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Can I paint porcelain floor tile?

14 years ago

My kitchen/dining area has 12" porcelain tile with an accent square of colored mosaic here and there (all together about 10 squares of the accent tile). I don't mind the design of the accent tiles but I hate the colors they used (teal and peach) and would like to paint them. Is this possible? Or would I be better off digging out the accent tiles and replacing them?

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Comments (3)

paintguy22
14 years ago
You can paint them, but keep in mind that they will not be nearly as durable as the unpainted tile. I would not recommend painting entire tile floors, but accent tiles here and there you may be able to get away with. Follow the normal prep process for painting anything slick....clean, sand, dust, prime with bonding acrylic primer and finish with two coats high quality acrylic paint in satin or higher sheen depending on how shiny the current tiles are.
sameboat
Original Author
14 years ago
Thank you Paintguy. I think I will have to live with them until I am able to dig them out and replace. They are accent tiles but they are right in the traffic flow.
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Hopefully that is an impact crack and not a problem with the subfloor. Removing and replacing the tile is the way to make it look "perfect". So long as the edges aren't dangerous, cracked tiles are welcome to be left in place (until they become dangerous). The grout on that tile also needs repair. I would check the entire floor to ensure you are not seeing the beginning of a failing tile floor. Failing tile can be seen with ++ cracked grout or multiple tiles that are looking stressed (fine cracks in the body of the tile that have yet to crack all the way through like the tile you show in your photos). A quick inspection of the entire floor will tell you whether or not a repair is even worth it. A tile floor that is in the beginning stages of failure is not worth repairing. I'm hoping Joseph will pop by to offer any suggestions for "filler" that might be used to correct the tile without removing/replacing. I'm a wood/cork flooring pro...which means tiles and stone are not my strong point.
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Los Feliz Girl
5 years ago
Check this: https://remingtonavenue.com/2015/08/the-girl-who-painted-her-tile.html

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