Spray Painted Toy Magnets

 

 

 

I’m back today with Part 2 of the DIY magnetic board project that I shared on Monday here.  For those of you who missed it, I shared the tutorial on Monday for the magnetic board that I made for my daughter’s room and today,  I am sharing the details for how to spray paint toys into fun magnets for magnetic boards.

Serious instant gratification friends! I love nothing more than recycling and spray painting those old toys that my girl has outgrown into something so pretty and functional!

 

 

Keep in mind as you read this tutorial, you can use my tricks for turning anything into a magnet for magnetic board or refrigerator.  Also, you can use this tutorial to spray paint old toys into decorative chic accessories for either kid spaces or maybe your office or anywhere.

Here is some inspiration for you for other ideas besides magnets:

You can glue plastic animals to wood blocks and spray paint for fun bookends:

Or you can just spray paint a top plastic animal gold or a fun bold color and glue it on a wood box:

 

 

Don’t even get me started on all of the cute gift/party favor ideas like this one for glueing small plastic animals to jar lids and then spray painting:

 

Ok, is your mind just reeling and churning with the plastic toy possibilities? Mine too! So let’s jump into how I made the magnets for Bella’s magnetic board.

 How to Spray Paint Plastic Toys

 

1) You can pretty much spray paint anything!  The key is to make sure that you clean the toy with regular dish soap and hot water and completely dry.  (spray paint will not stick to greasy/dirt)

2) Use a spray primer first that works on plastic.  If the primer does not say it works on plastic, it won’t adhere.  Make sure that it lists plastic.  I like to use Rustoleum 2x Ultra Cover Paint and Primer in one (I usually use white):

 

I just spray one light coat (just enough to cover) and I let it dry for at least two hours.

3) After the primer dries, any spray paint should work because you have a good plastic primer on your toy.  It doesn’t have to say plastic.  For Bella’s magnets, I spray painted two very light coats (to prevent dripping) on the toys with Rustoleum Metallic in Gold. (I allowed the paint to dry an hour in between coats)

 

Glueing the Magnets to the Spray Painted Toys

1) Find the flushest/flatest areas on the back of the toy and layout where your magnets will go.

2) Not all glues are created equal when it comes to making magnets that will stay for the long term. I used E6000 on one side of the magnet and hot glue on the other side.  Because E6000 can take 24 hours to fully set, the hot glue holds it in place tight until the E6000 sets. (By the way, I use this technique anytime I’m using E6000 to make sure everything is tightly held in place until the E6000 sets)

 

 

 

3) Also, the trick is to use more magnets than you think you need because not only do you want the toy to hold on the board, you want the magnet to hold paper too. The larger the magnets you use on the back, the more hold you will get (unless you use several small super magnets).  I used these quarter size magnets that I found at Hobby Lobby that have 8 in a pack:

 

 

 

You’ll want to wait at least 24 hours until the E6000 full sets before placing the toy magnets of the board.  Once it sets, it’s super strong!

 

I also glued magnets to a large calculator, small Etch A Sketch and a Statue of Liberty so Bella would have plenty of fun magnets to use.

I hope there is something here today that is inspiring you! I know the more I look at all of the spray painted toy inspiration, the more my mind churns with possibilities.

Thanks for stopping by today friends!

Cheers!

Cyndy