Project FAIL: Magnetic Toy Car Wall Decor

What a fail. :( Could you sell the knife strips on ebay or Craigslist? Or try returning them? Some stores take back things even after they've been opened.

You could buy a roll of sticky magnetic tape- it's usually pretty cheap, and then you can cut your magnets to size, and it'll just stick to the bottom of your cars. I think I've gotten it for ~$3 at Hobby Lobby, for like 20ft? This is such a cute idea- I hope you can salvage it!! :)

Don't take it down! I like the big E. Just get/make magnets and let him hang art work or get magnets with hooks and hang other treasures on it. So, it didn't work for cars. It's a really good idea for other things.

Oh man I would be disappointed also. :( I would try the magnetic paint on the bottom of the cars. I assume it's a play room in the basement? If so maybe you could store art supplies in old cans stuck to the magnets? Though, that may be an invitation to a craft supply mess (I'm picturing foam stickers, fuzzy balls, yarn, etc. Not scissors or paint). If that doesn't work you could do the same thing but in the bathroom to hold cotton balls, q-tips, etc.

Oh! How disappointing!

I've seen tons of ideas on Pinterest. Buy those little round spice jars and put a magnet on them for on-the-wall spice storage.

Use it for bobby pins in a drawer.

Put magnets on your makeup and line it all up.

Or use it as it is as art display and make some cute magnets to hold them up.

Why don't you use it to post art work with fun magnets!!

I forgot to mention I do have some of the magnetic strip stuff, which is much cheaper, but it doesn't usually stick to things for me. And the sticky part won't work on the bottom of the cars because they aren't smooth, so I'd still have to glue them on. Grrrr. :)

OH MAN!! That bites! I think I was on Pinterest the same day you were & saw your pin & immediately repinned it...I also thought it was cool & would be a great solution to all of the millions of matchbox cars we have lying around the house! So sorry it didn't work out!! I think I would at least give the magnetic paint! It's worth a shot!!

I was going to suggest the magnetic tape too...not that expensive and you can cut them to size. They are just peel and stick. I also agree with Dayna...hanging artwork or even magnets collected on trips would be cute (and better than having to patch all those wholes). The other suggestion I have would be to find some kind of containers that would stick that could hold small toys/pieces that easily get lost.

I did the SAME thing! Only...I had seen something similar pinned, not that particular one. Fortunately for me I already use those magnetic strips on the inside of one of my cabinets for my knives, so I tried the cars before I bought more magnetic strip things. I was way disappointed though, because I thought it was SO cool! After looking at a bunch of my kids cars I realized that they had mostly plastic bottoms. Maybe the older vintage cars that had more metal would work? Anyway...bummer that that was a "fail" for you, hate that!

What a bummer - that project would definitely have called to me, as well. Super cute! I agree with Dayna - keep the strips up and find other creative uses for them. It's awesome that you made it an initial, because it's cute all on its own. It can be an ever-changing display of stuff.

I think you should keep it and put something else on it! A magnet collection, or magnet alphabet etc.

Art work is a great idea too! I thought of that, but I *just* moved our craft area to another part of the house and got supplies to create another art wall in another room. The kiddo does create a lot of art so I would have plenty to add down here too. :)

Have you contacted Land of Nod about it? They are super responsive via Twitter and their customer service is always very helpful. I bet they could at least tell you how they did it so you could decide what you want to do next.

If you do take it down you could put the strips in your closest and use magnets to hang up your jewelry. Get those magnetic tin cans and out ear rings in.

Ikea is known for their "Love it or return it" policy. Take it back and I'm sure you will get a refund if you have the receipt. If not, you will get a store credit; which I always seem to spend before I'm back out the door.
Lori in Atlanta

I would leave it. The silver E looks kinda cool.

I love the idea of hanging bins from it to hold all of the little toys...the gears are turning in my noggin. Thanks all!!

Lori, good to know, I didn't think I'd be able to return them!

Sosorry- bummer deal- it did look like a good idea- and Ive been there that whole magnet thing that is magnetic- you are not alone!! Love when you wrote...whispering under my breathe.."no Freaking way...WAY!" I was laughing so hard- not at you- but at the horrible situation....keep creating!!! Love your stuff!

I agree that you shouldn't take it down just yet. Someone else suggested using small containers with magnets on for small toys....what about legos? Those things get everywhere! I also like the artwork display idea. Sorry things didn't work out how you planned. I hate it when that happens!

I hate when projects go wrong. It is dissapointing. If it were me I'd take them down and try to return them. Then repair the wall. You could try magnetic paint or tape. Good luck!

Not sure how old Bub is, but if he is old enough to not stick small objects in his mouth you could glue (I know more work) washers on the bottom of his cars. Just make sure the washers aren't aluminum.
Good luck, it is an adorable idea.
Sue

Well that stinks! I'm glad though I"m not the only one who fails. ha. YOu cracked me up and gave me a good laugh while having my lunch :) Good luck!

I bought a magnetic wreath hanger and it wouldn't stick to my metal door. FAIL. I feel your pain. As for what you can use the strips for... I have one in my craft room with scissors hanging on it. I love that because when more than 1 person is crafting or wrapping there is always a need for more scissors. We also have quite a few in the garage too. Good luck I'm sure you'll find some great way to use them.

Connecticut -- brilliant! I have some and will try it. Yes it would still be gluing but it would be cheaper!

Would it work to take large metal paperclips and slide them on the axles of the car parallel to the body of the car and use them to stick to the magnetic strip? Not sure if it will work, but it might be worth a zero-cost try....(may hinder Bub's Vroom Factor, however....)

Sorry if this has already been mentioned. You could get those magnetic words and use it for sentence practice or composing poems...or glue magnets on the back of scrabble letters. :)

I totally repinned that from you becuase our cars are taking over. So glad I clicked through. I have no doubt you'll salvage it. Hot glue the magnetic tape to the underbellies?

If you glue things to the bottoms of the cars or paint them, you may mess them up for their intended play purposes-- I can envision them not rolling along a track well after paint and glue.

I would keep the cool E shape and come up with a changing array of fun things to display there. Bummer that it didn't work out how you intended, but you may end up loving it more with a twist that is your very own.

I agree with many, leave them up and find something else cute to stick on the strips.

Why does it have to be magnetic cars? Why can't you use something else to put on there?

Cover it with BUTTONS! I make button magnet sets, so I happen to associate the two together! But BUTTONS! They are colorful, you could ombre them...but they are swallowable, and I'm not sure what your kidlet/age situation is.

Magnetic Tape! Cut a little piece and stick it to the bottom of the cars!

ZJ, I collect those free, flat advertising magnets also and then glue family photos to them for the fridge. The kids love it and often help and have fun rearranging them.

~K!

Please let us know if the magnetic paint works. I saw this idea on Pinterest too, and loved it. Sorry it didn't work out. Thanks for sharing though.

If you decide to keep it up on the wal, get your son excited about collecting magnets while on vacations, and you'll have a place to showcase all of the places he's been. While it's empty, have him draw out places he wants to go, and use a magnet to keep the drawings up there, to replace when he finally goes.

so sorry! this is a painful post!! :/
just put the metal strips in your stash for now, repair the holes, maybe they will be needed in the future.
go take a photo of all your successes ! <3

LAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMEEEE. I hate when I get so excited about something and it doesn't work out! I am so sorry! I have seen a lot of fun things that you can do with those strips though. Lots for craft rooms and bathrooms for makeup and brush storage. Good luck!

Thank you for posting this. You just saved me (and probably others) a lot of time and aggravation as we tried this.
BTW: MIchael's and Joann's sells magnetic strips and sheets that might be worth a try to put on the underside of the cars. I believe one side is stickable.

time to start a magnet collection...my kids would love doing that!

I also save the magnets from mailers (I like to glue business cards I use all the time to them for the fridge), so I would try to glue magnets to them with hot glue.

This definitely a pinterest fail.

Before you do anything keep in mind that those pieces are already magnets! Adding more magnets means getting the polarity right on every one. I vote you turn it into a ping pong ball track with cups and tubes and stops.
And you can just tell yourself that he cars in the pic all have lead paint ;)

I used to work at a store that sells magnetic tape. Maybe that would work? You could put a little piece on each vehicle?

The blog you sourced DOES say they used very old cars....new ones aren't magnetic. Perhaps yours weren't OLD ENOUGH ;)

If you use more magnets, won't the magnets just repel each other. Someone else suggested using metal (not aluminum) washers - that would be worth a try!

I vote that you leave the magnetic initial up (it does look awesomely cool w/o anything on it...) and keep an eye out for other (cute) metallic items that do stick. It would certainly be better than patching drywall :-)

I would just hot glue them to the strip...

Oh, and there is no way regular cheap magnets would hold the cars up, you would need to buy the expensive "rare earth" magnets.
~Jamie

I think the idea of doing it as initial is darling! I would keep it for sure. I was going tom mention buttons...but I think someone already mentioned it. They would make it really decorative and help your children work with patterns (my 4 year old loves that). OR, you could start a magnet collection. I think it would be really cute to have your kids pick out new and fun magnets from places they visit. It would be a great way to display them :-)

Magnets will repel since the strip is magnetic. The washer idea is a good one. But the E looks great. I'm sure you'll find a great use for it.

Put one on the inside of a door with magnetic clips for receipts, etc.? Sorry...hate it when good ideas take a nose dive!

You could use the strips for organizing the workroom:
http://lifehacker.com/5383361/magnetic-knife-strip-keeps-drillbits-handy-and-organized

Or, buy the roll of magnets from an office supply or Michael's that has the peel off adhesive and then you can cut them to fit the cars.

Could you use magnetic paint? The website says it creates a surface that attracts magnets. I'm not really sure if it would work, but it would sure lay flat on the bottom of the cars! Here is a link for Home Depot: http://www.homedepot.com/buy/rust-oleum-specialty-30-oz-black-flat-magnetic-latex-primer-223081.html#.UGnugvnwKXQ

I hope you find something that works- the idea is cute! :)

Hayley@ http://theyoungoldsoul.blogspot.com/

I'm so glad you share your fails. It sucks having a project not work out like we planned and it's great to know that even a diy expert has those times. Keep it up. Love your blog :)

So glad you shared! I had THREE epic failures this weekend... I am so glad I am not alone! ...p.s. wonder if a small amount of magnetic paint on the bottom of each one would be enough to hold?

hugs! Kim @ Party Frosting!

Don't you hate that! At least you know how to patch the walls:)

That's great that the magnets work! What do I know anyway :) That leaves a lot more options for making this work.

Have you sent your FAIL into Pinstrosity? ;)

http://pinstrosity.blogspot.com/

Bummer! I vote that you leave it up! Put pictures, artwork with fun tiny metal objects, that is IF they will stick! :) I hate to see you patch that many holes. Good luck!

not sure if this was suggested, but how about some small metal baskets to hold the cards.

I like the idea of washers too. If you used magnets of any kind, they might stick to other things you don't want them sticking to. Race tracks or other car toys come to mind. The washers wouldn't take to long to glue on...you would probably be done in an hour or so, depending on how many cars you have. I was going to try this too but am glad I saw your post. Please post pictures once you figure out your solution. I may still try it if the washers work out.

SARAH!!!
YOU DON"T NEED MAGNETS!!!

You Can just glue anything else metal to the bottom, like WASHERS! Cheap, easy to glue, and flat to not get in the way of the wheels.
Hope that helps!!
~~Alie

I like the washers idea. Small enough so they will be hidden underneath but strong enough to stick to the magnetic strip. Great idea! So excited to see what you finally do.

Liz

I have bought round magnets from Wallyworld and have had great luck with them, CHEAP too! Good luck :)

We did use very old cars, it's true the new ones aren't really made of metal that's magnetic. We just added a note at the bottom of the post to be more clear - sorry for any inconvenience - we'd be happy to pay for the knife strips if you don't find an alternative to this craft.

What a bummer for you! It was a very cute idea though. I already saw you had a ton of good suggestions. I will look forward to seeing what you come up with. I just stumbled upon your blog and look forward to checking in more often. :)

That totally bites!! I can almost hear the 'whomp whomp' soundtrack as you sat on the floor! Ikea will take them back...I've used them in my son's room to hold pics and awards, and even got those round tins with magnets on the back (again from Ikea), and he keeps little trinkets in those.

You'll think of something even more fabulous than LoN

ps -- is your b&a party tonight? I missed the last one...won't make that mistake again. ;)

I've seen them used to hold keys (also in the IKEA catalog) but check first!!!

I would ditch the project. :o( What a cool idea if it really worked though!

My thoughts on what to do with the magnetic strips. A magnetic spice rack, a magnetic tool strip in the garage, a magnetic picture holder - make a gallery wall using magnets on the backs of picture frames, buy/make magnetic #'s, letters, paper dolls ect for your kids to play with on the strips, a magnetic organizer over your desk to hold pens, clip boards, ect,

Is your guy a Lego guy yet? The mini figures would look cute displayed on the E. hot glue the 6 dot white bricks to the E, and the mini figures sit on them. I got the idea from pinterest and did it on 2 big rectangular picture frames.

Not helpful for your cars though!

I didn't read through all the comments, but I think Connecticut's idea for washers is great. I know some others mentioned it further down as well. I bet the Bub would even love to help glue them if it works. I know my kids love any chance to help with glue. Maybe he could squeeze a drop on and you could add the washer so he doesn't get too much on him. Sounds like a great after school rainy day project. :-)

I had the same ideas as some of the others, either to try magnetic paint on the metal strips so the cars will stick, or to glue little magnents on the bottom of each car. Sorry about the fail though, that is so frustrating. Wishing you much luck in recovering this project..

I know that you can make a screw driver magnetic by swiping it along the magnet in a stereo speaker. I suggest looking that up. Might work on the cars.

Ooh. . .gah. I'm so sorry. I'd buy one off ya, if I still lived in IN. Shucks. Actually, I'm super frustrated with my absolute love for Pinterest-- there's just sooo much out there that's misleading, from DIY to recipes. I am now this anal queen who checks every.single.thing. I pin, to make sure it's going to the right spot, and the comments are good reviews.

Always makes me feel better to know that I'm not the only one that things like this happen, to.

I personally like the Letter E on your wall. So, I would probably just leave it be for awhile.

boo - that bites big time! But it could've been worse - you could have done a huge installation just like the one they did - now that would've really sucked! I'm sure you'll come up with something even more genius!

OMG I was literally going to do that SAME project this very weekend! You have saved my wall! THANK YOU THANK YOU! As others have mentioned, maybe try the other magnet options since you have already done all that work and it IS such a cool idea...good luck :)

Bummer. I was gonna try this too! Just so you don't feel too bad- I can recognize two cars in the source picture that my son owns... bought from the store within the last two years! Those are not "really old cars". (Right hand side-third row from bottom-orange jeep with white hard top; right hand side-bottom row-red car with white and blue stripes with white interior.) Cars are taking over my house!

I'd try to return them, since they weren't cheap. Then patch the holes, not fun!

IF it were me, I'd rather buy magnets and apply to the cars than to have my new walls patched to cover the holes created. Take it as a lesson learned and make it right. Go get some magnets.

Ok, I read through most of the comments. What about the cheaper packs of PLASTIC cars. I have seen them in big packs at dollar stores, drug stores, maybe even Walmart now that the holidays are coming. They would be light enough, and my son would still want to play with the metal cars. Maybe?

First...don't refer to it as a "fail" since it wasn't your mistake but a misleading post. My suggestion is to go to your favorite hobby/craft store and look for the magnetic tape that comes in a tape dispenser. It is thin but sticky on one side and magnetic on the other. It would be cheaper than a bunch of magnets. Good Luck. - Jill

Ack!! How irritating. I haven't read all of the comments so sorry if this has been suggested ... but isn't there a magnetic strip product with a sticky back? Like tape on one side and magnetic on the other? Maybe you could cut small pieces of that?

As for the metal racks .... could you screw hooks into them for a little hook rack in a closet (or 5)? Maybe for necklaces, belts, ties, etc.

Sorry for the good project gone bad. :(

oh BOO. I hate craft fails - and it's so discouraging!! So sorry - I know how frustrating that is!!

I guess try the magnetic paint for now...I'd be curious to see how this would work!!

Keep us posted- and keep your head up!! :)

I like the big E... if magnetic paint doesn't work, maybe let it become a display for other things that switch out seasonally or magnetic letters (small letters on the big letter...).

I love that you posted this, but so sad it didn't work out. You'll come up with something even better :)

What about taking the metal tins and gluing some old cars to the top for decorative storage.

I would try the magnetic paint on the car idea first. Your "E" looks great. I think if you can't get the cars to work it would be good to make the "E" out of something else so you won't see your drill holes. Good luck!

www.createyourdecor.blogspot.com

I don't think I could ever do this because to me it just looks like clutter on the wall. I'd much rather have little cars in bins hidden away!

My vote is take them down, pack up and return and use the money you get back for some spackle to fill the holes!

Don't take it down!!! We bought my son (now eight) sight words that came on flexible magnetic strips. He LOVED them. They would be so cool lined up on that "E" I think. Just a thought. Decorative and educational.

Oh too bad that didn't work. However, remember back in science class learning that not all metals are magnetic?

Patch the holes, repaint and get some cute boxes to put the cars in :-)

You could definitely do words, he's the perfect age.
Also, what about getting a thinner metal strip that would stick to the bottom of each horizontal piece and create a ledge the cars could rest on? The metal E looks cool.

Please don't glue magnets - those are incredibly dangerous when swallowed. Also, frommy own DIY/craft fail - I'm very doubtful the magnetic paint would work. I found it pretty useless. And I'd make sure they still go on the tracks with the washer on them before I did that.

The metal E looks pretty cool, but pretty expensive if you aren't using the magnet-ness of it! Thanks for sharing the "fail"! I'll stay tuned to see what you decide!

only certain types of metal are magnetic.. :( i give you an a for effort though, you could attach hooks to this and make it a rack instead.

How frustrating, Sarah! That said, I think the silver E on the wall looks very industrial-cool.

Sarah, Thanks for posting the fsil! I really appreciate the information. Will you repost what youend up doing? I like the idea of gluing wshers or magnets to the cars as well as the magnetic paint idea. I'd love to see what you end up doing. I saw that The Land of Nod also commented and that was nice of them. Keep up the great job, Sarah! I always appreciate your advice even whrn it is a fail. I learn from successes as well as fails!
Dawn

Poor sarah! Don't despair- I'm pretty sure your creative genius will save the day! FYI-in the photo, I thought it was colored magnetic CLIPS (not cars)--could u use cute magnetic clips and have son display fav art/school papers there?

I am so glad ( not for you) to know this, because I was gonna buy this strips for 5 grandson's, and do their room... saved LOTS of money !! Thank you! But it was great looking project if it had worked.

Okay so the colors are all together on that wall all decorator savy but in reality the kid will not put the trucks back up by color and then the OCD will kick in, even if you don't have OCD you will develop OCD with this toy car look. It is cute.

Such a cute idea. Too bad it didn't work. Maybe they had some kind of special car?

I love the E. Keep that. Or .. I like the magnetic bars for organizing too. You could rearrange them and get some magnetic tape, glue to something decorative in the form of a strip that fits over the magnetic bar and sandwich some artwork or notes.

Aww, I hate it when projects don't go as planned :( I'm 100% sure that you're going to find a fab use for those leftover knife racks though!

I like the idea of using it for art or maybe pictures/photos. It's always a bummer when something doesn't work out that you were so excited about.

Well..... you could take them off the wall, slap a bow on each one and consider this 5 Christmas gifts checked off your list. :)

So sorry to hear about this but I can commerisate! I did almost the same exact thing, details here http://adventures-in-diy.blogspot.com/2012/07/tween-boy-baseball-room-part-iii-new.html

Oh, my, that is so disappointing! Though I have to say, when I saw your title, I thought you had read about my big decoupage pumpkin fail- ha! :D
I wonder if baby jar lids would stick? Filled with buttons or art supplies, the jars could be quite colorful.

You need to share this on pinstrosity.blogspot.com. Its a great site for Pinterest Fails, Fixes & sharing how to make it better.

Thanks for the transparency in displaying what doesn't work also.

Everyone came up with great solutions but it's my guess that that is not the point. You saw a project for what it was and in theory it should have worked because the picture made sense. I think in this case, I'd be flippin mad like yourself. Any suggestion will work :) do whatcha gotta do, move on to the next project so you can be happy again. have a great day :)
Barb

Thanks for posting this! So glad I didn't get my husband to do this project for my grandson. Sorry your hard work didn't work out.

After having my own epic magnetic strip fail complete with several tries at "fixes" which ended up costing me more money than I am willing to think about, I hate to say this might be one to give up on now. I had to work extremely hard to pull those words out of my determined perfectionist, never give up body - but after my fail, I'd say keep your sanity intact and return the strip and fill the holes. I still have nightmares about my project and the messes I made trying to "fix" it!!

The teacher store has some really cool magnet toys for kids, they have a wand and pick up the magnets, you may just need to totally rethink it's purpose.

I am so anxious to see what you do!Whatever it is I know it will be really cool! I love the E, and there are so many good ideas of other stuff than cars...leave it and change it as often as you like!

Yes, gluing on magnets is dangerous. If one fell off and a child swallowed it, it could cause the intestines to tear especially if more than one was swallowed because the magnets try to stick to each other even if in different parts of the intestines. The tear leads to sepsis (blood poisoning) because the bacteria in he gut goes into the bloodstream. Death can follow and has on more than one sad documentary. There was a massive recall in 2007 of Magnetix building blocks toys because of this.

Oh that's too bad!! I love the huge E, I hope you didn't take it down. Surely there are other things you can do with it, like many others commented?
Hope it all works out for you.
Debbie :)

I also bought those strips from IKEA and found the cars didn't stick! I was so excited to try it out that I rushed home from IKEA and pulled out the cars. Fortunately, I hadn't put any strips on the wall at that point. My impatience paid off that time :) Sorry for your monster holes!!

What a bummer! That would have been cute. Sorry...I don't have a good suggestion, except maybe the garage?
Kelly

Try those lil sticky back Velcro rounds or squares from the dollar stores! A bunch in a Pack.. One on strip one in car.

would it be possible to put the magnet strips on the metal pieces instead of on all the little cars? i don't know if it would work, but putting the magnets (backside?) on the strips would keep from having to glue something to the bottom of every car!

I saw this idea on a blog a while ago too and got really excited. It's a 2 hr drive to Ikea though, so I did drag out some cars and magnets and yep, they didn't stick together. I was really bummed, but I can imagine how MAD I would have been if I'd already done everything you did! I'm so sorry! I hope you've found a use for at least a couple of your strips by now. :(

LOL! I just purchased another knife strip from Ikea this past weekend. I use them in the garage to hold paintbrushes while they dry/to store them bristles down. If you decided to take it down, perhaps this is another idea you can use. {{Hugs}}