DIY Oversized Modern Farmhouse Wall Clock

Today I'm sharing an oversized modern farmhouse wall clock makeover plus links to our tutorial on how to build it with new fence boards. Since the beginning of March, we've been painting all the interior walls in our home as well as giving each room a mini makeover with a maximum budget of $400 per room. We started with the grandkid's guest bedroom and then the home office and now we've moved into the living room where we needed a statement piece to hang above our fireplace.

DIY Living Room Wall Clock

Oversized Modern Farmhouse Wall Clock DIY


We built the large rustic wood clock a few years ago for our front entry but that too got a makeover recently. It dawned on me that with some modifications and restyling the clock would be perfect hanging above our DIY fireplace, an 80s wall unit hack. It's the first thing you see when walking up the stairs from our front entry.

Large DIY Wall Clock

We built the Large Upholstered Ottoman in front of the fireplace as well for the living room makeover.

IY Modern Farmhouse Wall Clock

The fireplace sits on a long DIY board and batten wall that runs the span of our living room and dining room. During the recent dining room makeover, we built modern farmhouse lantern sconces to flank the DIY Modern Farmhouse Antiqued Mirror. This was our inspiration for how to refinish the oversized clock to unify both rooms.

DIY Modern Farmhouse Wall Decor

This is what the wall clock looked like before the makeover, made to hang on the tall wall in our front entry. Instructions for how to build the clock with new fence boards can be found here in my How To Build A Large Plank Wood Clock post.

That sundried tomato wall color is no more, now guests audibly gasp when they walk through the front door. You can see what we did to it using thrift store finds in the Glitz and Glam Gallery Wall post.

DIY Pallet Wood Clock

Here's the clock now, after the makeover. Big difference, right?

Rustic Farmhouse Wall Clock

A clock this size retails for at least $400 and this one cost us under $40 to make. Win-win in my books because if I can make it for a fraction of the cost with a little sweat equity, I'm all in!

Let's take a closer look at the modifications we made to the oversized farmhouse wall clock designed to work above our living room fireplace instead.

What We Did Differently


This post contains affiliate links so you can see what products I used or recommend for this project. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.

Reduced The Gap Between The Clock Fence Boards

The original clock was assembled with board and batten style joiners where the fence boards were glued together and secured with two battens that ran across all seven boards. This time we attached the boards to one another with pocket holes like pictured below using a Kreg Pocket Hole Jig. This makes for tighter joints and less of a gap between each fence board.

Pine Fence Board Wall Clock

Reduced The Size Of The Large Wall Clock

The original clock was 38-inches, too large for above our fireplace so we reduced the size to a 36-inch diameter, much the same way as when we built it with a trammel circle marker and jigsaw.

Changed The Direction Of The Clock Boards

We also changed the direction of the boards by having the clock face line up with the boards in a vertical direction rather than horizontally. This way they echo the direction of the boards of our DIY Farmhouse Lantern Sconces.

Changed The Color Of The Wood Clock

I sanded the fence boards back to the natural wood to remove the original handpainted clock face. We'll talk more about why further down in the post. This time instead of chalk paint, I used waterbased VooDoo Gel Stain to get the time-worn reclaimed wood patina.

DIY Farmhouse Wall Clock

Each stain color is dry brushed with an inexpensive chip brush in long brush strokes with the grain of the wood. The stain is offloaded onto a paper towel first so just a little stain remains on the brush. The goal of the layered look is not to cover the entire surface of the wood so each layer of color is visible. Waterbased stain dries quickly so just a maximum 15-minute wait time is needed between colors.

The first layer is stained with Bayou Moss, the next is called Tobacco Road, and the third is White Magic. The last layer is painted with Behr Premium Plus latex paint in the color Mined Coal (PPU-18-18), the accent color on the back of the bookcases as well as the china cabinet in the dining room.

Enlarged The Clock Face Roman Numerals

I used the same clock face graphic from the Graphics Fairy that I used on the original clock, however, this time I wanted the roman numerals to be much larger.

Fence Board Wall Clock

To do this I uploaded the graphic to Block Poster and enlarged it until the roman numerals were 6-inches high and saved it to my computer. Instead of taping the printed sheets of the clock face together like pictured above, I cut each roman numeral set. With painters tape, I lined them up around the clock two inches from the edge and used this Image Transfer Technique to transfer them onto the clock.

The roman numerals are painted with a vintage white acrylic craft paint and I freehanded the hour and minute hand markings with a script liner art brush. An alternative would be to cut vinyl numbers with a Cricut Maker or Silhouette machine, glue on wood numbers, or use a clock face stencil.

Rustic Wood Wall Clock

Added A Stencil To The Center Of The Farmhouse Clock

This time I stenciled the center of the clock with this pretty Fresh Elegance Stencil also with the same white acrylic craft paint.

Aging The Fence Board Clock

The last thing I did differently from the original clock was giving it an aged reclaimed wood patina with dark wax. I applied the dark wax with a round wax brush along the outer edges and in the middle where the clock hands move.

DIY Oversized Wall Clock

No-Measure Tip For Hanging The Heavy Oversized Wall Clock

Last but not least is hanging the heavy clock on the wall above our fireplace. If you've hung wall art with double picture hanger hooks then you know how frustrating it can be to get both nails lined up perfectly level on the wall while balancing vicariously from a ladder.

During my former days as a home stager, I learned this easy No-Measure Tip For Hanging Wall Art that gets is perfect every.single.time. Plus there's a tip on how to stop those D-hook picture hangers from flopping up and down while you're trying to hang it.

I should also point out that we kept the same high torque clock mechanism specially designed for large clocks.

So what do you think of the Modern Farmhouse Clock makeover? We couldn't be happier with our decision to move the clock from the front entry to our living room. I love how it adds wow factor to the focal point in our living room. The matching lantern wall sconces that echo the curvature of the clock and the farmhouse antique mirror tie both rooms together nicely.

If you have any questions about this oversized clock makeover, please leave them in the comment section below or the Contact Me tab at the top. I love hearing from you!

If you enjoyed this Modern Farmhouse Wall Clock idea, I'd be so thankful if you shared it with a friend and pinned it to your DIY Wall Clock Ideas or Farmhouse Wall Decor board on Pinterest.


Oversized Fence Board Wall Clock

Modern Farmhouse Oversized Wall Clock

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Comments

  1. Oh my goodness! Marie, this is absolutely gorgeous, PLUS all your tips are spot on. You rock!

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    1. Thank you so much my friend, means a lot coming from an uber talented DIY Rock Star! xo

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  2. Well my friend I have a new favorite Interior Frugalista post. I was just eyeing some large farmhouse clocks and mentioning them to Hubs this week. They were $400, and yours is much nicer. Now I am just going to have to make one. I LOVE this so much. Pinned.

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    1. $400, yikes! Girl you and hubs could easily make your own farmhouse clock and I bet it'll be gorgeous. I mean fence boards may even be on end of season clearance soon. Do it!!!!

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  3. That is definitely a statement! ;)

    Sheila

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    1. Thanks Sheila, I think...good or bad statement in your opinion?

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  4. Wow! I loved the clock before, but the after is just spectacular!

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    1. Thanks so much, Lisa! I am thrilled with the transformation. So much better with larger roman numerals.

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  5. Love, love, love what you did to the clock!! And I'm going to add that your home is just beautifully done!! Very, very welcoming and comfortable looking!

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    1. Thank you so much, Karolyn, you made my day! Everything in this house is pretty much a DIY. LOL

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  6. Thanks so much Marilyn! I either make them for my home, as gifts, or sell them. This clock is a keeper for our home. Have a great week!

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  7. What a fun clock... I might need one of these in my home. Thanks for sharing.

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  8. Marie, the clock and the new entrance wall are stunning! You've been busy doing tons of work home improvements and your home looks amazing. Thanks for the tip on hanging the clock - it is frustrating getting it just right!

    RR

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    1. Thank you so much, Rachelle, I appreciate your sweet comments! xo

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  9. Your clock turned out lovely. I just can't help myself I have 2 of them in my house. One over my desk and one over our mantel. Aso, I painted the clock numbers on a table. My daughter designed a stencil for me to use or they would still have black faces. I really like your center design and antiquing. Another beautiful project!!!
    Hugs,
    Kippi

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    1. Glad to hear I'm not the only one who wants more than one around the house. LOL I've already got another in the works for the media room in our basement because I love them so much. Did she design the clock stencil in Cricut design space and cut it on mylar? I'm thinking of making some stencils this way for projects.

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  10. After seeing that amazing gallery wall of yours I just had to pop around to see what you did with the clock, and man I'm so glad I did. I initially thought you'd found a big ass clock face stencil somewhere and I'd be out of pocket again. Thank goodness you shared the easy, budget friendly alternative. It looks lovely

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    1. Ha ha, I'm not going to lie, I did go in search for a big ass clock face stencil but delivery would've taken too long. While my free version took a little more time, I'm thrilled with the results. And who doesn't love free! A clock like this retails for at least $400 so it's a win-win.

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  11. This is gorgeous Marie!!! It looks like it was made for that spot in your living room. Thanks so much for sharing this with us at Farmhouse Friday!

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    1. Thanks Michelle, I love the clock so much more in the living room. Plus we don't have to completely turn around when sitting on the sofa to see what time it is. LOL

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