Before you rip out your ugly bathroom tile, you should read this! We changed our bathroom tile for $150 bucks and it looks amazing! A huge thank you to Rust-Oleum for sponsoring this post and helping us create a bathroom we love!
This dated bathroom needed a major overhaul and needed to be brought into the current century.
But we didn’t have money in the budget to rip out the ugly tile and install new.
But we also didn’t want to live with this:
Just look at our tile now!
So what can you do to update your tile with minimal cost?
We recently revealed our bathroom makeover and the most asked question is about our tile renovation.
Our goal was to transform this bathroom on a dime and we changed our bathroom tile for $150 bucks and just a few days.
Here’s how we did it!
Let’s start with the supplies you will need.
SUPPLIES
- homedepot.sjv.io/jbZAPRust-Oleum Tub and Tile Paint
- Rust-Oleum HOME Floor Coating we chose the color Aged Gray
- Rust-Oleum HOME Floor Coating Top Coat we opted for Matte
- Heavy Duty Cleaner – we used Krud Kutter
- Wet Sand Paper – 400 grit
- Tack Cloth
- Paint Stick
- Paint Brush
- Foam Roller
- Painters Tape
- Breathing Mask and Goggles
- Latex Gloves
- Fan
Step One: Surface Prep
Prepping your area is so important when it comes to painting tile. Remove or tape off all metal drains, knobs, etc. as well as any caulk. We also taped off any areas we didn’t want the paint to hit, like our walls.
Be sure there isn’t any mildew present and repair any cracks or peeling paint.
For the Tub and Tile Paint, you will need to prepare the tile with an abrasive pad or wet/dry sandpaper. Make sure to hit each tile.
TIP: I opted for 2 directions to ensure I hit each spot.
Thoroughly rinse the area and clean with the Krud Kutter. You want to make sure the surface is very clean before applying the paint.
For the floor, the wet sanding isn’t necessary, but the clean surface is a great idea. Especially if your floors were like ours.
What a difference, right?
And the sad thing is, these floors are clean. The grout just wouldn’t come clean. This Krud Kutter cleaner is no joke!
Once you are sure your surfaces are thoroughly prepped, you are ready to paint.
Painting the Wall Tile
Before you open the paint cans, make sure you are properly ventilated. We opened windows and had 2 fans blowing the air out the window.
This is an epoxy based paint and does have a strong odor.
I made sure to wear a breathing mask while I was applying this along with my goggles and gloves.
There are two cans inside the package that you mix together. Take your time and make sure they are thoroughly blended.
We started brushing any areas that needed cutting in. Then we immediately starting rolling after.
Work in small areas. We found the paint got tacky quickly.
Here’s a side by side of our tile painted vs unpainted.
This stuff goes on super smooth. We had the first coat of all the wall tile finished in about 2 hours. That included the tub around the tile and all the tile on the walls of our bathroom – which was a lot.
FYI: We didn’t paint our tub. It was already white and in great condition.
Allow to dry at least 1 hour before you start a second coat.
In one day, we had both coats finished.
We started on the floor a few days later, but probably could have started painting the floor the next day.
It looks so smooth!
Painting the Floor Tile
The Rust-Oleum HOME Floor Coating is a two step process that was so very easy!
Before we began, we made sure to sweep any debris from the floor. You want to have a clean surface.
Next, we taped off the edges. We didn’t want to get any paint on our new white wall tiles!
Stir your floor paint before applying, especially if you have a darker tint. Make sure all color is incorporated together. Settling and separation can occur which may show up.
First we cut in along the edges.
Since our floor was this hexagon shaped tile, we found that our roller didn’t easily get into each grout line.
As we worked our way out, we would brush the grout lines and follow up with the roller.
TIP: Make sure to start in a far corner and work your way out toward the door! We also removed the tape as we went along checking for bleed through and cleaning if necessary.
The entire first coat process took just under an hour. I couldn’t believe how quickly it transformed the room.
In just 6 hours, you apply the top coat.
We allowed the floors to dry fully overnight and applied the top coat the next day.
The Matte top coat is a very milky texture and goes a long way.
We used the same technique as we did with painting the floor, combining the brush and roller to ensure it got into the grout lines.
You can see here how the roller wasn’t going to work for the grout lines.
Allow the floors to dry for 24 before any foot traffic is on them.
The can does state that it takes up to 7 days for the floor to fully cure, so we are keeping the boys at bay until then.
But just look at this difference!
So before you get your sledgehammer out and start tearing out your old tile, consider this economical approach.
We changed our bathroom tile for $150 bucks and just a few days and it looks amazing!
But we couldn’t have done this room makeover without these two amazing products from Rust-Oleum.
It took this room from drab and dated to fab and and new!
We are certainly glad we did!
Pin This for Later!
Wow! That is amazing! Never occurred to me to paint tile. Hope you will keep us updated on how it wears. Thanks!
So how did you refinish your cabinets (sorry if you posted that already)? Did you use a paint stripper or just lots of sanding?
Oh my gosh Jen your tile looks amazing!!! What a great resource this post is! I have some tile I would love to paint over and you just made that dream possible. Thanks for sharing and I hope you enjoy that bathroom!
Jen,
I love how this turned out. It’s such a wonderful bang for your buck. I have pinned for a future project!
So impressed! Turned out beautifully and what a transformation for only $150!! Pays to research all options for sure!!
AWESOME! Where’s the pictures of you in your mask and goggles? Tee-Hee!
It would be a pretty sight, I’m sure!
We busted out the tile in our master bath last fall, and honestly, we couldn’t fathom doing it again. So this was the PERFECT solution!
Thank you, sweet Kelly! Our boys are going to enjoy this room so much! Let’s hope that this makeover will inspire them to keep it cleaner than before! 😉
Thanks Libbie! I’m so glad to have this room finished for my boys! They absolutely love it – especially the ‘new’ floors!
Thanks Terri! I will be sure to do a follow up post and let you know!
I sure wish I had seen this tile painting before I started smashing my marble bathroom floor! The floor was in great condition except for the rust stains. This would’ve been so much easier. But! Since I haven’t started on the kitchen floor yet, I will definitely use the floor paint!! One question though, when you use the roller to paint, doesn’t it leave a “spongy” texture? It looks like it does on the base coat. I hate using rollers on furniture/cabinets because of the texture it leaves. Thank you so much for all of your amazing ideas. I love your blog!!
You did so good!! It looks amazing!
Thank you for your kind words! And that’s a great question! The sponge did leave a bit of an orange peel texture, but the top coat smoothed it out a bit. You only really notice it if you get right up on it, but it’s not noticeable at all when you are standing.
I am super pleased with how it looks!
This looks great! I will be interested in how it holds up. I would love to do this to our bathroom floor.
Thanks for your kind words! I will be sure to do a follow up post to see how it lasts.
We sanded them down. You can read all the details about our cabinet base in this post. I hope that helps!
Hi, how has the floor held up?
Hi Joanna! Thanks for reaching out. We moved from this home about 2 years after we put it down. Up until the time we moved, the floor held up wonderfully under the traffic of 2 rowdy boys and a puppy! Hope that helps and thanks for taking the time to ask.
Love this! You are so talented and I never realized you could paint the tile. Thanks for sharin!
Hi there!
I was thrilled to find this diy for your boys bathroom, It’s exactly what I needed to tackle our master bath! Before I get started though, I would like to know how has the paint on the wall tiles held up? Our shower stall is all tile & I would love to be able to paint it as opposed to doing a full demo. Do you think this product and method would be long last lasting in a shower stall???
Thanks so much & keep up the great work!
The bathroom looks great – what a fresh new look! I’m researching painting my tile now, and wondered if you have any info on how it withstands traffic and cleaning after months, years…? Perhaps not since you just did you yours in recent months, but any examples or reviews you could point to? In the months since you did yours, any cautionary tips on maintenance? Thank you!
Hi Patty! Thank you so much for your kind words! I’m so glad this inspired you!
Hi Sunny – those are great questions! We are about 6 months in with our painted tile and two rowdy teens, and it is holding up really well! Even with cleaning! And we applied this in their shower and it still looks great!
Hi Kim! Those are some great questions. We are about 6 months in and so far it’s holding up fine. We only had one touch up to do, but it was an odd circumstance. Our boys knocked the door stopper off and the screw head nicked the floor. But it was a sharp screw – not a typical thing you have on your floors.
I will make sure do to a 1 year follow up to keep you up to date!
Just wondering how you removed the towel rack without damaging the tile. I have 2 that I want to remove!
Hi Alice – thanks for reaching out! I gave the details of how we removed the grout and the towel racks in this tutorial post. Hope that helps!
Just the tutorial I was looking for! We have this same tile in our master bathroom…its so ugly! Cant wait to transform it!
Oh, I’m so glad this post inspired you Kari! It was such a simple DIY! In fact, we may be doing it again with our basement bathroom downstairs.Good luck and let me know if you have any questions! I’m happy to help. 🙂
Looks great! We just did the same with our powder room. Can you please share what color/brand you used to paint the walls? Thanks!
Hi Carla – thanks for the nice comment! I would be happy to share. The walls are painted Iron City by Romabio Paints – a mineral based paint that is non toxic and great for places like the bathroom. It’s from my custom color collection with them which you can read more about here.
How did you do the distressed brick for the walls?
Hi Stephanie! That’s a great question – we have a full tutorial post on how we created that accent wall that you can check out here.
Hi, this looks so beautiful. I’m thinking of redoing my bathroom and painting the tile but my boyfriend is skeptical. Since it’s been a year or so can you tell me how it’s held up? Has it chipped on the floor or wore down at all? Thank you!!
Hi Alexa – thanks for reaching out! Yes, in one year, it has chipped in one spot, but this is a boys bathroom and coming from a clumsy momma – they aren’t the most graceful either. My 6’7″ boy tripped and fell into the door, knocking it off it’s hinges and resulting in a gash in the floor. We hope to fix it later this month and will do a follow up post to let you know!
How has your shower held up after painting it?
Looks so fab!!
Can I ask how much of the tub and tile product you needed to do your bathroom. Mine is a similar size and want to do the walls and shower stall and just wondering how many to order.
Thanks so much 🙂
Alex
It has been a year and it still looks the same as it did when we first applied it! Hope that helps!
Hi Alex – thanks for reaching out! We used 2 kits to complete this bathroom – it was super easy and still looks great!
Bathroom looks amazing! Just wondering how the shower tiles look today? Does the rustoleum tub and tile refinishing come in different colours or do you have to get it tinted?
Thanks
Leslie
Hi Leslie – thanks for reaching out! It’s been just about a year and the tile looks just the same… well, with the exception of those weeks when it needs a deep clean since it is a boys bathroom! LOL
In all seriousness, it really is holding up well and looks great! Maybe I will do a follow up post on how everything is holding up!