Stencil and Seal Your Outdated Bathroom Tile

Jenni Ingram
by Jenni Ingram
6 Materials
$50
3 Hours
Easy

I had prepped and painted the tile in a previous post. I could have sealed it up and been done, but I had a different vision in mind. I wanted to use a stencil to make it look like cement tiles that are so popular. So this post is all about stenciling bathroom tile.

I wanted my pattern to take up 4 tiles so it wouldn’t be too busy visually. I measured the width of 2 tiles and had my stencil made to this size.  I bought a custom sized stencil from an Etsy shop, link below.


The easy part about stenciling bathroom tile is you use the grout lines to keep the stencil straight. I used painters tape on each side to keep the stencil in place while I painted.  

Using a foam roller, I painted with Dixie Belle's Drop Cloth as my stencil color. I poured a little paint on a paper plate to roll in, don’t get too much paint! You can roll excess paint off on a paper towel if necessary. Then roll over the stencil. Alternate sections to allow one section to dry. This was a little tedious and time consuming but gave the best results.


I washed the stencil in warm water every few uses. 

Once completely dry, I sealed it with 2 coats of Gator Hide. I applied it with a brush, working it into all the grout lines. 

 

There were a few places where the tiles met the tub that needed more attention. I used a small paint brush to touch up the pattern. 

This tub makes a statement!

Blue, black and white for a win! I also added a barn wood shelf above the tub.


Be sure to check out my tile priming and painting post on my blog and subscribe to never miss any posts!


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Jenni Ingram
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  • BelovedsBride BelovedsBride on Apr 02, 2019

    Could you do this to the tub as well?

  • Finley Rae Finley Rae on Oct 30, 2019

    What do you do or how do you re-grout the tiles once it’s painted? How well did it stand up to use? We have hard water here, can it be scrubbed once stenciled? I love what you did, it looks fabulous!

  • Lawrence Lawrence on Apr 03, 2022

    How do you rep-late metal furniture hardware to a brass or brushed nickel without it looking like it’s painted on?

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