How Can I Spice Up Old Bathroom Tile?
After the tile in your bathroom appears more drab than fab, jazz it up with an entirely new appearance. New colour, painted layouts and removable stickers provide old tile fresh life, with no tile replacement required. Paint-based tile enhancement is ideal for areas beyond the tub or shower surround; the paint can peel away quickly on account of the intense moisture in those areas.
Prepping for your Project
Regardless of what you intend to do in order to dress up the tile, cleaning it thoroughly for improved chance of succeeding along with a nicer looking result — dirt and grime may hinder the use of paint or stickers and have to be eliminated anyway. Wipe all the tile surfaces with your customary household all-purpose cleaner or tile cleaner, and allow the tile to dry fully. If the shingles are ceramic and a few are cracked, then repair them with caulk, waiting a few days before applying primer above the dry repairs.
A New Coat of Paint
In case stomach-medicine pink tile isn’t your idea of bathroom design, give it a brand new color with paint. Scuff the tile quietly first with seams to make it receptive to primer, while wearing a dust mask to avoid breathing in fine particles. Prime the tile with a bonding primer, and paint it with a semigloss or gloss latex paint — the higher the gloss level, the more resistant and resistant to moisture. After several days, then apply an optional urethane sealer to protect your work. If you’d rather not paint all the tile the identical color, make bands of colour or an ombre effect utilizing a slightly lighter or darker paint shade for each row down the wall. Create your own ombre paints by purchasing the darkest paint colour you would like to use, along with white. Paint the darkest shade first, and then add successive amounts of white to it in a separate container for each band of color or gradation. Opt for checkered or diamond layouts by taping patterns above the tile together with painter’s tape, painting between the taped areas to make the desired appearance.
Detailed Designs
Add a simple touch of design to the shingles by painting or stenciling designs on select tiles, like every third tile along the top row of the backsplash behind the bathroom sink. Utilize an enamel-based paint to both freehand and stenciled designs to ensure the paint adheres to the tile. Tape stencils down securely or pick a stick-on stencil, smoothing down all borders before pouncing the paint during the cut-out areas with a stencil pouncer. A rubber craft postage creates highly detailed designs in paint on the tile — apply a moderate quantity of paint directly onto the raised portions of the stamp, and then press the stamp onto the tile. For an ocean-inspired bathroom, add layouts of seashells, sailboats or seahorses. Go for a vintage look with a fleur de lis design.
Decorating with Decals
Stick-on decals created for walls or manufactured particularly for shingles provide highly detailed choices for tile decor — birds in flight, flowers, aquatic life or any design suited to your toilet’s motif. Decals turn the shingles into points of visual interest instead of indifference. Create your own stickers by cutting out designs on sheets of contact paper using a craft knife, revealing the material onto the wall after wiping off the backing paper.