---
title: "Which paint can I use on tiles?"
description: "Tile paint over an epoxy or adhesion primer on a thoroughly degreased and abraded glaze — and expect a limited life in a shower. The ranked options, the technique th"
url: https://atoneplace.net/which/paint-tiles/
site: "At One Place"
---

# 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

*Ranked best-first for the stated job. The third column is why the others exist.*

| 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

1. Degrease with a strong detergent, then again with isopropanol — soap scum and body oils are invisible
2. Abrade the whole glaze with 180-240 grit until nothing is shiny
3. Repair or rake and refill damaged grout before priming
4. Apply the primer thinly and recoat within its window
5. 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?](https://atoneplace.net/which/paint-painted-wood/)
- [Which paint should I use on bare wood?](https://atoneplace.net/which/paint-bare-wood/)
- [Which paint sticks to plastic?](https://atoneplace.net/which/paint-plastic/)
- [Which paint should I use in a kitchen?](https://atoneplace.net/which/paint-kitchen/)
- [Which paint should I use in a bathroom?](https://atoneplace.net/which/paint-bathroom/)
- [Which paint should I use on metal?](https://atoneplace.net/which/paint-metal/)
- [Which paint should I use on a ceiling?](https://atoneplace.net/which/paint-ceiling/)
- [Which paint should I use on a fence?](https://atoneplace.net/which/paint-fence/)
- [Which paint should I use on a floor?](https://atoneplace.net/which/paint-floor/)
- [Which paint should I use on radiators?](https://atoneplace.net/which/paint-radiators/)
- [Which adhesive should I use for tiles?](https://atoneplace.net/which/glue-tile/)

## Sources

- Typical range compiled from manufacturer specifications — At One Place (/about/)