How to Update Your Tile With Paint
Join our list here and don't miss anything from the blog - you'll find tutorials like painting tile and so much more! If you're looking for a very budget friendly way to update your tile backsplash, this is it! I was unhappy with our brown tile in the kitchen and wanted a change, but couldn't afford to rip it out and start over. The next best thing is painting it. And it's been almost two years since I painted and it's holding up beautifully. The whole project cost me about $25!
Here's what we started with:
You can see it's a typical builder grade tile - nothing fancy and it wasn't horrible, but I wanted lighter. Our kitchen is in the middle of our house and gets very little natural light.
The key to painting tile, especially in the kitchen is prep. You've got to get every ounce and speck of grime, oil, grease, dirt, whatever is on there from years of cooking has to come off. Tape off every surface you don't want paint to get on and cover your counters. I used newspaper or trash bags.
I cleaned with TSP - follow the directions on the bottle for proper use and disposal. And you've got to prime the surface so your paint has something to adhere to. Priming isn't fun, but necessary.
Here's what I used: You can get the full details and a one year update on the blog!
- Quality brushes - this is important! You don't want bristles coming out onto your paint
- TSP Cleaner - this ensures all the grime/grease is gone
- Oil based primer
- Gloss oil based enamel paint
- Painter's tape
And here's a look after priming:
And here's the look after painting!
Of course that pic is after I painted the cabinets too - and that project cost me a whopping $100! Be sure and go to the blog for all the details on how to update the kitchen cabinets for cheap!
Resources for this project:
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This turned out great.
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Very nice
Frequently asked questions
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Did you paint over the grout?
The painted tiles that are directly over the stove- can those be cleaned as one would normally clean that area to remove grease, sauce, whatever splashed or sizzled into the wall? Looks lovely (:
Did you paint the cabinets as well? The tiles look so good! I want to paint my white cabinets a soft color? Thank you Susan