Industrial Magnet Board

I promised to post a tutorial on the magnet board I made for my son's room, and although I got waylaid by a funeral and life in general, I am keeping my word. Better late than never! 

It started out looking like this:

 

I removed the Eiffel Tower and used it on my French Bulletin Board.  First I used spray primer, then sprayed it with several thin coats of Rustoleum Specialty Metallic, in bright reflective silver. 

Even with the texture, it was a little too pristine, so I grunged it up a bit by brushing on a thin layer of black paint, then randomly wiping some of the paint back off. 

For the magnets, I fished around in hubbys cabinet full of nuts and bolts.  I found a variety of them, along with some washers I 'd bought ages ago for a scrapbooking project, but had never used.  I did buy some JB Weld, which is a permanent glue to bond metal.  It was $4.69 at my local hardware, but I used just a tiny amount.  There's lots left for future projects.

I followed the directions on the package and cleaned all the metal pieces with nail polish remover for a good bond.

Wish my nails looked like that!  I played around with the washers and nuts, until I liked them, then glued the washers to the magnets, then glued the nuts to the washers.  JB Weld comes in two tubes.  You squirt out an equal amount of each and mix them together, then work fairly quickly.  I used a very small amount so it wouldn't set up before I used it all.  It sets in 4 minutes.  I did have to mix a little more, but it's quick and easy.

I used some more nuts and bolts to fill the three holes where the Eiffel Tower was attached.

Although it's unlikely you will find a metal piece just like this, you could do this with any flat metal...maybe the back of an old cookie sheet, or you can buy a precut sheet of textured metals at Home Depot.  

I hung it on the wall ready for all his paper treasures.  When I came back a few minutes later I got a chuckle.  He had rearranged the magnets.

And so I leave you with a smile :)



I've linked this post to:

My Repurposed Life - Catch as Catch Can Party