Epoxy shower tile paint (updated in comments)

[sandandsea]

I realized last night that we could get rid of the awful dusty rose subway type tile in the bathroom by using the epoxy paint. The tile and shower/tub are in good condition. How hard is this and will it look like white tile after or like we painted the tile?

[carmenere]

I posted about this a while back because I was intrigued by the ads for the rustoleum refinishing kit: pandce.proboards.com/thread/611446/ve-refinished-bathtub-tile

Ultimately we decided we weren't comfortable tackling it ourselves, so we're going to get it professionally refinished later.

[sandandsea]

Thanks! That’s helpful! Thankfully the tub is white and in great shape so it’s just be the wall tile.

[dr.girlfriend]

I know you saw that other thread about this since you posted in it, but did you see that lightbulbsun said they painted their tub tile?  Hopefully they'll jump in.

[af1212]

I don’t know anything about diy but many people I know, including myself, have had parts or whole bathrooms professionally regulated and it has been super affordable and looks great.

The process is way smelly and messy so not sure if the diy process is the same but if it was I would definitely encourage you to get a professional. Also ours came with a guarantee which is also helpful if there is a chip or anything

[lightbulbsun]

I painted the tub and tile in my bathroom. The tile runs all around my bathroom, so it was a lot of painting. I didn't find it very challenging, but it did take 3 coats to cover the tile (originally blue).

I used Rustoleum Tub and Tile refinishing kit. I ended up doing all three coats in one day. It dries pretty quickly in between. The most annoying part was making sure to get all of the grout lines.
Definitely get a respirator. It smells really bad, but with the respirator I couldn't smell it at all, although there were times when my eyes watered! From what I've read, the most important thing is to prep properly, and make sure everything is really clean when you start.

I did it 1.5 years ago, and I think it still looks great. The only part that is a little messed up is around the drain in the tub, but I think that was my own fault for not cleaning it well enough beforehand.

I don't have pictures with me, but I'll take some later to post.

ETA: I also planned to do it the day before we left for a short vacation.  I think we had to wait a few days before we could use the shower, and also the smell was so strong.  

[winecat]

I've found some other kits: www.amazon.com/Ekopel-Bathtub-Refinishing-Kit-Reglazing/dp/B07MCW3KJB/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Refinished+Bath+Solutions&qid=1572113239&sr=8-1 . This one says it low VOC.

[sandandsea]

We did it and omg. What a pain. Home Depot only has the spray paint and it was a mess. It took 6 cans(3 kits
@ $50 each) so about $175 total in supplies.

A respirator is a must and mask and cover everything. There is a sticky fine dust that gets everywhere. Also we did it in a closed room with the door shut and fan on and still put up a plastic sheet in the hall to stop the smell.

But it does look better than it did and is a decent temporary fix. I don’t know if I’d do it again though. The tile was in perfect condition but was dated. The finish isn’t perfect but is fine at first glance, just don’t look too closely. The product is not for perfectionists.

Before:



After:


The tub looks blue as it’s reflecting the blue mat inside. It’s not actually blue tinted.

ETA. We did it all Sunday afternoon/evening and used the Homax tub and tile kit.

[mrsukyankee]

It does look a lot better from the picture.

[aprilsails]

From the photo it looks great! Sounds like a rough process. I really hope that it holds up!

[k3am]

Looks great from the pic!

[Mrs.flang]

It sounds pretty annoying, but it does look really great!

[carmenere]

It looks great in the picture! You're a braver person than I.

[sandandsea]

I did the touch up edge paint and added new towels tonight so I’ll post a final pic. It looks significantly better for a $200 investment.

[mrsukyankee]

I like the shower curtain. Very pretty.