Tile upcycling: The ingenious trick for a modern kitchen and a chic bathroom

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Kitchens and bathrooms often have tiled floors and walls. Especially if they come from the 60s or 70s, the tiles sometimes seem quite old-fashioned.

If you feel like making a change, carrying out an expensive renovation with noise and dirt is out of the question, then that is itof your old tiles by painting is a good option. Both floor tiles and tiled walls can be refreshed cost-effectively with a coat of paint and thus enhance the bathroom, kitchen or other rooms.

If you live in a rented apartment and can't make any permanent changes, we have a simple, reversible solution for you: With tile films, you can give your tiles a new look in no time - without any drilling or gluing that leaves marks. The self-adhesive films come in a variety of designs, from simple colors to trendy patterns, and are easy to remove when you move out. This way you can give your apartment a personal touch without risking trouble with the landlord!

Painting tiles: You need these materials

To ensure that everything goes well when preparing and painting the tiles, it is important to have the right material. followingTools, which you can buy directly from Amazon, you need to paint your tiles:

In addition, you may need additional materials - for example if you want to renew the joints before painting. You can find out more about this below.

What color do you use to paint tiles?

If you want to paint your tiles, you need a special tile paint or tile varnish. Because normal paints are not resistant enough to last long under the harsh conditions (moisture, friction and cleaning agents).

You can get special paints for painting tiles online or at hardware stores. If you are painting tiles for the first time, it is best to get advice from a hardware store about which tile paint is suitable for your project. You can also have your desired color mixed there.

Shopping-Tipp:Here you canOrder white tile paint directly from Amazon*. If you want something a little more colorful, you can find it hereTile paint for bathrooms and kitchens in different colors*.

Painting tiles: the right preparation

Before you start painting, the first thing to do is:Preparationto. They are the same for all tiles, regardless of whether they are floor tiles, the tile backsplash in the kitchen or tiles on the walls.

Especially for tiles that are exposed to a lot of moisture or friction from regular cleaning - as is especially the case with kitchen and bathroom tiles - good preparation ensures that the paint adheres better to the tiles. This means you can enjoy the beautiful results for longer.

1.Pre-treat tiles

Before painting the tiles, you should roughen the surface slightly. A fine sandpaper or abrasive fleece is suitable for this (is available here on Amazon*). You can usually find an indication of whether sanding is necessary and, if so, what grit of sandpaper to use on the packaging of your tile paint.

2. Clean tiles thoroughly

Regardless of whether you have roughened the tiles: Do it thoroughly, which you want to paint, is essential so that no grease or dirt remains on the tiles, which will make it difficult for the special paint to stick.

Don't forget the joints and also check whether they have any cracks that need to be repaired with joint white beforehand. You should also remove old silicone joints that are already too broken beforehand.

Reading tip:

3. Tape off fittings

As with normal painting, you should remove moving things from the wall or floor. You should tape off the edges, edges and fittings or cover them with foil because the special paint is difficult to remove.

4. Prime tiles

The final step of preparation: prime the tiles with a suitable varnish before painting. The primer ensures that the tile paint looks more even and adheres better.

Apply the primer to the tiles with a foam roller and allow to dry according to the manufacturer's instructions. If there is no indication of how long the primer should dry, 24 hours is a good guideline.

Tipp:Some manufacturers offer tile paints that already contain the primer so that you can start painting straight away.Here you can get 3-in-1 tile paint with primer and sealer on Amazon.*

Painting tiles: step by step instructions

Once you have made all the necessary preparations and obtained a tile paint of your choice, it is now time to paint the tiles. The whole thing takes some time - not least because the drying times have to be adhered to. So choose a suitable time to paint, for example a rainy weekend.

#1 Painting tiles: First paint job

Grab a paint tray and first paint the tile backsplash, floor tiles or wall tiles with a foam roller. Don't apply the paint too thickly, as this will increase the drying time enormously. However, the layer should not be too thin so that the opacity is high enough. Then let the tile paint dry according to the manufacturer's instructions.

#2 Painting tiles: Second coat of paint

As soon as the first layer of varnish has hardened, you can apply another layer of varnish in the second step. It's best to use a new foam roller for this.

Tip: For a particularly even result, you can briefly sand the paint with very fine sandpaper before the second coat. But really only lightly so that you don't remove the paint again. The tile must then be cleaned with a damp cloth and allowed to dry completely before the second layer of varnish can be applied.

#3 Painting tiles: Sealing

As soon as everything has hardened well, it is recommended to apply a protective coating as a seal, especially in shower cubicles or floors. It's also best to get advice from a hardware store.

This photo shows you what a huge difference a coat of paint can make:

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What do I do with the joints?

When it comes to silicone joints, you have two options when painting your tiles. On the one hand, you can simply paint over the silicone joints. In this case, make sure that they are well primed so that the paint sticks properly.

On the other hand, you can completely remove the joints before painting and re-grout the tiles after painting and drying. This is particularly useful if the joints are already older. This variant definitely ensures a more professional result, but is quite complex and not always easy for inexperienced people to carry out.

Tools for painting tiles: stencils

Maybe you already have plain white tiles but are too boring for you? Then you can easily paint them with patterns and spice them up. There are special stencils available so that you don't have to apply the pattern freehand.

First clean the tiles thoroughly and then apply the stencil. To prevent the stencil from slipping, you can also fix it with painter's tape. Now you can paint or dab an accent color over the stencil to transfer the pattern.

Shopping-Tipp:Here you can find stencils for painting mosaic-style tiles on Amazon*.

Alternative to painting: sticking on tiles

It is not always possible to paint the tiles, for example in a rented apartment where the landlord does not allow it. And sometimes you just don't feel like it.

If you still want to redesign your bathroom tiles or the tile backsplash in the kitchen, there is fortunately a simpler and, above all, temporary solution: tile stickers. These are available in countless colors and patterns. Here you will findStick-on tiles in the trendy Metro style on Amazon*.

Cleaning painted tiles: This is what you should keep in mind

Once you've managed to give your tiles a new shine and you're happy with the result, you want the color to last as long as possible. To achieve this, you should be particularly careful about a week after painting.

Avoid splashing water on the tiles and avoid scrubbing or cleaning products for the first few days. After a few days you can then “load” the tiles normally, i.e. gentlyClean (e.g. a regular bathroom cleaner) and expose to water.