Ceramic tile (and similar glossy surfaces) can be painted with “standard” paints, as long as the substrate is not subject to harsh environmental conditions. High humidity as in a bathroom, constitutes harsh conditions as a rule. Ceramic floor tile should also be treated with extra care and surface preparation. The type of situation that you can use conventional paint to recolor ceramic tile would be in a kitchen, used as a backsplash, or on a powder room wall (where there is no shower). You might even get away with standard paints in a bathroom with a shower if it is not subject to high humidity (or in an area like inside a shower stall) - but you might not in that scenario.
A. Painting ceramic tile with conventional paint for light environmental exposures
Squeaky clean
The first thing you need to do is clean the ceramic tile. A good cleaning solution for this is Krud Kutter which is an effective water based cleaner. Spray the Krud Kutter on the tile and scour it with a scouring pad, then remove it with paper towel or shop towels. Clean the tile twice to be sure it is clean and nothing has been missed. Since you will not be deglossing the tile, it will have to be absolutely squeaky clean. Follow this up with a solvent wipe using denatured alcohol.
Primer
You must use a primer, and the very best of the glossy surface primers on a substrate like ceramic tile. I recommend XIM 400 white primer for this for a few reasons: 1. It has excellent adhesion to glossy surfaces. 2. Unlike a latex primer which will be soft and scratch off until it cures, this oil primer will stick right away and be resistant to fingernail gouging relatively quick. XIM 400 requires good ventilation during and after use because it has strong solvent odor to it, this can be neutralized to a great extent by good ventilation.
Paint
Once primed, the paint can be just about any latex or oil paint suitable for the situation. Enamels, either oil or waterborne will be more durable are a better choice for most situations.
Application
If you want a smooth surface similar to the original ceramic you will need to spray the primer and finish paint. The best choice of sprayer for a small tile area would be an HVLP sprayer. For a large tiled wall or two, an airless sprayer would be suitable as well.
If “almost as smooth” as the original tile suffices, then you could use a dense foam roller for application of both primer and paint.
B. Painting ceramic tile with high performance coatings for harsh environmental exposures
High performance applications
Harsh environments High humidity areas require acid etching, and high performance coatings (2 part urethanes or epoxies). These coatings are not easy to apply for most DIY’ers, but they are not impossible to apply either. Xim makes a ceramic tile and porcelain primer and finish called Tile Doc.
Note: All of the high performance coatings have very strong solvent odor and you must ventilate well during and after use
A summary of the Xim Tile Doc refinishing method is as follows:
Clean
Clean with a strong detergent. Krud Kutter should work fine. Use an abrasive scouring pad and scour the surface well. Rinse clean with water. Next, follow up with a solvent cleaning. The recommendation of Xim is their GONE Cleaner.
Etching
The very best adhesion to a hard glossy surface requires dulling. You cannot sand ceramic tile, so it is deglossed by etching with acid. XIM’s Etch-I-M, is a thick brushable etching cream that will etch ceramic or porcelain. Etch-I-M is made to be resistant to splashing, and running down the surface. You need to use protective goggles, gloves and protective clothing with this product as it is a form of hydrofluoric acid. Follow the instructions for use (see Etch-I-M data sheet), along with the safety cautions. After etching you must allow the tile to dry completely.
Finish
Two part urethanes are commonly used in the bathtub refinishing industry. Xim’s Tile Doc is a primer and finish coat, made for the refinishing of tile, tubs and sinks etc…. Tile Doc is a two part acrylic modified epoxy. According to Xim is holds up to hot soapy water, and can be tinted with universal tints to pastel colors. While spray application with a HVLP sprayer is the best method for ceramic smoothness, you can also apply this product with a brush. Two coats are recommended, the second needs to be applied within 4-6 hours or you will have to sand the entire substrate before recoating. See Tile Doc data sheet for complete application instructions.
Bathtub & Shower Enclosure Refinishing
Note: I don't recommend to anyone other than a professional do bathtub or shower refinishing. The high humidity environment demands perfect surface preparation and the very best refinishing systems. Even professionals have a hard time "getting it right" with bathtub refinishing. I have seen more than a couple of professionally refinished tubs peeling because of the coating system or because of mistakes in surface preparation by the refinisher.
The Tile Doc should work well in demanding environments, but for bathtub or shower enclosures - leave that to the professional, it is too easy to make a mistake on these surfaces.
Some old ceramic tile is just downright ugly and needs to be painted.
How to Paint Ceramic Tile
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