Amber B Design Studio

Interior Design & Decoration for the South Florida region

DIY: Painting A Ceramic Tile Backsplash

by Filed Under: design, painting, painting a tile backsplash, painting ceramic tile, painting grout, painting tips 60 Comments

Well, the project is complete! I know you might be wondering if this was worth it and if I’m glad I did it… the answer is yes!! I was so excited to modernize my tiles a bit and go for a cleaner, more updated look.  My tiles were white, which was great, but they had flowers scattered throughout the backsplash.

Before

 (This is an old picture with our previous wall color.)
And here is the tile, all painted and flowerless!
After

I can’t even remember which tiles had the flowers! Here is a breakdown of the materials needed and some helpful tips:
– Scouring pad to lightly sand the tiles and smooth out the flower design. The flower tiles were a little bumpy where the design was, so I just used a Scotch Brite green scouring pad, and it worked fine.
– Microfiber dust cloth to remove the dust from the tiles after sanding.
– Blue painter’s tape and drop cloths to protect your counters. I made sure to tape after the grout, so I could paint the grout that met the counter. That way, it’s all uniform and looks realistic.
– 2″ paint brush (Don’t go cheap with this! Choose the best!)
– Small roller brush (Choose one that doesn’t shed and has a small pile. You don’t want to get paint trapped inside a fuzzy roller, causing a messy paint job.)
– A special bonding primer that bonds to glossy, special surfaces. The clerk at the paint store said this was the best option. (I always use Benjamin Moore paints for all of my projects!) Here is a close up picture of the primer:
Once you have two coats of this primer, your paint will stick very well. It will also be long lasting. My mom said it best:  With this primer on, you’re on the same playing field as your walls. Well said! Now, my paint will be washable, scrubbable, like any wall! 
– Color Matched Paint with a sheen.
To get the exact color match, I took one of my cabinet drawers to the paint store. They can color match it exactly. As we all know and I have learned the hard way in the past, there are a million different shades of white paint! The clerk mixed my color with this paint.
Helpful Tips:
– Once your counters are protected and materials are out, start with the paint brush and prime the grout, first. Use a little paint on the brush, to make sure you don’t full in the grout lines too much. It’s better to do thin layers a couple of times, rather than one goopey layer. (Is goopey even a word? Spell check says no!) In the end, you want to make sure your backsplash still looks like tile and not fiberboard, trying to be tile.
– Wait 24 hours before applying the actual paint. This is important, because the bonding primer needs to fully dry and cure. I was so tempted to just finish in one day, since all of the materials were out. But, patience will pay off.
– When you start your painting the next day, lightly sand the tile again with the scotch brite pad. For some reason, my primer made little bubble marks on some of the tiles. I was so nervous about that! Don’t worry, the sanding will help that and now- no bubbles!
– All in all, make sure you do at least 2 coats of primer and 2 of the paint. It’s a pain in the neck and can be tedious, but then you’re done!
Wow, this is a novel! It was a lot of work, but worthwhile projects always are.  🙂
Total cost for this project… $48.00! In the future, I’m sure we’ll replace it with something different, but I will enjoy this for a long time.
So how about you… would you try it??
I am linking this project up to Savvy Southern Style:

Comments

  16. What a great result!!! Do I understand correctly that you painted on top of the grout first (with a smaller paint brush) and used the small roller over all?

    Reply

  17. To answer the question about the grout lines, we didn't add new grout, but pained over the existing grout. To get that perfect line, though, we always use painter's tape when painting near the grout. When you peel it off, the line is straight. That would work when applying new grout, too! 🙂

    Reply

  18. Hi Vicki! You got it! I used the paint brush to get into the grout really well. I knew the roller wouldn't cober that area. Then, the roller works best for the tiles, creating that smooth, believable finish. When I used the roller, I'm sure I got it on the grout too. But, that's ok! It's just extra coverage. And let me tell you, I have scrubbed this tile to get sauce stains off and water has boiled many times on the stove. All is still very well! 🙂

    Reply

  20. Yes, painting your backsplash is a great alternative to a quick tiling job. This way, you don’t have to spend much and take a lot of time in taking down the old tiles and installing new ones. =)

    Reply

  21. Once the weather warms up we'll be painting our beige tile, beige grout and ugly, ugly accent tile. I can't wait! Thank you for the tutorial, I was able to bring my husband around to the idea with your help!

    Reply

  24. Looks great! I have been wanting to install a backsplash in my kitchen but never had the money. I finally have money to spare! I am so glad I saw your post so that I have some information. Do you happen to know of any places that sell high quality ceramic tiles in Calgary? If you do, please let me know! Thanks so much!

    Reply

  26. Actually, painting the tiles is way cheaper than buying new backsplashes for your kitchen. Instead of spending a whole lot of money in removing your tiles, what you did here is simply amazing! Who would've thought about that? I'm sure frugal readers of your blog will go nuts about this!

    Reply

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