The Displate wall art has indeed been around for a while, but I thought it was time to see if they are truly as good as they sound. Alongside a constantly growing collection of new designs to choose from, the Displate mounting system, at least on paper, seemed to be the easiest possible way decorate my space and home office without damaging the walls or needing to get any tools involved. The short form version of this review is that they do indeed deliver on that promise, but you can get a full rundown of what to expect down below.
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Hands-on with Displate’s metal magnetic wall art
The Displate wall art is printed on metal canvases or sheets. This enables the brand’s incredibly simple magnetic mounting system that takes no longer than a minute or two for installation.
I had a chance to test out both the smaller and large-sized models recently, including the sweet Elden Ring map (you can see a close up of the details below and the full thing right here), a piece from its latest Spider-Man collection, and an interesting textured landscape of sorts.
While there is a range in prices, most designs will run you $49 for the medium size and $99 for the large. But the site does run regular sales and you can score 25% off those totals today using code DEAL at checkout.
Features at a glance:
- Adhesive-based magnetic mounting system
- You can customize, collect, and rearrange them at will
- It only takes 20 seconds to set them up with no power tools, no damages, no frustrations
- Stainless steel build
- Medium size – 45 cm / 32 cm
- Large size – 67.5 cm / 48 cm
- Thickness 3.50mm
9to5Toys’ Take:
As far as the actual printing process, or whatever process the brand uses to get its massive collection of imagery on these metal plates, the images I have been given a chance to check out are clear and vibrant. We clearly aren’t going to get that sort of textured vibe from true canvas, but the Displates rival something more akin to photography prints to my eyes. Hardcore photographers, and fans there of, I’m sure will notice a difference between the Displate process and high-quality print jobs, but for me they look great, and make for a solid and typically more affordable wall art solution. The whites are super white, the blacks are deep and dark, and, depending on the art itself, they can give off the illusion of depth and texture as well. And there is a near endless collection of designs to choose from here.
Magnetic installation process
Now that we have covered the image quality, copious design options, and the look of the metal posters, it’s time to talk about the mounting process. This, for me, and likely many others, is the real draw of Displate. After all, there are loads of places all over the internet and elsewhere to score some cool wall art, including many of the pop art, geek culture, and the like options, but the idea of just being able to slap a few sticky pads on the wall and just drop the metal plate on is certainly an appealing one. Especially for me (I’m not particularly DIY-inclined and not overly handy in that way) and for folks looking for a non-destructive way to get some color on the walls without ruining them. That’s what Displate says it does, and, in my hands-on experience, it indeed does.
As far as the actual installation process goes, this is pretty much it. Each Displate poster comes with a magnet (or two if it’s a larger model), complete with an adhesive backing. You simply stick these square magnets up on the wall where you want your art to be displayed, push them tightly for a 20 seconds or so (I did it for about 30 seconds), and then literally just place the poster on them. That’s about as easy as it gets if you ask me.
There are also wall-safe sticky sheets you can stick down on the wall first before sticking the magnet on, for folks looking to safeguard the finish on the surface – great for renters, or really just anyone that doesn’t want to otherwise mar the wall surface. But the process is otherwise the same and equally as effective. I haven’t mine up for years so I can’t say definitively, but i was able to remove one of the wall-safe sticky sheets without ripping the paint of the wall.
Now, like all adhesive applications, the usual things are to be considered here as well – clean, dry, and degreased surfaces (there are some wipes provided in the box). I have installed my review units on your typical painted drywall surfaces, you know, you’re relatively common, everyday wall finish many folks will be surrounded by at home, and everything went up quickly, easily, and securely. Nothing has fallen off the wall yet and doesn’t seem like they are going to any time soon, barring any unforeseen accidents, events, or, according to Displate, kaiju attacks, of course.
In the end, the Displate installation experience is a good one. I mean, I’m not sure it could be any easier. Once you have chosen a spot on the wall and un-wrapped the poster’s packaging, it takes literally about a minute, maybe two, to have it installed. With the nature of the magnetic system – the entirety of the poster is magnetic, it’s very hard to mess it up. There’s also no need to measure or worry about getting the poster straight on the wall here. Even if you haphazardly slapped the magnet completely crooked on your wall, as long it is in the general vicinity of where you want it, you can easily just tweak the angle of the poster to get it just right – no need to drill holes, unstick 3M connection pads to try again, or anything like that.
This system also allows you to think of the magnets and posters as two separate entities. While you’re not supposed to use the magnets again if you move or want to change the placement of a single poster securely (there are extra magnet kits available for purchase), you can slap any Displate on any installed magnet setup (keeping in mind you’re supposed to use two magnets for the larger posters, of course). This allows you to switch the vibes up at a later time, with new posters or compositions there of.
Around the backside of the Displates, you’ll find a QR code and a reference number (as well as a hologram authenticity tag. It says, by scanning the QR code and entering the ref number, you’ll “reveal your Displates secrets.” I’m not sure if these “Secrets” are different for each print, and whether or not some will offer some interesting easter eggs or something, but the models I got to try out just serve up some basic information about the plate – print date, the artwork’s color pallete, the collection it comes from, size, and some other basics…nothing particularly interesting.
All-in-all, I have come away impressed with the Displate wall art experience. The no-brainer installation process, image quality, and giant collection of design options makes it an easy recommendation to just about anyone. The revolving door of sitewide discounts is fantastic too!
Buy Displate’s magnetic metal wall art
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