Ceramic Tiles - painting/refinishing

[lasteacher]

Has anyone tried to use abrasives, of any kind, to remove the surface glaze from ceramic floor tiles? I'm trying to save money by changing the appearance of my floor tiles, rather than removing them and installing new tiles. I hope that if I make the tiles somewhat porous, I'll be able to use stain or paint on them. Please help.

 

[Zampa]

Ooooo tricky one...

Ok......you can abrade the tiles....but be careful where the residue goes.

Making the tile porous will be virtually impossible....but by abrading them you are providing a key for subsequent coats of paint

Painting tiles is always difficult as there are so many types...and the success of the paint staying on varies and depends on the type of tile its finish and the amount of wear and tear its going to get.

In your case its going to get hell of a lot being on a floor so you need a good primer first...and then a very good industrial standard floor paint..

It may be possible to find a paint that wont need a primer.....but beware....it isnt cheap.

For a primer that sticks to tiles, the best ive seen is Dulux ultra grip....its a 'two pack' system....and again......not cheap.

Got to paint outlets...avoid DIY store, they will not be able to deal with an unusual situation such as yours....and the advice you get will probably be wrong anyway.

Jonstones do a very big range of industrial paints and should be able to help on the technical side...Crown are good....Dulux...ok

Oh one more thing.....the smell.... the rim on an open can of paint is about 6.7 inches....you will have a whole floor area.....giving off fumes...keep this in mind.

There are water based two pack epoxy resin floor paints to be had....they are quicker drying and slighty less smelly.....ask in Jonstones.