Advice needed on painting kitchen tiles

Rosylee

I really need advice from savvy DIY'ers as I am clueless. Previous owners decided to make an entirely blue kitchen! The kitchen cupboards have been painted blue. The tiles have been painted blue. They have also added a blue spongy linoleum effect wallpaper on the walls (not sure what it is called -also blue!)

I intend to paint the kitchen cupboards at some point (that will require another post later). BUT I really want to paint the walls first. The problem is this. The tiles that have been painted blue - it is covered with a lot of grease that clearly has been there for years and does not seem to come off when I try to wipe the walls. Also, on one of the tiles just above the cooker the paint seems to have caused a "rippling" kind of effect as if the heat from the cooker did something. Please can someone advise me on

a) how to clean the tiles to prepare for it to be painted
b) what type of paint should I use and which is grease proof

As for the foamy, squishy wall paper on the other wall - can this be painted and if so, what type of paint is required?

All of this needs to be done quite cheaply of course. I just need it clean and fresh.

Any advice would be much appreciated

ormus

you can clean them off and paint them but its a stop gap measure only.
painted tiles look pretty awful.
the best way is to rip them off and fix new tiles.

use sugar soap to clean the grease off.
and plenty of elbow grease.
(wickes sell it).

Yolina

ormus wrote: »

use sugar soap to clean the grease off.
and plenty of elbow grease.

Yep, sugar soap rules

I had horrible tiles in my kitchen too when I bought my flat... Instead of painting them or ripping them off (too much hassle!), I just gave them a good clean and tiled over them

I also painted the cupboards until I had saved up enough to have them changed. Take the doors off, give them a good clean with sugar soap, apply appropriate primer, once dry give a light sanding, paint with satinwood (emulsion won't be hardwearing enough for kitchen cupboards) using a mini roller with a sleeve appropriate for the paint, 2 coats with a light sanding in between for a perfect finish Re-hang doors when dry, job done.

No idea about how to paint the "squishy" wallpaper.

Rosylee

Thanks for the response. I can't afford new tiles nor someone to tile, so painting them is my only choice. I know painted tiles are horrible, but I have to work with what I have. Thanks for the advice for the cupboard doors.

Now if anyone knows what the squishy, soft wall paper is and whether it can be painted, I would be grateful for your help.

Churchpolly

Hi, I painted my kitchen tiles four or five years ago and they still look great. No one who visits ever guesses that they are painted (and that includes friends who would definitely say so!).

I began with the view that I had nothing to lose because I would have had them replaced if it hadn't worked out and anyway a nice clean painted tile would be better than the old dingy brown ones I wanted to replace. You must buy proper tile paint and tile paint undercoat - dont be tempted by cheaper alternatives.

I took very great care in the cleaning, removing every bit of grease and allowed the tiles to dry thoroughly in between treatments, leaving at least a couple of days each time. Read the instructions on the tin and you cant go wrong - I applied a proper tile paint undercoat and again, left it a couple of days to dry absolutely completely. Then I applied two coats of tile paint - result? Fantastic beautiful white tiles which have been washed and cleaned for over four or five years now and look as good as new, not one chip to be seen.

I am about to begin the process of having my old kitchen replaced as I have been saving for a new one but painting those tiles was one of the best diy jobs I ever did.

Go ahead and do it - some people can be a bit snobby about painted tiles but I have been absolutely delighted! best wishes, Polly.

Yolina

I did the tiling myself... Nothing too complicated though cutting can be a PITA. So maybe something worth bearing in mind once you've got a bit more money available for kitchen improvements, simple ceramic tiles aren't outrageously expensive (around £10 per sq.m) but obviously it depends on how big the surface to tile is.

Good luck

barbarajon

I think painted tiles can look great if you're careful when choosing paint colors. Find something that fits with the style you're trying to achieve with your kitchen redo. As long as you paint carefully I'm sure it will come out great.

arbrighton

And why are we dragging up two year old threads?