Can I paint tiles?
This is a question that we have been asked a number of times but had never personally tried. After the latest inquiry the old grey matter started to mull over just how well the paints we sell would cope with this task. So we put three furniture paints to the test.
To make the test as hard as possible we searched out a very glossy finish tile to use. A different finish may have produced a somewhat different effect.
For some this is the new kid on the block so this was a great opportunity to see exactly what it could do. The colour chosen was Lily Pond.
Normally I would have used more than one coat of paint to give Fusion a chance to self level and give a nice smooth finish. But this test was to put the paint through its paces. I gave the tile one single coat of paint. A thin coat at that. Just to see how it would react.
The result was very good. Fusion took to the surface very well. Considering this was a shiny and slippery surface it covered really well.
It is worth noting here that Fusion was applied directly to the tile without the use of fusion Ultragrip. Ultragrip helps to give better adhession to shiny surfaces.With the use of Ultragrip the result will be different. Ultragrip wasn’t used as we wanted to see how it performed straight from the pot.
Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint
Perhaps not the immediate paint of choice. It is a paint that is designed for a porous surface which is of course not what we were applying it on. So maybe not really fair to compare this one to the others.To give it a better adhesion some bonding agent was added to the mix. This in theory should allow it to stick to most surfaces. It didn’t cover as well as the Fusion paint which was expected. The first coat was slightly streaky.
A second coat of Miss Mustard Seed Kitchen Scale did take care of the streaking.
It has to be said this was never a paint that was in the running for this test and as it is a very fine paint its durability would not hold to wear and tear. As with Fusion this paint has a similar product to Ultragrip available. This is called Bonding agent and again it will help with adhession to different surfaces. In order to be fair we did not use it here.
Annie Sloan Chalk Paint
The favorite in this test was left to last. Its adhesion qualities are of course world-famous. So how did it compare?
It went on very easily as we knew it would. As a personal preference I would have used two coats of paint to give it a decent coverage.
Now of course with Chalk Paint it needs to be sealed. So out of interest I tried both wax and Annie Sloan Floor Lacquer. It should be noted that in a humid or wet environment a wax finish is not suitable.
In the picture the wax is on the right and the Lacquer is on the left. The center is of course untreated.
Conclusions
Sadly before you start painting tiles I do have to say that you should really consider this as a cheap temporary fix. The durability is not according to others long-lasting.
The advantage of Chalk Paint™ covered really well.But would need to be sealed with wax or lacquer which would bump up the price.
Milk Paint? It was a bit unfair to include it but never the less it did cover after two coats but as it is a much finer and thinner paint than the others so possibly less hard-wearing.
Which leaves us with Fusion Mineral Paint. This covered really well and would have covered even better if Ultragrip had been applies to the tile first.
Update
Since writing this post Fusion have made a very good video on this very subject. Unlike my test they used Fusion Ultragrip which certainly makes all the difference to the finished item. OOh and there is a very handy hint that I some how missed out. Make sure the surface is clean! Use Fusion TSP to make doubly sure. Take a look at the video below.