DIY Question About Painting Bathroom Tile (floor, countertops, color, ceramic)

[MegDrew]

I have mottled white/grey (mostly grey) tile in my bathroom. Four pieces fell off the wall (no underlying damage; they're just old) and according to the super in my building, tiles in this size and color are no longer made. I bought white tiles to replace them, but I'd like to hand paint a grey design on them so that they match. Does anyone have any experience with this? What kind of paint should I use so that it doesn't peel off from the moisture?
I'm looking to sell my condo, but have been advised not to redo the bathroom as the buyer will probably want to do so to his/her own tastes, but I'd at least like to present matching tiles!
I've also heard tiles can be painted over entirely for a whole new look. Is this expensive? Difficult? Which option would you recommend??? I'm leaning toward the former, but interested in the latter for future reference.
Thanks!

[wyoquilter]

There are epoxy paints that might be what you need. You might want to sand the tile surface lightly to give it some tooth for the paint to stick to. You could also try an oil based paint as well.

[desertsun41]

No you can not paint tiles. There is a product out there called Kletcos that can be used to paint poreclain tubs.

Why were you advised not to do any remodeling? In this market a dumpy bathroom will lose you a sale at the drop of a hat. If you just have a few bad tiles why not just buy 4 tiles of a completely different color or a decoritive tile and make it look intentional.

Good luck selling anything in this market, especially anything not up to perfection.

[rubytue]

If they just fell off, why not clean them up and put them back?

In my kitchen, I painted over some 80's "herb" accent tile with a product I bought from Michael's. I just looked at it: Delta air-dry PremEnamel. I bought the base coat, the color, and the top coat. Its only been about 4 months, but it still looks great and I have scrubbed them a few times.

Before:


After:


side note: I highly recommend removed the knives from the knife magnet should you plan on sticking your head under the cabinet

Oh, and just so you don't think I painted the wall orange:

[MegDrew]

Thanks, Rubytue, those pics look great! Nice color scheme! (I would have just stuck these back on, but they broke when they hit the ground).

Desertsun, in defense of my bathroom (LOL), it's not dumpy. I just don't want mismatched tiles, hence the attempt to paint a gray design on the white replacement tiles to make them look artistic. It's actually something I'd like to learn to do anyway because I find artistic tiles to be quite attractive -- what better than to be able to personalize them? I was told not to remodel because the new owner will probably want to do so her/himself -- just like they tell you not to paint the walls (unless they're dirty and need a fresh coat of white) because your efforts will just be painted over again by the new owners. I don't know. The bathroom looks fine as is -- just a little outdated. I guess I'll see when I start showing the place.

Wyoquilter, thanks for the advice about sanding. I finally found some websites that told me how to do this and they said the very same thing.

Thanks all! To the crafts store I go!

[rubytue]

Good luck!!

Originally Posted by MegDrew

Thanks, Rubytue, those pics look great! Nice color scheme!

Thanks! We are slowly doing things with the kitchen. We remodeled the rest of the house completely, but the kitchen is functional, but ugly. I hope to put down new countertops and replace the tile eventually. But for now, this makes it so much more tolerable.

[motormaker]

The Super Chief in my house has been painting bathroom and kitchen tiles for years. Agree that she had to fire them in a kiln to get the paint to set, but it can be done. There are also decals that can be applied, but they must be fired or cured in a oven at high heat.

[Hayato]

get the paint store to match the color
then you can take it to the car collision place and get your design/paint clearcoated
theres also a scratch resistant clear coat spray from the carparts store

[jimboburnsy]

Originally Posted by MegDrew

I have mottled white/grey (mostly grey) tile in my bathroom. Four pieces fell off the wall (no underlying damage; they're just old) and according to the super in my building, tiles in this size and color are no longer made. I bought white tiles to replace them, but I'd like to hand paint a grey design on them so that they match. Does anyone have any experience with this? What kind of paint should I use so that it doesn't peel off from the moisture?
I'm looking to sell my condo, but have been advised not to redo the bathroom as the buyer will probably want to do so to his/her own tastes, but I'd at least like to present matching tiles!
I've also heard tiles can be painted over entirely for a whole new look. Is this expensive? Difficult? Which option would you recommend??? I'm leaning toward the former, but interested in the latter for future reference.
Thanks!

To me, this sounds like an excellent opportunity to learn how to tile.

[Coldjensens]

FInd a ceramic craft place. They will give you paint that will stick to the tile. You need to have htem back the paint onto the tile. We did this with about 100 small tiles and the paint is still holding up three years later. It is floor tile too.