How to DIY: Stencil Paint a Ceramic Tile Floor the Cheap and Easy Way

9 Materials
$75
2 Weeks
Easy

I know, who needs another lesson on how to stencil paint a ceramic tile floor? This one is different though. It’s cheaper, it’s easier. And you get great results. Check it out!

Our hall bathroom floor is a disaster. I have never seen such a poor tiling job in my life. Everything was wrong with it, on top of the color(s) just not working for me.


Rather than rip it out I opted to stencil paint it.

There are a few steps to this and a lot to be aware of so be sure to swing by my blog and read what I learned about painting a tile floor by clicking here.


The main lesson I can share with you is that you don't have to buy the fancy specialty paints. You can do this whole project inexpensively with regular paints.


Tip 1: Buy your stencil and have it sized exactly to the tiles you're painting. Then plan your color layout.

Pick up a bonding adhesion primer that's meant for ceramic tile.

After cleaning the floor and grout (skip the vinegar on the grout!), prime with 2-3 coats then base coat the floor in the background color of your choice using latex paint, 2-3 coats there too.


Trust me, painting is like a sandwich cookie; you need a good top and bottom and everything between is fluff.


So use latex paint, craft paint -- it's cheap and it works!

Now it's time to stencil! Yes, I realized here that I bought the wrong stencil for my offset tiles but I figured it'd still be ok. If you have OCD, best avoid the rest of the photos, heh. Noooo, it's fine.


Use cosmetic wedges to dab on the paint. They're soft, pliable, cut-able, easy to use especially for a beginner, and they help regulate the amount of paint used, cutting down on leaks.

Then just keeeeep going, this a long long long process that takes a lot of time and plenty of patience, especially if you have a shedding pet....oh the fur. The fur.

When you're done, seal up the floor with water-based polyurethane, at least five coats. I stopped at five as the dog fur was making me insane.


Be sure to swing by my blog, Flipping the Flip, for more details about this project and a slew more!

And there we have it folks, a painted stencil floor, cheap and easy!


Click the link below to read more about this project!

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Becky at Flipping the Flip
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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3 of 16 questions
  • Kar52825421 Kar52825421 on Sep 26, 2021

    Hello just bought this house and don't like the kitchen tile which is 12x12 is their a way to update it without taking it up and out?

    That would be such a messy process.

  • Bry Bry on Apr 14, 2022

    I really do like what you did to your bathroom floor. It looks great. Any ideas for our bathroom ceramic tile floor? It's got 2x2 inch tiles with a very nice subtle whitish-beigeish mottled pattern. I painted the ugly brown grout about four years ago changing it to off-white. I recently went over the grout again to freshen it. The grout lines are only about 1/8" and it's a very time consuming job. Thought perhaps next time I might just paint the entire floor rather than the tedious grout painting job.

  • Leslie Leslie on Jun 11, 2022

    Hi Becky, I usually do not like the look of painted and stenciled floors and tiles because they come out too harsh and busy for my eyes and my brain screams a bit too. Your stencil is beautiful and the colors you used are perfect and the whole effect with the stencil is NOT wrong but very right. Not sure if it is the angle of the shot but it looks to me as though the room looks bigger. Thank you so much for telling people they don't need to take out a second mortgage with the kind of paint to use :) I am going over to your site to see if you put the maker of your stencil there but if not can you please tell me the name and maker of it? Thank you for taking the time to answer.


    Ok, I went to your site and the link to your stencil at Etsy was not working. Said the site can't be found. Is there an online address or name of the stencil and the maker you can share to see if I can get in touch with them because I truly like the design? It is not too busy or too plain. Your Help is most appreciated.


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  • Susie Susie on Jun 11, 2022

    Love it! So beautiful!

  • I have white unglazed 12x24 in kitchen, family room and hall. After my doxi recently passed the floors looked better, she shed like crazy! Still have my 13 yo long haired cat and a poodle breed that is 20! They keep me busy since white floors show everything! Someday when I'm free of pets I want to paint them and stencil! I think something was wrong with my brain when I picked out unglazed white floors!

    • White unglazed tile is terrific in my opinion (it's my shower floor actually) but it can be a beast to maintain, especially with lots of four-legged friends. I'm so very sorry for your doxi loss; I know that pain.


      You should have an easy go of stenciling on that tile as you won't have the glaze to contend with so you did right by yourself after all! Thanks so much!

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