After years of use, your bathroom and kitchen tiles begin to look dull and dated. Usually, most people just replace them entirely but instead of replacing them, you could simply repaint them. Repainting tiles is a much cheaper way to improve the look of your bathroom and kitchen as opposed to tile replacements.
Preparation
When it comes to painting anything, the act of painting itself is just one step among others. The preparation steps are a huge part of painting and must be perfected if your paint job is to come out good.
- Clean the tiles: Your tiles must be super clean before you paint. Use bleach to remove any mildew then follow up by cleaning with a scrub brush and an abrasive cleanser. Rinse the tiles thoroughly and wipe dry with a towel or cloth rag.
- Sand: A well sanded surface is a rough surface which is what is needed for paint adhesion. You can use an orbital sander which is faster and better than hand sanding. If hand sanding, use fine, synthetic grit sandpaper for the job.
- Rinse, dry and wipe: Rinse the tiles after sanding and leave to dry. It may take about 30 minutes to fully dry. After it has dried, wipe the tiles with a clean cloth that will not shed any lint. If you cannot rinse, use a damp cloth. The tiles must be squeaky clean and free of any particles.
Painting
Now that you have cleaned and sanded your tiles, you can begin painting.
- First, protect: Use painter’s tape to protect the areas and edges closest to the tiles you would be repainting so that paint does not get on them.
- Prime: If using latex paint, you would have to use a primer first. Apply one or two coats of the primer and let them dry for the recommended time. Use both a paintbrush and a roller for priming. With the brush, you can prime ‘cut in’ right up to the edges and not just the open, large surfaces which the roller will cover.
- Paint: Apply two coats of your latex or epoxy paint and leave to dry. Remember to wait between the applications of coats- each coat should have dried for the recommended time before you apply the next one.
Things to take note of
When painting, it is advisable that you use only foam rollers. This is because anything other than a foam roller may leave hairs or other particles in your paint which would just be ugly and would mean that you have to sand the paint to remove them. As an alternative, you can use a spray gun.
Do not use water based paints for your tiles. Your kitchen and bathroom are the parts of your house exposed to water the most. If you used water based paint for their tiles, then say bye to your paint job.
Avoid using the same paint tray for consecutive coatings. Place a liner in the tray and after each coat, dispose of it. If you use the same tray for the coats, by the time you add new paint to the tray, the new paint will mix with the old paint and it might cause your paint to have bumps in it.
It is recommended that you buy a pre-packaged kit. They usually come with easy to mix paint components, instructions and directions, as well as a list of tools/items needed. Lastly, ensure that the area is well ventilated and that you use a respirator or at least a mask. Epoxy paints have super strong and not so pleasant smells.
