got a customer with a beautiful wirelath tile job, everything is in excellent shape except the tiles are pink and gray. Doesn’t want to spend money demoing the place. Can the tiles be painted?
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I've done it. Epoxy based paint.
It'll look good, but not great, IMO.
Just do a careful prep. on the tile...buic
Floor tiles?
I've experimented with a variety of primers and have yet to find anything That adheres well. Do you remember specifically which product you used?
Three sprayed wall tile jobs have held up real well and looked very good using XM primer.
Floor, never tried it.A Great Place for Information, Comraderie, and a Sucker Punch.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
http://www.quittintime.com/
Don, I've painted walls and tubs. Never tried floors. If I did I'd keep a bath rug on it to help with wear.
The two part paint used no primer. I tried to be meticulous with the prep.
Just used what my local paint store carried. Don't remember a brand, the last one I did was in 2000.
It held up great on the walls, tubs started to lose some paint at the drain after 2 years. buic
If ceramic (not plastic), pink and gray are classic colors. Probably have some attractive trim, as well. Too bad. If not acceptable, tear them out. Painting won't work.
anything can be painted.
refinished is better.
some places call it "reglazed".
Jeff
Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
For the walls you have two options:
A) Get a tub refinisher to do it. Same process they use on the tub and it works really well. Most of them have done tile before.
B) Use 320 grit emory cloth sandpaper and wet sand the tiles to scuff them slightly, prime with a bonding primer (see what local paint store carries), then paint with a high quality paint.
Depending on useage, should get 10+ years from either method.
For the floors, tile over the existing tile. Paint won't hold up to foot traffic.
~ Ted W ~
Cheap Tools! - MyToolbox.net
See my work - TedsCarpentry.com
Certainly it can be painted. I've seen tile painted with ordinary oil paint where it's held up well. In a wet area one would want something better, though -- epoxy, et al.
Obviously, prep is important -- clean well, and sand lightly if there's any question about adhesion.
Should point out that the OP never said floor, and the mention of wire lath suggests that is isn't the floor.
Doing inspections in older homes with such,er, time honored schemes, I encourage reversible remodeling.
I remember one inspection with purple, pink and black 50's tile job in the bath - I almost dissed it, when my client exclaimed "Isn't it beautiful! All original!
"Ask not what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive... then go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive."
Howard Thurman
In other words, wallpaper over it!
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. -John Kenneth Galbraith
You can use Sherwin and Williams "Tile Clad II " It is available at their commercial stores. If all you have is a residential store it will have to be ordered. Talk to the manager because most clerks are not familiar with it. It is a two part epoxy and needs their primer.