Changing colour of ceramic floor tiles - can it be done?

Question

Had they been wall tiles in a low-impact position, I might have taken a chance with enamel paint.

I'm not sure it would work for a floor, however. And definitely not in a bathroom.

So, how can a medium brown ceramic tile be darkened a couple of shades to a more attractive colour? I heard there are some penetrating sealers which may do this. The tile surface is rough, not glossy at all.

Any comments?

Or do I just bite the bullet and pay for the whole floor to be ripped out and re-tiled?

Answer 1

nothing would hold up. ceramic tile is fairly easy to remove. a contractor would not charge too much for demo. you can save some bucks by doing it yourself. i just removed ceramic tile from a bathroom, and in 1 hour i was done. how it was installed will dictate how easy it would be to remove. if you knock on it, and it sounds a little hollow, you can take a hammer (with gloves and goggles) and shatter it all. for around $50 you can rent a power chisel to clean up the concrete underneath, if necessary. then you can put whatever you want in there, rather than a quick, cheap fix. oh yeah, protect your cabinets with cardboard. flying ceramic tile bits are like bullets.

Answer 2

If your tiles are porous you could try using a product by HG called an impregnator (which is a sealer), this you could buy in any good tile shop. Or if the grout joints are a light colour you could try darkening the grout which would change the look of the whole floor, remove the top layer of grout with a grout rake from a DIY store and replace with darker grout. Hope this helps.

Answer 3

sorry to tell you, but I think is't time to bite the bullet. Ceramic is usually non-absorbant, at least this is true of the high-temperature-fired tiles like you would put on a floor. I think you would really be unhappy with the results of a sealer, and with any kind of traffic it just wouldn't hold up.

Answer 4

You need a water based colored sealer and to prepare your floor properly with a vinegar wash. So to properly prepare your grout... Sweep your floor Wet the surface with clean, warm water. Scrub with a solution of 5 parts water to 1 part vinegar ( or follow manufacturers instructions for sulfamic acid) and a stiff bristle brush. Let the solution sit a minute or so, then scrub an area. Keep the surface wet. If the surface dries with the acid on you are more likely to end up burning your grout with acid. Do a reasonable size area at a time. Rinse mop the surface with clean, warm water. Let the surface thoroughly dry.

Answer 5

Yes,break them slightly and the dark cracks will show through,giving a darkening effect

Answer 6

you bite it