Can i paint over ceramic floor tiles?

longwalks1

My matt black ceramic bathroom floor tiles have been down for 4 years, and in a very hard water area, are basically ruined They are heavily water stained, and mrsbritishboy has tried every cleaning agent under the sun, still no joy

Are there any old wifes tales that will bring them back to life? Or can they be painted, then maybe laquered over the top? If so what paint would i need, and what sort of finish can i expect?

Any ideas, short of ripping them up and starting again, greatly appreciated

WhiteHorse

Try posting a query on DIYnot.com or other trade forums. Find them via Google.

sharkie

I would not advise you to do this method for health and safety reasons. However if it is just normal limescale then one of those floor cleaning squeegee pads with hydrochloric acid on it should work. Sulphuric should also work too. Try a small spot first. Once you have finished, neutralize the acid with backing soda. You do not want to get the acid on your clothes, skin, or breathe the fumes in.

the way I would suggest is to soak a sponge in vinegar and let the sponge sit on one tile over night, then see how it cleans up in the morning

You may have to regrout what ever you do.

I would just lay lino, cozytread over it.

System

i also live in a hard water area and have found a general purpose lime scale remover works well although it may take a few aplications.