DIY Shiplap Wood Farmhouse Clock

Do you have one of those walls, or little nooks or crannies, that you just can't find the right piece for? I have plenty of those, but the biggest one...as in the most annoying one...is in my living room. 

It's that wall with the tobacco basket hanging on it. I actually love this look, but then I put a tobacco basket on my mantel and thought it was a little overboard having two so close. So, I took it down and haven't found a piece I liked on it since. Yes, I could have put it back and change my mantel...but I just kept finding different pieces to put up there instead. Then I put up a huge white round tobacco basket...hated it...but it sparked an idea. I needed a large white clock. I may be a bit obsessed with clocks. And one would say that I am also going overboard in that area in this room also :) I won't tell you how many I have. At this point, do what makes you happy, right? So, I decided to make one...even though I absolutely fell in love with a few from Hobby Lobby...this one cost me under $15 so can't beat that!

Supplies you'll need:
Tongue and groove boards or shiplap. I got mine from Home Depot
Saw (or cut them to length at the hardware store).
Wood glue
Weights
Marker, string and tack
Jigsaw
Sander
Stain
Petroleum jelly
White paint
Sand paper or sanding block
Silhouette/Cricut and black paper to cut out roman numerals (or stencil them on instead)
Modge podge 
Clock hands (found at Hobby Lobby)
D-ring (s) to hang

Step 1: I measured the circumference that I wanted, which was 26 inches. I cut 6 pieces of the shiplap at 27 inches long. If you are doing this with a different circumference, just make sure that the when you put the pieces all together, it is at least 1 inch longer and wider than the size you want.

 Step 2: Put a bead of wood glue down on where the pieces are to join. I actually put my weights to some good use by placing them on the seams to add pressure so the glue would adhere properly. 

 Ask me when the last time I used these weights were? lol Well, technically earlier today when I put them back in the closet ;) I did a couple of reps to make sure I still had it me..and I totally did :)

 Keep the weights on overnight or until you are sure all the wood glue has done it's job.

Step 3: Find the middle of the piece, on the back side, and place a tack right in the center. Then get a piece of string and tie it onto the marker. The string should be long enough to have the marker go to about 1/2 inches in on the 4 sides of the wood. Draw a circle around the wood, trying to make sure the string stays in place and the marker is at the same angle the whole time.

 Step 4: Use a jigsaw to cut out the circle. This is when you'll know for sure if your glue did it's job :) If you have a piece that falls off, just glue it again. Sand the edges when you are done.

 Step 5: Stain. I used Minwax Dark Walnut for mine. I just did one light coat.

 Step 6: Place a small amount of petroleum jelly on the edges and in the cracks, or anywhere else you would like the stain to show through on the paint.

 Step 7: Paint! I used Swiss Coffee by Behr for my color. If you see that the paint is seeping into the lines, use a toothpick to smooth it out and clean out the gaps.

 Step 8: Once the paint is dry, use the sandpaper or sanding block to scuff up the piece a little bit. You shouldn't have to work to hard at sanding if you found a part that has the petroleum jelly on it. Just sand until you get the desired look you want.

 Step 9: Figure out the layout of your numbers. I sat with these numbers like this for about an hour thinking that it just didn't look right. It's so heavily weighted on the left, which was driving me nuts. 

 So, then I decided to do it in a circle, and made my numbers a little bit thinner. I used my Silhouette to cut these out. The font is Times New Roman regular at 3" high. 

Step 10: Once I figure out where I wanted all the numerals and had them laid out, I used a small paint brush and brushed some modge podge onto the backside of each one. I was thinking about doing the top, but then it would give it a shiner look than the rest of the piece. So, I decided not too. I figure that if the numerals tear off and get weird looking, it adds to the character of the piece.

 Step 11: Now on the front side, find the center again, and drill a hole. You can make this a working clock at this point or just use the clock hands like I did. I screwed in the hands at the center point. Don't screw them in too tight, or the hands will sit too high off the surface. Tighten them just enough that they don't fall.

 Step 12: Place a D-ring or two on the back to hang. Mine is large, but pretty light weight considering the material I used. So, I just used one large D-ring and hung it on a screw. 

 Here's a close up of the numbers and the distressing. 

 This just brought this space to life. I love it so much! I had plans to continue the board and batten onto this wall and now I just might not since I like how it looks here. I know, I could always move it up..but still :)

Most of the clocks that I have seen similar to this...working and non-working (although it would only cost about $6 more to make this work) are over $50 on sale. Especially for this size. I bought two 8' shiplap boards which cost roughly about $9 and the $6 clock hands. Everything else I had on hand. So, the total for this was about $15 out of pocket. 

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