INSIDE: How to make a kids wall-mounted magnetic board from decorative metal tray using paint and fabric. DIY kids bedroom decor.
I have three young kids so I naturally have the number 3 floating around in my brain at all times. So when I stumbled upon three metal trays in the clearance section, I knew it was a sign from the decor gods. I awkwardly loaded these over-sized decorative trays, reduced to $5 each, into my cart and hauled them home.
The odds of finding three identical trays in a discount home goods store is always a long shot so I relished my decorating karma by hauling out paint, fabric and hot glue gun. Because these metal trays would quickly become brag zones for my kids to display artwork, certificates, ribbons, photos and whatever else kids under age 10 find important enough to hang up for all to see!
From their lonely perch on a clearance shelf to functional decor, here’s how a decorative metal tray can be transformed into a wall-mounted magnet board…
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How to Make Magnet Board from a $5 Metal Tray
Supplies:
– Metal Serving Tray
– Paint (I used latex paint from a previous home project.)
– Fabric
– Ribbon
– Hot Glue Gun
– Picture Hanging Wire
– Drill
– Screw
diy easy wall magnet board with paint and fabric
I painted the inside and outside rim of the metal tray with several coats of latex paint. (You could just as easily do this with spray paint.) I did not paint the base of the tray since I was going to cover it up with fabric.
Use the base of the tray to make a template out of grocery bags or printer paper. Use this template to cut out fabric to then hot glue onto the base of the metal tray.
Once the fabric is on, glue on some ribbon or trim to cover up the fabric’s raw edges. Don’t have a hot glue gun? Do all this with fabric glue instead.
diy wall mounted magnet board for kids rooms
I tried a variety of ways to hang these metal trays onto the wall, including using Command Strips.
After much trial-n-error (and a very loud crash in the middle of the night), I had my trusty handyman (aka: husband) drill a couple of holes at the top of the tray. We strung some picture hanging wire between two screws and hung it up like you would a frame on the wall…
…Or in this case, a super handy way to display kids constantly revolving artwork, ribbons, notes and all those other oh-so important items to a little kid!
easy diy magnet board to organize kids artwork
What are your tricks for organizing kids artwork, or even displaying your bits of papers, photos and reminders?
Remember I said I work in three’s? Here’s my daughter’s magnet board version! (She cleaned hers off for this photo, LOL! It’s typically littered with her important keepsakes.)
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Kathleen says
Cute idea! Thanks for sharing at Vintage Charm! xo Kathleen
Jenny says
What a great idea for a magnetic board. Yes those keepsakes are so important! My kids would love this. Thanks for sharing at Merry Monday. Hope to see you at the party next week!
Candice says
What a cute idea! I love how you personalized them!
Marie says
This is such a clever project! My fridge ends up getting covered in so many papers and art they fall off when we open the doors, lol. This is a much better idea.
DazzleWhileFrazzled says
LOL, I have an aversion to fridge-covered artwork!
Ellen from Ask Away Blog says
I love this idea! It reminds me of stuff my mom did for me . I had a box of those word magnets that you could make sentences out of and she gave them to me on a baking pan.
Donna Reidland says
What a great idea and a great find!
Heather says
This is such a cute idea and so useful! I love how you hang it at their level so they can hang what is important to them.
Amy Pelzner says
What a great idea! I never thought of using an old tray as a magnet board, thanks for sharing!
Jenny says
Love this idea to hang your child’s artwork & keepsakes. I will be featuring this at Merry Monday in my Get Crafty post. See you at the party.
Niki meiners says
What a great upcycle project idea.
Rachel says
Love this idea! So fun to personalize the magnet boards
DazzleWhileFrazzled says
Thanks Rachel! It’s a great place to display all those papers and drawings important to a kiddo!
Shani | Sunshine & Munchkins says
What a lucky find! I think this is such a fun way to let your kids have some freedom to display anything they want to.
Jenny says
What a great idea for a metal tray! I’ll be featuring this tonight at Merry Monday!
Julia Groves says
What a fun upcycle Idea.
Liberty says
I recently hung up a cookie sheet to use in this way, on the inside of a pantry door (so that my fridge wouldn’t be cluttered.) Surprise! Magnets don’t stick to aluminum, I guess…. So I need to find a different kind of metal…..
DazzleWhileFrazzled says
Oh, sorry to hear that. Hopefully you can find something metal and keep your fridge clutter-free.
Teresa says
This is a very cool idea, and not just for kids. Thank you for sharing at The Really Crafty Link Party. Pinned.
Chas Greener says
Such a great idea. Thanks for sharing on To Grandma’s House We Go!
Bright says
Nice! When the kids are learning to read get a magnetic word set so they can learn/play with the magnet board. I like that the fabric could match the theme of the bedroom. Cool idea!
Amy says
I love this idea, and I know my daughter would, too! Now, to find a metal tray that I can use… Thanks so much for sharing!
Leslie - Find/Fix/Make/Mend blog says
I have a minor tray obsession, so I appreciate any new way to use them that I can find. Thank you for sharing!
Sandi Magle says
That’s a really cute idea. There are never enough ideas for guys, young or old, so I embraced this—I actually might have to make a couple of these for my, in their 40’s, sons for their Guy rooms!