An alternative paint to tile paint?

milkybars

Any tips for using tile paint on a horizontal surface?

I've done two thin coats as suggested on the tin and also followed the advised preparation. The first coat was quite even but dried with a bit of crackling. This second coat seems to have almost got rid of the coloured tile pattern on the original tiles but you can see my brush marks and as its drying its starting to get the crackle along these brush lines.

Can I salvage this with another blumming neat coat? Am I using the wrong application technique? Narrow radiator roller maybe? Cover with a different type of paint... these are tiles on a window sill so I don't need the kind of water resistance you might need in a bathroom.

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I've binned that idea.... Anyone know what other paint I can use to paint tiles? It does not need to be water proof or even look like tiles.

dougk_2

I have used tile paint twice... first time I got similar results to you.
Second time they were plain tiles so looked better.
BUT... within two years the paint was flaking off so never again. Its better to rip off the old tiles or re-tile over the top , unless its a quick fix in order to sell the house!

milkybars

It is a quick fix... but not to sell the house. All the rooms have tiled window sills and the upcv windows were fitted (in the 80s) over the tiles so removing could cause problems with the windows. Anyway we are saving up to have the windows replaced and will have new sills fitted then but I thought a quick paint in white would look better than the very dated tiles.

milkybars

I managed to scrape off those three coats of tile paint - it was surprisingly easy. The rest came off with a damp cloth.

Does anyone know of an alternative to tile paint? As I mentioned above, I don't need it to be water proof, these tiles aren't in a bathroom or kitchen.

Errata

Are these the old fashioned terracotta colour quarry tiles? If they are, on mine I cleaned thoroughly with white spirit and used Dulux gloss paint with no problems.

milkybars

No they're ceramic (I think) tiles... y'know the usual common, slightly shiney bathroom tile, but on the window sills of all our rooms. My mum said her grandparents used to have them, quite fashionable back in the day apparently. In a quite dated shade of grey with blue flowers on. In other rooms in the house we have cream with a red boarder and in the dinning room cream with brown flowers!

I'm wondering if a primer then normal gloss might work.

dougk_2

I can think of two things -
Rough up the tiles (eg take the glaze off) and paint with Gloss - wouldn't like to say how long it would last and would scratch easy.
or
Cover the tiles with something - eg sticky back plastic or better still by some sort of UPVC facia (Eg http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav/nav.jsp?action=detail&fh_secondid=9413714&fh_view_size=6&fh_location=%2f%2fcatal!!!1%2fen_GB&fh_search=facia&fh_eds=%C3%9F&fh_refview=search&ts=1236341782177&isSearch=true) , cut to size and attach using no more nails or similar.