Cheap Ceramic Tile

Painting Ceramic Tile: Relaxing The Nerves

When individuals are stressed or need a little art therapy, painting is always an option; but for a productive yet artistic outlet, homeowners especially should always consider painting ceramic tile.

Ceramic tiles can be painted.  The look create is rather modern; with special ceramic paints, the tiles can be painted to look like anything the artist can imagine. These ceramic paints most have more adhesion to the clean, smooth surface of the tile. Ceramic paints stick only on those surfaces which are clean and smooth.

Tools and materials that are necessary for painting ceramic tile are rubber gloves, tile cleaners, soft brushes, lint-free dust cloths, pads, paint brushes or soft nap rollers, dust masks, goggles, sandpaper, buckets and sponges. These are the minimum tools and materials that are necessary when painting ceramic tile, but all of these materials are available in ceramic tile stores and will be discounted if purchased from a discount ceramic tile specialty store.

When painting ceramic tile, the tile should be clean. The ceramic tile should be cleaned to remove dust, oil, grease, water hardness deposits and other elements that can stick to tiles. This can be done by using a ceramic tile cleaner which is available in ceramic tile stores. Calcium deposit removers can also be used if it is necessary. After cleaning tiles, homeowners must inspect them to ensure there are no remaining elements stuck to the tiles.  This is always the first step when painting ceramic tile.

If the ceramic tile is scuffed and scratched, or if the tile is glossy, the tile should be smoothened before attempting to paint it with the specialty paints. If the tile is scratched it should be smoothened by using undercoater. Undercoater is available in the nearest ceramic tile stores and is essential when painting ceramic tile. If the tile is very glossy, a light scuff sanding will help to improve the adhesion before undercoater is applied. The undercoater is to be sanded to achieve a smooth finish on the tile after application. Tile should be sanded by using very fine aluminum oxide sandpaper. The purpose of using very fine sandpaper is to remove the gloss of tile without any scratches on the tile. While sanding, homeowners should use gloves, hats, dust masks and other protective materials.  Next, the homeowner should clean the tile with a brush and a lint-free cloth to remove the dust on the tile that remains during sanding.  Even after all of this, painting ceramic tile is still a stress reliever for anyone.

There is a final step involved when painting ceramic tile that all homeowners must be aware of.  There coats are necessary whenever painting tile.   The first coat of paint is a high-adhesion interior bond primer.  After that, a coat of paint is applied directly on the tile. Usually, the tile does not look smooth after this first coat of paint, and a second coat is applied to make the paint on the tile shine. Now the ceramic tile looks like new, all with the fun, relaxing activity of painting ceramic tile.