Learn how to paint tiles and give your kitchen or bathroom a new lease of life.
Completely changing the atmosphere in your kitchen or bathroom can be as simple as painting the tiles.
Want to know how to do it? Follow this step-by-step guide.
Who hasn’t had the urge to change the color of their tiles, either because they’ve bought a house to renovate or simply to change the color of those tiles that are more than 10 years old? The alternative can be to replace them with new tiles or, in a quicker and cheaper version, to paint them. In this article we show you how simple it is. Just one suggestion: if you want to enlarge the space, use light tones.
STEP 1 – PREPARE THE SURFACES
Since tiles have a smooth surface that can’t be sanded, like a wall, you need to do some preparation. Start by insulating and protecting the areas that won’t be painted, such as furniture, electrical sockets, mirrors and sanitary ware.
Now you can clean the tiles:
– Remove any traces of limescale or silicone with a scraper and a stainless steel scouring pad.
– Use soap and water to clean and a cellulose-based thinner to degrease.
– At the end, wipe the tiles with a damp cloth and leave them to dry outdoors. You’re ready to paint!
STEP 2 – APPLY A PRIMER
The primer has the function of improving the adhesion of the paint, but also of covering the pores of the surface for a perfect finish.
Apply with a small, short-haired roller or brush to ensure better absorption in the tile joints and use a water-based tile primer.
STEP 3 – PAINTING THE TILES
In the last stage, after the primer has dried completely (12 to 24 hours), we recommend that you start by painting the joints again with a small roller and then the rest of the surface with a larger roller if it’s a large area.
Apply two to three coats, with an interval of at least 4 hours between coats.
Depending on the end result you want, you can choose to use Acetillac – a satin paint resistant to fungus, Solláqua – a paint with good coverage, Sollmate – a paint resistant to rubbing or Superllac – a paint with excellent applicability. If you want, you can opt for a water-based acrylic enamel such as Sollacryl – it comes in gloss, satin or matt versions, is very washable and excellent at retaining color. The colors are entirely up to you – get inspired by the various Sollac catalogs.
