Painting kitchen wall tiles

restless6

I have white plain tiles in my kitchen which i hate.
I cannot redo my kitchen yet as funds are not there, so thinking of a cheaper option= painting them- ideally grey.

I know thar i can buy kitchen paint and paint them- but how would they withstand cleaning and wiping?
I have tiles behind my sink and cooker so they get wiped daily, would the paint peel off?

CathA

You can buy specific paint for tiles. From what I can remember, it was in B & Q and called Tile Paint. Other diy shops are available!

restless6

CathA wrote: »

You can buy specific paint for tiles. From what I can remember, it was in B & Q and called Tile Paint. Other diy shops are available!

Thank you.
I am aware of the tile paints available. I guess I am wondering more about the wear and tear and how long /good it lasts

Doozergirl

It won't last forever and it's never going to look wonderful.

If they are just white and not some old fashioned pattern that is really offensive, I'd leave it and paint the walls around it and accessorise or something.

pinkteapot

Have to agree with Doozergirl - I've never seen painted tiles that look good. If the tiles are clean, avoid painting if possible.

I have previously used grout whitener (it's basically Tippex!) when we had decent tiles with manky old grout. Up close, you could see the stuff was painted on, but for general room use it was a definite improvement as an interim measure.

Le_Kirk

I have used tile paint to cover up some old fashioned design tiles in my downstairs WC just above the washbasin. Not that I am a decorating !!!! but the quality is still good over ten years later.

phoenix_w

Tile paint can be OK as long as you prepare the surface well.

1. Clean the tiled area obsessively. Any bits of fluff will stick out like a sore thumb.
2. Stir the paint obsessively, especially if it's a bit old. The international tile paint I've used previously would separate into oil & pigment layers if left for a long spell and if you didn't stir well it would leave a yellow hue.
3. Use a gloss roller. You'll get brush strokes which stick out like a sore thumb otherwise
4. Post-painting, protect any surfaces you keep stuff on. If you have a tiles windowsill and keep stuff on it, any moisture left in long term contact will cause the paint to bubble and peel. I'd suggest a cut piece of toughened glass to go over the top of the surface sealed with mastick
5. Keep plenty spare. Hair dye etc. will be impossible to remove, so if you plan on using nasty chemicals you're going to have to suck up a touch-up job now and again.

If you can afford it, re-tiling is obviously a lot better!

cyclonebri1

Doozergirl wrote: »

It won't last forever and it's never going to look wonderful.

If they are just white and not some old fashioned pattern that is really offensive, I'd leave it and paint the walls around it and accessorise or something.

I'd go further, it's always going to look awful.

Seriously, the stuff is simply paint. Live with it until you can affoed to change it for the better

CathA

restless6 wrote: »

Thank you.
I am aware of the tile paints available. I guess I am wondering more about the wear and tear and how long /good it lasts

Sorry, I thought you meant ordinary paint on tiles. I did it in a bathroom, but the water/steam kept making it bubble up after a while. My sister painted her kitchen tiles and they were a lot better, at least they did her a turn until she could change them.

Ivana_Tinkle

I painted over hideous multicoloured kitchen tiles using tile primer and then bog standard cheap gloss. I didn't do it particularly carefully as it was only meant to be temporary, but it lasted fine for three years until we finally got around to re-doing the kitchen. I was pleasantly surprised that it didn't chip at all.

Only problem is the grout - no matter how careful you are, the paint bleeds into the grout, which looks awful so, unless you're using white paint, you'd really need to re-grout, and then you get to the point where it's all far more hassle than its worth.