How to create a magnetic poster wall

By myaimistrue

One more DIY project under my belt: a magnetic poster wall for my office. I remember at some point taking "before" and "during" photos but I have no idea where they are, so you just get the "after."

This project was pretty time consuming, but easy overall. All you need is some magnetic paint. I used Rustoleum brand and I found it at Lowe's. This stuff is pretty expensive ($20 per quart) and is probably more suited to smaller areas than a whole wall. I used two cans here and got four coats on this wall, but if I decide to do another area (like in my craft room), I'll do a small area and put a lot more coats. All you do is paint the magnetic primer onto the wall, and then paint over it with your wall color of choice. Don't use your best painting tools for the primer because you will have to throw them away. The primer has tiny flakes of metal in it and is very clumpy, make sure you mix it well.

The magnetic paint recommends at least two to three coats, and it will supposedly hold things up but I had to end up buying really strong magnets. Here's a closeup. I couldn't even get a regular piece of letter-sized paper to stay up with a fridge magnet, although the magnet stuck with nothing under it. I purchased these magnets from Teacher Source. They are Neodymium magnets, which are super strong -- be careful when you're using these, they have a very strong polarization and will pinch the crap out of your fingers if you don't watch it. The item number I ordered was M-185, which is a 50 pack of the Neodymium Magnets, for $19.95. I searched all over the internet for these and this is absolutely the best price.

Tagged:
diy magnets magnetic primer paint

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January 17, 2007

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Member since: 11/13/06
About: I’m Amber. I’m 25 years old and I live in Norfolk, Virginia. I’m a graphic...

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Samshik

November 16, 2007

I don't know about the paint, but do watch out for the magnets and kids. Serious magnets can cause big problems for kids if swallowed. From the pictures it looks like the magnets myaimistrue used wouldn't be swallowed, but my pediatrician did tell me she had a case where a child had swallowed some of the small marble-type magnets that come with toys. Required surgery to get them out because they had clumped together and wouldn't pass.

baconthecat

April 17, 2007

Great idea--I'm also thinking for a kid's room. However, are there any sort of health hazards associated with this kind of paint? Just curious.

ckilgore

January 20, 2007

Excellent idea for a kids room. The paint may be pricy, but it's cheaper than repairing walls after they've been damaged over and over by tacks, nails, or tape.