The other day I took a break from painting our kitchen cabinets to do more painting. This time it was to revamp the clock we bought to go above our stove. When we moved in to the house, we noticed a funny old recessed outlet above the stove, and for a really long time, we had no idea why it was there. And then someone (can’t remember who) pointed out that it was probably for a clock. And it made total sense! Of course they needed an analog, corded clock in the kitchen back in the day. Even though we have digital clocks on our stove and microwave, it seemed like it would be a waste not to use it as it was originally intended. But the vast majority of clocks these days, even the vintage reproductions (like these cute ones from Schoolhouse Electric), are battery-powered. So I trolled the vintage listings on Etsy until I found one we liked, and bought it. Supposedly it came from a classroom.
Until it arrived, from looking at it on two different monitors, Steven and I both thought it had a black exterior. I guess the seller’s photos were a bit dark. We still liked it, but I knew I’d like it more if it were black. The motivation to actually paint it didn’t come until we were already painting the rest of the kitchen, and I realized how much better it would look if the clock was black. So out came the spray paint. Krylon ColorMaster Cover Max in semi-gloss black.
The part I was worried about the most was masking off the glass from the paint. But this wasn’t a problem, because it was very easy to just take apart.
After taking it apart, I washed the exterior with soap and water, and then wiped it down with mineral spirits. A bunch of light coats later, and I had the black clock I wanted.
I think it’s going to go really well with the rest of our kitchen, especially when the cabinets have doors and you can’t see the innards of our range hood.
It looks so good that I’m just sorry I didn’t do it sooner. So the moral of the story is, don’t put off those little projects that you’ve been meaning to get around to. Really, this is a reminder to myself, because I’m constantly guilty of this. I can’t be the only one, can I?
