HOW- TO HOW-TO PAINT TILES

Tired-looking kitchens and bathrooms can be given an uplifting makeover simply by painting the tiles. It
is inexpensive and easy to do, regardless of your level of DIY expertise.
See How-To: Replace Damaged Tiles
MATERIALS TOOLS
• Strong household or decorator’s cleaning • Paint brushes, 2 x 75mm synthetic bristle for tile
detergent primer and natural bristle for use with oil-based
• Lime scale remover gloss paint
• Fungicide solution, to remove black or brown OR 2 paint rollers, one suitable for use with
fungus from old grout acrylic water-based primer and one suitable for
use with oil-based gloss paint
• Tile primer paint
• Paint tray, for use with rollers
• Tile gloss or any good quality oil-based
gloss paint • Nail brush, stiff nylon bristles
• Grout pen, to recreate grout lines • Bucket
• Abrasive paper, 120 grit • Sponge
• Wet or dry paper, 180 grit • Stick for stirring paint
• Low-tack masking tape
• Polythene dust sheeting

B E F O R E Y O U S TA R T
1 Carry out any other decorating to be done.
2 Protect floors, work surfaces, basins, baths and so on with masking tape and polythene sheeting.
3 Use specially formulated tile primer for long-lasting adhesion. It is quick drying, low odour and prevents top
coats of oil/spirit-based gloss paint from blistering and peeling.
4 Tile primer is acrylic based, so clean tools in water.
HINT
Tile primer is designed to be used with oil-based gloss paint. On its own it is not waterproof. Avoid excessive
humidity until the primer is overcoated.
You will need 750ml for 9m2.
Primer touch-dries in two hours and a second coat of primer must be applied after eight hours.
It is advisable to use gloss tile paint formulated by the same manufacturer as the tile primer. Any good quality oil-
based gloss paint is acceptable however. Check the instructions; if these say clean brushes with white spirit, it is
oil based.
HOMEBASE stock two makes of tile primer and a good range of suitable International tile gloss paints (the finish
will not be as glossy as regular gloss paint), as well as all the tools you will need.

HOW - TO 1
F1 F2

F3 F4

P R E PA R AT I O N
Tile primer will not work over absorbent surfaces. Do not fill chips or areas of broken tile with decorator’s filler
or plaster. Any chipped or broken tiles must be replaced. See How-To: Replace Damaged Tiles.
Any new tile adhesive and grout must be thoroughly dry – allow seven days before starting to paint.
Clean tiles completely. Use detergent to remove all traces of dirt and grease. As necessary, use lime scale
remover and fungicidal mould remover formulated for use on grout (available from the tiling section in HOMEBASE).
All traces of detergent and chemicals must be washed off. Use a stiff bristle nail brush on the grout. The surface
must be left until thoroughly dry.

PA I N T A P P L I C AT I O N
1 Using a synthetic bristle brush, apply an even coat of tile primer over the tile surfaces, edges and grouting (F1).
Alternatively, use a roller suitable for use with an acrylic water-based paint (F2). Try to paint in one direction
only. Don’t try to paint over previously painted areas, as this will lift the paint.
2 Leave to dry for at least eight hours.
3 Once dry, very lightly abrade to remove any heavy brush marks or runs. Rub down with 120 grit abrasive
paper (F3), then remove any dust with a lint-free rag or a TACK rag (impregnated with linseed oil and white
spirit to absorb dust). The primer is water absorbent – do not use wet-or-dry paper with water.
4 Apply a second coat of tile primer to give a smooth white finish.
5 In between coats, tightly wrap loaded brushes and rollers in polythene held in place with masking tape (F4).
After use, wash brushes in water.

HINT
As tile primer is water absorbent, you should avoid excessive humidity until it is overcoated. If used in a shower
or bathroom, keep the room well ventilated whilst in use.

6 Lightly abrade the primer surface with dry 160 grit abrasive paper and dust clean.
7 Using either a natural bristle brush or roller suitable for applying oil-based gloss paint, apply the gloss. Begin
by painting along the grout lines and then all over to give a smooth, even surface. Make sure all the primer is
covered to create a hard-wearing and waterproof finish.
8 Leave the paint to dry according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Wrap tools in polythene.
9 When dry, lightly abrade using wet 180 grit wet-or-dry abrasive. Carefully wipe off the slurry and allow sur-
faces to dry.
10 Apply second gloss coat as before.
11 Clean tools with white spirit, then with detergent and water. Wrap in kitchen paper and dry, preferably in an airing
cupboard.

HOW - TO 2
 F7

F5

F8

F6

M U LT I - C O L O U R D E C O R AT I N G
Once the first two gloss coats have been applied and are dry, subsequent colours may be added to make
borders or to break up large areas of a single colour.
HINT
Always apply dark colours over lighter ones.
Use ‘low tack’ masking tape to mask off the area to be painted (F5)
Apply subsequent coats of gloss paint, either with a brush, narrow roller or paint pad. Mottled effects may be
achieved with ‘stippling’ or dragging brushes (you may want to thin the paint slightly). Other decorative paint
effects may also be used (F6).
Try these effects on single tiles first, so prime and gloss these as practice before you paint the tiled area.
HOMEBASE stock an attractive range of paint stamps, manufactured by the English Stamp Company. These
can be used to apply motifs to the tiles (F7). Be very careful, as the stamps are liable to slide when applying
gloss paint over gloss paint. Practice on other pre-painted tiles first. You will need a very steady hand! Use a
wooden batten to support the stamp.
Take care when cleaning the stamps, as white spirit may loosen the adhesive on the back of them.

FINISHING
When the paint is completely dry, use a grout pen to apply fresh white grout lines. Simply hold the pen at a 45-
degree angle to the grout line, depress the nib and move the pen along the line (F8). Always start from the same
end.
When applying vertical grout lines, start at the lower tiles and work upwards.
If the paint becomes thin, depress the nib several times onto newspaper until the paint flows white again.

HOW - TO 3