Use Magnetic and Chalkboard Paints: How to Apply Magnetic Primer and Chalkboard Paint

A recently completed project The Great Wall of Fun turned out even better than expected. The following are detailed instructions for using magnetic and chalkboard paints.

Having turned a concrete basement wall into a magnetic chalkboard a few lessons were learned while working with an untreated porous surface. Rather than using the expensive magnetic primer initially a traditional primer should have first been applied. So, if you’re working on a surface that will suck up paint, use a different (cheaper) primer first. If you don’t then one quart may not be enough and it’s very expensive to be used as traditional primer.

As with any primer you may need to clean your surface first, especially if you’re doing this on a “creative” surface such as a metal board or a cupboard door or something decorative. You may also want to sand the surface to get a smooth finish.

Before appling you have to mix this primer. Crazy mixing. Shaking it won’t produce the desired consistency, so make sure you shake it as much as you can, and then grab your stir stick and spend some time pulling the heavy magnetic stuff up from the bottom. And if you’re not really quick with a paintbrush and roller then keep stirring as you go.

Now, you can apply the primer. The manufacturer recommends a ¼-inch nap roller, an uneven surface such as a basement wall may require a thicker nap. Apply smoothly and evenly as you would any other primer. The biggest difference is you’ll need at least three coats of magnetic primer to get a good result. This is what manufacturer recommends but you may want to keep testing after every coat just to make sure you have the adherence you want. Three did seem to do the trick, in most areas. The wall may not have uniform adherence, depending upon how well the primer is mixed, so you may want to test several areas. Remember to wait about 30 minutes between each coat to let the first coat partially cure.

It’s probably a good idea to let the entire wall cure overnight before applying the chalkboard paint. This stuff goes much further and will take less paint to complete your project. If you’re going to use the chalkboard paint without the magnetic paint, prime your surface first with a primer tinted to match your chalkboard color. This is mainly because you can’t really work the chalkboard paint so to get good color coverage the tinted primer may save you.

The manufacturer recommends a ¼ to 3/8-inch nap roller. Now, it’s important not to work the paint too much. So brush and roll in as few strokes as possible! This is a manufacturer instruction and it’s assumed that overworking the product will reduce its effectiveness. It’s also important to let the paint dry for at least 4 hours before applying the next coat.

Then, let the paint cure for three days before the final treatment. Now, this one is apparently not required but highly recommended. Evenly cover the entire surface with chalk and then erase it. These are standard new chalkboard instructions. Something about the thin coat of chalk that remains makes future chalk applications work better.

Both products suggest applying in moderate climate conditions. So nothing too hot or cold and try not to do it when it’s very humid.

The copyright of the article Use Magnetic and Chalkboard Paints in Interior Decorating is owned by Kristin Abraham. Permission to republish Use Magnetic and Chalkboard Paints in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

May 4, 2008 10:01 AM

Guest :

well chalkboard paint is amazing it works great to put scheldules however it does cause the air to get very dusty

Apr 16, 2009 7:52 AM

Guest :

I need a suggestion. I did a set of pantry doors in the chalk board paint which I bought a name brand at a local hardware store. I put the primer on the doors & then 2 coats of the chalkboard paint. I used a small smooth roller. It seems bumpy or like it has air bubbles. I cannot use it at all. After seasoning the board the words still show. Any suggestions?
Thanks

Apr 16, 2009 8:27 AM

Kristin Abraham :

If the bubbles are large, like air bubbles, then your doors were probably treated with something that is not compatable with the paint. Were they possibly painted before? Most chalk paints are oil based and painting oil over latex can sometimes cause bubbles, and in some situations painting a latex over an oil can do the same thing. The news is only bad from here, you'll have to remove the paint to get rid of the bubbles.

Did the primer bubble? The problem may be with the primer and the chalkboard paint in which case you can probably remove the primer and redo the door with a different primer. If the primer bubbled too then your door may never hold chalkboard paint.

As to your problem with seeing the chalk outline after it's been erased, I'm not sure how to remedy that. Perhaps using a different type of chalk?

Apr 16, 2009 12:42 PM

Guest :

Thank you for the information. I will work on the doors. They were new...bare wood. I used Kilz primer and Crayola chalkboard paint. Thanks again.

Aug 9, 2009 10:06 PM

Guest :

I live in peru, and the only chalkboard paint I could find is in a spray can, made by rustoleum. I want to paint the wall of a playroom (low) for an children's home. Any suggestions before I do it?
Thanks.

Aug 10, 2009 5:12 AM

Kristin Abraham :

Sorry, I have not used this product. I would suggest using it first on a small hidden part of the wall, even inside a closet. Or using a sample board that's painted and textured to resemble the wall. I would definitely test it first because I've used spray paint before and you always use more than you plan for so a small investment in a test could save a lot in the long run.

Good luck with your project!

Kristin

Sep 13, 2009 7:55 PM

Guest :

I am wanting to do my hallway walls with the magnetic paint.....my halls are all latex....do you know if the magnetic paint is oil or latex based?

Sep 14, 2009 4:20 AM

Kristin Abraham :

From my experience, magnetic paint is latex based.

Kristin

Oct 11, 2009 10:15 AM

Guest :

I am wanting to use a magnetic primer on knockdown finished walls. Do you know what affect this will have on how well magnets will stick to the walls? Would more coats of the magnetic primer help with this?

Oct 11, 2009 10:27 AM

Kristin Abraham :

I have not used magnetic primer on knockdown walls but I would think the magnetic bits would settle in the "pockets" and this would make it less effective. Also, my experience with magnetic primer is that it takes more than one coat. So I think with a knockdown finish it will take many coats of primer to really build up enough magnetic power but then it should work.

Good luck on your project,

Kristin

Oct 11, 2009 11:04 AM

Guest :