How to Paint Tiles

Step 1: Protect the area

As with any tile painting endeavour, preparation is the first and most important step when it comes to understanding how to paint tiles. A little time invested in this initial phase will ensure you achieve a much better result and speed up the rest of the process.

• Start by moving any furniture out of the room to avoid potential damage and stains from your paint. This step is essential if the tiles you’d like to paint are on the floor.
• Ensure your floor is fully protected by laying a Seriously Good Double Protection Dust Sheet. This dust sheet is perfect for DIY paintwork as it has a polythene layer underneath to prevent paint from soaking through.
• If the tiles you are painting are on the wall, we recommend using some Essentials Masking Tape to secure the dust in place. If your tiles are on the floor, however, leave the dust sheet loose so you can move it as required in the later stages.

Step 2: Clean the tiles

Before the most exciting step can commence, when you approach how to paint tiles, you need to ensure that you are cleaning your tiles before painting.

• Start by using a fungicidal spray and one of our Seriously Good Microfibre Cloths to remove any mould.
• In some cases, mould or dirt may be challenging and stubborn to remove, so you might also need an Essentials Mini Wire Brush to thoroughly prime the tiles between cracks.

Step 3: Prepare the tiles

With the area clean, it’s now time to assess the tiles for any holes or potential damage in the grouting.

• If you come across any imperfections, use some quality grout repair and apply this to the damaged area.
• Next, use an Ultimate Putty Knife to work the grout repair compound into the hole or crack and smooth the product down. Ensure that any excess product left on the tiles is wiped away.
• Once your grout repair has cured, clean the surface a final time with the Microfibre Cloth then take some sugar soap to remove any grease to ensure a perfect surface for painting. If you’re working on floor tiles, it’s advisable to wear some Seriously Good Nitrile Gloves to ensure no grease is transferred from your fingers onto the freshly cleaned tiles.
• You can now use some Seriously Good UV Tape to protect walls or skirting boards at the edge of the tiled area. This will let you work faster and keep things neat when you’re applying a new coat of tile paint.

Step 4: Paint the tiles

It’s important to know that there is more than one way to approach tile painting for the home.

• The first method is to quickly paint the tiles in a single colour for a fast, low effort facelift in the room and this option will be covered in this step.
• An alternative method would be to use a stencil to paint tiles creating a whole new look with added intricacy. If you’d like to enhance your home with a detailed pattern for your tiles, read step 5 of our guide!
• To paint tiles rapidly with an incredible finish, use an Ultimate Flat Gloss Brush to get into the grout and cut in around the edges.
  • If the tiles are flat, switch to the Ultimate Gloss 4-inch Roller Set to get a highly even finish on the tiled surface.
  • For uneven or patterned tiles continue to paint the whole area with the flat gloss brush.
• When using the roller set on large areas, paint in 1m sections to ensure a high level of accuracy.
• Be sure to finish a section by painting in vertical strokes when using the flat gloss brush, and see your tiles transformed.

Step 5: Add a stencil (optional)

For budding decorators who want to take their tile upgrade to the next level, stencils are a great way to add lots of personality to a tiled area and work really well when added to floor tiles!

• Before purchasing a stencil always ensure it is the right size for your tiles. Consult the manufacturer’s guidelines carefully for more detail and always make sure you are laying it correctly ahead of painting. We recommend finding a spare tile and taking a trial run first.
• Add the stencil and then use the Ultimate Flat 1.5-inch Gloss Brush to paint within the stencil. This process can be more time consuming due to the precision required but it’s better to take your time, taking regular breaks to make sure the desired results are achieved.
• However, mistakes do happen from time to time so if you do happen to make an error simply use a Seriously Good Microfibre Cloth or some Seriously Good Paper Towels to wipe away the paint before it sets!

Top tip: When it comes to understanding how to paint tiles, we suggest using very little paint on the brush and painting your stencil in thinner coats, leaving the paint to dry between each coat for a flawless finish. Although these steps take a little more time, it’s always worth it to save time and frustration in the long run.

For more expert DIY tips on how to perfect each room in your home visit our How To, Tip Exchange and Let’s Plan sections today.