How to Paint Over Bathroom Tile

So, you bought a house from the 60s which has bright pink bathroom tile with a black border, or from the seventies with a speckled tupperware orange and brown tile, either of which you can't imagine what the designers were thinking when they installed it. You want to change it, but tearing tile off the walls means BIG $$ in replacement or repair of the drywall (or worse, plaster!). So, you need an economical solution. May I make a suggestion? Paint it! Yes, it's a solution that has it's pitfalls ... and that is why I marked this article "Moderately Challenging "... but until you can afford the 2nd mortgage to rip out the bathroom to the studs and start over, this is a workable (albeit challenging) solution.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• "Paints over anything" primer, tinted to the color you want to paint - there are several brands out there (Kilz, Zinnser, and more)
• Semi-gloss or High-gloss "top coat" paint
• Tile cleaner
• Scotch-brite pad
• Bleach
• Paint roller (small, preferably, unless you have a HUGE bathroom)
• Chip-in brush
• Standard painting supplies (paint pan, drop cloth, old clothes, paint tape)
• Face mask if you are sensitive to fumes from bleach/cleaners/paint

1. Make arrangements to not use this bathroom shower or sink for approximately 10 days. This is difficult in a 1-bathroom house, but you need to have no humidity introduced to the environment, and no wetness on the walls from splash or condensation. You can still use the toilet, if you wash your hands elsewhere (like the kitchen)

2. Clean the tile thoroughly with the Scotch-brite pad and cleaner. Scrub well, along all the grout lines. Rinse well. Follow up with a bleach solution spray and another good scrub. It's a great arm workout! Rinse well and allow to dry thoroughly. If your bathroom has a window and it's not humid or uncomfortable outside, you may want to open the window to vent fumes out.

3. Some sources say to use fine grit sandpaper to sand the tile, other sources say this is not necessary. Several sources I've read say to sand. I had one person tell me that sanding led to scuff marks that you could still see through the primer and paint (and some reading sources cautioned about scuff marks). Another said that the "sticks to anything" primer paint holds up well enough without sanding...in fact on some of the labels it shows the paint being painted directly over bathroom tile, and the label doesn't suggest sanding. So, this step is up to you. If you choose to sand, make sure you get EVERY SPECK of dust cleaned up from the tile surface before you continue.

4. Once the tile surface is prepared, it's time to move on to paint. I recommend light colors in bathrooms, as it will make the space look larger. Light neutrals, not pastels or anything like that. Tint your primer the same color as the top coat paint you want to use.

5. Prepare you painting area. Tape off borders between tile and walls, tile and floors, tile and cabinets, etc. If your towel/toilet paper holders are mounted in the tile, tape these off as well. When you are taping, try not to put the tape on the tile itself; put it a millimeter above the tile surface. You will actually paint a teensy millimeter portion of the wall/cabinet/etc. If you don't, it will make it harder to pull the tape off without disturbing the paint on the tile. Put your drop cloth down to protect floors (if you're painting the floors, do that last!), toilet, tub, sink(s).

6. 
   Chip-in or cut-in brush

   Select a manageable square or rectangular area to begin with. You will need to paint the tile in sections so that the edges do not dry until you've had time to roll on the paint to the main area. Shake your primer well and pour some into a cup for doing the edges. Using your chip-in brush, paint the edges, concentrating on making the coverage even. Don't worry if it doesn't cover the tile color all the way.

7. Next, pour some primer into a paint tray and use your small roller to fill in the area inside the edges you just primed. Again, concentrate on getting an even coat of the paint. Use a "W" formation when painting larger areas and move that "W" form around until you get the even coverage you're looking for. When you are satisfied, allow the primer to dry for the recommended time on the can. There are two to three dry times listed on a can of paint: 1) time it takes to be dry to the touch (usually 30 minutes); 2) time it takes to be dry enough for a 2nd coat (usually an hour); 3) time it takes to be completely hardened/cured (can be up to 7 days). If your tile color is dark or especially obnoxious, after the allotted time it takes to be dry enough for a 2nd coat, you can put a 2nd coat of primer. Again, try to get an even coat as best you can.

8. Allow the primer to dry for the time it takes to be completely hardened. Try not to introduce the environment to water, humidity, or bumps as this will probably mess up the paint.

9. Next, after the drying time, dust your primer surface carefully to make sure that it's clean. Some sources recommend you lightly sand (then clean) the primed surface, again this is up to you.

10. Get your top coat paint, and follow the same painting procedure as above. Allow the paint to dry undisturbed until completely hardened/cured.

11. A coating of urethane is suggested for areas of high traffic such as floors. I would recommend tile countertops and shower walls receive the urethane coating as well, though different sources also say different things about that. Good luck!!

Tips & Warnings

• If paint on one of the tiles gets messed up by a bump, or debris, you can repaint that tile. Yes, it's a bit of a pain, but better than repainting the whole bathroom!
• Most other sources will tell you to NOT paint tile in areas that will have water splashed on them often, such as shower surrounds. I will tell you that it is not the best solution, but with extra care it will last for a little while. Again: painting tile is not the best solution for shower walls, BUT you can make it work if you pat it dry it after your shower and allow the humidity to dissipate in your bathroom. A good strong vent fan will help draw excess humidity out of the room as well.
• Ensure you are working in a well-ventilated area; use a facemask that will filter out fumes if your bathroom is not well-ventilated.
• Follow the instructions on the paint can.
• If using a ladder/stepstool to reach high areas, ensure the ladder/stool has proper footing and that you follow all safety precautions.
• After the painting is complete and you return to using it, ensure to the best of your ability that humidity is minimized. You may want to gently dry the walls in the shower (by patting with a towel) to help eliminate standing moisture.
• Do not scrub painted tile. Wipe with a damp sponge, then pat dry. No cleansers should be necessary. You will have to stay on top of keeping the shower walls dry so that soap scum/calcium/lime/etc do not build up.

Resources

• eHow Expert Article
• DIY website
• Ask the Builder website

[dtwelloh]

on 2/12/2009 Excellent step by step. Well written article as well. I give it 5 stars as well as a recommendation.

[VirtualWorker]

on 2/10/2009 Hi there,

Keep up the good work, five stars!

VirtualWorker

[marzel0us]

on 2/10/2009 To soanyway: Yes, chip-in brush, cut-in brush, trim brush - they're all the same! I should be more clear :-).

To funomom970, chenderson00 and healthymomof5: Let me know how it turns out if you give it a try, ok?

[chenderson00]

on 2/7/2009 Awesome article! I love home projects and this is a really neat idea! Didn't know you could without making it awful! 5*s

[soanyway]

on 2/6/2009 Good info. I had to read step 6 twice cause I don't know what a chip-in brush is??? Must be what you call it when you are from your area? I call it a trim brush. HA!