painting my kitchen..

[sara3]

right, so it's half tiled (white) and half papered (a light turquoise shade). the bathroom leaked through plenty of times (all fixed now) so there are brown watermarks on the paper. it's very unsightly. I can't afford to do a big make-over this year but plan to paint both the tiles and the paper a rich creamy colour.

1) what preparation do I need to do?
2) do tiles look reasonable once painted? do I need to use a proper primer?
3) do I really need to use kitchen paint?

I like DIY.. for the first 10 minutes!

[annie0000]

Painted tiles in general look pretty grim. Is the wallpaper bubbled or hanging off or anything? and is it completely dry?

[snags]

Painted tiles... nooooooooo...

[ummmm]

I have to agree with the others. I don't think painted tiles ever look good.

When it comes to painting the walls...you might have to seal the water marks first so they don't seep through. You can use any paint but kitchen paint is better if it's not a very well ventilated kitchen. It's much easier to clean.

[milly143]

I painted the tiles in the kitchen of our old house. The looked ok - from the lounge.

[sara3]

the paper is sound, and completely dried out from previous disasters.

oh cr@p. what can I do with the tiles then? they're also sound, not cracked, plain white bog-standard, but a couple look a different shade of white. they must have been replaced some time.

any suggestions?

[merciasounds]

To be truthful, painted tiles? - No. They look what they are and, if you scratch one it looks tatty in an instant. There are loads of laminates available, plain colours, even sparkly colours, some look like tiles, granite, marble, brushed stainless steel - even quirky ones like rippling water over sand or pebbles, you could cover tiles with some of that, it's not that expensive. Or put up a batten, or use strong as nails glue cover some chip/hardboard with fablon and cover under cupboard areas with that. As regards Kitchen/bathroom paint - it isn't really necessary unless you get a lot of condensation on your walls.

[sara3]

Tri, I know but I think I'll have to put that off til next year :o/

mercia, thank you.. fablon? is that the sticky stuff on a roll? I guess a solid laminate is a possibilty, do they make them for that purpose?

do you think the watermarks on the paper will cover with just paint, or do I need to undercoat?

[Postdog]

Just my opinion but painted tiles are a no no. Clean them well, and stencil paint the odd one or two usingashop bought stencil

[sara3]

hi Postdog and thanks, but stencils aren't me :o/

painting them is out then!

[snags]

Regrouting old tiled areas can make a big difference...

[snags]

Looks like you'll be regrouting twice then ;-p

[sara3]

they definitely need re-grouting!

I just wanted them to magically look cream ;o)

[sara3]

yes, yes, I love re-grouting!

[jackthehat]

Tile the tiles with tiles of your choice. :o)
S'very easy to do, honest, and apart from making sure that the original tile surface is clean, there'e no preparation work to do.

[sara3]

tile straight over them?

[snags]

I thought re-tiling - over or after removing the old ones - was not an option because of cost...