Changing a tiled counter into a look of granite or marble.?

Question

Okay, the house I want to buy has black tiled counter tops, with the white grout of course. My money supply is low, low, low, so I was thinking of either painting the entire counter to match the black tiles (can you paint the grout and get a good result?) and then applying a painting effect to resemble marble, or painting the grout black and then using a sponging technique (with different colors) to make the counter resemble granite.

Again, my budget is mega small, so I'd probably not be interested in buying a new counter, but paint I can do. Is there anyone else who has successfully painted tile counter tops and liked the end result? Are there issues with painting grout?

Thanks for your help!

Ashley

Wow! Thanks for all the advice.

By the way, to the one person who said it couldn't be done-- you can paint tile; you just have to rough it up a bit first.

Now, if I put on a finish (polyurethane or whatever) won't that prevent the paint from chipping? Just wondering.

That's basically why I asked the question in the first place. I knew that backsplashes wouldn't really be an issue since you don't "work" on them, but I did question the abuse my actual counter could sustain if painted. The tiles are small ceramic black tiles, but he's changing the floor to a light tan color. I love the floor- hate the counter.

The advice has been great...got anymore?!

Answer 1

HI Ashley,
I love your creative thinking but I think you should save your $$ until you can buy a marble countertop. You can paint grout but it really doesn't look all that great and the other thing is that any paint you use on the tile is going to chip off really easily. You will wind up with a mess pretty quickly in my opinion.

Hi Ashley,
Followup to your added comments: Read this article about using polyurethane. He suggests its OK to paint the countertop but notice he isn't talking about tile. Good luck
http://www.stretcher.com/stories/01/010423n.cfm
And you're right about painting tile by roughing it up. But not on an area that will get the abuse a countertop will. You could do it on tile on a wall or an area that doesn't get the abuse.

Answer 2

I would not paint the tile-backsplashes turn out ok but you are working on it and while the paints available are good-its still paint. I do like your idea of black grout and that would fix you up best for least. I am checking into 12x12 black marble-it runs about 4-5.00 a squarte and doing virtually no grout-my tile is cracking and my kitchen is big and newer-with saltillo tiles on the floor black is a good choice. Stick with what you have and fix the grout-be simple. HFGTV.com and DIY networks sites have how-tos too.

Answer 3

they make a paint kit for making your outdoor plant pots look like granite-I would scrub the entire counter especially the grout with comet and rinse it well first-the grout actually paints easier than the tiles-you will probably need to lightly sand them - also you may want to fill in the grout a little more to make the counter top even -then get primer paint and paint the entire counter -then paint as you wish -after you've finished painting you will want to cover it with clear polyurethane

Answer 4

Ok why not try plexiglass have it cut and paint the side that is going against the wall black droill holes to screw in or moulding around it. Or why not try calling a tile place see ifthey have discontinued tile if they don't have enough black brake up the color with the color of the wall or another because that will be to much black ?

Answer 5

i install wood and tile for a living.....the best answer i can give you is that it greatly depends on the type of tile you're dealing with ( ceramic, marble , porcelain). Some ceramic tiles will allow paint to adhere....i would recommend trying it in a small inconspicuous area and seeing how it turns out...as for the grout..that shouldnt be a problem

Answer 6

The issue with painting tile is that it LOVES to chip. If you decide to do it, make sure you get a really good finish on top of the paint; and, make sure that the paint is flame retardant!

Answer 7

YOU CANNOT PAINT TILE--IT WILL NEVER STICK.
WHY NOT JUST RE-GROUT TO BLACK.