How to paint bathroom tile?

by delavin home
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Sources
How to Paint Tiles - The Home Depot
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Answer
Here are the key steps to paint bathroom tiles:

Prepare the Tiles

  • Clean the tiles thoroughly with a degreasing cleaner or sugar soap to remove any grime, soap scum or oil134. Scrub the grout lines with an old toothbrush.
  • Sand the tiles with 120-grit sandpaper to remove the glossy finish and create a "key" for the paint to adhere to123. Wipe away any dust with a tack cloth.
  • Repair any cracked or damaged tiles using caulk or grout filler23. Allow repairs to fully dry.
  • Mask off any areas you don't want painted using painter's tape4
    5
    .

Apply the Primer

  • Use a primer specifically made for tiles, such as Zinsser Bulls Eye 1-2-3 or Owatrol E.S.P3. These help the paint bind to the tile surface.
  • Apply two thin, even coats of primer using a roller, allowing the recommended drying time between coats12. Use a brush to cut in along edges and grout lines.

Paint the Tiles

  • Use a high-quality tile paint, such as an epoxy or two-part paint1. These are more durable and moisture-resistant than regular paints.
  • Apply up to three thin, even coats of paint using a roller, allowing each coat to fully dry1
    5
    .     Use a brush for edges and grout lines.
  • For a smooth finish, use a short-nap roller sleeve34.
  • Allow the final coat to cure for the time recommended by the paint manufacturer before using the bathroom.

Seal the Tiles

  • Apply a polyurethane sealer over the paint to protect the surface14. This is especially important in wet areas.
  • Caulk around fixtures and edges with a silicone sealant to prevent moisture from getting behind the paint4.
With proper preparation and the right paint, you can successfully paint bathroom tiles to give them a fresh new look. However, keep in mind that painted tiles may not be as durable as professionally installed tile and may require more maintenance over time12.

References

1. How to Paint Bathroom Tile the Right Way - Martha Stewart2. How to Paint Tiles - The Home Depot3. Painting Bathroom Tiles - The Ultimate Guide - Painters World4. How to paint your bathroom tiles - Rust-oleum5. How to Paint Bathroom Tiles the Right Way - YouTube



Author: This Old House



Key insights

  • The contrast of the white kitchen cabinets and countertops creates a beautiful and gorgeous kitchen aesthetic.
  • 🧼 Proper preparation, like cleaning and taping off edges, is essential before painting tile to ensure a successful outcome.
  • The little trick of using a knife to smooth out edges ensures that the paint will not bleed underneath the tape.
  • The preparation process for painting tile involves roughing up the surface for better adhesion, including hand-painting curved edges.
  • Part B is tough, durable, and comes in a high gloss for application.
  • Using a respirator is essential when working with strong-smelling paint to protect your health.

Timestamped Summary

  • 00:00 Update the vintage avocado green tile in the bathroom by either ripping it out and starting new or painting it a nice blue color.
  • 01:06 Paint the tiles white to contrast with the blue, use the right paint and do some preparation before painting, clean the tiles with detergent and tape off the edges before painting.
  • 01:47 Masking and preparation are crucial for painting tile, use tape to mask everything tightly and take your time, smooth edges with a knife to prevent paint bleeding, and protect the floor with flooring paper.
  • 02:50 Rough up the tile surface, paint with epoxy acrylic for good adhesion, and hand-paint curved edges.
  • 03:21 Mix Part B well for a tough, durable, high gloss tile paint application.
  • 03:27 Use brush to cut in and 4 inch roller to cover fields due to strong smell and film, requiring a respirator.
  • 03:43 Wait 24 hours for paint to cure before using the bathroom.

Video Full Text

  • 00:00 Foreign 1950s Cape here look at this kitchen doesn't look like the 50s to me. No so we've been here about a year and a half we're the second owners and as you can see we put some work into the kitchen living room and a few other small projects I love everything in this kitchen the kitchen cabinets to count on the white that contrasts with everything that's going on here beautiful gorgeous kitchen but let's talk about your bathroom. Yes so we have a nice avocado green avocado green tile on the wall that needs to be updated that's vintage yeah. So this is the bathroom I've already painted the walls I've updated the hardware on the vanity. So um the last thing we have to tackle is. The tile okay have two options here by the way I like the blue really nice color for a bathroom option. One is Rip this whole thing apart back to the studs starting new new tires and everything. But it's going to cost you a lot of money and a lot of time okay option two.
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  • 01:06 We can paint the tires okay so painting is an option I can paint in a nice white to offset the blue absolutely. I think it's going to be gorgeous because you have this beautiful blue right there. In contrast with the bottom White Tiles perfect but only thing I have to do is use the right paint for the tires and do some preparation before anything awesome. All right. Let's get it done sounds good absolutely. Let's do it well. We're cleaning the style with the detergents we want to make sure everything is clean before we paint it first. We're going to tape off the top edges of the tile see Brian.
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  • 01:47 This is what we're doing right now masking. Everything is part of the 85 percent of any painting project. This preparation tape make sure you mask everything nice and tight or take your time take your time because paint goes faster. The preparation is what takes a little longer but it's worth it. Here's another little trick I can do to Brian yeah just a little knife here to smooth it out. Nice and smooth. You make a little very tight edges yeah right. There the paint will not bleed underneath the tape. Then we're gonna take the sink and the vanity and toilet with the flask shooting. Then we're going to protect the floor with the flooring paper well.
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  • 02:50 We're going to send the tires because we have to rough up the surface a little bit. So the paint can get a good adhesion to it and Brian is going to do the top edges by hand because we have a curve. It's very tough to get with the machine all right Brian. All the preparation is done and the paint which shows it goes on the tire is this one here it calls epoxy acrylic comes in a part eight.
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  • 03:21 Part B will mix it really well. It's tough. It's durable and also comes in a high gloss and for application.
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  • 03:27 We're going to use the brush to cut in and we're going to use the four inch roller nut to cover the fields because the span has a strong smell. A strong film. We're gonna have to use a respirator. All right sounds good okay.
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  • 03:43 Let's go let's go for it. Foreign foreign foreign look at this bathroom. What do you think it looks amazing I love it love it blue love the white. It's absolutely gorgeous well. Anyways second coat is done but I want you to wait at least 24 hours for this paint to really cure it and then you can take on this bathroom sounds good oh thank you very much you have this bathroom well if you have any question about your house. I would love to hear from you just keep on coming and until then I'm Mara henrique for ask This Old House. Thanks for watching this whole house has got a video for just about every Home Improvement project so be sure to check out the others and if you like what you see click on the Subscribe button to make sure that you get our newest videos right in your feed.
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