The ceramic tile in my home is new and in good shape, but it is white, and I hate it. I want color!! I thought about trying to paint in a beige color or staining the tile to add some dimension to the tile. Is it possible to do this, and if so, how do I prep the tile? Please someone....help!!
Painting ceramic tile floors
- Thread starter debbearl
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tile paint primer should do it, though i wouldnt recommend painting tiles, looks ok at first, gets real shoddy, real qiuck! if youre reluctant to remove the tiles, and they are fixed well you could consider tiling over the top, if you have the tollerance.
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How well the paint stands up on the tile is almost entirely dependant on how hard a film it forms. The softer the film, the more quickly it's going to start looking dirty from all the dirt embedded in it by the force of people's foot falls. The harder the film, the less dirt will become embedded in it, and the longer it will remain looking new and the slower that appearance will deteriorate.
If you use a water based floor paint, then I couldn't agree with Noseall more. however, if you use a proper oil based FLOOR paint, then you should get good service from it.
Every paint company will use the paint it has that dries to the hardest film to make floor paints from. This is the reason why epoxy based floor paints are the standard for concrete factory or warehouse floors. For residential floors, oil based paints like alkyds and polyurethanes are more popular because they're more user friendly. A polyurethane hardwood floor finish is really nothing more than a polyurethane floor paint without any pigments in it to give it color and opacity. It's the difference in hardness between a polyurethane hardwood floor finishcoating and a water based paint that explains why most people are happy with the durability of the polyurethane on their hardwood floors, but Noseall says that floor paints start to look shoddy real quick. Noseall probably used an emulsion floor paint which dries to a much softer film than a polyurethane floor paint would.
The reason why companies are selling emulsion floor paints aren't because they provide good service on a floor. It's because increasingly strict environmental legislation requires that the paint they sell contain smaller and smaller amounts of VOC (volatile organic compounds), and emulsion paints typically contain less than 10% VOC's, where an oil based paint will likely be over 40% VOCs. So, you gotta use a emulsion paint to keep the environmentalists happy and the air clean.
If you use a water based floor paint, then I couldn't agree with Noseall more. however, if you use a proper oil based FLOOR paint, then you should get good service from it.
Every paint company will use the paint it has that dries to the hardest film to make floor paints from. This is the reason why epoxy based floor paints are the standard for concrete factory or warehouse floors. For residential floors, oil based paints like alkyds and polyurethanes are more popular because they're more user friendly. A polyurethane hardwood floor finish is really nothing more than a polyurethane floor paint without any pigments in it to give it color and opacity. It's the difference in hardness between a polyurethane hardwood floor finishcoating and a water based paint that explains why most people are happy with the durability of the polyurethane on their hardwood floors, but Noseall says that floor paints start to look shoddy real quick. Noseall probably used an emulsion floor paint which dries to a much softer film than a polyurethane floor paint would.
The reason why companies are selling emulsion floor paints aren't because they provide good service on a floor. It's because increasingly strict environmental legislation requires that the paint they sell contain smaller and smaller amounts of VOC (volatile organic compounds), and emulsion paints typically contain less than 10% VOC's, where an oil based paint will likely be over 40% VOCs. So, you gotta use a emulsion paint to keep the environmentalists happy and the air clean.
fair response nestor, but does debbearl want a factory floor finish or something more "homely"?
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Thank you Noseall and Nestor for your response. I should have specified, the tile in question is a matte finish ceramic floor tile. And I'm not sure if the tile was sealed with something from the factory, but I know it was not sealed with anything after it was installed in the house. I don't know if that makes a difference or not. What I would really like to end up with is more of a stained finish with a tan or beige tone to it. We are talking about a lot of tile in all wet areas of the house, so it would be very expensive to replace. I may experiement with a small inconspicuous area to see how it looks. Thank you again for you advice, and if you have any other input, I am happy to hear it.
M
Moz
I fully agree with Nestor an noseall
can I just add ,this is a ok short term but they will look awful after awhile an you will hate it
can I just add ,this is a ok short term but they will look awful after awhile an you will hate it
jcsmommy said:
jcsmommy,
I have not stained or painted my tiles. I have had so many negative comments about doing it, that I have decided against it. Everyone tells me that after a period of time the tile will look worn and does not hold up well. My tile is in good shape.....I'm just not happy with the white tile. I guess I will just wait and replace the tile as I can afford to. If you decide to do this, I want to wish you luck with it. Please let me know the results.
Hi I wish to paint over my ceramic tile floor, could anyone give me an idea how can i make it look antique? I also though if there is a film of some sort that i could stick over each individual tile and then use a grout paint to paint the grouting?
Any ideas are welcome.
Nadia
Any ideas are welcome.
Nadia
You crazy kids! Painting tiles is not the future.
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