Have you ever painted a tile floor?

[Phentex]

The guest bath is very small, but I'm not ready to pull up the tile and redo it. It's a plain white tile but the sheen is gone and the grout is discolored. The tile itself is not in horrible shape, no cracks or anything. Just dull. I'd like to paint it a light gray.

I've been googling and the major concern is water on it. I do mop this floor but it doesn't get much water on it otherwise.

Have you ever done this?

[Wash. state Desk Jet]

1. Had old 1950's pink tile in a office building

Stuff was ugly. I got tired of looking at it and when clients used it , it was embarrassing because the stuff was so ugly. In the 50's tile was done very different than it is done today. Wire mesh was put down and mastic was mortar., very thick and difficult to demo. You can tile over tile .

What I did is use some no glue linoleum. Across the tub at the floor you put down double side stick tape. And across the entrance way at the door. That's it ,the floor looked great.I know you think the grout lines show through,that didn't happen.Small bathroom, you got about $35.00 to do the experiment? I used some left over stuff from a project. You know the idea anything will look better than that floor looks now. I did not expect the floor to look great.

You cut it in with a razor knife,across the door. I put in a carpet tack strip to give it a finish look.And of course did a caulk line across the floor at the tub. Anyway, no glue linoleum ,and you can use the bathroom just as soon as you are done. Took me less than one hour.The stuff lays there flat, flatter than flat.And nobody will know you used a no glue linoleum over tile unless you tell them.
and it stands the test of time.You don't have a tremendous selection of colors and patterns in the no glue line in linoleum, but you said the floor is basic white so that shouldn't a issue.

I think you will find the process of refinishing tile or painting it ,is nothing more or less than a pain in the ass for nothing and no good can come out of it. At a tile store they will tell you it's time for a new floor.

So two suggestions tile over tile ,or no glue linoleum.No glue linoleum is easy to install ,although removing the toilet is always going to give you a beautiful finish look and to some people pulling the toilet is a real task. really it's no big deal! Under the sink cabinet is also a good place to use the double sticky tape.Your cuts must be perfect and nothing less than that.you cut it in using a razor knife.You measure precisely or you make a perfect pattern of the floor . If you can cut it in perfectly ,you will have a fast easy professional looking install.

It took me about an hour because I decided to install new moldings and a new towel rack!

[Phentex]

4. What about the tile base molding or

whatever you call it? There's 6 inch tiles with a curve at the bottom and the top all the way around the edge of the floor. See, I don't think replacing the tile would be hard, but yanking that out would mean new drywall and then we're talking more than I want to do. Plus, as you say, 1961 tiling might not be a breeze to remove.

Would it look funny to have the linoleum meet up with the tile around the base? How would I work around that little dip at the bottom?

I really prefer the idea of covering, but I thought paint might be better than nothing.

Thanks!

[Wash. state Desk Jet]

8. I answered some of those questions .

If you ran the no glue linoleum up the tile boarder two inches and use some glue where the floor meets the tile boarder than above that the sticky tape,than you add five inch molding ,rubber base as described in the post below, and there is a curve in the rubber base molding too, you may see at the every bottom where the linoleum runs up the wall ,but it will look just fine. On the other hand you might not notice it at all. You will use the razor knife to cut little slices in the no glue linoleum in the corners to make the linoleum conform where the walls join.you would get around caulking at the bottom of the molding around the walls that way? Now, sometimes in kitchens or baths, the floor cabinets at the toe kick or kick plate, there will be much wear and tear, now, when installing a new floor, say glue down linoleum, sometimes we run the excess right up the kick plate and glue it to the kick plate, and sometimes it just stays there perfect with out glue. now, where the kick plate looks rough, although nobody really looks under there, it now looks great,although nobody really looks under there! Unless of course you do the cleaning or are a dog! OK so, what that does is create a perfect finish look. Since that is not customary on a flooring install, when I do that I always show the client what it looks like before I glue in the floor, or glue in the floor and not at the kick plate so the client cant decide rather or not to keep it that way.Nobody has ever told me to remove the linoleum at the kick plate on the bottom cabinets because the fact is it looks great! Thats what they tell me.However when I do new cabinets I use the base plate cover that comes with those cabinets and trim the floor in up to the kick plate . So, there's an idea for you out of the remodel game.You could just run the linoleum up the tile ,glue it than cap it off at the top with a molding stripsuch as on or two inch. you are thinking creative there. Isn't that the idea behind puting a tile boarder around the wall ? In commerical kitchens for example linoleum will be run up the wall to create a boarder ,that way cleaning is more sanitary,when the mop is run along the edges.That is also why the rubber base molding is widely used in kitchens and baths.

By the way those tiles can be carefully removed without breaking away the dry wall. If you can clean out the grout ,remove it ,the tiles should break away, you use a chisel and hammer than tap those ties out carefully. sometimes you can scrape the mastic off, of course you will tear the paper lining , but you will add six inch molding which will hide all that. Sometimes I do it on repairs,say replacing a bath facet in a tile in bath tub. I use a roto zip with a tile bit to remove the grout.In many cases over the years it is the grout that holds everything together. That means some of those tiles just fall off or are pry ed off very easily. A roto zip is a contractor version of what some call a dremal!The roto zip is not hobbyist tool!however I do find a dremal with digital veritable speed control handy when doing precise alterations on lock sets ,other than that it's a hobbyists tool.

If you have any questions before you start what ever method you use feel free to ask. I've never painted tile but Warpy seems to know a lot about that. Frankly I would quote her on that in that it will never stand the same as a baked on tile finish but for walls it can work. Refinishing bath tubs is about the same except you walk on it. So what Warpy's talking about applies to the bath tub refinish.About five years on those on the refinish last-ability.
Seems to me no matter which method you use somebody knows how to here. I would imagine you can proceed with confidence.

I am sure a trip to builders supply looking for ideas will simplify it for you.


Good Luck and check out your options.

[Warpy]

2. See above for a better solution, linoleum is easy and covers all sins

I have painted wall tile with epoxy paint and had fairly good results. It is in a shower stall and doesn't get hard use, metal items banging into it, or people walking across it. It took quite a bit of prep work but it's held up for almost 10 years with few dings showing the diarrhea yellow underneath. I'd do it again on a wall in a heartbeat.

However, floors are different. Even if you seldom use the bathroom, you will use it and the paint will suffer. It's just not going to last. If you don't want to do the linoleum, the best bet would be to regrout it and use a floor polish like Future on it afterward to give it a shine when you mop.

[Phentex]

5. I really like that idea...

I think I would have more color choices by just covering the tile. Not sure how it would look with the tiles around the edges though.

[Wash. state Desk Jet]

7. Run the flooring up the tiles along the edges.

Use the tape to secure it,there will be some cutting in. you can add four or five inch glue in molding,there is self adhesive. It is a rubber product so it stands to moisture. Comes in 2 1/2 inch 4" and I think 6".That will bring in your finish look. When I use the self adhesive molding in kitchens and baths,I always add glue,either contact cement or heavy duty liquid nails construction adhesive. That way your moldings will not detach from the wall.And the stuff looks fine. Plus you won't have to look at those tiles or be remined about all that.In other words the molding will hide the tiles.

Using that method you are done in half a working day there ,there abouts.You must be careful not to have excess glue Ozzie out the top or bottom or at the joints. Paint thinner will remove it though. There may be a little touch up painting if you have to clean out glue excess.

If you have heard of pergo ,those snap together flooring products,they make flooring especially for kitchens and baths. It too installs right over the top of the tile and is easy to install. There is cutting involved that requires power tools. They even make the stuff to look like 12"by 12 ' tiles, of course it's imitation but it looks great.

Really you have a number of cool options. I am considering the fact yer view is anything would look better than faded old tiles and you most likely do not want to spend a fortune to to upgrade or face lift a small 2nd utility bathroom.

I would visit a builders supply or home depot or a place like that and check out some of those inexpensive options you have.



Good luck with your project.

[Phentex]

9. Oh, you people are goooooood!

Covering all of it. Now why didn't I think of that?

I think either pergo or linoleum would be far easier to care for. I like the idea of changing the look.

THANKS ALL!

[Stinky The Clown]

3. The grout is usually the culprit

Replacing it isn't that difficult. You can a hand tool ("grout saw") for few bucks. It is low tech but effective. You can go deep and remove all the grout, but all you really need to is cut it down about halfway and regrout.

A Dremel is ideal for doing this. They make a grout bit that is easy to use, effective, can be set to a specific dept of cut.

[Phentex]

6. I'm sure it would make a huge difference...

but I'd still have the ugly tile. :)

I *will* do this before I even consider ripping the tile out.