Tween Boy Baseball Room Part III: New Comforter and A Big Screw Up!!

Hi there!!  I have more updates to share on my stepson's baseball room.  If you missed the prior episodes, check here and here.  In Part I we painted, added a curtain and pillows, moved the Derek Jeter fathead (successfully, whew!) and added a refurbished IKEA Malm dresser that I spray painted navy.  In Part II I showed how to make a baseball curtain rod finial and tieback.

Which leads us to Part III.  First the fun and easy update:  new comforter from Target.  Its a faux down comforter in grey and really soft.  I want one for my room.

I should mention here that the vibe I'm going for in this room is industrial locker room style.  So I thought it would be both functional and fit in with the design to add a big sheet of metal to the wall to use as a magnetic board for all of the magnets, posters, notes, baseball cards, and ticket stubs that collect in stepson's room.  Here it is all hung on the wall and I love the way it looks.  I'm getting to the bad part, give me a minute.

I was in Home Depot (HD) and found this 3' x 3' sheet of metal for around $20.  Perfect size for the wall, I just wasn't sure how to hang it.  The HD guy suggested this liquid nails-like stuff that you can use on metal but I really didn't want all of that adhesive permanently stuck to the wall if we ever changed our minds.  Plus, I wasn't sure how the metal sheet stay on the wall while the adhesive set.

So, instead I decided to try screwing the metal sheet to the wall with some bolts I had.  I was hoping the bolts would add to the industrial look of the room.  I started by locating a stud.  I wanted at least one of the bolts in a stud to make sure the metal would stay up there.

Next, I drilled 8 holes around the metal sheet, one in each corner and one in the center of each side.

Then I predrilled a small hole into the drywall and used my socket wrench (?--not entirely sure if that is the right name for the tool, and I don't have a pic :(  ) to attach each screw.  Here is a close up of one of the screws.  I love how it gives an industrial look to the magnetic board.

And here it is all finished.  I ran to get some magnets that I had purchased to stage an 'action' shot.  I was super excited and super proud of myself.

But wait, the magnets do not stick.  My metal is not magnetic!!!!  How big of a dodo brain am I?  I bought aluminum.  I should have bought steel.  I just love spending lots of time buying just the right piece, devising a clever way of hanging it, hammering a bunch of nails into the wall to find a stud and wait until I am all done to discover I totall screwed up!  Really.

But I've had a few weeks to calm down and now own a roll of galvanized metal roof flashing.  Question is will I try to adhere it to my already existing metal sheet or rip it out and try again?  Not sure yet.


In the meantime, the baseball room got some wall art.  :)  That is pretty hard to screw up.

----Adrienne