Affordable DIY Painting tiles that can greatly improve the look of your bath…
Don’t you love walking down the makeup aisles at the drug store? I have no idea what to do with half of the stuff I see in there, but it’s fun nonetheless. My favorite part? Concealers…I mean, that’s just pure magic. With the wave of one tiny little wand or cotton ball…blemishes be gone.
Things aren’t so different in the home improvement world, you know. There are aisles of fun stuff that will erase our mistakes at Home Depot, too. Magic erasers, paint, spot removers…all kinds of stuff to cover up that stuff we don’t want to see. As Louie Armstrong would say “oh, what a wonderful world”.
In the kids bathroom, one of our DIY’s was painting tiles/re-finishing the tub and tile surround with a Rust-Oleum Tub & Tile Re-Finishing Kit. And if you ever wondered, “Can you paint tile?”
Well, I’m here to tell you, YES. Yes, painting tiles is, in fact possible. If you haven’t seen our post about that process, check it out.
Here’s a quick video of the before and after.
Tile Paint Video Overview
For about $50, we were able to make the tub and tile surround a nice, bright, updated white by painting tiles…and compared to the THOUSANDS we could have spent on a new tub and tile (not to mention the days/weeks it would have added to this project’s timeline) $50 sounded scandalously fantastic.
But, because this was one of the FIRST things we did in the remodeling process, the bright, new shiny tub had to endure a lot of “tub-thumping” as the demolition and reconstruction of the bath wore on. And that meant…dun dun dun…
WHOOPS-a-daisy! Did I scratch that new finish as I was re-installing the baseboard molding? Yes, I most certainly did.
Uh-oh…did I mark the H-E-double-hockey-sticks out of that tile as I installed the new flooring? You betcha!
But, all was not lost. A plan needed to be hatched…a cover-up. Thankfully, the good people at Rust-Oleum came to our rescue and sent me this Tub & Tile Touch Up Kit to try out! CONCEALER, ladies!!
Supplies Needed for Painting Tiles
- Rustoleum Tub & Tile Touch Up Kit
- rubber or plastic gloves
- GOOD quality respirator/mask
- fans/open windows/as much ventilation as possible
- small craft paintbrush
- high/fine grit sandpaper
The paintbrush is optional, and if you use one, make sure it’s one you won’t mind throwing away. The bottle of product you’ll use actually is almost identical to a bottle of nail polish, so it comes with it’s own brush.
But since one of my scratches was on the larger side, I wanted a larger brush so I could cover more ground quicker.
This tile painting product is pretty easy to use, just mix the contents of the two vials, then paint it on. I found that in order to get the finish as smooth as possible (on vertical locations), put on a heftier amount and let it kind of glide itself into place.
Make sure you wear your mask and cover the floor or surfaces around your project.
Applying to vertical surfaces proved a bit challenging…sometimes gravity is not our friend. The surface did not come out perfectly smooth.
But I had a couple of very tiny knicks on the horizontal surface of the tub, also from construction boo-boos, and those cleaned up perfectly.
To try and get the vertical surface as smooth as I could, after letting the Rust-Oleum product dry, I used a VERY fine-grit sandpaper (320 and 400 grit) on the surface. DO NOT RUB HARD, or you’ll be doing this project twice.
And here’s the after! Not too shabby, right?!
Ahhh…the magic of make-up!
It may not be completely perfect, but perfect is boring, anyhow. And for the price, the labor involved, and the end result, I’d say this Rust-Oleum project is DEFINITELY a winner!
If you’re on the hunt for more budget-friendly home improvement ideas, and DIY home decorating inspiration, be sure to check out these articles, too!
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Ashley says
Hey! Thanks so much! Can I touch up with the same paint i used to paint the tub in the first place? That was my plan today before seeing your post. I have to do it in an hour or two I hope you see this! Thank you so much!
Heather says
You certainly can, but since you have to mix it, you’d waste more than if you used the actual touch-up kit…hope that answers your question Ashley! Good luck!
Linda says
Is this for fiberglass tubs? My white tub looks terrible and I can only find refinish kits for porcelain.
Heather says
Hmmm, Linda, I am honestly not sure if it works with fiberglass. Ours was porcelain as well :/
Linda says
Hi what inspiration for a beginner like me! Thanks for sharing, gals!
Tori Rockwell says
How has the Rustoleum finish lasted? Does it seem to hold up well to water and regular use? Interested in trying this in a busy bathroom and don’t really want to have to keep redoing it. Thanks!
Heather says
Hey Tori, so in all honesty, the kids NEVER use this tub…they are constantly in our shower, so I’m not the best source of info on the wearability yet. I know there are a couple other bloggers who have used the product..http://www.designertrapped.com/2014/10/how-to-paint-shower-tiles.html. Karisa at Petite Modern Life being one. She’d answer you if you emailed her!
LZ Cathcart@ The Summery Umbrella says
What a fantastic idea! I've recently "updated" my guest bathroom (aka. painted the walls and added a vanity we made), but the bathtub is still quite scary. I will definitely be putting this handy-dandy little guy in my Amazon cart stat! 🙂