Magically Magnetic Paint FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions about Magically Magnetic Paint Additive

Click on any of the questions below to see the answer.

• What is Magnetic Paint?
• What color is Magically Magnetic Paint?
• Is Magnetic Paint safe for use around children, pets, computers or pacemakers?
• Where can I get Magically Magnetic Paint?
• What kind of magnets stick to a wall painted with Magnetic Paint?
• Why are there different thicknesses of sheet magnet?
• How many coats of Magnetic Paint are needed to attract sheet magnets?
• How much Magnetic Paint do I need?
• Why won’t some of my old refrigerator magnets stick to Magnetic Paint?
• Are there any extra costs?
• Is Magically Magnetic Paint environmentally friendly "GREEN"?
• Can Magically Magnetic Additive be mixed with latex primer paint?
• Can Magically Magnetic Additive be mixed with regular latex finish paint?
• Can I paint over the Magnetic Paint with latex finish paint?
• Should I use dry additive or premixed magnetic paint?
• What are the hazards with premixed magnetic paint?
• Does the quality of the paint make a difference?
• Is Magically Magnetic a stronger magnetic paint?
• Is magnetic paint expensive?
• What is the best way to hold things up on a magnetic wall?
• How can I remove magnetic paint?
• Can I request a sample of magnetic paint?
• How can I get a copy of your Magnetic Paint SDS?

What is Magnetic Paint?

Magnetic paint is regular paint with tiny iron particles that attract magnets. It isn’t solid steel so some weaker and heavier magnets might not stick so well. Sheet magnet and super strong rare earth magnets are best for use on magnetic paint. The magnetic paint has no actual magnetic energy. It’s like a thin steel coating for a wall. It’s no more dangerous than a steel filing cabinet. Magically Magnetic Paint is a dry additive mixed with white primer paint. It goes on white and stays white so it covers easily with any color finish paint.

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What color is Magically Magnetic Paint?

Magically Magnetic Paint Additive doesn't change the color of the paint it is mixed with. Use a white primer paint to mix with Magically Magnetic additive and it will stay white, covering easily with any color latex finish paint. Premixed liquid magnetic paints are an ugly dark gray in color, like automobile primer and much harder to cover with a light color finish paint.

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Is Magically Magnetic Paint safe for use around children, pets, computers or pacemakers?

Magically Magnetic Paint Additive is completely safe around children, pets and computers. It contains no lead, no dangerous chemicals, solvents, thinners or poisonous wetting agents. Since magnetic paint is not actually magnetic in any way other than to be attractive to magnets, just like steel, it cannot harm computers or pacemakers. You wouldn't find anyone with a pacemaker or a computer afraid to be in the same room with a steel filing cabinet or a refrigerator. It is exactly the same with a wall painted with magnetic paint. It is safe.

The magnetic additive is a dry powder that is remarkably heavy. Because of its weight, if thrown into the air, it instantly sinks harmlessly to the ground. Our additive doesn't add or produce additional fumes or odors. It is an inert material that doesn't change the color or the consistency of the paint that it is mixed with. Ingested, it can do no harm. It will pass harmlessly through and out of the body. Once mixed with paint, it becomes an integral part of the paint and when dry, part of the wall. Our magnetic paint additive contains no lead and no animals were harmed in its testing.

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Where can I get Magically Magnetic Paint?

Magically Magnetic Paint Additive is only available here, online. We make the additive and we stock it in premeasured quantities for quarts, half gallons, full gallons, 2 gallons and in painter’s specials in much larger sizes. The more you buy, the less you spend. We ship direct to you, in most cases, in just 2 days.

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What kind of magnets stick to a wall painted with Magnetic Paint?

Of course magnetic paint does not change the wall into steel, but merely coats the wall surface with a thin steel-like coating of magnetically attractive particles. Most strong magnets of any kind will stick to a wall painted with our magnetic paint. Rare Earth Magnets, possibly the strongest magnet available, work very well. They can be expensive depending on where you purchase them and care must be used when using them. They can snap together instantly with greater force than you might expect. This is why David Lytle invented his Rare Earth Safety Cap Magnets. The colorful safety cap on each magnet stops the magnets from being able to attract each other face to face. Safety Cap magnets can't snap together or pinch little fingers like other rare earth magnets can.

Perhaps the most popular magnets used on walls painted with magnetic paint are sheet magnets of the type that we use in all our magnetic photo and art frames. White Satin, Tuxedo Black and Special Value magnetic photo frames work best. Sheet magnets are made of plastic or rubber materials with millions of tiny steel particles embedded in the sheet. The sheet material is made 24 inches wide in large rolls. The entire roll of sheet rubber is then fed through an electromagnet to impart a magnetic field to the steel particles in the sheet. This turns the sheet into a permanent magnet. The sheet magnet can then be layered with white, black or colored vinyl on the non-magnetic side that can be printed with words or art work to make magnetic business cards or the very popular refrigerator advertising magnets. Sheet magnet is often coated on the non-magnetic side with a self-adhesive layer that makes it a wonderful product for craft work. Just cut a piece of 30mil or 60mil adhesive backed magnetic sheet and stick it to the back of any item you want to make into a magnet.

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Why are there different thicknesses of sheet magnet?

Sheet magnet differs in its strength proportionately to its thickness. The thicker the magnet sheet, the stronger it is, due mainly to the increased number of magnetic particles in it. Thicker magnet sheeting will hold heavier loads.

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How many coats of Magnetic Paint are needed to attract sheet magnets?

One coat of Magically Magnetic paint will impart a light magnetic attraction for sheet magnets. Two coats will give a stronger attraction and will hold sheet magnets very well. Three coats will usually impart a very impressive attraction that will hold sheet magnets very well and will also be strong enough to hold heavier objects like framed pictures using thicker stronger sheet magnets on the back. Four coats of magnetic paint on a wall produces the strongest magnetic attraction. It is important to remember that the magnetic paint should always be stirred before each new coat. If you are working on a large area, you will need to stir the magnetic paint a few times during each coat to keep the heavy magnetically attractive particles in suspension in the paint. You don't want the particles settling to the bottom. You want those particles on the wall where they will attract magnets.

A few customers have called us saying their magnetic paint didn't attract magnets when they had used three coats, only to find they had stirred their magnetic paint only once when they had originally mixed it. After the mixed magnetic paint sat in the container overnight, the particles had settled to the bottom where they sat throughout the next two coats. In actuality, only the first coat of magnetic paint had the attractive particles. The second and third coats were mostly just paint.

This leads us to the question we often get... "Can I double the amount of additive I mix with the paint to cut down on the number of coats of magnetic paint I have to apply?" The answer is more complicated than you might think. Yes, with Magically Magnetic Paint Additive you can double the amount of additive you add to the paint. This will give you a thicker paint with more particles in it. An article in Budget Living magazine mentioned that the author doubled his Magically Magnetic additive and cut down on the overall number of coats he used. It may be that he didn't change anything by making a thicker magnetic paint because he may have rolled it on thinner than he might if he had used the suggested mixing proportions. We will never know. The important thing is that it really doesn't matter. It works incredibly well either way.

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How much Magnetic Paint do I need?

One quart
Covers an area of approximately 40 to 50 square feet with two coats or about 25 square feet with three to four coats. We advise using the entire quart of freshly mixed magnetic paint on this size area. The more coats of the magnetic paint, the stronger the attraction.

One Half Gallon
Covers an area of approximately 80 to 100 square feet with two coats or about 50 square feet with three to four coats. We advise using the entire half gallon of freshly mixed magnetic paint on this size area. The more coats of the magnetic paint, the stronger the attraction.

One Gallon
Covers an area of approximately 160 to 200 square feet with two coats or about 100 square feet with three to four coats. We advise using the entire gallon of freshly mixed magnetic paint on this size area. The more coats of the magnetic paint, the stronger the attraction.

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Why won’t some of my old refrigerator magnets stick to Magnetic Paint?

There are many kinds of refrigerator magnets. Some are stronger than others and some are just junk. For instance, I once purchased some colorful plastic alphabet magnets for my grandchild. When I gave them to her, she tried in vain to stick them to the kitchen fridge. They wouldn't even stick to a solid steel surface. The reason was the little rubber magnets glued to the backs of the letters were just too small. The manufacturer in China never caught this mistake and truckloads of this junk were imported and sold to consumers here in the US. The amount of magnetic attractiveness in a wall painted with magnetic paint can be light in any one small spot. When using sheet magnet, the magnetic attraction is spread over a large area, as is the weight of the magnet and the item being supported by the magnet. It is for this reason that we advise the use of sheet magnet or our super-strong Rare Earth Safety Cap Magnets on a wall painted with magnetic paint.

One small baby can't lift a very heavy weight, but a million small babies working together could lift a huge weight. Think of the tiny magnetic particles in the sheet magnet as being like those million babies working together to lift a large weight. The rubber sheet that binds the magnetic particles together multiplies their holding power.

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Are there any extra costs?

Magically Magnetic Paint Additive is a highly concentrated, safe, dry additive. It’s non-hazardous, safe around children, pets, computers and mailmen. We mention mailmen because our standard shipping method is by US Priority Mail and you can’t do that with a hazardous material like a premixed, liquid, magnetic paint. Shipping by Priority Mail means you get your order in three business days or less, anywhere in the country, for a great price.

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Is Magically Magnetic Paint environmentally friendly "GREEN"?

Now GS-11 compliant! Magically Magnetic Paint Additive is an inert dry powder that mixes instantly with any primer paint. It does nothing to change the chemical makeup of the paint it is mixed with and gives off no fumes of its own. When mixed with an environmentally friendly LEED certified GS-11 compliant primer paint, the result will be an LEED compliant "GREEN" magnetic primer. No other magnetic paints or primers have this quality.

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Can Magically Magnetic Additive be mixed with latex primer paint?

The answer to this question is a qualified yes. Originally, we intended that our Magically Magnetic Paint Additive only to be mixed with oil-based primer/sealer paint. We did this because we knew that oil based paints were the thickest, the strongest and gave the best protection to the magnetic particles in the additive. We still advise that if it is at all possible to use an oil based white, primer/sealer, stain blocker paint as your base, it is your best choice. So many of our customers asked for a magnetic paint that could be made with a latex primer paint base that we reformulated our additive to accept either oil based or latex paints. Latex primer paints aren't as thick as oil-based primer paints and may need to be stirred a little more often to keep the magnetic particles in suspension, but the fact that they clean up easily with soap and water is a definite plus. Some states no longer allow the use of oil-based paints. In these states, latex paints are the only choice. Magically Magnetic Paint Additive fits the bill.

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Can Magically Magnetic Additive be mixed with regular latex finish paint?

We urge people to not use leftover finish paint or even new finish paint to mix with our magnetic additive. Latex or oil based, primer/sealer stain blocker paint is different than ordinary finish paint. There is always a possibility that an ordinary finish latex paint will not perform as well as expected. I always suggest trying a little in some hidden area just to make sure. You can't be too careful. Finish paints are also much thinner than primer paints. Aside from not holding the magnetic particles in suspension as long as primer paints, they are also not formulated to stick as well to what is already on the wall like primer paints are. Primer/stain blocker paints are also meant to cover any stains on the wall and keep them from bleeding through to spoil the job. Finish paints are more expensive than primers. At least two coats of the magnetic paint are necessary. Why waste money using finish paint to make your magnetic paint?

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Can I paint over the Magnetic Paint with latex finish paint?

Yes, Magically Magnetic Paint is made to be finished with a coat or two of your regular latex paint. We recommend using an eggshell paint because it is harder and will hold up to more use than a flat paint. Simply wait until the last coat of the magnetic paint is dry before covering with your color choice of finish latex paint.

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Should I use dry additive or premixed magnetic paint?

Magically Magnetic dry additive mixes easily and instantly with your white primer paint, unlike premixed brands that can settle to form a hard sludge on the bottom of the can while sitting on store shelves. Just a few seconds are needed to stir up a fresh batch of Magically Magnetic paint.

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What are the hazards with premixed magnetic paint?

Magnetic paints all contain fine particles of iron. That’s what makes magnets stick to a painted surface. Premixed brands must also contain alcohols and oils to facilitate the mixing and preservation of the materials for long periods of time in liquid form. This makes a thinner mix and allows the heavier metallic particles to settle to the bottom of the can as the product sits for months on store shelves. Not even a mechanical mixer can completely mix the product to a usable state. Because premixed brands are thinner, they tend to drip and run more easily. Their magnetic particle size is also smaller to help the materials stay in suspension. Smaller metal particles mean a weaker magnetic strength on the wall. You also pay higher shipping costs for this liquid hazardous material.

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Does the quality of the paint make a difference?

With Magically Magnetic Paint Additive, you purchase a white, high quality, primer paint that you are familiar with. You know you are using a quality product that was formulated to stick best to your wall and to have your finish paint stick well to it. Premixed magnetic paints are made as cheaply as they can be produced in order to maximize profits. It’s a pig in a poke. You don’t know what went into it or how well it will perform.

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Is Magically Magnetic a stronger magnetic paint?

Premixed magnetic paints can contain less of the essential magnetic materials that make magnets stick. Magically Magnetic uses an incredible four to one ratio of paint to magnetic additive. With Magically Magnetic, you get a full, quart container of dry, concentrated magnetic additive weighing eight pounds, to mix with a single gallon of ordinary paint. When you make your own magnetic paint with our additive, you will need a larger mixing container because adding the additive will increase the volume of the paint. Just pour the additive into the paint and stir. Thirty seconds is all it takes for every fresh batch.

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Is magnetic paint expensive?

Our Magically Magnetic Paint Additive is priced realistically. You are buying direct from us and not through a middleman. If we sold our additive through stores, it would have to cost much more in the stores also. We don’t have to worry about paying a sales rep to sell it to a store or a profit margin for the store to sell it to you. All we are supplying you with is the magnetic portion of your magnetic paint. You purchase the liquid paint locally from a store near you. This way, you know exactly what kind of paint you are painting on your walls. We say “let the experts make the paint, they know what they’re doing. Our area of expertise is magnetism.” Good quality white primer/sealer, stain blocker paint is always on sale. Why pay the high cost to have a hazardous material shipped to you when you can buy your high quality paint easily down the street on sale? Because our paint additive is dry and harmless, we can ship it inexpensively and pass the savings on to our customers. We have done this purposefully to keep the cost of our product low and our quality high.

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What’s the best way to mount things on a magnetic wall?

The best way to mount anything on a magnetic wall is to use sheet magnet. Sheet magnet holds best when it is in direct contact with the magnetically attractive surface, be it a refrigerator door or a wall painted with Magically Magnetic Paint. It is best to adhere magnetic sheeting to the back of a piece of paper instead of putting the paper between the sheet magnet and the magnetically attractive surface. Sheet magnet cut as a mat, surrounding a paper item like a photo can hold a light object very well. Many die-cut magnetic frames or mats are available on the market that take advantage of this fact. We have a page on our site that explains the best way to hang heavy objects like framed pictures on a magnetic wall. This link will take you to our tips and information page.

A great way to display posters on a wall painted with magnetic paint is to use rare earth magnets, one in each corner. They are so strong they can be used with the paper of the poster between the magnet and the wall. They are quite a bit more expensive than sheet magnets, but they do work very well and they don't wear out with age.

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How can I remove magnetic paint?

Magnetic paint made from Magically Magnetic Paint Additive and your paint can be removed from a wall just like you would remove the paint alone from a wall. The magnetic additive doesn't change the paint at all. There are paint remover liquids and gels on the market that will take the paint off the wall. Talk to a paint expert at a paint store near you to get the right remover for the type of paint you used to mix with the magnetic additive, oil based or latex paint. If the magnetic paint was already on the wall when you bought the house and you don’t know what kind of paint it was made with, tell the paint store agent and he will suggest a remover for you.

The remover is applied to the wall and allowed to stand and soak into the paint. The paint will soften and wrinkle up and separate from the wall enough to scrape it off with a plastic putty knife. A couple of applications will be needed to get all the paint off the wall. After the wall has been cleaned, sand the dry wall to remove any tiny specks of remaining material and repaint the wall with your new paint. This isn't a hard process. It just takes a little time.

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Can I request a sample of magnetic paint?

You can witness the holding power of Magically Magnetic Paint Additive for yourself. Click here for a form to request a sample swatch of our magnetic paint along with a free test magnet.

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How can I get a copy of your Magnetic Paint MSDS?

Click here to download the Safety Data Sheet for our Magnetic Paint.

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