only stained the front and the side since no one will see the back.

2 — Optional: Apply a coat of clear shellac spray paint to protect your wood stain, and let it dry completely.

3 — Optional: While that’s drying, spray paint the clock hands movement and wooden dowel caps with the metallic gold and let dry.

DIY mid century wall clock - sugar & cloth

4 —  Flip the wood round over to install the hangers.

You want to install the clock hands last since they are delicate and you don’t want to scratch the mechanisms. 

Attach the D-ring picture hangers to the back of the board with a drill.

DIY mid century wall clock - sugar & cloth

 

5 — Then, string the picture wire between the two so that the clock is ready to hang once the front is assembled.

DIY mid century wall clock - sugar & cloth

6 — Now flip the wood round over to assemble the front face of the clock.

Our particular 3-D clock hands movement simply rests on the face.

Measure and mark out the exact center of your wood round and drill a screw about 1/2″ below that so that once the mechanism is hanging it will be in the middle.

DIY mid century wall clock - sugar & cloth

7 — Now all you have to do is glue the wooden dowel caps in place to represent the hours, and you’re all set!

DIY mid century wall clock - sugar & cloth
DIY mid century wall clock - sugar & cloth

Living Room Furniture Sources

Navy chair from Target

End table from Target

Double table lamp from Rejuvenation

Check out our living room reveal for more sources and decor ideas.

DIY mid century wall clock - sugar & cloth

More Easy DIY Wall Hangs

We also feel inclined to admit that we never use actual clocks or watches to tell time (blame Apple for my iPhone).

But they make the cutest statements, don’t you think?! We love them so much as functional decor items that we’ve also made a DIY Mini Hexagon Marble Wall Clock and DIY Plate Clock.

We really love the idea of skipping the gold dots and just doing the metallic movement and wood round for an even simpler DIY version!

For more easy DIY clock projects, check out some of our others below — 

DIY mid century wall clock - sugar & cloth

DIY mid century wall clock - sugar & cloth

DIY Mid Century Wall Clock

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5 from 8 votes
If you’re looking for a statement piece for your home decor, this DIY Mid Century Wall Clock is it!
Prep Time1 hour
Dry Time4 hours
Total Time5 hours
Course DIY
Category Clocks

Equipment

  • Drill, screws, and drill bit
  • Foam brush for stain
  • Super glue

Materials

  • 1 wood round
  • 1 wood stain any color of your choice
  • 1 3D clock hands movement time
  • 1 metallic gold spray paint optional
  • 1 clear shellac spray paint optional
  • 12 dowel cap
  • 3 D-ring hanger
  • 1 picture wire

Instructions

  • Stain the wood round and let it dry completely.
  • Optional: Spray a coat of the clear shellac paint over the wood round to protect the wood stain.
  • Optional: While the wood round is drying, spray paint the clock movement and wooden dowel caps with the metallic gold and let dry.
  • Attach the d-ring picture hangers to the back of the wood circle with a drill.
  • String the picture wire between the two so that the clock is ready to hang once the front is assembled.
  • Flip the board over to assemble 3D clock hands to the front face of the clock.
    The clock movement we used only needs to rest on the front. So we measured out the exact center of wood round. Then we drilled a screw about 1/2" below the center so that once the mechanism is hanging it will sit in the middle of the wood round.
  • Glue the 12 wooden dowel caps in place to represent the 12 hours.
Cost: $65
KEYWORD: diy mid century wall clock

Be sure to share your DIY Mid Century Wall Clock with us on Instagram using the hashtag #sugarandclothloves, so we can follow along, too! We always love seeing all of your creations!

 

Please note that we may earn a commission for some of the above affiliate links. However, products featured are independently selected and personally well-loved by us!

5 from 8 votes (1 rating without comment)

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16 Comments

  1. Hi, I am a new follower of your site, love all your d.i.y. ! I love how you put the whole setting together and especially the cobalt blue chair. May I know where can I get it? Thanks a lot!

  2. This is perfect! I’ve been looking for the perfect mcm clock for my in-progress mcm-inspired bath reno – this is exactly what I need. Okay, time to just make it :)5 stars

  3. It’s seriously perfect, along with the chair, end table and the whole setup. I could just place the whole thing in my living room and be satisfied. The colors will match perfectly.5 stars