Is This Magnetic Wallpaper Alternative The Decor Solution Your Home Needs?

One of the easiest and most personal ways to decorate your home is to hang family photos and artwork on your walls. While it's true you can easily hang photos and artwork using tacks or nails, this isn't the best option for renters or anyone else who doesn't want to put holes in their walls. Some people may use command strips to hang art and other items, but those can damage paint and walls as well. To get around this, you may be interested in hanging magnetic wallpaper in your home. However, this can be expensive, and there aren't as many styles and options available for magnetic wallpaper as there are for regular. One clever alternative is to instead place a series of magnetic sheets on the wall to create your own magnetic wallpaper, and use that to hang art and home decor from.

This hack involves adhering several DIYMAG Magnetic Adhesive Sheets to the wall and covering them with a wallpaper of your choice to create your own DIY magnetic wallpaper. While the sheets are originally intended to be cut and stuck to the back of photos and other items to turn them into magnets, the hack shows them being stuck onto walls to magnetize them instead. While this sounds genius in theory, there are some factors to keep in mind, like whether or not the adhesive will cause damage to walls, how well it will actually work, and if it will still look aesthetically pleasing.

While in the video, this magnetic wallpaper alternative appears to work wonderfully, we're a bit skeptical about the logistics. For one, how well will things actually stick to it? Although the majority of Amazon reviews for the DIYMAG Magnetic Sheets mention that the product works with lightweight items like stickers, papers, and photos, many also mention that "these magnets are weak and very thin". If the magnets are as weak as some reviewers claim, then it doesn't seem likely that they would still work when covered with an additional sheet of wallpaper like in the Instagram video by @housedecorstyleus. With that said, a reviewer also mentioned that you can increase the magnetic strength of these sheets by doubling them up, so that may be a good solution.

Another potential issue with this magnetic wallpaper alternative is that it may damage your walls. The sheets have a layer of adhesive to stick to the back of papers and photos, and adhesives can damage walls, especially when they were not manufactured to be used on them, which does appear to be the case with these magnetic sheets. If your goal of recreating this magnetic wallpaper alternative is protecting your walls from damage while still being able to hang things up, this may be counterproductive.

Finally, there are some aesthetic concerns with this DIY. If the magnetic sheets are attached directly to the wall with wallpaper hung over them, it may create a lumpy appearance. Especially because wallpaper looks best on, and is easiest to apply to a smooth surface, which may not be the case with this DIY.

If you don't mind that the magnetic sheets may not be the safest option for your walls, and you are able to apply wallpaper smoothly over the magnets like in the video, this can be a really fun way to express yourself and decorate your home. Although you likely won't be able to use the sheets to hang anything heavy on your walls, you can still put up family photos, drawings, cards, save the dates, and any other lightweight artwork and mementos.

This magnetic wallpaper alternative would also be a fabulous addition to a home office or crafting room. If installed above a desk, this wallpaper alternative could be a useful tool for staying organized, as you could use it to hang lightweight calendars and to-do lists, or turn it into a vision board. It would also work well in a kid's room where they could display any important homework, chore charts, or even just so they can have a fun slice of the wall where they can easily express themselves. 

An additional pro of this magnetic wallpaper alternative is that it's very customizable. Since it's made using 8-by-10-inch sheets, you have the option of making the magnetic wall as big or as small as you like. Plus, since it's possible to customize the sheets by cutting them, you have the option of building the magnetic wall into any shape you desire.