Clocks come in all shapes, sizes and materials. They range from the very lightweight plastic to the heaviest glass or wood. Antique clocks are generally made out of solid wood that are very heavy to hang.

Before attempting to hang a clock, find out if the wall has a stud where you will be hanging it. Walls, especially plaster and drywall, are not strong enough to hold heavy wall décor, so wood studs are needed to safely hang your precious timepiece.

Hanging a clock may seem like an easy task, but it can turn into a disaster if you don't find a stud to hold it whether it is heavy or not.

• Lath and Plaster. Older homes built before 1960 used the lath and plaster process. Laths are narrow strips of wood nailed horizontally across the wall studs. Each wall frame is covered in lath, tacked at the studs. Even though these laths are made of wood, they still cannot stand up to the weight of heavy wall décor and you need to locate the studs to hang them.
• Log and Timber. Some country homes or cabins are built using solid wood which certainly makes it easier. Wood walls are typically framed or solid. Unlike conventionally framed walls that use a combination of several building materials, Solid wood walls using logs or timbers have basically one product - the log or timber. Unlike the increased sensitivity to the hazards of exposure to chemically processed materials, logs and timbers are 100% natural. Solid wood is the only building product that is renewable, biodegradable, recyclable and energy efficient. The natural beauty of solid wood shines through and is structurally sound after years of use.
• Gypsum Wallboard/Wood Studs. Newer homes have walls constructed of drywall which also does not stand up to the weight of heavy wall décor, unless they are attached to studs. All walls have studs that these materials attach to. You need to locate these studs in order to hang your heavy wall décor.
• Steel and Metal Studs. Normally used in industrial and office-type buildings and structures to withstand hard use or to contain hazardous operations. Other common uses of metal include office partitions, toilet partitions, and sleeping cubicles. Advantages: Steel studs are perfectly straight. They don’t shrink or split, are light and easy to store, and resist fire, insects and rot. Disadvantages: Metal tends to be flimsy, but once the drywall is screwed to it, it is strong and rigid. However, metal would not be suitable for hanging cabinets or heavy clocks or mirrors. Metal framing has no structural strength and can only be used for partition walls.
• Blocks/Brick. Conventional wall construction materials, such as gypsum block surfaced with plaster of the required thickness, brick, concrete, hollow tile, and concrete block, provide fire resistance. Advantage: Many housing projects use this building material between units to prevent fires from spreading from one unit to the other. Disadvantage: Generally, this material is not used for all four walls, but just as a barrier between each unit, and project rules generally forbid drilling into these walls to hang objects of any kind.

Tools for the Job

• Finding a stud can be as easy as tapping on the wall with your knuckles. However, a stud finder makes the job easier for finding studs in the wall. Most of these stud finders uses a magnet to locate the nail or screw attaching the wall materials to underlying studs. However, these types of stud finders also find other metal-based pipes and conduit within the wall, so get acquainted with this tool and check up and down the same area of the wall where other screws fastening the stud would be. If you don't encounter any other screws, then your stud finder is sensing something else and you will need to move on.
• A power drill is good for drilling holes into masonry or brick walls using a masonry bit and then inserting a metal anchor into the wall and screwing a heavy duty masonry screw into the anchor, leaving enough room, at least an inch to start with, as long as the anchor is opened securely in the wall. Try to move or wriggle the screw to see if it is secure enough. If it doesn't move, carefully attach the clock on the screw.
• A level can be used to check the clock after hanging it is completed. If the clock is off level even slightly, it can be noticeable. If it is a staggered clock, place the level at the highest point for leveling horizontally. Sometimes there is a slight difference between top and bottom measurements, so it is best to also check the level at the lowest point. Do the same for the left and right sides of the clock to test vertical levelness.

Once you have the clock hung, with the help of the above tools, lightly move it in all directions to make sure it is level as well as properly and securely in place.

Clocks offer practical style to every room of your home or office. Regarding the history of clocks, they are one of the oldest inventions. They play an important role in our everyday lives. Without them, we would have to rely on ancient ways to tell time, such as using a sundial.

Large Wall Clocks

If you are big on Big, these clocks are just the right size for you. Choose from a variety of staggered mirror clock sets, in plain style or colors of black or gold. These mirrored clock sets come with either plain or candle sconces.

Other unique wall clocks include our grandmother pendulum clock sets, a set of three mirrored panels with the center being the clock with a working pendulum. We also have theme clocks such as our desert haven clock, which is a also a set of three panels, the side panels each displaying a palm tree while the center clock is in the image of a setting sun.