Check out how easy it is to chalk paint your tile! Transform your tile floors from blah to ooh la lah using a couple pints of paint and some sealer! What a transformation!
I did it. I chalk painted my tile floors. WHAT!? I know, I’m a pretty brave DIY’er but I was (secretly) a little nervous how it would turn out. ESPECIALLY since we were live documenting the whole process via 130k thousand of you via Instagram 🙂 SO glad it turned out just as expected, maybe a little better. Okay, a LOT better. I LOVE it. I’m not a black decor lover typically so going for black was a little out of my league BUT I do love classic basics and think it’s the perfect base in there. I can’t believe how big of a difference it makes and I can belive it cost me less than $50 and I can’t believe I didn’t paint my bathroom tile floors FIVE years ago when we moved it. Don’t be a wussy like me—go for it. Here’s the before tile, basic and pretty dull.
Our little farmhouse has been a rental property for 30 years so it’s had basic grade everything. We’ve been trying to add some charm and custom touches over the past 4 years, being renting ourselves. We purchased the home from my parents last year and are so excited to tackle some big renovations as almost everything is original.
You can follow this bathroom’s decor journey, although everything we’ve done has been cosmetic so far. I haven’t been wanting to dump too much money into it since we’re going to gut it when we save enough cash to do so. (The cabinet is falling apart, the bathtub leaks, the molding is cracked and falling apart, the pipes need to be replaced, oy!)
First I painted the countertops a faux granite, stenciled the walls, added some molding to the mirror, added a new light and finished off the beadboard walls, added some mason jar bathroom storage and recently, chalk painted the countertops since the faux paint eventually wore down in some spots. When I got the itch to paint, I ran to Home Depot and grabbed three things: Black Chalk Paint, White Chalk Paint and Minwax Polyacrylic. I used an angle brush for the corners and a basic roller for the rest. I washed and used the same brush but threw away the rollers after each use. You’ll be surprised how little paint and poly you actually use! Which is why we love us some chalk paint! It goes on thicker which allows for less coats and it dries faster to save you time. Pin this image to refer back to when you’re ready to start! We grabbed our stencil at Walmart, it’s a doily style from Waverly. DecoArt makes a cute stencil too that you can grab on Amazon.
DIY Painted Flooring Supplies
How to paint your tile floors.
No turning back now..
Here’s the flooring after one coat, keep going!
When I finished the second coat, I let it dry for a couple of hours, in between running errands and housework. After the kids went to bed and I turned Netflix on, I tackled the stencil.
Kristi and I decided to stencil in the grout lines, starting at the center of each. I placed it in the middle then dabbed the white on with a foam stencil brush. It took me about 2 hours total to stencil the bathroom tiles.
A couple of tips: stencil in one even coat. As soon as it was fully coated, I removed the stencil and moved on. I didn’t want to try to line it up a second time and have it smudge. We’ve worked with stencils a lot, they’re pretty forgiving. I’m definitely not a perfectionist, they came out pretty clean and crisp without wiping off the back of the stencil in between.
The stencil dries really fast since it’s a small amount of paint. I used my hand sander and went over the middle of each stencil and in between them too to “grunge” it up a little. This is optional but I didn’t like how stark the contrast was so it toned it down a little bit. It’s also a good way to camouflage potential future scratches or nicks.
I rolled on 3 coats of Minwax Polyacrylic to seal it. It requires 2 hours of dry time in between so I applied the first two and just to be extra safe, the last coat I applied pretty heavily then let it dry overnight.
It looks great! DEFINITELY better than the before! A super affordable way to update your flooring without spending thousands of dollars.
I loooooove my vinyl flooring that you can see peeking in the bottom of this picture. It’s waterproof and sturdy as all get out! Our police dog knocked over a whole gallon of paint on it in my craft room a month after the install…I let it dry for a few days then literally peeled it off in one pull. Amazing. But I love the pattern in a small space like a bathroom so my new bathroom flooring will be a pretty ceramic tile…one day!
PS: This cute little lady’s daddy installed a solar tube for me! I love the natural light it offers all day!! More on that later! LIFE C H A N G I N G.
Please pin so your friends can paint some tile too!
Check back next week for the rest of this mini-makeover, we love the thrifted cabinet we created!
This looks amazing. I have a white tile kitchen floor and I hate it as it shows every crumb. I would love to do this. Great work 🙂
This hides everything! Especially because I sanded it. Give it a try!
How has it held up with wear ? Had it peeled?
Hi Tracy! It’s held up great and 4 kids use this space daily! I purposely distressed it to help camouflage the wear & tear but other than a few scuffs the sealer is doing its job well and the paint is holding nicely. 🙂 I am really happy with it!
This sure came out cute! I love that you started with black and stenciled with white. Such a great contrast for the rest of the room!
Thanks, Randi, we love it!
hey girls- this looks so good! Great idea!
Thanks so much, Shawnna! It’s definitely an improvement in our outdated bathroom 😀
Oh boy, Oh boy, Oh boy!I have horrid tile in the kitchen and dining room and have been wondering if I could paint them! Oh boy, Oh boy, Oh boy!
Do it! Do it!
Tile transformation is just awesome. You did a great job. I liked this chalk paint tile floors tutorial, it’s very simple. Thanks for sharing this post.
Thanks so much! It was super easy 😀
I love this idea and i seems easy enough to do! We have ugly tiles similar to this in both of our bathrooms and its not in the budget to replace, yet. I pinned this to try to convince the hubby to let me try!
We can try it Mary 🙂
DO IT! We’d LOVE to see it 😀
Oh – I do want to ask – any problem with the floor being very slippery after the poly? It does look great, nice job and thanks for sharing.
Thanks, Joel! No problem, we did 3 light coats of poly and it’s pretty and shiney but not slippery, thank goodness 🙂
I hate the tile in my motor home so this would be perfect!
YES! This is the perfect paint for that project!
Get out, this is the best idea ever!!!!
Hi….thanks for sharing at Inspire Me Monday. I wanted to let you know that you are one of my featured links this week. Come by and check it out. http://www.farmhouse40.com/inspire-me-monday-134 See you soon!
I love your new floor I am tempted to try it on mine
I love this idea. Its good to know you can paint on vinyl with chalk paint. The bathroom update looks really really good.
WOW! This is awesome!! I wish my boyfriend would let me do this to our bathroom, I love it! I’m thinking though maybe a few decorative tiles on a wall art piece, or out in the yard.
That sounds lovely! 🙂
How has it held up so far? I chalk painted a backsplash in the kitchen, and use it as a chalk board. It’s been a few years and it’s held up well without being sealed, but it’s just a backsplash, not a trafficked floor.
It’s been great so far! We triple sealed it because we don’t have time for touch ups 😉
Well shut that front door girls. Love this and have ceramic tile would love to banish but would be happy to disguise. Would have to get it done before bed as need to visit bathroom at least once a night, other bathroom at other end of house, would never make it in time, my old legs aren’t that quick.
And whose little sweetie is that with her baby under her arm, so adorable. So lucky to have her, so precious. What does she think of floor?
Now will need to decide what color to paint floor and what stencil to use. The doily goes so prettily with ruffled shower curtain. Really like how you positioned stencil, great idea. Thank you for inspiration, needed it. Will print out how to so can convince hubs I can do it. Then the kitchen, same tile. Since our living room is light gray was thinking dark grey tile with stencil, to be decided. Enjoy rest of weekend
LOVE THIS!!
We have a front entry that is enclosed and has ugly green tile. I tried covering much of it with an outdoor rug, but it still peeks at me. Lol. I want to do this!
How does it hold up with traffic? Any scratches or areas where the paint has chipped or worn off?
It’s been great so far! 4 kids, a crazy dog, daily swimsuit changes in there and it’s holding up like a champ!
Love it and want to try but am wondering how you did the partial stencil at the edges, like near the vanity, toilet and tub? I’m a novice at stenciling so sorry if I’m asking a very basic question!
Thank you!
Cyndie
Hi Cyndie, we just did the best we could, bending it in half without creasing it. Stencils are pretty forgiving 🙂
Will you be doing a tutorial for how you painted the awesome door???!!
We didn’t paint the door…we bought it from a thrift store. They said they saw a lady in the middle of stripping and yelled “STOP!” and bought it on the spot. Too funny!! We <3 that old door 😀
I’m wondering if you used a water based or oil based poly? I’ve heard that when water based poly gets wet it turns the original milky color? Have you noticed any of that? And what sheen did you get? A semi-gloss or matte? You’ve inspired me to paint the bathroom floors this weekend and was just curious about these last little details.
Thanks!
Hi Jennifer! I used a water based poly but my color hasn’t gotten milky at all… I used this brand and had great success with it. 🙂
http://amzn.to/2qgXKWi
Here’s the deets:
Finish – Satin
Water clean-up
Low odor, non-yellowing
Fast drying
Satin
1/2 pint
Good luck, girl! Whoo hoo!
Did you prep the tile at all i.e. Sand it? It looks awesome! I have the same tile and hate it lol
I didn’t do any main prep other than washing it really well. It was fun to paint!!
Quick question, did you sand or not the tile, below this answer you said you did. I did the first coat of paint and I can remove the paint easy, would the poly take care of this?
Hi Raul, I did do a light sanding but the sealer works wonders too!
What do you clean it with? Can you use normal cleaners like Mr. Clean etc?
Did you sand the tile down a little so the paint would adhere or wash it with tsp?
Hi Tanya! We sanded it a bit so the paint would stick 😉
This is an excellent idea. Any update on how well it withstands water/moisture?
That is my only concern about using it in a bathroom. I have painted shower tile with a “refinishing kit” before only to have it flake off after normal wear. I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Hi Amanda! The floors have held up great so far…the countertops have not, however. We sealed them 3-4 x’s but honestly, this is a temporary fix for us. Lots of people have had great success but I wouldn’t look at it as a long term solution, personally.
Silly question, but do you apply the dealer the same way as the paint? I.e. Put in a try and roll it on?
Oh my I need spell check! Sealer and tray! Not dealer and try 🙂
Lol, love it! Yes! Same process, just a sealer and tray 🙂
I didn’t know this was even possible & hate my daughters tile floor so this is AWESOME! Would love if you’d share if Reader Tip Tuesday: http://www.jodiefitz.com/2017/08/22/reader-tip-tuesday-party-crafts-recipes/
hope to see you there – so giving this a try! xo
Love it! I have white tile that I hate! What kind of prep work did you do and do you have a tutorial on how you did the countertop?
We cleaned it with concrete cleaner beforehand, similar to our front porch project: http://lollyjane.com/painted-striped-concrete-flooring
Yes on the countertop: http://lollyjane.com/chalk-paint-countertops 🙂
Has it held up well? Any chipped off paint? I’m a DIYr too and I’d go for this in a heartbeat. I have experienced chipped off paint after doing all steps in chalk painting my kitchen cabinets and I even polyed them just for a precaution and It wasn’t a necessary step.
Hi Pam, we did this as a temporary solution. So far they’ve held up well but there definitely is chipping. If you’re looking for a low maintenance route, I wouldn’t paint your floors. They’ll eventually peel up over time, I suspect.
Can I do this on ceramic floor tiles ? I see you had vinyl tile but I have ceramic in my powder room.
Hi Helen! They’re actually ceramic so yes, you absolutely can!
why chaulk paint ? I always thought that was for distressing furniture. can it be cleaned repeatedly and not chip or come up?
Chalk paint is great because it’s a shortcut paint with the added chalk, it takes away the need to prep or Kilz as it adheres well to any surface. Sealing is key to prevent chipping. I feel like it’ll peel over time but this is a great temporary solution.
How has it held up over time? Thanks.
Hi Cindy, it’s definitely chipped in major use areas.
Hi can you do this inside a shower aswell?
Hi Petru,
I wouldn’t trust the constant humidity of warm water and fresh water on it, unfortunately. But it’s great solution for ugly tile floors if you wipe up wet spills quickly. 😉
Love what you’ve done. I wonder how this would work on the old vinyl “peel and stick” squares (my yucky bathroom floor) or on linoleum (my yucky kitchen floor)? The kitchen, especially is a high traffic area. Thanks.
Hi Gloria! This would work but be sure to seal REALLY well! Good luck 🙂
How do you clean daily on the floor – can I still use my steam cleaner or mopping it
Hi Lisa! I use my steamer and it’s been great! A Swiffer pad is nice and soft on it too!
How did you have to prep the floors before painting?
Hi Jen!
Yes, clean them REALLY well and once completely dry, sand them down to the paint will adhere. That’s it! 🙂
I LOVE this. I painted my kitchen cabinets and now the floor just looks awful but I can’t imagine demo-ing that floor and relaying tile. We can go on top since the ceiling heights are low, we are high enough. Do you really think this would work on a LARGE kitchen/high traffic area/center of the house? Thank you in advance!!
Hi Bonnie! I had that problem too- my home is a 1970’s farmhouse with original everything. I painted my cabinets and my floors now look terrible, LOL! To be honest, I don’t know how well they would hold up in a high traffic area- for less than $100 in materials it’s worth a try! I would just seal them 4-5x instead of 3 like I did mine and expect a bit of distress. In fact, I distressed mine ahead of time to plan for that! 😉 Good luck!!
Hi there! This looks so good, I’m probably going to try something similar to cover up my heinous light beige tiles that show every single water drop 🙁 How many months did it go before it started chipping? The loo I want it for is moderately used and I’m trying to figure out if I should invest in a primer step or not. Thank you!
Hi, it held up great for about 3 months. After that you’ll need to touch up! Good luck!
So I painted my floors and did one coat of poly and it left white marks? Did I not let the chalk paint cure long enough or did I put the poly to heavy? Help!!!!
Hi Jennifer! The poly acrylic will have a milky look but dries clear. Did you use the same brand as we recommended?
You can’t sand ceramic tiles. Needs a grinder. Husband used to be in floor treatment business. So it’s unclear what prep was actually given. Also why was chalk paint used? This comes off wooden furniture if you wipe it down before it’s had its wax seal. I’ve used chalk paint before. This whole pin just doesn’t add up. Why not use a stone paint for ceramics? There’s one made by the chalk paint mfrs. There are people who resurface your old kitchen or bathroom wall tiles – maybe that paint would be better. But all the same this pin a great idea and much cheaper than re-tiling although I’d do a bit more homework before following too closely.
Hi Kate! Thanks for the info. We roughed it up enough to get the chalk paint to stick. We don’t recommend this long term but followed another tutorial who used this same paint and she had amazing results. We’ve painted our concrete porch and used concrete paint, I think that would also work? This is a short term solution for people who can’t afford to replace their tile or who don’t want to spend a lot of money. This is the perfect solution for a space with low traffic or little water access. It actually held up really well for me until I was able to afford a bathroom remodel where we gutted this whole bathroom. Anyway, we appreciate your insight and definitely recommend homeowners do their homework, this is one option of many but a trendy and affordable way to update a floor without having to replace it. Take care.
This was on vinyl. Do you think I could do the same on tile?
Hi Danielle, this is tile and worked well 🙂
This is beautiful and charming. I am definitely going to do this to my daughter’s 1960’s black & yellow bathroom! I won’t ask my husband because he always protests my projects. I’ll just start it while he is working or sleeping !
Hahaha…that’s usually how projects start around here too 😉
Would this be feasible even in a small bathroom with ventilation issues? Mine gets super steamy and humid even with the fan going.
Hi Katya!
We have 1 vent and it gets steamy and we didn’t have any moisture issues. We did have a few spots chip here and there depending on the shoes worn indoors.
Good luck!
Would this work on vinyl floors?
Yes! We found Kelly’s tutorial and it looks great: https://www.viewalongtheway.com/2013/01/how-to-paint-vinyl-or-laminate-flooring/