Can I successfully re-glaze ceramic tiles that have already been glazed?

Question

I asked a similar question, but it was kind of a two-parter... the part that people didn't really delve into was this; if I have tiles that have already been glazed, can I paint them with ceramic paint and re-glaze them successfully so they're a different color?

...and will they be just as nice/professional looking as if I had only glazed them once?

Answer 1

Most of the professionals say it is best if you choose a professional service (duh), but yes, you can do it yourself.

I have provided a link to the DoItYourself site.

Answer 2

Hi:

You might try Pebeo Porcelaine and Vitrea type paints for ceramics and glass. I used some of the glass paints on an exterior lamp to simulate stained glass, and it's still holding up well after several years.

It might be just as easy to make new tiles with your own glazes if you want. Tiles are pretty easy to make, you just need to make sure they dry flat, either using plaster slabs to dry them or turning them over so they won't curl.

You might also check with some local potters or pottery studios, they may have artists who make tiles that you would be interested in, and may be able to give you some good advice. Hope this helps.

Check out Ceramics Monthly or the Clay Times periodicals for some info, too.

Answer 3

it would be cheaper to buy new tiles, reglazing would not be easy, you have to remove them from the wall, take all the goop off the back, fire them at high temp to hopefully remove the old glaze, then repaint and hope you did a good enough job to make the color even, or call one of those bathtub reglazing companies and they will come out and do their thing to your wall, its not really glaze like fired glaze but it looks pretty good.