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Original poster

Tile Paint - yes or no??

40 replies

ChippingIn · 07/05/2011 14:12

OK - I have always hated tile paint, never seen any that has looked good or lasted.

However, I'm doing up the kitchen as cheaply as possible because it actually needs ripping out and replacing, but that's not going to happen for at least a year, if not more.

I have tiles in there that are very, very dated and I was going to take them all off, make the walls good and continue the paint down to the bench top... however, it's going to be a huge job as they are very, very well cemented to the wall so it will take an age to get them off and then to make the wall anything like 'OK' to paint. I don't want to spend any money getting it tiled at this stage.

So - tile paint? Has anyone had any luck with any?? If so what brand etc did you use and how long has it been done for?

Thank you!!!

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OP posts:
Original poster
ChippingIn · 07/05/2011 15:09

No-one?

Hellllllppppp!

B&Q for tile paint or hammer and chisel?????

OP posts:
Furball · 07/05/2011 15:22

I haven't used - but they have very good reviews if you goggle

stick and go tiles

Would probably look much better than tile paint. Obviously depends on the area size for costings, but would imagine it would be more worth it than tile paint Smile

Also it is quite common to tile over tiles (if you wanted to re-do with ceramic) apparently the old tile makes a perfect base for the new one to stick to.

Original poster
ChippingIn · 07/05/2011 15:24

Thanks furball - I'll go and have a look :)

OP posts:
StudiousSal · 07/05/2011 15:31

Tile paint is absolutely crap, I brought some from dulux tbh I would have needed
To do at least 10 coats, it was as watery as milk, in the end I just used a cheap
Emulsion, for under coat, then applied the colour I wanted, still looks ok 2 years on.

Original poster
ChippingIn · 07/05/2011 15:50

Furball - it was a great idea - thanks :) I'd need 12 boxes (minimum) at £10 per box, so it's not too bad, but I was hoping to get away with a £20 tin of tile paint or hardwork/plaster/paint for free. Will need to think about it. I guess I could order one box to see what they're like.

StudiousSal - there is a new one out by dulux (well, apparently it's new Hmm) that's supposed to be the bees knees... I wish they had a tester. Are yours in an area that gets splashed/wiped etc? Mine are behind the sink, around the cooker etc. Did you sand them or do anything before you put the emulsion on them or did they have the tile paint underneath?

OP posts:
spongefingerssavedmylife · 07/05/2011 17:31

I used white tile paint on some tiles that were white with dark green pics of vegetables (bleurgh). It worked much better than I thought, took two coats and so far has lasted more 5 years.

Original poster
ChippingIn · 07/05/2011 17:47

Wow sponge that's good (sound like they were lovely tiles you covered up though! Grin.

Can you remember what brand it was?

A friend has done her bathroom tiles and they look bloody awful (she agrees totally!). I'm just so torn.....

I guess it's only £20 to try it.

OP posts:
Original poster
ChippingIn · 08/05/2011 13:21

Hammer & chisel in one hand - paint brush in the other... gahhhhh.

Semi tempted just to leave them as they are.... but they are indeed dated :(

OP posts:
wonkylegs · 08/05/2011 22:22

International Tile Paint - white
used it in my last house when I couldn't afford to re-tile a floor to ceiling bathroom with feature tiles which pictured pink penis shapes Hmm - was very keen to remove those
Took lots of care and patience to avoid drips but lasted well even in shower area & after the amazingly ungentle cleaning attempts of my all male household.
Still looked good a few years later when I can to selling the place

Original poster
ChippingIn · 08/05/2011 22:30

Wonky - thanks :)

Someone has painted the tiles in the bathroom with a blue tile paint, it looks 'ok' but you can see they've been painted.

My friends trying to convince me to rip them out and re-tile myself. The thing is that the kitchen is the main entrance so if I make a pigs ear of it, it will be very noticeable (or I'll have to pay a tiler to fix up the fuck up!).

...dithering....

OP posts:
SherlockMoans · 08/05/2011 22:33

Hubby (professional decorator) has used tile paint - international rings a bell - he said it was primer & paint all in one and looked ok when done (obviously he doesnt know how it wore over time)

I would say probably best to stick to white paint unless you want to get into re-grouting too.

wonkylegs · 08/05/2011 22:37

in that first house I also ripped out the kitchen tiles - they were a truly minging poo brown, textured tile dripping with about 20yrs of chip pan grease Shock
I replaced with a fine rough texture plaster skim coat (think fine stipple not artex styley) in white, (wipe clean paint) with an expressed brick panel behind glass behind the cooker. It looked really smart and different but was a lot of work....it also helped that both my boyfriend at the time and I were/are architects.

SherlockMoans · 08/05/2011 22:39

Also PLEASE dont listen to your friend - removal of tiles often causes damage to the wall underneath so you could end up having to re plaster the damage. Hubby often tiles over old tiles but, again, you need to know what you are doing - you need to have TONS of patience, proper tile cutters are expensive and unless you use spacers and get it right it will be an expensive and ugly mistake.

I cant understand why people pay him to paint rooms (because as long as you have time & patience its easy) I TOTALLY understand why you should pay good money to a professional tiler!!

valiumbandwitch · 08/05/2011 22:42

i was watching (an rte programme) 'roomers' last week and they did up a kitchen on a budget and just painted over the tiles. the overall effect of the room looked great, but one of the judges immediately noticed that the tiles were painted and commented that the effect was a bit cheap. But I think painting tiles would be a very good temporary measure, if you want to do a kitchen up properly at some point.

valiumbandwitch · 08/05/2011 22:45

Those stickandgo tiles look really good!

ravenAK · 08/05/2011 22:46

International paint is pretty good. It'll never look 'perfect', but with a bit of care it'll be OK.

Just done ours (black over white) & pleased with the result - like you we could really do with a new kitchen!

Original poster
ChippingIn · 08/05/2011 22:48

Sherlock - thank you :) It would be a cream I guess if I paint them as the cabinets are a sort of fawn and the benches a wood grain so white would look awful.

The majority of it can be done without cutting a single tile or I wouldn't even be considering it!! LOL The only bit that requires a bit of messing about is behind the taps/window sill and if I were to choose the right size tiles even that might not be an issue.

I really feel these tiles are too thick to tile over...?

Wonky - these are a sort of natural/brown/fleck with random ones with brown pictures on them of oast houses/windmills etc - very tastefull circa 1975 Grin

OP posts:
chocolatespiders · 08/05/2011 22:48

I have used international tile paint before and it looked fine, i used one of those very small rollers to apply it and it has lasted years. now i would like to update it and those stick on tiles look good but is it American site?

valiumbandwitch · 08/05/2011 22:52

that girl was Enbglish

Original poster
ChippingIn · 08/05/2011 22:53

valium - they do look OK don't they. They are an option. The thing is the kitchen was not on the plan until I couldn't resist pulling off the paper last weekend! I had decided just to pull the paper off, sand and paint the walls to freshen it up until it gets to the top of the list! Then my friend said 'so what are you doing about the tiles' and I was ....'errr ummm errr umm shit'
So I'm trying to do it without spending too much and they're going to cost best part of £200.

Raven - interesting :) What did you do to prepare the tiles? Do they look glossy or matt?

OP posts:
Original poster
ChippingIn · 08/05/2011 22:55

Chocolate - a roller you say? Hmm... was it a special tile paint roller or just a very small normal roller? Foam or shaggy stuff??

My friend did hers with a brush - but you can see the brush marks.

OP posts:
SherlockMoans · 08/05/2011 22:59

Hubby used a roller (sorry dont know if shaggy or foam) im guessing tile paint is oil based so choose the right roller for oil based - hes gone to bed so I cant ask. Not special tile rollers just one of the mini kits you get.

SherlockMoans · 08/05/2011 23:00

Honestly if you are only intending this until you do the room properly - re-tiling will be very expensive.

Original poster
ChippingIn · 08/05/2011 23:03

Yeah - a tin of tile paint is sounding like a good interim problem solver. If it looks crap I can always have another re think can't I :)

OP posts:
chickchickchicken · 08/05/2011 23:17

i painted my kitchen tiles about 5 years and they still look good. i painted mine a pale blue. i was covering up green check tiles with flowers and as the whole kitchen is tiled they looked absolutely horrible. i did it as a temporary measure but they looked so good just left them. i think the brand was international. i remember i bought it from b & q so if it wasnt international (which i have used for a few things so cant remember whether this included kitchen) then it would have been b & q own brand

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