Painting Tile to Look Like Stone

tile floor
  • 1-4 hours
  • Intermediate
  • 0-100
What You'll Need
Tile paints
Paintbrush
Painters tape
Sprayer
What You'll Need
Tile paints
Paintbrush
Painters tape
Sprayer

If you want to improve the appearance of your home, then you can give it a modern appeal by painting tile to look like stone. The tile base can be any particular kind of tile that is in your interior from kitchen tiles to bathroom tiles, or anywhere else in your house that looks as though it needs a touch of color to really shine. Once you have begun this change, you will discover that it is suited to a range of different rooms, and you could even try it in areas such as the swimming pool. You can improve your rooms simply by performing this simple task, using some basic home improvement tools, and following a few guidelines.

Step 1 - Clean the Tiles

Before you start painting tile work, you give them a good clean, particularly around the grouting. This will help you to get a firm base on which you can start to build the rest of your different stones. Clean around the edges using a damp sponge, and then scrub the grout using an old toothbrush. Any grouting which is displaced can be retouched once you have finished the paintwork. Make sure that you give the entire area a thorough clean before you add any paintwork. Once the area is clean, leave to dry, and then give a brisk shine to the tiles in the morning. This will ensure that they are smooth and ready to paint over.

Step 2 - Lay Down Some Painters Tape

close up of travertine tile

You can then start fitting your painter's tape around the side of the tiles. This will ensure that none of your cabinets or utensils become splattered with paint when you start painting tile work around a kitchen or bathroom. Ensure that the painters tape completely covers the area which you wish to leave unpainted. You can easily remove this tape once you have finished the project. Also lay down drop cloths to protect the floor.

Step 3 - Apply some Paints

You will find that you have to get your paintwork arranged so that you can make it look like a stone. One way to do this is to start with a broad brush, and paint a few blobs and twirls into the middle of the tile. Then, you can add a lighter paint around the edges of the paintwork, so that it looks natural, and like a stone. You can get plenty of ideas from looking at pieces of marble, or even malachite, which is a green stone with striped bands, which would look very attractive in a kitchen. You need to make these types of stone look very interesting to the eye when people are noticing them in your kitchen.

Step 4 - Finish Up

Once you have finished your tiles, you can then leave it to dry overnight before adding a paint preserver. You should apply this with a spray, so that it sits lightly on your paintwork, and does not disturb it too much.