Modernizing an Old Family Relic

Happy first Monday of February my lovelies! January is finally behind us and we’ve moved onto our second month of the year. As each day passes now, the sun is setting a little later, and spring is getting just a little bit closer. Yes, yes, I know - Canadians likely won’t see the snow melting for a while, but at least we know it’s on the way. Before we even realize it, spring will have arrived! I hope the thought of warmer weather around the corner made your Monday a little better. Valentine’s Day is rolling around quickly, too… Don’t forget to check out my last blog post on the Top 10 Gifts Under $30, with ideas suitable for every type of special someone.

I know it’s not spring just yet, but that does not mean we can’t give our homes a little refresh… Lately I’ve been pacing back and forth in my home, scrolling Pinterest and getting inspiration on how I can change things up a little to get a different look. Isn’t it true that when you’re living somewhere, you’re never really done renovating or with Do-It-Yourself (DIY) projects? We get bored of seeing the same thing, and want a little change… I know I do.

Since I’m a big DIY-er, and lately have been obsessed with matte black home accents and decor, as well as kitchen and bathroom hardware, I’ve been searching online for ways to get that look. After crunching some numbers, I realized changing all my kitchen and bathroom hardware, faucets, and other home decor to matte black would basically run me an entire renovation budget. I had to re-think my entire plan and figure out a way to make it more budget-friendly. 

After extensive hours of research, I found a few steps on how to get the matte black finish I wanted, but it was going to require some do-it-yourself work in order for me to save my pennies. Last week, I worked on my very first DIY project. Here’s how it went.

For a little context, my husband’s grandparents recently passed away. Being Italian, we both were raised with strong family values, and spent most of our summers with cousins at our grandparents houses. They played a big part in raising us. Even today, visiting their homes always brings us happy memories from our childhood and the time we spent growing up there. You can never erase the memories that come to mind when thinking of a loved one. This was a very hard loss for the family.

After going through some of their belongings, a few pieces caught my eye. I really wanted to keep the memory of his grandparents alive with some personal items that we would see and use everyday from their own home by integrating them into our own home. I asked his family permission to modernize some of those items, and after getting their approval I took them home and got to work on them. 

The item I want to show today is this adorable little clock they had in their kitchen. It matched perfectly with their home, and was made from real wood. The clock itself was already so pretty, and was still working perfectly. Since we’re in such a digitalized generation and we didn’t own a clock, I thought this would be the perfect addition to our home. Here’s the before and after, with steps and tips on how I did it.

TOOLS

All I needed for this DIY project was 2 items:

• 80 grit sanding block, I bought this pack of Sanding Blocks with a variety of grit that I can use for more future products. 

• Rust-Oleum Universal Enamel Spray Paint & Primer in the colour “Farmhouse Black”.

STEPS

1 - I took the clock apart carefully and separated the pieces in an organized fashion.

2 - I used the sanding block to sand the wood part of the clock until the finishing on the wood came off (it was a little lighter than before).

3 - I cleaned my workspace and prepared it to spray paint on. I laid out newspaper and got to spraying the wood on one side, and then once dried I sprayed the other side. I waited a few hours before doing a second coat of the Rust-Oleum Universal Enamel Spray Paint & Primer.

4 - Once completely dry, I carefully put the clock back together. 

TIPS

• After sanding, make sure to wipe your item with a damp cloth to remove any debris, dust or residue before you begin painting it.

• I strongly recommend spray painting it in a well ventilated area, or even outside if the weather permits, since the smell is very strong. I had to place the clock outside my garage door to let it dry because it smelled up my entire basement!

• When spray painting, use sweeping motions back and forth and try to spray from a bit of a distance to get an even finish.

• Wait until it’s fully dry before you add the second coat, patience is key.

Check out a time-lapse of the process HERE.

And there you have it! A loving memory of my hubby’s grandparents that lives forever on in our home, and matches my kitchen perfectly. I could not be happier with the final result, and his family loved it as well! Here's the finished product in my kitchen.

I have to say, the ease of spray painting for a first-timer was shocking to me. I’m extremely satisfied with the quality of the spray paint itself. First off, the colour was SPOT ON. I wanted a true matte black finish, and I read a few reviews online for some that ended up looking dark green. I was nervous about the results, but it truly is a perfect matte black. Secondly, the bottle has a continuous spraying feature so that you don’t need to constantly be pressing on the button while painting. Last but not least, it can be sprayed in any direction, which made it even easier to make sure I reached every nook and cranny of the wood. You can have the can completely upside down and it will still spray perfectly. The bottle does mention that it’s supposed to cover many different surfaces, such as metal, wood, masonry and plastic. So far, Rust-Oleum’s Universal Enamel on wood can be considered TRIED & TRUE FOR YOU!

Only the test of time will tell once I try it on a few different surfaces around my home, so stick around for more DIY home projects! Are you planning any projects or DIY’s for your home soon? I would love to hear about it! Happy first week of February, and until next time…

Love, Annamaria

When you buy from the links on this post, a small commission may be earned at no additional cost to you.

All products listed here have been personally vetted before being recommended to you.