Painting kitchen tiles?

jak

Is it possible to paint kitchen tiles? If so what would people recommend? They are above the cooker and behind the sink. Going from blue and yellow (ergh) to either black or white. I can't afford re-tilling so I'd like to change them myself if possible on a pretty small budget.
Many thanks,
JAK

grumbler

IMHO, whatever the colour, any unpainted tiles are better than painted, especially in a kitchen and especially close to a cooker and a sink. 

Brie

I think that those are possibly the two worst places to try and paint due to the heat, grease and/or moisture to which they are subjected.  I'm sure there's some sort of paint that would work but I just don't think it will last.  Also not sure whether paint close to such a hot place so close to the cooker (gas? open flames?) would actually be very safe.

plumb1_2

I used V33 tile paint once in a bathroom, it’s a 2 part paint. Went on ok after degreasing the walls. Don’t know about long term use though , it was supplied by the LL

jak

Ok, thanks. I'll have to have a think about how I can try and change them on a budget.

MovingForwards

I contemplated doing mine, but didn't think it would last.

The next idea I'm thinking about is off cuts of those wipe clean boards (like in bathrooms), fixed on top of the tiles, with 'edging' to hide the tile/board join.

jamesperrett

I've got painted tiles in my kitchen that I inherited from the previous owner. I don't like the look of them but the paint seems to have stuck to the tiles pretty well and has probably been there for quite a few years. I'm afraid I've no idea what sort of paint they used though.

GDB2222

You can get stick on vinyl tiles that look quite nice for a while, are inexpensive, and easy to apply. You would need to get the old tiles really, really clean before sticking the vinyl tiles on. 

victor2

jak said:

Is it possible to paint kitchen tiles? If so what would people recommend? They are above the cooker and behind the sink. Going from blue and yellow (ergh) to either black or white. I can't afford re-tilling so I'd like to change them myself if possible on a pretty small budget.
Many thanks,
JAK

It's really not that big a job to fit tiles yourself, if you have just a little DIY skill. If the existing tiles are a standard size and not too diffficult to remove, you can, for example, get a box of 44 plain white tiles from B&Q for under £12. You would need a tile cutter, cement/grout and a few cheap tools, but you could probably do the lot for the same price as buying and applying decent paint - and the result would last longer.

IF you can get tiles the same size, you'll have a guide to where the new tiles go and can even do it a bit at a time...

GDB2222

You can tile on top of the old tile. 

twopenny

You can but I've seen a couple in neighbouring houses with ttile on tile done by a professional and it looks messy. The tiling is fine but the depth is confusing and obvious to the eye.

I'm struggling with grey and brown tiles. Nice in themselves but in a grey and brown kitchen I can't change I've gone for adding cream bits and bobs to alleviate the blandness.
Blue and yellow (remember that being trendy) could you accentuate one or other by bits and bobs?

I think the boards idea is good. But look for deep edging to disguise that bit.