I never imagined painting a wall black in our house—let alone doing it at 5 a.m.—but that’s exactly what happened two weeks ago. Here’s the story.
When our postcard wall was installed last week, our beloved wallflowers above the desk needed a new home…
Some of the pieces stayed put when we decided we liked leaning a few on the shelves of our postcard wall, but the rest had to move.
We didn’t move them far—just one wall over, to the small space beneath the office/guest room/playroom’s only large window.
Why this spot? Because we wanted to create a large magnetic canvas. Instead of attaching the wallflowers to fixed magnetic nails, we hoped magnetic paint would let us display the pieces anywhere on a section of wall—so they could be rearranged into endless playful formations. That flexibility felt perfect for a room that doubles as an office, guest room, and play area, especially once Clara is old enough to move things herself. And the heights would be kid-friendly.
We’d been curious about magnetic paint for years, and this project seemed like the right time to try it. The product we used was a magnetic primer rather than a true paint: Rust-Oleum Magnetic Latex Primer, sold in quarts for about $21 at our local Home Depot. The can was stocked near other specialty paints like chalkboard and dry-erase formulas.
The can’s instructions recommended having store staff shake it to keep the iron particles from settling and applying two or three thin coats rather than one or two thick ones. We took that advice seriously—well, mostly. We ended up doing seven thin coats. Each coat was applied carefully to avoid ridges where the magnetic area began and ended. In hindsight, four extra coats may have been overkill, but we were determined to make the surface as magnetic as possible. I also learned I should have stirred the can vigorously between coats—something I only realized after a few applications—but since the primer dried quickly it didn’t add much time. The whole job took an evening, a morning, and one surprise 5 a.m. painting session when Clara woke for a feeding.
The result: success, sort of. We tested various-sized wallflowers after each coat. The smallest pieces stuck right away, but larger, heavier items slid down the wall and eventually fell. So magnetic primer does work, but it’s not ideal for heavy objects. That explained why some wallflowers ended up back on the postcard shelves—a happy compromise.
The black magnetic area was also easy to cover. When we repainted the wall with the original color (Glidden’s Sand White), it only took two coats to hide the black primer completely, and the magnetic properties seemed unchanged under the finishing paint. The primer is non-toxic and child-safe once fully dry, but we still kept Clara out of the room with windows open and a fan running while it cured. We also happened to be out of town for a weekend shortly after, which gave the area extra airing time.
Even without every wallflower sticking, we’re pleased with the outcome. The magnetic section adds a playful, changeable element to the room, and we’re already thinking about adding other lightweight magnets for Clara to interact with as she grows. We’d love to find an all-white set of alphabet magnets to match the space and keep things simple and educational.
Have you tried magnetic primer or other specialty paints like chalkboard, dry-erase, or glow-in-the-dark formulas? We’re curious about your experiences: did they work well, were they messy, or hard to apply? Share what you learned—there are lots of new products worth exploring.
Follow the rest of our office/guest room/playroom makeover through our project posts: the introduction, the sleeper sofa hunt, the DIY desk details, the homemade light fixture, the hacked bookcase, the file storage build, how we squeezed in toy storage, our DIY art decisions, the wiring wrangling, and the postcard art wall.