Painting Tiles: Give a new lease of life to the tiles in your home

Ever thought about painting the tiles in your kitchen and bathroom? Yes, you can paint them! Retiling can be expensive and time consuming, but painting tiles could be a great option to breathe new life into your space at a fraction of the cost of retiling.

Not sure how to go about it? No stress: let's get into how you can go about painting your tiles and backsplashes.

Tools you will need

• Safety gloves
• Masking or painters tape
• 240 grit wet and dry sandpaper
• 600 grit sandpaper
• 38mm paint brush
• Mini microfibre roller and frame
• Roller tray
• Buckets
• Drop sheets
• Clean cloths
• White Knight Tile & Laminate Cleaner
• White Knight Tile & Laminate Primer
• White Knight Tile & Laminate Paint
• White Knight grout pen
• White Knight Rust Guard Solvent

Some tips before you start

• Clean the surface thoroughly to remove any scum, grease or stains.
• Cover up the gas top, floors and taps using masking tape and drop cloths.
• Avoid abrasive cleaning products after painting your tiles as it will damage the coat.
• Remove any silicone sealants from around showers, baths or sinks before painting the tiles and remember to re-seal after painting.
• Need re-grouting? Do it before you start painting, as the abrasives in grout will remove the paint.
• Calculate the amount of paint you need with the Taubmans Paint Calculator.
• Never paint directly from the paint container; you will get paint on the rim and the container will not seal properly, drying out the rest of your paint.
• Clean your brush and roller as soon as you are finished

Your paintwork is only as good as your prep

Preparing the surface is very important, and this is the step most DIYers skip and get it all wrong.

• Step 1: Fill up any cracks with grout or poly filler.
• Step 2: Clean the tiles using White Knight Tile & Laminate Cleaner. Clean in small sections. Spray 20 cm away from the surface and rub it using a wet sponge or cloth. You may want to use a scourer for stubborn stains.
• Step 3: Give the tiles a light sand using a 240-grit sandpaper for good adhesion and finish.
• Step 4: Wash and rinse tiles again and let the tiles dry thoroughly.

It's prime time

Now the surface is all ready to take on the paint. So, let's prime it with White Knight Tile & Laminate Primer that contains mircoban to protect against mould.

Half-fill your roller tray with primer and load the roller lightly, with just a little over half submerged in primer. Again, work in small sections, cover a few tiles at a time, roll in a zig-zag pattern and then roll it in one direction, from top to bottom, to get an even coat on all tiles. You may want to use a brush in some difficult-to-reach corners to ensure the surface has a uniform coat. Leave the primer to dry completely, which will take about four hours and then give it a light sanding using a 240-grit sandpaper. Once you are done sanding, dust off the surface or wipe it down.

It’s paint time

Now for the main event. You will need two coats of paint and a light sand between coats to get the job done. Use White Knight Tile & Laminate Paint that comes in satin finish and glossy finish variants.

Half-fill your roller tray with paint. First, paint the difficult to reach areas and corners using a brush. Now load your roller evenly, being careful not to use too much paint. First, do a light coat, then paint in a zig-zag pattern to cover more tiles and then even out the paint in top to bottom pattern and let it dry once you are done. Soak your brush and roller in water between coats, and when finished, clean them and leave them to dry. You will need to wait at least 6 hours between coats to let the paint dry off completely.

Once the first coat has dried, give it a light sand using a 600-grit sandpaper. Now, paint in the same zig-zag pattern and finish it off with a stroke in one direction for a smooth finish. After about two hours use a grout pen to paint in grout lines, working from bottom to upwards, and do a second coat after an hour.

Once you are done painting, clean the brushes and rollers in White Knight Rust Guard Solvent.

The paint will feel dry in about two hours, will fully dry in about eight hours, and will be fully cured in about a week. So do not use any hard cleaning products for at least a week.

If you want to see firsthand how easy it is to paint tiles check out the Transform your bathroom tiles with ease video and the job will feel like a cakewalk. Alternatively, watch this video to revive laminate surfaces with ease.

It will surely keep you busy over the weekend, but when you have finished painting the tiles, you will definitely feel it was worth the effort. Good luck!