You’ve come to the right place! This DIY magnetic wall post shares all the steps to make your own.
Choose wall colors carefully. Conundrum alert! Magnetic paint primer only comes in dark colors (black and gray), but covering it with more than two coats of regular paint significantly degrades. To attach a magnet board to a wall easily, you will need to use a hammer and nails to hang it up in one place. The magnet board can be achieved using a simple sheet of metal.
When my oldest was nearly two, I knew I wanted a magnetic wall in our new home.
However, Google searches were a black hole.
Here I was, staring at so many great photos on Pinterest, and yet none of them had step-by-step directions on where to find the materials needed and how to attach the magnetic board to the wall.
I am determined to help your How to DIY a Magnetic Wall search become more productive than it was for me!
RELATED: You can see the magnetic wall, plus much more of our playroom storage and organization.
Shop for magnetic wall file holder online at Target. Choose from contactless Same Day Delivery, Drive Up and more.
Finding the perfect magnetic board
When starting out, my major obstacle was finding a large magnetic sheet.
I was pointed in the direction of Home Depot, and after three trips, finally gave up. Nothing was the size I wanted. I had a similar obstacle to my online search with office suppliers.
Finally, someone suggested I visit our local fabrication shop for a large piece of sheet metal.
Winner, winner chicken dinner! Here we go! – Only, how on earth will we hang this large sheet of magnetic metal? Don’t worry, we are going to get to that part next.
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How do you attach a magnetic board?
Luckily, I had some help from two great craftsmen; my dad and my grandpa. They were determined to have the sheet metal secured to the wall, along with helping me create the finished look that I was hoping for.
Once we found a local fabrication shop, we purchased a large sheet of plywood to secure the sheet metal before mounting it to the wall. They did this to protect the drywall if we ever wanted to take the board down.
First, Measure your wall.
Next, Determine the desired size of your magnetic wall. You may have to be flexible depending on what the fabrication shop has.
Call your local fabrication shop and ask if they sell a large sheet of metal to consumers.
Ask the metal shop if they deliver.
Purchase a piece of 1/4” plywood the same size as your sheet metal.
Purchase wood you would like for the border. Ask Home Depot if they will cut everything to the desired size.
Find your studs and mount your plywood to your wall with a power drill. Remember to keep the wall at a height your child can reach.
Use the liquid nail glue to apply your sheet metal to the plywood.
Smooth out your sheet metal to prevent bubbling.
Finally, frame the magnetic wall with the wood you bought for a border. Framing the wall will also help the magnetic sheet metal stay in place.
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Next, your magnetic wall is up! Invite your toddler and preschooler to play.
PRO TIP: The horseshoe magnets come in a pack of 12. Save your extras for birthday gifts!
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Where will you hang your magnetic wall?
Create unique and useful effects in your home by magnetizing virtually any surface with a special type of primer.
Photo: amazon.com
So many new products for the home come out every day, it’s hard to keep up with them all. Did you know about magnetic paint primer? That’s right. It’s a primer with tiny iron dust particles mixed in. Apply several coats of it to your wall, and you’re basically rolling on a thin layer of metal—something that magnets (and the notes or photos they hold) will stick to.
Use this coating on virtually any surface before you apply latex interior paint in the color of your choice, and the possibilities are endless. Doors become memo boards, while walls transform into flexible gallery walls. But pop open a can, and you’ll quickly see that the product differs from regular paint in some important ways. So, before you get started using magnetic paint primer, keep this advice in mind to ensure success.
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Magnetic Wall Paint
1. Mix well.
What makes this paint primer magnetic are the tiny pieces of pulverized iron that it contains. The special primer can and will separate if left sitting too long, so you’ll want to make sure that it’s well-stirred before you start your project and that you paint as soon as possible to avoid settling.
Ask the clerk at the paint supplier or home improvement center to shake the paint can for you before you head home. While you’re at it, open up the can to make sure the primer is properly mixed. Doing so might save you an avoidable return trip to the store. Or, if you ordered it to be delivered, skip the wood stirrer (mixing by hand probably won’t do the trick) and intsead achieve a good mix using a drill attachment like Edward Tools Paint and Mud Mixer, available on Amazon.
2. Mask well.
Unlike regular paint products, magnetic paint primer is very thick and very sticky. It also spatters easily and doesn’t hang onto the brush the same way that regular paint does. In other words, messes are easy to make. At the same time, if you accidentally get it someplace you don’t want it, magnetic paint primer is very difficult to wipe up. Avoid an exhaustive cleanup by using drop cloths and masking everything carefully.
Photo: istockphoto.com
3. Choose wall colors carefully.
Conundrum alert! Magnetic paint primer only comes in dark colors (black and gray), but covering it with more than two coats of regular paint significantly degrades its magnetism. Of course, painting light colors over dark colors (especially when limited to two coats) is bound to let some of the base layer show through. If you want your magnetic surface to be a white, pastel, or neon shade, start with a gray magnetic primer if you can find it—but you know that you may still not be pleased with the finished results. Medium to dark top colors are the safer bets.
4. The more coats, the better.
One popular manufacturer says that applying three thin coats is better than doing two heavy ones. But don’t stop there: I would recommend adding as many thin coats as you can afford. Each new coat adds an extra measure of magnetic power.
5. Consider your brush disposable.
Magnetic Wall Box
Did we mention that magnetic paint primer gets messy? Boy, it is hard to get your paintbrush clean after using this primer! You might be better off buying a cheap brush that you don’t mind throwing away afterward. While you probably don’t want to wear gloves for the duration of your project, I highly recommend them for cleanup. Otherwise, you’ll have black smudges on your hands until you can get to some pumice scrub.
Photo: amazon.com
6. Use strong magnets on magnetic paint primer.
Magnetic Wall Bar
Magnetic paint primer works as advertised, but it doesn’t attract magnets as well as, say, a sheet of steel. For best results, use strong magnets that aren’t too heavy—you’ll find these at a craft store—and use more than one magnet to hold anything heavier than a single sheet of paper. A fun peripheral DIY project is to paint or glue things onto the sort of plain magnets, which you can find at a craft store.
All in all, magnetic paint primer is a great DIY product. It can help you create a way to display and organize things on just about any surface. Just keep your expectations reasonable and heed the above advice.
Magnetic Wall Art
Buy magnetic primer products such as Rust-Oleum Magnetic Paint Primer online (view on Amazon) or at your local big-box home improvement store.