Painting Ceramic Floor Tiles

I have just finished painting my bathroom floor tiles and I thought it would be a good idea to share the 'how to' with my readers as I myself had searched the internet for tips before i started and found lots of information from others who had already successfully done the same thing. There was lots of different methods and products used and all helped to guide me in deciding what way I wanted to do my own.

Tiles After Painting

Firstly, let me explain that my tiles were ceramic, black, matt and uneven - similar looking to slate (see pic below) and always annoyed me as they never looked clean. The first thing I did was clean the tiles with soapy hot water.  When dry, I cleaned thoroughly with white spirit using an old towel and left to dry.  I then used a multi-purpose primer which I applied with a brush as my bathroom floor area is very small.  If you have a big area to cover you would be better using a roller for this job.  I gave it two coats leaving 24 hours between each.  Luckily, I have two bathrooms which meant I could lock off the one I was working in for a couple of weeks.

Tiles Pre-Painting

For painting the floor tiles I used a concrete floor paint in a beige colour.  I did think about using tile paint but I didn't once see any reference anywhere that told me I could use this on floor tiles so I didn't trust it and went with the concrete floor paint.  I gave 3 coats of this paint leaving at least 24 hours between coats.  When I was sure it was dry and hardened off (72 hours later),  I decided to be extra sure and gave it a final coat of Polyurethane Varnish.  All of this I applied with a brush but again, if painting a large area, a roller would be a better choice.  After varnishing, I again kept the bathroom locked off for another 72 hours just to be sure the varnish had been given time to harden off properly before walking on it.  The result is a lovely clean looking bathroom floor.  Happy days!

If you have any questions, remember you can contact me through the comments below or by filling in the form on the home page.

Vase Découpage

In my last post I talked about preparing to découpage the orange vase that I had revamped in January. Today I've progressed well with it although choosing the best cut-outs for the vase was not as easy as you would think.  I was inclined at first to go for colours of complete contrast to it but after trying them out I changed my mind and ended up going with colours that blended in with the orange.

First, I used blue-tack to place the cut-outs where I wanted them on the vase and when I was happy with the arrangement I marked the area with pencil.  Then I just glued them on, sponged them down to take off the excess glue and waited for them to dry.  When they were fully dry I applied my first coat of varnish and left it overnight.  I sanded it lightly with very fine sandpaper the following day before applying the second coat of varnish.

With two coats varnish

With two coats varnish

Before Varnish

Before Glue Dried 

Most découpage projects will take about 10 coats of varnish before the paper becomes 'level' with the object and no longer looks like paper stuck to it.  Patience is required waiting for each coat of varnish to dry but the end result is worth it.  I hope you enjoyed reading about my vase découpage project, please let me know what you think by leaving a comment below.

Vase Découpage

At the start of January this year I revamped this vase by painting it orange to suit my new bathroom decor and I was quite happy with it until I came across my old box of découpage scraps.  The vase is a bit plain so I'm thinking why not découpage it?  It would make it a lot more interesting and it would be a nicer focal point.

I think some flowers and cherubs or angels could look good.

Time to start cutting and gluing.  Come back tomorrow to see how I get on.