Is it possible to paint ceramic tiles?
30.10.2008 05:01
Home
- Source: Home Envy
Q: Help! How do I get rid of a sticky mess that's all over my house? I tried to paint the ceramic tiles on my bathroom floor, beginning with a shellac-based primer. It looked beautiful, but as soon as the floor got damp, the paint peeled off in big sheets on bare feet. A few minutes later it was all over the house, including a wood floor. There are a whole bunch of reasons I can't re-tile the bathroom. Is painting an option if I do it differently? A: Step one should be to clean up your house, and methyl hydrate is your magic bullet. It dissolves shellac quickly, and won't hurt most other surfaces. Try it first on a small spot just to be sure. Methyl hydrate is available at hardware stores everywhere. As for a new finish, I have a suggestion, though it comes with a caution. Don't let your enthusiasm get the better of you. Prepare a test patch first, in the middle of your bathroom floor, then let real life hammer away at it. If the test finish holds up, do the rest of the floor. Start by roughening the tiles slightly, either with a paint deglossing liquid (available at paint specialty stores), or by sanding with a 120-grit abrasive in a random orbit sander. The idea is to take off any smooth shine that might interfere with paint adhesion. Next, clean the surface thoroughly with a vacuum, and wipe it down with more methyl hydrate. You'll need to start painting with an epoxy primer. This is a two-part product that cures by chemical reaction after it's mixed. After this primer is hard, add a couple of coats of epoxy paint. Let the whole thing cure for at least a week, then enjoy your floor. The coating won't be nearly as tough as ceramics alone, but it should be pretty good. Just don't drag anything across the surface.
| 
Add comment