Yep, you CAN paint ceramic tile!

jujubeans

OVM Project Manager
So I decided that I was sick of the colors of the tiles in the bathroom and went searching for the answer. If you clean your tiles until they are spotless and use an oil based primer, you can paint with any kind of paint. Then you seal the tiles with a polyurothane. I had some dark tiles so put on two coats of primer...painted the rest of the bathroom and will paint the tiles tomorrow, let them dry and then put on the poly. Crossing my fingers and hoping it looks good..I now have a pale yellow bathroom.

Gawd that was a lot of work..I hate painting ceilings!!!:(
 

Slo-Ride

Veteran Expediter
I do a small amount of tile work on the side and would be interested on how this project holds up for you.
Are tiles on the wall,floor,counter top? Not on the ceiling are they??
Was the tile glazed before ya did this?
I have heard of it being done for the sake of recycling etc etc,,but projects I heard of, the tiles where run carefully thru a plainer to break the glazed finish
I like doing tile work. No 2 jobs are the same and even if ya screw up ya can allways say it suppose to be that way. Most ppl wont know the diffence with tile:D
 

jujubeans

OVM Project Manager
I do a small amount of tile work on the side and would be interested on how this project holds up for you.
Are tiles on the wall,floor,counter top? Not on the ceiling are they??
Was the tile glazed before ya did this?
I have heard of it being done for the sake of recycling etc etc,,but projects I heard of, the tiles where run carefully thru a plainer to break the glazed finish
I like doing tile work. No 2 jobs are the same and even if ya screw up ya can allways say it suppose to be that way. Most ppl wont know the diffence with tile:D

They are on the wall by the sink...not where they get a lot of moisture and they were shiny so I guess that means glazed? The true test will be today when I put a semi gloss latex over it (if my achey body will let me) *l* They do say to paint each tile with brush strokes going only one way and the primer looks good..maybe I should just leave it this way..the white primer looks good with the pale yellow..:)
 

greg334

Veteran Expediter
Just one of them dumb suggestions.

Use an epoxy paint, water base epoxy is good.

Epoxy paint is used in those "bath tub" remodeling and some use it for tile refinishing.

You can do it two ways, the hard way or the easy way.

The hard way is to remove the glaze, this gives great adhesion and is almost impossible to remove later on - spray in thin coats with some shining later on.

The easy way is to wash the tile, degrease it and then spray the epoxy on in thin coats. This allows you to remove it later when you 'remodel' again. Get one of those rechargeable paint spraying cans and thin it out with distilled water - applying it in thin coats. When you are done, go over the grout to clean it up. Sometimes it is good just to regrout it all anyway.

NO primer.

I have to see what brand I used, I don't have the paint here but I had it mixed for me for about $50 a quart and a half which did two medium bathrooms after it was thinned - a pret'y blue.
 

jujubeans

OVM Project Manager
Just one of them dumb suggestions.

Use an epoxy paint, water base epoxy is good.

Epoxy paint is used in those "bath tub" remodeling and some use it for tile refinishing.

You can do it two ways, the hard way or the easy way.

The hard way is to remove the glaze, this gives great adhesion and is almost impossible to remove later on - spray in thin coats with some shining later on.

The easy way is to wash the tile, degrease it and then spray the epoxy on in thin coats. This allows you to remove it later when you 'remodel' again. Get one of those rechargeable paint spraying cans and thin it out with distilled water - applying it in thin coats. When you are done, go over the grout to clean it up. Sometimes it is good just to regrout it all anyway.

NO primer.

I have to see what brand I used, I don't have the paint here but I had it mixed for me for about $50 a quart and a half which did two medium bathrooms after it was thinned - a pret'y blue.


Too late for me to try that one..I"m just on the way to paint over the primer.:)
 

redytrk

Veteran Expediter
Charter Member
I have had over 30 years experience in the Paint business. Let me just say this. You can paint anything. Question is, how long will it last without chipping and pealing.

As a previous poster suggested Epoxy Is the best choice for ceramic tile. Manufactures suggestions on the label must be adhered to.
 

jujubeans

OVM Project Manager
So BEFORE I want to paint the bathtub...now is the time for the advice...*LOL*

too late for the tile, but so far so good..
 

Turtle

Administrator
Staff member
Retired Expediter
The local zoo was finally getting a young male wildebeest, a gnu, born and raised in captivity in a South African animal preserve, as a companion for their existing female gnu. They were putting the finishing touches on the bran new Gnu House which had several cages inside, and that allowed the gnus to freely move between the indoor cage and their outdoor habitat. All that was left to do was to tile the floor and walls of the cages.

The caretakers began tiling the cage for the new gnu, but it arrived a few days early. So, the zookeepers hastily stacked the tiles that still needed to be laid in the corner and put the gnu in for the night. The next morning when the zookeeper went to check the animals, he found all the tiles laid in the gnu's cage. He asked if any of the caretakers had stayed late the night before to finish the cage. None had. Weird. They moved the new gnu into one of the adjacent cages in order to closely inspect the tiles to see what was going on. The tiles seemed to be installed perfectly. Even the intricate patterns were correct.

Then they looked over and noticed the gnu was now feverishly tiling the adjacent cage. Laid, grouted and finished like an expert, which was no small feat for an animal with hooves for feet. The cage was completely and perfectly tiled in record time. The zookeepers were astonished.

Out of curiosity, they moved the new gnu to another untiled cage, and the same thing happened, perfectly tiled in record time. In one day the new gnu had completely tiled the entire Gnu House.

They didn't know what to make of this, so they called the preserve in South Africa to inquire about this gnu, and to report its arrival.

"The gnu arrived safe and sound, in good health and in good spirits. However, it is acting somewhat strangely atypical for a gnu," the zookeeper said, and he told the South African about the incidents with the tiles.

The South African zookeeper said "Well, he is a little different, very good with his hooves, but really he's just a typical gnu, and tiler too."
 

jujubeans

OVM Project Manager
okay...two coats of primer and two coats of paint have hidden that dark ugly color. I'll put the poly on tomorrow when I can leave the windows all open. I've also cleaned the entire bathroom from top to bottom and scraped off the tub grout. That may get done tonight yet if I don't weaken!
 

TJ959

Veteran Expediter
Arrrghhhh .... As they say in one of my favorite movies, "he who would pun would pick a pocket". Now I have a headache because you made me think. Typical of when you overuse an unused muscle.
 

OntarioVanMan

Retired Expediter
Owner/Operator
As a homeowner you know its like a sponge, it will suck all the money ya can put into it. Better call and see if there is another project lining up:D

There is always another project..:eek:.still doing landscaping, aka moving dirt for rain run off in the spring....and a little more guttering to do.....

still have to break open a 25 year old manure pile...for the garden....and get it tilled in this fall....
 

Slo-Ride

Veteran Expediter
is the easy part tho...no windows or major cut arounds...just strip the old plaster and lathing and install new plasterboard and some taping....it is the mess where all the work is...

I done that in the past helping a buddy out..Think Safety on that job..I was a bloody mess with that lath and plaster tear out. That plaster was sharp once ya started busting it up.
 

layoutshooter

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
I done that in the past helping a buddy out..Think Safety on that job..I was a bloody mess with that lath and plaster tear out. That plaster was sharp once ya started busting it up.


The NEXT time I tear out lath and horse hair plaster I am going to use DINOMITE!!!! I will NEVER own another home that old again. What a pain in the neck!! Did that twice, the older home thing. Mine is far too old, built in 1954, but I am NOT moving, AGAIN. My next house will be a tent. (that will be all I can afford) Good luck OVM, better you than me!!
 

jujubeans

OVM Project Manager
well...the poly is on...and no odor ...fast drying...I'll be able to put the bathroom back together in no time!

And my great uncle built this house in 1934 and it's withstood the harsh weather of South Dakota. He was a pretty good builder. But I'm not gonna start THAT project today..gotta go can tomatoes and catch up on other stuff!
 
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