Painting bathroom tiles

If bathroom tiles are ceramic, it may be possible to paint over them. You will need to buy paint specifically for this purpose, a product that is more expensive than ‘ordinary’ paint. Use the wrong paint, and it will simply peel off as it will be unable to stick to the glossy, smooth surface of the tile.

You will also need to sand the tiles to create a better surface for the paint to grip too. And you may need to invest in a primer product too. This adds cost to what you thought was a ‘cheap’ update of the bathroom.

As well as losing some of the effects of the tiles, you will also find that in the shower or around the bath, even tile paint will eventually peel away, unable to cope with the constant stream of hot water and steam.

In essence, paint the tiles that are not in contact directly with water could look fantastic but for other areas of the bathroom, tile paint may not be such a great idea.

Updating the bathroom without blowing the budget

If you are considering painting tiles, you will need to be confident that the tiles are ceramic and not porcelain.

Ceramic and porcelain tiles are both made from clay, but the finish of porcelain tiles is more refined. The look and feel heavier to the touch, and make for a great medium to work with, but their surface does not take well to paint.

If you are not confident which tiles you have, painting them could lead to disaster.

Fortunately, we have other suggestions to help improve your decor in the bathroom;

·       Replacing tiles

Replacing bathroom tiles with either porcelain or ceramic tiles will not be as expensive as you think. When you consider the money you could spend on sand paper, primer paint and tile paint, along with the time and effort, replacing tiles could cost the same.

To create an interesting detail to your bathroom, why not replace the tiled splashback with fresh tiles?

·       Choose larger tiles

Although they may seem more expensive, you may find that changing all the tiles in the bathroom and replacing with larger tiles is a cost-effective means of updating the bathroom.

·       Add a large mirror

If your budget won’t stretch to replacing the whole room in new tiles, consider adding a large mirror to the largest wall of tiling. Fixed in position, it also creates more light in a bathroom too.

·       Other accessories

Simply changing the washbasin and taps instantly adds an updated feel to the bathroom. Professional cleaners can also lift the appearance of the bathtub and the shower cubicle too.

People often think that painting bathroom tiles is the cheapest and quickest way of updating the look of the bathroom but in the long term, this may not be the case…