Magnetic/chalkboard paint - experiences & opinions please!

[member]

I want to make a blackboard wall in our study & on the same wall want a big map that I can stick magnets to. Has anybody used magnetic(chalkboard) paint & do you think it would be magnetic through a map to do this? Also, how well do blackboard walls stand up to repeated rubbing out/wipe overs? Thankyou in anticipation!!

I'm afraid magnetic paint is no good at all, it hardly has any strength to it whatsoever. Waste of time.

Here's what I would do.

I would use blackboard paint for the wall (you know it doesn't have to be black, you can get it in many colours now - although black can be really cool). Then I would measure the map you want to hang and get a magnetic steel sheet cut to size. Something like this: www.diy.com/nav/build/building-materials/materials/metal_sheet_material/-specificproducttype-steel_panel/Steel-Panel-Steel-Coloured-L-500mm-x-W-250mm-9284136?skuId=9293836

Failing this, I would get magnetic steel tiles from somewhere like B&Q (as above) and then trim the map to size. I would mount the steel sheet/s on to the wall and then I would very carefully stick the map on to the steel sheet/s with good quality pva glue. When fully dry and free from wrinkles, I would do several coats of PVA glue on to the surface of the map. This will make it durable.

Take a magnet with you when you go to buy the steel sheet just to be absolutely sure you're buying the right thing.

HTH

A simplified method would be to buy a magnetic board from Ikea and then just decoupage the map on to it with pva glue. It won't be flash against the wall though.

Magnetic chalkboard paint is useless for the magnetic bit (bitter).

we have magnetic chalk board wall, it was a pain to do, millions of coats but looks great - stuck a massive frame around it. However it is only magnetic for very very light, flat magnets.

It is lightly magnetic if you follow the instructions. It needs quite a few coats. Probably not strong enough for the magnets to work through a map.

Only just got back to look at the replies - thanks everybody, I feared the magnetic aspect of the paint would be poor.

Fantastic, detailed suggestions Everybodywakeup - thanks for putting the time in, I'll look into the steel sheet options!

Just managed to post this on the wrong thread. D'uh. I'll try again..... I've just put a decal blackboard sheet on my kitchen wall. It's basically a huge blackboard sticker. Perhaps you could get a steel sheet and stick the decal to it? The magnets would then work through the blackboard. I bought my sheet off ebay.

I did a wall with magnetic paint in my son's bedroom. It is very magnetic but it needed 3 or 4 coats and it is very difficult to apply as it has metallic particles in it. We did magnetic poetry on it and he could put up photographs, school notices etc. It would have taken a bigger poster but would nave needed lots of magnets. It is hard to get the surface level becaue of the particles going clumpy but after lots of perseverence and 3 x as much paint as I thought would be involved it was sucessful.

My friend put the magnetic paint in many layers on her upper cupboards in the kitchen. Works great, she uses it to put up kids art work, certificates notes etc.
She did the chalkboard paint on one of the bedroom sliding closet doors and that was good too, nice for the kids to do art work and make notes on.

I make magnetic chalkboards from vintage and antique frames that you can use liquid chalk pens and standard chalk on.
www.frame-revival.com
The magnetic properties are strong enough to hold all my paperwork on and there's no ghost marks when you wipe off the chalk as it's a high grade chalkboard vinyl. Magnetic paint doesn't work.
I am making one for my son who has special needs that will have a farmyard background with magnetic animals and tractors to move about.

Sorry for bumping...just my two cents...

I've used both the magnetic paint and the chalkboard paint. Here are my comments:

magnetic paint - I used the stuff you can buy premixed at Michaels like this besttoolexpert.com/chalkboard-paint/ I was painting over a sheet of luan board (1/4" smooth plywood). After 3 coats, it is magnetic - but it's not the strong hold that you'd expect. It can hold up magnetic letters - but wouldn't hold up a piece of paper underneath. I suppose with a few more coats it might be better --- but it's hard to tell. It's a bit hard to paint as it's got suspended magnetic particles, they sink to the bottom, so you need to shake or stir freqently to get a good magnetic hold.

chalkboard paint - this can be applied over the magnetic paint (which is considered a primer - so can be used under any color). Much easier to apply and use. The finish is going to depend in large part on your surface underneath. Used this both over the above board and also on a piece of sheet metal and both worked pretty well.

If you're looking for a strong magnetic hold, I'd recommend buying sheet metal and attaching to the wall. You can then paint with chalkboard paint. If you don't need the magnetic wall to be very strong (for example, the leap frog fridge sets won't hold) - you can go with the paint.

You can also make your own chalkboard paint by mixing non-sanded tile grout in with the paint. We did this inside my kids' playhouse. You can mix it with any color you want. I guess the drawback is, you'd be brushing it on, instead of spraying it.

My wife found this on Martha Stewart .com:

Start with flat-finish latex paint in any shade.

1. Pour 1 cup of paint into a container. Add 2 tablespoons of unsanded tile grout. Mix with a paint stirrer, carefully breaking up clumps.

1. Apply paint with a roller or a sponge paintbrush to a primed or painted surface. Work in small sections, going over the same spot several times to ensure full, even coverage. Let dry.

1. Smooth area with 150-grit sandpaper, and wipe off dust.

1. To condition: Rub the side of a piece of chalk over entire surface. Wipe away residue with a barely damp sponge.