We have a two bath house that we are in the process of renovating room by room. During an upcoming remodel of the master bath, my wife and I will be sharing the small original bath with our two kids. To get ready for that, I installed a new toilet in that bath this last week, a task which brought me face to face with the row of ugly decorative tile that borders the bathroom floor.
Since we won’t be doing anything major to this bath for quite some time, I was thinking of how to make it a little less aesthetically insulting while we share it. One idea that occurred to me was the possibilty of painting the row of offending tile. Is this a possibility? Could I just mask off the rest of the tile, scruff it a bit, and hit it with some sort of wear-resistant paint? Concrete paint? What type would you suggest? Keep in mind, this is strictly a temporary fix, not a permanent installation so it doesn’t have to be done with longevity in mind.
Thanks for this or any other suggestions you have.
Ian
P.S.–I installed the toilet (my first) according to the article I found in Fine Homebuilding’s “Renovating a Bathroom” book (obviously a reprint from the magazine). It was great and went without a hitch. That article and one other made the book well worth its purchase price.
Replies
I have heard that you can paint tile, but I have never tried. Go to a real paint store, like Sherwin Williams, and talk with them. Don't bother asking the kids at HD and Lowes.
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
I have experimented with painting tiles. So far, I've acheived the best results with using a solvent-based spray primer. Next best results were with an oil-based primer and lastly, acrylic (latex) primer.
Regardless of which primer you use, you will need a top coat of paint. If it's not an area that sees foot traffic, any high-gloss acrylic paint should work. If it sees traffic, I would use a specific floor paint.
Now for the disclaimer... none of my experiments yielded the kind of adhesion that I had hoped for. The paint (along with the primer) could still be removed with a little bit of effort and a strong fingernail. You would achieve much better results than me if you're actually successful at scuffing the surface of a glazed tile. I wasn't.
-Don
Hey Don,
Try using a tub refinishing paint .
DAVE
Try using a tub refinishing paint
Thanks. Do you know who sells it?
Don; Don't try that yourself. Get a professional tub refinisher. Those paints are REALLY HAZARDOUS. You need special equipment to work with them. Trust me... it'll be cheaper and better in every way to hire a pro.
HEY DON,
Any of the big box stores sells the paint in a kit form . It's atwo part epoxy paint . It should Be alot easier to paint tile then it is to paint a tub . Just follow directions in box and precautions . Ive painted atub and the results were just O.K. .
Good luck DAVE
P. S. Not much in the way of color selection. The paint might be tintable with some Universal Tints , maybe .
Thanks again. Looks like some more experimenting is due. I'll post back then.
-Don
Any of the big box stores sells the paint in a kit form . It's atwo part epoxy paint . It should Be alot easier to paint tile then it is to paint a tub . Just follow directions in box and precautions . Ive painted atub and the results were just O.K. .
I saw the refinishing kit at the big box. It sells for about $30.00. Since I just wanted to experiment so I could be ready the next time a customer asks me to paint tile, I didn't buy it.
I did buy a small jar of porcelain repair. It's not a 2 part epoxy (I'm assuming they're better). It sticks to tile about as well as the primers that I tried. Which is to say, good enough to last a while, but not what I was hoping for.
-Don
I have had good luck painting tile with a primer / bonder by X-I-M called UMA. It is a water based bonder that will stick to about any clean surface. You can top-coat with latex, oil, epoxy and even lacquer. I would topcoat with an oil-based enamel (semi-gloss or gloss). UMA is sold in quarts or gallons and could probably be found in your local paint store. I have bought UMA in either clear or white. A faux -painter friend has used UMA for painting decorative tiles on entry floors for years and has good success.
I have had good luck painting tile with a primer / bonder by X-I-M called UMA.
OK, so I tried that too. Good enough adhesion for a wall. About like the other primers I tried, maybe just a wee bit better. But not nearly good enough that I would consider using it on a floor.
-Don
Cover it. Some base molding or 1x4 with a quarter round on top, glue it with PL gue and paint, or pop the tiles off then put some base molding/trim it its place. Easier, cheaper, quicker and looks fine.