Hello! I hope you’ve had a great week!
I can’t believe Christmas is only a little over 2 weeks away! I still have a bit of Christmas shopping to do. How about you? I’ve been doing most of my shopping on Amazon this year which has been wonderful not having to go out in the cold and crowds!
Today I’m going to share with you my latest little project. A few years ago I taught (HERE) how easy it is to install a tile backsplash. I demonstrated the process as I put up a mosaic tile accent around my powder bathroom.
I’ve enjoyed the look but if you’ve been reading for awhile you know how much I love clean, white, fresh spaces. Lately I’ve felt like all the earthy colors in the bathroom combined with not great lighting has made the bathroom feel dingy.
I decided to freshen it up by painting the tile accent white.
Here are the results!
Did you know you can paint tile?? I first learned this a few years ago when I came across Christy’s backsplash makeover on her blog 11 Magnolia Lane.
I was in awe that tile could be painted! Her kitchen backsplash tile was previously brown and was painted white as shown below.
She even shared a 1 year update saying the painted tile was still looking great! She used a primer and an oil-based paint to paint her backsplash.
I’m not a huge fan of oil-based paints (I like their results but not how they smell and are hard to clean off the brush) so I decided to give my tried and true Behr Alkyd Enamel a go and I am very happy with the results!
How To Paint a Tile Backsplash
- Wipe down the tile backsplash with your favorite cleaner.
- Paint the tiles with Behr Alkyd Enamel in your choice of color (I used pure white).
- Apply as many coats as needed (I did 3 coats with 4 coats in some areas). Let dry between coats.
- If you want your grout a different color than the tiles you can paint it the color you want with a tiny paint brush or use a grout marker.
That’s it!! I didn’t even need to prime. I’ve dug my nails into it and nothing! It’s rock hard. You can scrub it with water too.
Which makes me wonder if it would work on shower tile. I have no idea.
If you aren’t up for risking it Domestic Imperfection has a more involved tutorial on her blog where she uses a rustoleum product made for baths and showers.
Looks so much better!
From what I’ve seen around the blogosphere I believe you can paint floor tile too!
Have you painted over tile before? How did it turn out?
This really seems to be a great solution if you have tile in your home that you dislike but don’t want to go to the trouble of ripping out!
As always let me know if you have any questions! I hope you have a great weekend!!:-)
*** Affiliate Links were used in this post which means if you purchase through the link I will get a small percentage of the sale with no extra cost to you.:-)
Looks great -I painted the tiles around my fireplace surround as well as the hearth. I used Zinzer Bullseye primer and had it tinted gray. I did 3 coats ( very very light sanding in between) and then topped it with 3 coats of clear poly acrylic. It turned out beautiful and wears great .
Awesome, Marilyn, thanks so much for sharing your process and results!:-) Such a great solution!
Too bad I didn’t think of this before I re-tiled my back-splash! Oh well! Good to know for future reference. Looks great!
Thanks, Wendy! Wish I could see all you’ve done to your home! Miss ya!
Can you paint over glass tile? This is behind my commode tank and I wish to give it a face lift.
Hi Debra! Yes you can paint over glass tile the same way as I described in this tutorial. In fact some of the tiles in the mosaic tile I painted over were glass and it painted over great!
So did you paint every individual tile, or did you paint over the grout too? I have a backsplash in my kitchen that I thought I would need to replace in order to give it a face lift!
Hi Loie! I just painted it all including the grout because it was faster that way and because the grout was an off-white but I wanted it a pure white. If you didn’t want to pant the grout you could do each individual tile. Or I know Home Depot sells a grout marker that you can use to change the color of the grout. Best wishes!!
How is the painted tile holding up today?
It’s perfect! No problems at all with it!:-)
Hi Sarah! It’s held up perfectly! I’ve had no problems with it!
Hey! Did you use Behr Alkyd Enamel in semi gloss? Can’t wait to try! Jill
Yes, sure did!:-)
Love this idea!! I might give it a try on my kitchen backsplashes and paint them white. But how do I clean them? What do you use to clean the painted tiles? Do you repaint from time to time?
Did you use a primer first?