Which paint can I use on tiles?
Which paint can I use on tiles?
Tile paint over an epoxy or adhesion primer on a thoroughly degreased and abraded glaze — and expect a limited life in a shower.
A tile glaze is essentially glass: non-porous, chemically inert, and about the least receptive surface a coating can meet. Everything therefore depends on abrading it to a uniform dull surface and on a primer designed to bond to glaze, and even then the coating is a film sitting on a hard shiny substrate. That works acceptably on a kitchen splashback and a dry bathroom wall, and it does not last on a floor, in a shower enclosure or anywhere standing water sits in a grout line. Being honest about that is worth more than any product recommendation: painted tiles are a cosmetic reprieve of a few years, not a substitute for retiling.
The options, ranked
| Option | Good at | Bad at |
|---|---|---|
| Two-pack epoxy tile coating | The most durable option, and the only one worth attempting where water sits. | Fumes, a short pot life, and the finish shows every brush mark. |
| Tile paint with adhesion primer | Straightforward, low odour and effective on splashbacks and dry walls. | Chips at edges and around fittings, and will not survive a shower enclosure for long. |
| Grout pen or grout refresh | Often the whole problem is discoloured grout, and this fixes it in an afternoon. | Does nothing about dated tile colour. |
| Retiling | The only genuinely durable answer for a floor or a shower. | Cost and disruption. |
Technique that changes the outcome
- Degrease with a strong detergent, then again with isopropanol — soap scum and body oils are invisible
- Abrade the whole glaze with 180-240 grit until nothing is shiny
- Repair or rake and refill damaged grout before priming
- Apply the primer thinly and recoat within its window
- Leave the full cure — often a week — before the room is used normally
What goes wrong
- Painting shower enclosure tiles and expecting durability
- Skipping the abrasion because a primer claims it is unnecessary
- Painting over cracked or drummy tiles, which are a substrate problem
Compiled practical guidance rather than a published standard. Product formulations vary by brand and market, so read the label — and where the work is structural, electrical or gas, the regulations that apply where you are govern rather than anything here.
Other paint questions
| For | Use |
|---|---|
| Previously painted wood | Clean it, key it and spot-prime bare areas — and find out first whether the existing paint is oil or water based. |
| Bare wood | Knotting solution on the knots, a wood primer, then your topcoat — and prime end grain twice. |
| Plastic | Any paint, provided an adhesion promoter goes on first — and on polypropylene or polyethylene, the promoter is not optional. |
| Kitchens | A scrubbable acrylic eggshell or satin on the walls — and for cabinets, degrease, prime and use a proper cabinet enamel. |
| Bathrooms | A moisture-resistant acrylic in a satin or eggshell sheen with a mould inhibitor — but ventilation, not paint, is the actual fix. |
| Metal | Remove the rust, apply a rust-inhibiting primer the same day, then an alkyd or a direct-to-metal acrylic. |
| Ceilings | A flat matt emulsion — and if there is a water stain or nicotine, seal it with a shellac-based stain block first. |
| Fences | A penetrating stain or fence treatment rather than a film-forming paint — and let new pressure-treated timber weather first. |
| Floors | Two-pack epoxy on concrete after a moisture test and a proper grind; floor-grade varnish or floor paint on timber. |
| Radiators | A radiator enamel — water-based acrylic ones no longer yellow, which ordinary gloss on a hot surface always will. |
| Exterior masonry | A breathable mineral or masonry paint — and on an old solid wall, breathability matters more than any durability claim. |
| Galvanised metal | A mordant wash, a self-etch primer or a purpose-made acrylic primer for galvanising — ordinary oil-based primer peels off in sheets. |
| UPVC | A uPVC-specific paint or an adhesion promoter with an acrylic topcoat — and avoid dark colours, which can distort the frame. |
Common questions
- Which paint can I use on tiles?
- Tile paint over an epoxy or adhesion primer on a thoroughly degreased and abraded glaze — and expect a limited life in a shower.
- What should I avoid?
- Painting shower enclosure tiles and expecting durability Skipping the abrasion because a primer claims it is unnecessary Painting over cracked or drummy tiles, which are a substrate problem
Related pages
- Which paint goes over previously painted wood? Clean it, key it and spot-prime bare areas — and find out first whether the existing paint is oil or water based.
- Which paint should I use on bare wood? Knotting solution on the knots, a wood primer, then your topcoat — and prime end grain twice.
- Which paint sticks to plastic? Any paint, provided an adhesion promoter goes on first — and on polypropylene or polyethylene, the promoter is not optional.
- Which paint should I use in a kitchen? A scrubbable acrylic eggshell or satin on the walls — and for cabinets, degrease, prime and use a proper cabinet enamel.
- Which paint should I use in a bathroom? A moisture-resistant acrylic in a satin or eggshell sheen with a mould inhibitor — but ventilation, not paint, is the actual fix.
- Which paint should I use on metal? Remove the rust, apply a rust-inhibiting primer the same day, then an alkyd or a direct-to-metal acrylic.
- Which paint should I use on a ceiling? A flat matt emulsion — and if there is a water stain or nicotine, seal it with a shellac-based stain block first.
- Which paint should I use on a fence? A penetrating stain or fence treatment rather than a film-forming paint — and let new pressure-treated timber weather first.
- Which paint should I use on a floor? Two-pack epoxy on concrete after a moisture test and a proper grind; floor-grade varnish or floor paint on timber.
- Which paint should I use on radiators? A radiator enamel — water-based acrylic ones no longer yellow, which ordinary gloss on a hot surface always will.
- Which adhesive should I use for tiles? Glue and adhesive
Sources
- Typical range compiled from manufacturer specifications — At One Place