Clock full of memories: the DIY wall clock
- Difficultyeasy
- Cost58-117 €
- Duration1-3 h
We all know the feeling: you rush around in the morning, with no smartphone to hand and no clock in sight, as you’ve never found the right one. Well, those days are about to be over! With our special DIY wall clock, your own mementos replace the clock’s numbers. Whether holiday snaps, photos of your loved ones or simply the most beautiful images the web has to offer, there are no limits to your imagination.
- pins or double-sided tape
- template
- ruler
- carpet/utility knife
- pencil
- meter rule
- Clock mechanism
- wall plugs
- Screws
- 0.5 m² corkboard, approx. 5 mm thick
- Photos/mementos (e.g. cinema tickets, holiday photos, flight tickets) for decoration
Mount the clock mechanism
You need: Impact drill or cordless hammer drill (depending on wall type), Drill (depending on wall type), clock mechanism, wall plugs, screws
After you’ve decided which wall you want to use and how high you want the clock to be, drill a hole in the corresponding spot on the wall. Make sure to check if it's safe to drill into the wall using a detection device. Place the wall plug in the hole, followed by the screw – but be careful! Don’t screw them in fully so that you can mount the clock mechanism later.
Tips to make the project easier:
Cut the corkboard
You need: carpet/utility knife, ruler, template, pencil, corkboard
Now cut 12 equally sized shapes from the corkboard. Use the ruler and pencil to help you. We chose a triangle, but you can also pick squares, circles, stars or hearts – it’s up to you. Once you’re done, mark the centre of each shape. This will help you later on when you’re mounting the DIY clock to the wall.
Mount the wall clock - Step 1
You need: Cross Line Laser, GluePen, corkboard shapes
For perfect alignment on the wall, you should use the cross line laser in self-levelling mode. Point the laser cross precisely at the centre of the clock mechanism. Now turn the minute hand so it points to the 3, allowing you to estimate how much space you will need to enable the clock’s minute hand to move freely. Using the glue gun, glue the first cork shape to the wall. When you’re finished, repeat this step for positions 6, 9 and 12.
Mount the wall clock – Step 2
You need: Cross Line Laser, GluePen, template
Now position the cross line laser to 30 degrees to determine the position of the 2, 5, 8 and 11. Again, make sure that the laser is pointed at the centre of the clock face. Now repeat the same steps as before. For the remaining numbers, set the laser to 60 degrees.
Get decorating
You need: GluePen, pins or double-sided tape, photos/mementos
Your clock is now professionally mounted! All that’s left for you to do is add your own mementos, photos or favourite prints from the web. If you know you won’t want to change the mementos for a while, you can simply use the glue gun to stick them to the corkboard shapes. However, if you want to keep tweaking your DIY wall clock, we recommend using double-sided tape or pins. No matter how you decorate your clock, one thing’s for sure – no one else will have a clock like it!