If you know me, you know I’m always raving about how effective paint can be when it comes to giving anything a fresh new look. So, why wouldn’t I paint the outdated ceramic tiles on our bathroom walls + ceiling? If you’re just joining me, on my previous blog post I gave the low down on my complete bathroom transformation and at the top of the list was ‘budget friendly solutions’, meaning no major renovations, and so, began my first DIY project.
painting the ceramic wall + ceiling tile
There was no doubt in my mind that paint was the way to go here and just in case you have your doubts, I am here to share my experience with you and show you how you can do the same! My husband had his doubts and said it wouldn’t last, but I figured what’s the worst-case scenario? I’d have to constantly be doing touch ups. In fact, I already felt like I was in the worst-case scenario having to stare at those outdated tiles for the past 3 years lol. Now, a year later the tiles are still in great condition and he has a little more faith in paint transformations! I won’t deny that there is quite a bit of prep work involved, especially for me because our bathroom has tile on the walls + ceiling, but the journey came with the perfect ending…
𝕒 𝕗𝕣𝕖𝕤𝕙 + 𝕓𝕣𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥 𝕓𝕒𝕥𝕙𝕣𝕠𝕠𝕞!
check out these before + after photos
what you’ll need
› Primer + Paint (clearly) I used Extreme Bond Primer from Sherwin Williams and for the paint I used Sherwin Williams, Emerald Collection, Acrylic Latex Paint. They colour matched Benjamin Moore’s Chantilly Lace for me.
› Painter’s Tape
› Paintbrush (to cut the corners and edges)
› Lint Free Roller
› Paint Tray + Liners
› Medium Grit Sandpaper
› Orbital Sander (optional, you can also use a sanding block)
› Small Bucket (for cleaning with water + soap)
› Sponge (for cleaning)
› Microfiber Cloths (for drying)
so, how am I going to tackle this?
It’s going to go something like this...
⇀ clean, sand, clean, prime, sand, clean, prime, sand, clean, paint, + finally, paint again ↽
☺
Just being 100% real lol; that should cover it!
As always, I’ll start with the task of CLEANING! Lucky for me we are doing a complete bathroom transformation, so we were going to be moving everything out of the bathroom, giving me a good working space! Note: You should protect any items in your bathroom that you don’t want to get dust on. I started by cleaning the ceiling tiles and worked my way down to the wall tiles. I filled a small bucket with hot water and soap for cleaning the tiles. I used the sponge to scrub the tile clean, but it’s not a big deal if some stuff gets left behind because sanding will help with this. After cleaning, I dried the surface immediately with a clean microfiber cloth.
EXTRAS WE DID BEFORE SANDING ↴
There were some chips / cracks in our tiles so I needed to do some repairs. I used acrylic latex caulking to fill them…not sure this is the right thing to do lol. I then waited for the caulking to dry and lightly sanded until smooth.
We also removed the built-in towel bar, soap dispenser, and toilet paper holder that this lovely outdated bathroom had to offer…and by we, I mean Nelson did all the work and I supervised. Long story short, he tore down all the built-ins, used some pieces of drywall to fill the cavities, and then used some plaster on top. Just remember lol…we are not professionals and there may be other ways to do this, but it worked for us! After the plaster fully dried my contribution began. I sanded each area down until smooth, then came the tricky part…creating grout lines in the plaster to match the existing of the tile. Check out these before and after photos below. I must say, I was pretty proud of myself lol.
You can see all the behind the scenes on this by viewing the instagram highlight for wall tile paint by clicking here.
Once all that was taken care of, it was on to SANDING. I used an orbital sander to do most of the sanding because I had a large area to cover and this would help speed things up. Which it 100% did! The only thing I ended up sanding without it were the edges + corners. If you don’t have an orbital sander, you can just use medium grit sandpaper with a sanding block (the sanding block will help to keep your sanding even). I started with the ceiling and then did the walls. After a few hours, sanding was complete and it was time for CLEANING again. I repeated the same process as above, but instead of a bucket with water + soap, I used a spray bottle with water only.
now it’s time for some real progress
I mean, I’m the first to say “any progress is good progress”, but there’s nothing like that type of progress that makes you feel like your vision is coming to life! This all started with the PRIMING. I didn’t tape off any edges or corners because I was painting the entire bathroom, but if I were, this would be the time to do that. I used the paintbrush to paint the edges + corners first. I also used it to paint the grout between the tiles. I then used the lint free roller for the ceiling + walls. I could already see a difference just after the 1st coat of prime! It was all very exciting, until it dried and I realized it was time for SANDING + CLEANING again. Yes, you read that right…but I’m going to try not to bore you with all the details and just tell you what you need to know if you plan on tackling this DIY project. After my 1st coat of prime, I did a light sanding to smooth down the paint. I then used a cloth to get rid of any dust, then a damp cloth to wipe the tiles clean, and finally a clean microfiber cloth to dry.
You keeping up? Now, as per my husband’s request, I repeated all of that a 2nd time. A part of me still feels like I could have gotten away with 1 coat of prime which would have saved a lot of time, but who knows! Proceed as you see fit. Let’s do this I told myself! So, I went ahead and did the 2nd coat of PRIME, waited for it to dry, and then it was time to SAND + CLEAN. Now that I think about it, I’m pretty sure Nelson took over for that 2nd round lol. In case you weren’t aware, any of those 3 tasks alone are an intense arm workout for me, and after doing a round of all 3 tasks I was ready to tap out. I’m sure at this point you’re wondering how this bathroom was looking.
Here’s what it looked like after the 1st coat of prime + 2nd coat of prime.
moving on to the final step…painting
Wooohooo! There is light at the end of the tunnel. After all the cleaning, priming, and sanding I thought I’d never get here, but I made it, it was time for PAINTING. I went ahead and cut the edges + corners with a paintbrush the same way I did the primer and then used the lint free roller for the ceiling + walls. Time for the paint to dry! I waited to do the 2nd coat of paint the next day and followed the same process. I was finally done! I took a step back and thought to myself, “why did I not do this sooner!” I was so happy with the result and I’m sure my arms were happy to have themselves a good rest.
I stand by my
“paint can transform anything!"
Check out my Instagram to see all my video tutorials and more!
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REMEMBER….
» Giving your tile a good sanding before priming will help primer adhere to the tile more easily.
» To wear a mask and protective eyewear when sanding. You may not see the dust, but it is there, as Nelson reminded me several times!
» Your surface must be 100% dry prior to priming and painting.
» Use a lint free roller for a smooth finish!
𝕖𝕩𝕡𝕝𝕠𝕣𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕤𝕖 𝕣𝕖𝕝𝕒𝕥𝕖𝕕 𝕡𝕒𝕘𝕖𝕤
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