Our Bathroom Renovation (for cheap)

I really put off writing this post for a long time.

Mostly because even thinking back to the process stresses me out.

But two inquiries about it yesterday made me realized that I need to write about my experience and advice to people considering painting tile.

This project was a little bit of a nightmare at the time, and I am glad I am done. What we thought would take one weekend ended up taking over a month.

The Project

We decided to paint the ugly tile in our hallway bathroom. I know this is just a band-aid. Maybe in the future we will do a full renovation of this bathroom. Or maybe we will move out before we get around to it.

I am not really that concerned with it, I just wanted it to look less dingy than it did before.

After all, this is the bathroom that our guests use when they come over. The stained yellowish-beige tile was just not appealing.

I am not going to detail the whole process, because that has been done before. What I will do is share with you helpful resources and the best advice I have from experience.

Resources

After a lot of research, it seemed that the Rust-Oleum Tub and Tile kit would be the best fit for the shower, wall, and counter tiles.

We had planned to use this on the floor as well, but after doing the walls (and running out of paint) we realized it would be too much white. This paint is also very glossy, which I was hesitant to do on the floors

This was a good post to start with when I started researching the idea for the shower walls and the counters. I also watched several Youtube videos, linked below:

When it came to the floors, I found this blog post most helpful. I bought the Rust-Oleum RockSolid Interior Floor Base Coating, which sadly seems to be discontinued.

My Recommendations

Take Prep Seriously

It’s annoying. And you’re anxious to get started. I know.

But take care in sanding and cleaning, because it will impact your results at the end.

Get the Right Supplies

Part of the reason it took us so long to do this project is that we were constantly having to order more supplies.

Keep in mind this was during quarantine, so I couldn’t go in person to get things I needed so it took longer.

The tub and tile paint is really a messy beast. It is an epoxy paint and very thick and sticky. My tip if you use this paint is to buy plenty of extra roller refills and brushes because it destroys them fast.

Suggestions

Small foam rollers, with plenty of refills. This epoxy paint ruined so many rollers, we had to buy a bunch of them to finish the project.

Foam paint brush. This was great for getting into the grout as well as smaller areas. It is definitely worth getting this particular brush versus the cheap ones. We had the cheap craft store version at first and they not only fell apart but then the foam started getting stuck to the wet paint.

Sander. If you don’t already have one, I highly suggest it. It will make prep so much easier and faster. We also used it to smooth out mistakes as we made them and repaint in some areas.

Focus on the Grout First

One thing I wish I would have done is to go through with the foam brush first in all the grout lines. The grout is really hard to reach with the foam roller.

Do Several Light Coats

You’ll probably be tempted to try and put on a thick coat to cover up the original tile color right away. But the consistency of this paint is thick and goopy and you will not get a smooth finish if you layer it on too thick at the beginning. In my experience, it was best to do multiple thin coats for an even finish

Block Out Your Entire Day(s)

You have to use this paint within 6 hours of opening it, so make sure you give yourself that time to do it. This is not a do a little at a time project. Of course, you can take breaks between paint cans, but once you open it up you have to commit to keep going until you finish that can. For reference, it took us four tub and tile kits to finish the white tile.

Before and After

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Here is the final product. I think one day, I would like to paint the cabinets as well (maybe a navy color). But for now I would appreciate a break from this room.

So what do you think? Would you consider painting tile?

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