DEAR TIM: Can you instruct me how to paint ceramic tile? Money is very tight now, and applying paint to my ceramic tile is the only thing I can afford. Can you paint old ceramic tile, so it will not peel? Is there a special ceramic-tile paint? What is an easy way to paint ceramic floor tile, and should I paint the grout? Leslie S., Belleville, IL DEAR LESLIE: I will gladly help you discover how to paint ceramic tile. If you have painted walls and even flooring before, you can do this job. The best part is you can really transform the look and feel of a room when you paint ceramic tile. Any ceramic tile can be painted no matter if it is old or new. The most important thing is to make sure the tile is perfectly clean. Many people ignore the instructions on paint cans. If you take a few moments to read these instructions, you will discover that they tell you to apply the paint to clean, dry surfaces that are free of grease, wax, dirt and dust. You can clean ceramic tile with just about any soap, but the more powerful ones often give you a better job.

I urge you to use a scrub brush to aggressively clean the tile and the grout. The best tile and grout cleaner I have ever used is oxygen bleach. This is a powder that you mix with water. You apply a generous amount of the solution and let it soak into the grout. Millions of oxygen bubbles attack the dirt. After a 10-minute wait, scrub the grout with excess oxygen-bleach solution and the grout looks like new. If you plan to also paint the grout, you must let the grout dry for at least 48 hours. To ensure that the new paint will not peel, you need to use the right paint. In the past, I have had great success with oil-based paint. Pollution laws that address volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in paint make it harder and harder to find oil paints. Many people also do not like the clean-up process where you need to use mineral spirits or paint thinner to clean the brushes, rollers and other tools. Water-based paints that contain a urethane resin are good paints to use as well.

Urethane is a very sticky glue, and after all, that is what paint really is - a liquid glue that contains color. You really need a sticky paint to adhere to the glossy surface of most ceramic tile. There are places where I would not apply paint to ceramic tile or other glazed surfaces. Do not apply it to ceramic tile that gets wet on a regular basis. Examples of this are tile surfaces inside a tub or shower area. I would also not paint the inside glazed surface of a toilet bowl. You can successfully paint a ceramic-tile backsplash that gets occasional water on it. The ceramic-tile floor in a bathroom can also be painted so long as the water sports in the bathroom do not get totally out of control. To keep the paint on the tile looking like new, you need to protect it. This is especially true if you decide to paint ceramic floor tile. Painted floors of any type work well, and proof of that is any basketball court. Painted basketball courts are created by painting the patterns on the floor, let the paint cure for two days and then coat the entire floor with several coats of clear floor finish.

I have found that the water-based urethanes stay clear for a long time, never yellowing. Price is almost always the best barometer of quality. Look for a water-based urethane that costs the most money. I've had great success over the years with Varathane Diamond Coat urethane.Used Furniture For Sale In Puerto Rico As for painting the grout, that is a personal decision. T Shirts For RedheadsThere is no doubt it will make the job easier if you paint the grout the same color as the tile. Beaded Seat Covers For CarsIf you do want a contrast in color, then you will be painstakingly taping off the grout lines with the special acrylic masking tape that will not stick to fresh paint. If you want natural grout and need to regrout, do so before you paint.

The regrouting process will damage the freshly-painted tile. Keeping paint out of grout requires great skill and patience. You can use a roller to paint a ceramic-tile floor. I suggest a roller with a low nap to keep bubbles and texture to a minimum. You can also add products to the paint that allow them to flow well and attain a finish as if they had been sprayed. If you have a sprayer, you absolutely can spray the tile. Be sure to protect adjacent surfaces from overspray. Make sure the urethane you use to protect the paint is applied to a clean dust-free surface. Read the paint-can label to see how soon you can apply the urethane. It is best to let the paint cure as long as possible so it gets nice and hard. This will make it more durable. Author's Note: We've received other questions with similar problems or questions. Here's one from E.J. Vincent of California regarding her ceramic tile painting project. "I want to paint my own design onto ceramic tile, like the ones you would buy at Home Depot.

Is there a special ceramic tile paint and sealer I need to use? The ceramic tiles will be incorporated in with the same unpainted tiles on the kitchen cabinet top and back splash." Years ago while researching a column about cleaning decks, I discovered the wonders of Oxygen Bleach. It is perhaps the 'greenest' cleaner I know of as it uses oxygen ions to break apart stains, dirt and odor molecules. There are no harsh chemicals, and it works on just about anything that is water washable. I decided to create my own special blend using ingredients made in the USA. In fact, the raw materials in the active ingredient are food-grade quality registered with the FDA. I call my product Stain Solver. I urge you to use it to help with cleaning your tile grout. You will be amazed at the results!Tile flooring is manufactured from a variety of materials such as clay, stone, metal, terrazzo, and quartz. Each type of tile flooring has its own defining characteristics. Generally speaking, the two most commonly used types of tile flooring are ceramic and natural stone.

Ceramic tile is manufactured from clay materials that are quarried, prepared, and then formed into a mold. Common forming methods for ceramic tile include dry press, extruded, and slush mold. The dry press forming method involves a mixture of dry material being pressed into a mold under extreme pressure. Extruded ceramic tile is formed when a mixture of slightly wet material is extruded into a mold. Slush mold is a forming method in which a mixture of very wet material is poured into a mold and then hardened in a kiln at an extremely high temperature. Ceramic tile can best be characterized as either porcelain or non-porcelain. Traditional ceramic tile is non-porcelain and is made from white, red, and/or brown clay and other minerals. Porcelain ceramic tile is made from clay and minerals as well, but it also contains 50% of a white dust or sand called feldspar. Feldspar is a type of crystal found in rock that acts as a "flux" during the kiln-drying process, melting into a glass-like material and bonding all of the molded ingredients together.

Minor modifications to the ingredients of ceramic tile or the kiln-drying process (i.e., to the temperature and type of kiln) create enormous variety in the appearance and characteristics of manufactured ceramic tile flooring products. Porcelain and non-porcelain ceramic tile can be either unglazed or glazed. Glazed tile has a matte, semi-gloss, or high-gloss finish applied to the surface during the manufacturing process. In the past, glazed tile was kiln-fired twice, once to harden the tile mold and a second time to harden the glaze. Today, in addition to double-fired ceramic tiles, an automated single-fired manufacturing process called Monocuttura hardens a glazed mold in one step. Glazed tiles have increased stain resistance, scratch resistance, and traction, as well as decreased water absorption, in comparison to an unglazed tile. Non-porcelain, ceramic tile is among the most economical types of tile flooring. Porcelain ceramic flooring is more expensive than non-porcelain and can be harder to work with.

However, it offers greater durability, natural stain resistance, minimal water absorption, and through-bodied color. Many types of tile are manufactured in a similar fashion to ceramic tile, but they are less common. These include brick, cement, glass, encaustic, saltillo, and terra cotta tile. The varying materials and manufacturing processes create distinctive product characteristics. Natural stone tile is produced from natural materials that are quarried, slabbed, finished, and cut to size. Common types of stone used as flooring tile include granite, marble, limestone (including travertine), and slate. Among these types of natural stone are thousands of varieties with characteristics that depend on where and when the stone was quarried. Granite is a type of igneous rock that is very dense and hard. Its distinctive appearance is due to speckled minerals found within the rock, its unique veining, and the thousands of available colors. Granite is nearly impervious and, once it is polished, resists scratching.

It is an excellent choice for flooring in kitchens and high-traffic areas. Marble is a type of metamorphic rock that has rich veining and is available in a variety of colors. Marble is more porous than granite and is not recommended for kitchen flooring unless honed and then sealed on a regular basis. Limestone is a type of sedimentary rock that offers an earthy appearance in both light and dark shades. The surface can be textured or polished smooth. Limestone is less dense than granite and marble. It can be easily stained and is also prone to scratching. It is not recommended for kitchen or high-traffic flooring applications. Travertine is a type of limestone that offers an unusual crystallized appearance with an earthy tone. Travertine is a soft, porous stone with a natural surface that has pitting or divots. A honed or polished surface can be achieved after filling the surface voids. Travertine is not recommended for kitchen floors, as it can be easily scratched and stained.

Special care and surface sealing is required to maintain travertine. Slate is a type of metamorphic rock that is extremely dense and very durable. Slate is available in darker earthy tones. The surface of slate is naturally textured unless a smooth, honed finish is achieved. Slate is an excellent choice for kitchen and high-traffic area flooring. The face of stone tile flooring typically has one of three types of finishes applied: natural, honed, or polished. The finishing process of natural stone begins once the stone is quarried and cut into a rough slab. The rough slab face is polished with abrasive pads. Extremely coarse abrasive pads are used first, then less coarse pads are used until the final buffing. The tiles are then cut to size by a stone fabricator. The surface finish you apply will depend on where you intend to use the stone tile and the desired appearance. Natural surfaces are unfinished and have an earthy, dull appearance. Texture and pitting are visible characteristics of natural stone tile.