DIY Ceiling Decorating System for Schools & Events: A Budget-Friendly Alternative to the Clik Clik Magnet System
If you’ve ever tried hanging balloons, banners, or decorations from a high ceiling, you know how much work it can be. Between moving ladders around, climbing up and down dozens of times, and trying to reach awkward spots overhead, ceiling decorating is often the most time-consuming part of event setup.
At our elementary school, we decorate for lots of PTO events throughout the year. We frequently hang balloons, signs, streamers, and themed decorations from the ceiling. The problem? It almost always required ladders—and our gym ceiling was so high that it couldn’t even be reached with any ladder we owned.
As someone who is only 5’1”, I can personally tell you that decorating ceilings isn’t my favorite job. In fact, I nearly fell off a ladder while hanging decorations for a school event. Not only is ladder work time-consuming, but it can also be dangerous.
That’s why I was immediately intrigued when I discovered the Clik Clik magnetic ceiling decorating system.
The Inspiration: Clik Clik Magnets
The Clik Clik system looked amazing. It allows you to place and remove magnets from metal ceilings while standing safely on the ground using a specialized pole attachment. No ladders. No climbing. No repeatedly moving equipment around the room.
For professional balloon decorators and event businesses, I can absolutely see the value. The system is well-designed and appears to be worth the investment.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t in the budget for our PTO.
The starter kit would have cost us around $500 and included only 20 magnets. We knew we would need far more than that, and replacement magnets were approximately $75 for every additional pack of 20. As a nonprofit organization that only hosts a handful of major events each year, the cost simply wasn’t practical.
So I started looking for a way to create a similar setup for a fraction of the price.
Building a Budget-Friendly Alternative
While researching the Clik Clik system, I discovered that the MagMover —the attachment that goes on the end of the pole—could be purchased separately.
That was the breakthrough.
Instead of purchasing the complete system, I ordered the MagMover attachment and paired it with a telescoping painter’s pole.
The MagMover uses standard threaded connections, so it screwed directly onto the painter’s pole with no modifications needed.
For the pole, I purchased a 24-foot telescoping painter’s pole . (I’ll share some of my favorite Temu shopping tips and tricks in a future post to help reduce the cost further, for new temu users, this link should give you a coupon that can be applied to your first purchase.)
Once assembled, I was shocked by how much reach I had.
With the pole fully extended and held overhead, I could easily reach a ceiling that was approximately 30 feet high—even at my height.
No ladders. No lifts. No climbing.
At that point I had solved the pole problem, but I still needed magnets.
And lots of them.
The Magnet Challenge
The Clik Clik magnets have a ring attached to them. The ring serves two important purposes:
- It provides an attachment point for fishing line, balloons, signs, and other decorations.
- It allows you to remove the magnet later by catching the ring with the corkscrew attachment on the MagMover and pulling downward.
I originally thought I could simply purchase magnetic hooks and attach key rings.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t that simple.
The eye hooks that came installed in the magnets were too long to fit properly inside the MagMover slot. When loaded into the MagMover, the magnet wouldn’t stay oriented correctly with the magnetic side facing upward.
After a lot of testing, I discovered that the eye needed to be approximately ½ inch long in order to fit perfectly inside the MagMover.
That created a new problem.
Every ½-inch screw eye I could find had a shaft that was too small to thread securely into the magnet base.
I searched hardware stores, home improvement centers, craft stores, and countless online listings. I found plenty of ½” × 1/16” screw eyes that fit the MagMover perfectly—but none that threaded properly into the magnet itself.
I spent a lot of time experimenting with different adhesives and attachment methods.
Some appeared successful initially. One method even survived several test runs before failing during removal. E6000, for example, seemed promising at first but eventually broke loose after repeated testing.
Thankfully, I tested everything at ground level before trusting it on a 30-foot ceiling.
After a lot of trial and error, I finally found a combination that has worked flawlessly through repeated use.
Supplies Needed
For the Magnets
- Magnetic Hooks
- ½” × 1/16” screw eyes (#216 size)
- JB Weld two-part epoxy
- Disposable plate or mixing surface
- Toothpick
- Key rings
For the Pole
- MagMover attachment
- 24-foot telescoping painter’s pole
How to Make the Magnets
Step 1: Remove the Original Hook
Unscrew and remove the factory-installed hook or eye from each magnetic hook.
Discard the original hardware.
Step 2: Mix the JB Weld
Following the manufacturer’s instructions, mix the two JB Weld components on a disposable plate or mixing surface.
Step 3: Fill the Magnet Hole
Using a toothpick, place a small amount of mixed JB Weld inside the threaded hole where the original hook was removed.
Step 4: Insert the New Screw Eye
Insert the shaft of the ½” screw eye into the hole.
Use the toothpick to apply a little additional JB Weld around the base of the eye and opening of the magnet.
Step 5: Allow to Cure
Let the magnets cure undisturbed for a full 24 hours.
Do not rush this step.
Once cured, the bond is extremely strong and capable of handling the force required to remove magnets from the ceiling repeatedly.
Step 6: Add Key Rings
After the JB Weld has completely cured, attach a key ring to each screw eye.
Your magnets are now ready to use.
How to Hang Decorations
- Tie fishing line to your decoration.
- Tie the other end of the fishing line to the key ring attached to the magnet.
- Place the magnet into the MagMover with the magnetic side facing upward.
- Position the key ring so it hangs slightly outside the MagMover slot.
- Extend the pole and raise the magnet to the ceiling.
When the magnet contacts the metal ceiling, you’ll hear a satisfying click.
Simply lower the pole straight down and leave the magnet attached overhead.
That’s it—your decoration is now hanging from the ceiling.
Here was my first attempt at hanging something on our super high gym ceiling (full disclosure, I have terrible distance vision and forgot my glasses, so I had a hard time seeing that high):
@magpietayleetot First time using my homemade magnet system to hang decor from gym ceiling. Full tutorial for the pole and magnets on my blog! #diyproject #ceilingdecor #balloon #ptomomsoftiktok #schoolceiling ♬ original sound - magpietayleetot
How to Remove Decorations
When the event is over, use the corkscrew attachment on the MagMover.
Slip the corkscrew through the key ring and pull downward.
The magnet releases from the ceiling, allowing you to safely remove decorations while standing on the floor.
No ladders required!
Final Thoughts
This setup has completely changed the way we decorate for school events.
What once required multiple ladders, extra volunteers, and hours of setup can now be accomplished quickly from the ground. It’s safer, faster, and dramatically more affordable than purchasing a complete commercial decorating system.
Most importantly, it allows our nonprofit PTO to create the same dramatic ceiling decorations we’d always dreamed of without spending hundreds of dollars on specialized equipment. In total we spent $83.95 on the supplies for the pole system and the first 70 magnets, which would have cost over $700 to purchase!
After extensive testing and repeated use, these DIY magnets have proven durable enough to withstand both installation and removal, making them a budget-friendly solution we’ll continue using for years to come.
*I personally (or Paine PTO) purchased every product that was used to make this and nothing was provided to me.
**I have included affiliate links to the products I used and can receive a small commission if a purchase is made after you click on a link in this tutorial.
MagpieTayleetot is a participant in the
Amazon Services LLC Associates
Program, an affiliate advertising
program designed to provide a means
for sites to earn advertising fees by
advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
