A Method for Hand Painting Old Ceramic Floor Tiles – A New Orleans Themed Half Bath under Staircase
Ripping up and replacing a tiled floor is a daunting and expensive task, especially should one live in a fully furnished house full of antique furniture. An alternative is to hand paint the tiles which can save thousands of dollars in furniture removal, storage expenses and labor costs. Let’s not forget the the noise and dust created by using pry bars to rip up old tiles. By hand painting tiles, small sections of a floor may be redecorated by shifting furniture from one area of a room to another.
Perhaps the most rewarding aspect of hand painting ceramic tiles is the limitless range of possibilities in recreating historical designs or creating your own original designs.
Painting Method.
Using bleach and Pine-sol, first mop the section of floor to be painted. Use a can of of Comet bleach and SOS pads to remove any built up hard to remove dirt and a stiff brush to clean the grout. Rinse thoroughly and allow to dry.
Apply Zinnser Primer Primer with brush or roller. Allow to dry. One coat will do, although a second coat may be applied should one prefer.
Paint tiles using artist’s acrylic or interior house paint or a combination of both. Glidden One Coat make for a good base layer prior to adding design work with artist acrylics.
Apply several coats of varnish with brush or roller. CystaLac varnish dries fast and several coats may be applied in a day.
Maintenance cleaning may done with wet mop sheets or a mild mixture of water and bleach.
The photos above and below are of a small half bath painted using the above listed method. The gray tiles shown below outside the bathroom are the same tiles that are in the bathroom.
This painting method was also used to paint the toilet seat and sink base. The toilet seat was painted with a base coat of Zinsser’s, a top coat of Glidden’s and gold decoration using Sargent Art Liquid Metal Gold paint. The walls of this small bath were painted with a base wash of artist acrylic applied with a sponge, brushed on acrylic colors and gold paint. The angel on the angled wall behind the toilet was decoupaged by gluing a magazine print to the wall with Yes Paste and then sealed with Rust-oleum Spar Varnish. The ceiling is a variegated gold leaf.
The tiles outside the small bathroom serve as the before picture as the tiles inside were the same.
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Reprinted from Bitcoin.org
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Four times the nuptial bed she warm’d, And every time so well perform’d, That when death spoil’d each husband’s billing, He left the widow every shilling. Fond was the dame, but not dejected; Five stately mansions she erected With more than royal pomp, to vary The prison of her captive When Hardwicke’s towers shall bow [...] Read more →
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Reprinted from the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA.org)
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We opened the doors on the old Dodge van parked under the big oak tree the old farm house etched with memory ropes hanging down and an old plank swing She kicked her bare feet playfully in the dirt and then soared to the sky Looking out over Illinois corn fields full in growth, [...] Read more →
Reprint from The Pitfalls of Speculation by Thomas Gibson 1906 Ed.
THE PUBLIC ATTITUDE TOWARD SPECULATION
THE public attitude toward speculation is generally hostile. Even those who venture frequently are prone to speak discouragingly of speculative possibilities, and to point warningly to the fact that an [...] Read more →
Setting up Tobacco Plants in Carolina – USDA Photo
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The following highly collectible Franklin Library Signed Editions were published between 1977 and 1982. They are all fully leather bound with beautiful covers and contain gorgeous and rich silk moire endpapers. Signatures are protected by unattached tissue inserts.
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On the decline of the Roman power, about five centuries after Christ, the countries of Northern Europe were left almost destitute of a national government. Numerous chiefs, more or less powerful, held local sway, as far as each [...] Read more →
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Add 3 quarts clover blossoms* to 4 quarts of boiling water removed from heat at point of boil. Let stand for three days. At the end of the third day, drain the juice into another container leaving the blossoms. Add three quarts of fresh water and the peel of one lemon to the blossoms [...] Read more →
