How to Paint Ceramic Tile

Painting ceramic tiles is a quick and inexpensive way to make hideous tile look beautiful. And I will show you how to do it right. I am Meghan Carter and this is AsktheDecorator.

Before we start painting ceramic tiles let’s talk about why and where to do it. Painting ceramic tiles should really only be a last stitch effort because it is very hard to clean. You can’t scrub it and you can’t use abrasive cleaners on it. In addition, you can only pain ceramic tile in places that won’t be wet. You can’t paint ceramic tiles in shower or other places that are around a lot of water because mildew likes to eat certain types of paint. And you don’t want your new paint finish to get eaten. If you are going to paint ceramic tile on a countertop such as this, you have to make sure that you are willing to clean up the water as soon as it gets on it. Now if it still sounds appealing to you, I will show you how to paint ceramic tile.

First you need to clean the tile thoroughly and I mean really clean. You cannot have any mold or mildew underneath your paint as I said before it will eat right through it. Once you have cleaned your ceramic tile, dry it. If you want to make sure you get crisp blinds use painter’s tape. Stick the tape anywhere you don’t want to paint. Once the tape is on it’s time to apply the primer. Now I recommend using an oil-based primer because it is a lot stickier than a latex primer. When you apply the primer all you will need is a clean brush and make sure to use straight even strokes.

The groves in the tiles can be tricky to paint. To paint the groves and get extra paint out of the groves, take the tip of your paintbrush and run it along the grove. Then go over the tile with a light brush stroke to blend your other strokes together. When you finish applying the primer let it dry. Read the instructions on the primer to see how long you should wait.

The primer is dry so it’s time to start painting the ceramic tiles. I will be using an oil-based paint because it is more durable than a latex paint. Now when you paint the tiles use the same exact method as you did with the primer. Remember, use straight and even brush strokes.

To make this ceramic tiles look a bit more interesting I’m going to paint all of the little tiles with darker gray. To do that, I will use a small paintbrush and a steady hand. The result is fabulous. Let the paint cure for the amount of time listed on the label. Then apply a coat of urethane the same way that as you applied the paint. Let the urethane fully cure before setting anything on the ceramic tile. If you skip putting on the urethane your paint finish will easily scratch off.

It is amazing what a little paint can do. I am Meghan Carter and this is AsktheDecorator. For more decorating tips and information on new decorating products, visit my website AsktheDecorator.com.


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