I hope you guys had a great weekend!
Today’s project is one that has been in the works/planning stage for quite awhile. Before Christmas, my girl Bella (she’s 10), asked me if there was any way I could create a larger bulletin type board for her than what she currently has at her desk. Her bulletin board is pretty tiny:
I told her that we could certainly come up with something and I have been eyeing her room ever since for just the right spot. I finally came up with a solution to create a large magnetic board using sheets of galvanized tin in the blank space behind her door:
The plan was to do a large painted magnetic board framed with narrow base trim molding. For the magnets themselves, Bella and I decided to spray paint some of her old little toys gold and attach magnets to recycle things that we were planning on giving away:
To keep this post from being too long, I will share the tutorial for the magnetic board today and on Wednesday, I will share how to paint and make the toy magnets. I will link the tutorial back here as soon as it’s up on Wednesday.
As you read through this post, keep in mind that this board could be made any size for any room. It’s actually so much quicker to cover the tin sheets with fabric, rather than painting (like I did). I decided to paint stripes because I wanted to use Velvet Finishes paint in the color Glamorous because we used it throughout her room revamp on her furniture pieces and chandelier and I wanted that same exact Glamorous magenta/pink:
So if you are interested in possibly doing this project, keep in mind that you will cut the time in half if you use fabric.
Here are the instructions;
1) I picked up two smooth sheets of tin at Home Depot and they came in sheets of 36 x 24″. Keep in mind that they sell much larger sheets if you need a large custom size or you want to do more of a wall.
The sheets I used looked like this:
2) {skip this step if you’re going to cover with fabric} I spray painted both pieces of metal with two light coats of Rustoleum 2x Ultra Cover Paint and Primer in one (gloss), which adheres really well to metal (you won’t get any drips if you do light coats and allow to completely dry in between each coat):
Before I went on to step 3, I allowed the metal sheets to completely dry all night, so I wouldn’t scratch them attaching to the wall.
3) With a pencil, I measured the wall space side to side and top to bottom and I found the center point and marked an “X” with a pencil. I then measured from the “X” to the right and the left 12 inches (which is half of 24″-the width of the tin) and I marked each spot. I then drew a line all the way across. This would ensure that the finished framed board was centered on the wall and the line would my guide for where I attach the first piece of metal:
4) I attached the first sheet of metal at the line and I lined the sides up where the lines ended on the right and left side. I used Buildex Screws #8 x 3/4″ for multipurpose (wood, metal, masonry) on all four corners of the metal. However, I did have to pre-nail holes with a larger nail through the metal before I drilled the screws in place:
5) I then attached the second metal sheet as flush as I could get it to the top/upper part of the wall:
6) Because I was painting the sheets and wanted them to like like one magnetic board, I caulked between the two sheets in the middle and then taped off my lines to paint the stripes (I had 11 stripes 6.5″ in width):
*** If you are painting stripes, keep in mind that you can only tape off one color to paint and the areas where there is white, the tape goes into the stripe to create the line for the total stripe that you are painting.
I then Painted my stripes:
7) If I was going to cover the board with fabric, I would attach my fabric at this point and attach the fabric right at the wall just right past the metal edges, so the trim would cover the fabric edge. Imagine the fun pattern possibilities!!
8) I used narrow base trim molding (base stop) because I wanted a narrow frame and cut diagonal corners (like a frame) and attached to the wall with finishing nails over the edge of the metal and then painted the trim white:
My girl is all set and ready to fill up her board with her art, pictures and school stuff. If you have a wall in your kitchen, family room or in a hallway, this is an easy and chic solution.
I’ll be back on Wednesday with the magnet tutorial. By the way, if you happened to miss last week’s posts, in celebration of 5 year’s of blogging, I shared the all-time top 10 most popular DIY projects and most popular paint treatments. You can get to those posts by clicking the images below:
Top 10 Paint Treatments/Techniques:
Thanks for stopping by friends!
Cheers!
Cyndy
Jo Abella says
Once again, blown away by your creativity. I especially love the spray painted repurposed toys as magnets. The magnetic board is stunning. Question, did you put a finish over the Velvet paint?
Cyndy says
Thank’s so much Jo! No I did not put a top coat over the Velvet Finishes but I’m going to. I’ll just go over the pink part with a matte polyurethane just to be safe with all of the sliding of the magnets around. Thx for your note!
Kellie says
Wow Cyndy, you never cease to amaze. Love this project and I bet Bella loves it too! It’s absolutely fantastic! Thanks so much for sharing! -kellie
Cyndy says
Thank YOU Kellie for such awesome paint! We had to have that Glamorous girl! By the way, did you see the BHG 2015 Color Palette of the Year reveal this morning? You pretty much have ALL of the colors! You need to check it out on Instagram!
Mary Ruth Kozma says
LOVE this project! Came at a good time when I want to make one for my pantry for meal planning! AWESOME project, thanks for sharing with us! Your blog gets easier to read and follow!
LOVE your (lucky) daughter’s room!
Cyndy says
Thanks a bunch Mary Ruth! What a great idea to create one for your pantry! You’ll have to send me a picture if you do it. Thanks so much for your note!
Claire says
This is genius, Cyndy!! Love it! xoxo, Claire
Cyndy says
Thanks Claire! xoxo
Kimm at REinvented says
Wow, so cute! I love the stripes and the pink color is perfect! What a fantastic idea for a kid’s room, or a kitchen, or mudroom… 🙂
Cyndy says
Thanks a bunch Kimm! Lot of possibilities. I’m eyeing a big wall in my garage. Thanks for your note!
Kim Jenkins says
Love reading your blog! If I cover the magnetic board with fabric, do I use a spray adhesive to attach it or how would I do that?
Cyndy says
I’m thinking that if you pull your fabric tight enough and nail/staple enough around the edges, you should not have to use spray adhesive. This way, you can switch out fabric over time for new colors and patterns. Spray adhesive can harden over time. Thanks for your note and kind words!
Nikki says
Your blog has quickly become one of my favorites. Your rooms are beautiful AND affordable. Beside Bella’s bed is a corner shelf. Did you make this or find it somewhere? Thank you.
Jennifer @ Dimples and Tangles says
Cyndy, this is such a cute project! Totally fun for that little corner. And those magnets!!! Adorable!
Danyel says
Just wondering how the paint has held up.
I am planning a similar project but with chalkboard paint and want it to last.
Sameera says
Hi ,
This is such a beautiful room decor.
I really like the corner bookcase, do you know where i could find it? I am looking for one for my daughters room but no luck.
I would greatly appreciate it.
Sam
Cyndy says
Thank you so much Sameera! I ordered the corner unit from Pottery Barn Kids about 12 years ago. Not sure if they still have it but I would look there first. Also, try search Google shopping by using “corner hutch” in search box. Good luck!
Stacie says
I love the “heart” art work with fabulous colors and the gold above the bed.
Where can I find?
My daughter (age 9) wants pink, turquoise and gold for her bedroom, but she insists that she doesn’t want any green. Your daughter’s bedroom meets all these color requirements, and a piece of art like that ties it all together!
Celina says
I’m so glad you asked. I’m also wondering where she got the heart artwork. Been searching for something just like that.
Amy Stamps says
I’m curious where you got those 9 adorable travel posters on the wall. Are they from a calendar? Which one? Thanks! Amy
Jessica Wehner says
Hi! It’s 2020 and I just now discovered this blog post! I’m redoing a kid’s kitchen and doing a similar approach to make the “fridge” magnetic. I’m curious how this has held up over time? I’m planning to paint it first with primer, then latex paint the same color as rest of kitchen. Do you think there should be a topcoat to make it not scratch as easy with say the abc magnets etc?