When thinking of re-tiling my kitchen, I have to consider what it would cost in terms of time and hard-earned money. But then, painting over the tiles is an option. However, what are the pros and cons of painting kitchen tiles?
The choice of painting your kitchen tiles gives you the liberty to customize them to your taste! Painted tiles can be very durable and withstand wear and tear. Nevertheless, as much as there are good sides to it, just like most things, it comes with its downsides too.
As an alternative to changing your tiles, you may want to consider painting. However, are there certain advantages/disadvantages of painting kitchen tiles? If so, what are they? Here, I will explore the idea, safety limit, and durability of painting kitchen tiles.
Is Painting Tiles a Good Idea?
Although undergoing what appears to be a resurgence, Tile painting is by no means an entirely new phenomenon to us! Hence, painting your old tiles is a great idea. First, however, I’d like to highlight some Pros and Cons associated with this.
Pros
It costs less: Painting tiles requires much less money when compared to taking everything out and re-tiling.
It’s not time-consuming: Without a doubt, this task, just like every other activity, takes its own time, especially when considering the size of the surface area involved. However, it is still a less time-consuming option.
Freedom to customize to taste: Painting your kitchen tiles grants a wide range of choices from colour to design to texture and so forth. As a result, you are able to take charge of the entire process and make it come out the exact way you would love it to be. That feeling can be both rewarding and satisfying!
A creative way to exercise and relax: Engaging in such activity on its own is therapeutic and calming. If you have been looking for a good way to occupy your mind with a less dense activity, tile painting is a great idea to unwind from regular stress.
You can choose to do it with family or friends, making it more memorable, but then ensure everyone is kept on track to avoid mistakes in the end.
Upgrade from ugly and outdated to a brand new feel: what could be more exciting than having your once scary and untidy-looking tiles become entirely brand new!
This also adds a feeling of newness to the entire outlook of your kitchen space. Better still, add more to your kitchen experience.
As someone who gets to spend a good amount of time cooking, I know firsthand that the appearance of your kitchen can affect your whole cooking mood.
And if care isn’t taken, things might end up not so great. Now you don’t want that experience, do you? Of course not!
You can do it yourself: Painting out your kitchen tiles is one activity you can do all by yourself. This will increase the amount of money you can save from hiring a paid hand to do the job. (Now, Isn’t that an amazing deal?)
Cons
When a tile painting goes wrong: Should you fail to go about your painting rightly, you may be faced with the nightmare of having your paints chip or peel off. This spells disaster as you will become unsatisfied with the job and have to do it all over from scratch sooner or later. That can be really stressful.
It can be quite a task: Since painting tiles is mostly a DIY project, it will require designing, prep work, and then the actual painting.
Difficulty in making paint stick: Tiles are quite glossy, as you already know. This could make it difficult to get paints to stick on them without stress. So I’d advise you to use enamel paint (in whatever desired colour of choice).
It is not a long-term solution: Although much affordable, painting your kitchen tiles is not a permanent solution.
Is it Safe to Paint Kitchen Tiles?
There is no recorded harm involved in painting your kitchen tiles, and it is a DIY task that has become a highly recommended option, especially when it comes to time consumption and affordability.
The only safety measures you may need to adhere to is, using the appropriate equipment for painting and concealing sensitive parts of your body properly.
Do Painted Tiles Last?
Talking about the durability of painting tiles as an alternative, it is a matter of a number of careful and well-thought-out actions the entire time.
Firstly, after painting your tiles, I strongly advise that you seal them with a coating (preferably polyurethane coating). It is a hard and durable clear coat that will keep your paint from chipping or wearing quickly (if that gets to happen at all).
Product quality can not be overemphasized as well. Do ensure to go for brands with reputable and outstanding product records.
Also, when it comes to cleaning your painted tiles, you can comfortably clean them out like the rest of your apartment using your regular mopping equipment. But then, you need to be careful not to scratch on it with sharp objects or metals. So instead, use a soft plastic tool to take off any residue stuck on your floor.
Is it Worth Painting Kitchen Tiles?
Why not! If you’re not set or willing to commit to the high cost of replacing your old tiles all over, you can go ahead and paint them.
Once you have the right paint and person for the job (assuming you cannot do that by yourself), I don’t see what’s stopping you.
Go ahead and light up your kitchen atmosphere with some splash of newness. And did I forget to mention, without having to break your bank account!
