Tiling and Paint: 11 things you should know

Painted surfaces are not ideal for laying tile because paint does not allow the adhesive to bond well to the surface of the tiles. Tiles installed directly over painted surfaces may get raised or fall off the surface over time. A painted surface needs proper preparation before tile installation. Any peeling or damaged paint must be removed before tiling as it can lift and hinder the tile installation process.

This article will provide you with information regarding the preparation of your painted walls and floor for tiling. It will also give tips on tiling on different painted surfaces like brick, concrete, and plaster. So, if you are looking forward to installing tiles over a painted surface in your house, go through each section of this article to learn more and avoid any problems.

Tiling over painted brick, some helpful tips

In general, tiles can not be installed directly over painted bricks because the thin-set will not adhere properly to the painted brick surface. You have to either remove the paint, which can be difficult in some cases or install a cement board over the painted bricks.

Paint acts as a bond breaker between the surface and the thin-set. If the thin-set is applied directly to a brick surface, it may not bond properly to the surface, and the paint may become loose. This can cause the tiles to fall off or become raised eventually.

To prevent this problem, you can either remove the paint off the bricks. Or you can install a cement board, whatever is more convenient. Cement boards provide a rough and even surface for tile installation. These boards can be screwed into the brick walls and an adhesive layer between the board and the wall.

Do I need to remove paint from concrete before tiling? Some helpful tips:

In general, you can not tile directly over a painted concrete surface. Before tiling, you should either remove the paint from the concrete or treat the surface to increase the grip strength of the adhesive. Painted concrete surfaces act as bond breakers for all tile thin-sets and self-leveling compounds. Paint must be removed from the concrete prior to tiling, or the concrete must be stripped and perfectly cleaned before tiling.

It is possible to tile on a painted concrete surface. However, it is not recommended. The longevity of the tiles depends on the adhesion between the paint and the concrete. As soon as the paint gets loose, the tiles will fall off the wall.

It is best to remove paint from concrete, so the mortar or thin-set can not be installed directly over the painted concrete. Thin-set can not bond well to the shiny painted surface. The painted floor or wall must be scratched or stripped before mortar application. This way, the mortar gets something to hold on to instead of the layer of paint over the concrete.

A concrete sealant can also be applied over painted concrete prior to tiling. A concrete sealant allows you to get a smooth or shiny coat on top of the paint. Be sure to clean the floor thoroughly before applying the sealant to remove any dirt and debris.

How to prepare a painted wall for tiling, some helpful tips:

In general, it is not necessary to remove all the paint before tiling. Key or score the surface so that the mortar can have a better grip. Remove the peeling paint and scrape the wall using a scraper. To make this work easier, create diagonal lines on the painted wall with the scraper’s edge. Fill all the cracks and holes in the wall that remain. Fix any uneven areas with sandpaper.

Removing paint from the surface is a time-consuming and challenging job. But to ensure the longevity of your tiling project, remove as much paint as you can before tiling the wall. To remove emulsion paint, use the following steps:

● Step 1: Use steam and a scraper

The easiest way to remove emulsion paint from a wall is to apply steam and use a wallpaper stripper or scraper to get rid of the paint. Move the wide area of the scraper over the painted wall to remove as much paint as you can.

● Step 2: Crisscross the wall

Then, use a knife to score crisscrossed lines into the wall. This makes it much easier for the scraper to get underneath. After removing the paint with a scraper, you can use a paint remover to get rid of any other paint left on the wall. After all the paint is removed, use medium-grade sandpaper to create a rough surface on the wall for the adhesive to bond effectively.

● Step 3: Let the wall dry

To avoid paint scrapings from sticking to the floor, collect them in a bag while still soft. Ensure the wall is dry and there are no heavy particles present on the wall using a vacuum. Use an ammonia-based cleaner or tri-sodium phosphate to remove any remaining dust, grease, and oils from the wall.

● Step 4: Clean the wall

Once the paint is removed and steamed, clean the wall surface with a damp sponge or cloth, mild cleaner, and warm water. Surface residue on the wall, like dust and grease, may prevent the adhesive from sticking to the surface. Therefore, it is essential to clean the surface before applying the adhesive.

● Step 5: Key the surface

The next step in the preparation of your painted wall for tiling is to key the surface. Keying creates rough grooves that help in maximizing the adhesion between the wall surface and the adhesive. You can use sandpaper or a sander for this purpose.

● Step 6: Apply the adhesive

The rougher the surface is, the stronger the adhesion will be. The next step is to apply the adhesive to the prepared surface. Cement-based adhesives should not be applied to plaster because these adhesives undergo a reaction that prevents adhesion. Therefore, it is important to prime the surface before applying the adhesive to prevent this reaction.

Painting a bathroom before or after tiling, some helpful tips:

In general, the best way is to prime the surface first, then apply the first coat of paint and install the tiles once the paint is dry. Apply the second coat after the installation of tiles for minor touch-ups.

Whether to paint a bathroom before or after tiling differs from person to person. Some people paint the bathroom before tiling to avoid the tiles from getting stained, while others prefer to paint afterward to match the paint color according to the tiles. Each method has its pros and cons.

● Painting the Bathroom before Tiling:

The advantage of painting the bathroom before tiling is that the paint would not get on the grout where the walls and tiles meet. However, you can paint the walls and the ceiling before installing tiles. Once the paint is dry, you can easily install the tiles without any fear of paint dripping down them.

The problem with painting the entire wall before tiling is that the adhesive may not bond well to the surface of the painted wall. If you tend to paint first, make sure that you scrape the tiling area before installing the tiles to give the mortar something to grab onto.

● Painting the Bathroom after Tiling:

Painting after tile installation helps you to match the paint color according to the tiles. However, this takes greater skill. If you are a messy painter, this method is not suitable for you as it will add to your workload, and you will have to perform extra cleaning to prevent the tiles from staining. There is also a chance that the paint may get on the grout where the walls and tiles meet.

Tiling on a painted wall in the bathroom, a step by step guide:

In general, painted walls in a bathroom need to be primed prior to tiling. Emulsion paint can act as a primer. A wall that has a coat of emulsion paint should be sanded with sandpaper before tiling. If the painted wall is newly plastered or fully painted, you will have to score the wall to ensure adhesion.

Painted walls in the bathroom also need preparation before tile installation. Paint on the walls hinders the adhesion between the surface of the wall and the thin-set. This may result in poor tile installation as the tiles may fall off the wall when the paint loosens. Here are the steps to prime the painted wall before tiling.

• Step 1. Sanding: Sand the wall with sandpaper.
• Step 2. Scoring: Score the wall with a scrapper.
• Step 3. Level the wall: Ensure the wall is level and flat.
• Step 4. Clean the surface: Clean the wall’s surface with a sugar soap solution to remove any dirt or debris.

Tiling on painted plaster, some helpful tips:

In general, painted plaster needs preparation before tiling. The wall area that needs to be tiled must be scratched or scored with a scrapper to create easier adhesion between the thin-set and the wall’s surface.

Plaster provides an ideal surface for tile installation. However, if the plaster is painted with emulsion paint, it needs to be prepared prior to tiling. This creates a rough surface that provides the adhesive something to key into. It would be best if you scraped the painted plaster with a scraper.

Tiling on painted plasterboards, some helpful tips:

In general, if the plaster wood is painted with matte non-emulsion paint, you can tile onto the plasterboard after scoring. If silk non-emulsion paint is used, you will have to use a suitable adhesive for tile installation.

The process of tiling on the non-emulsion painted plasterboard depends on the type of paint used on the board:

● Tiling on matte painted plasterboard:

Matte paint feels slightly rougher to the touch and can cover imperfections more effectively. If your plasterboards are painted with matte paint, you can install tiles over them after slight scoring. You can use normal adhesive for this purpose.

● Tiling on silk painted plasterboard:

On the other hand, silk paint gives a smooth finish to the wall. It reflects light more than matte paint, so imperfections on the wall are more obvious. Tiling on a wall painted with silk paint requires a thin-set with the extra adhesive ability to create a better adhesion between the tiles and the surface.

Tiling over emulsion paint, some helpful tips:

In general, tiles can not be installed over an emulsion-painted surface. Emulsion paint is a water-based paint that reacts as soon as it comes in contact with the adhesive. Emulsion paints form a very poor bond with the tile adhesives and must be removed before tiling.

It is not recommended to tile on a prepared or painted surface. To decide whether a painted surface is suitable for tiling requires a detailed inspection and examination of the surface. Emulsion paint, distemper, and other similar paints must be removed before tiling as they have poor adhesion qualities. Tiling over these paint finishes may result in the falling of a tile from the wall.

Most tiles are larger than 30cm x 30cm, and already mixed adhesives are not suitable to adhere these large tiles to a wall. Cement-based adhesives are also not recommended for painted surfaces. This means that the best alternative is to remove the paint from the walls.

Tiling over painted floors, some helpful tips:

In general, tiles do not adhere to enamel-painted floors. The paint makes the surface too smooth. You should either strip the floor or use a cement backer board.

Floors are often painted with enamel paints instead of emulsion paints that are more used to paint walls. Enamel paint is thicker and hence creates a very smooth surface which is not suitable for tiling.

An enamel-painted floor can be prepared for tiling by laying a backing sheet over the floor surface. These sheets are nailed onto the surface and provide a rough and even surface for tile installation. Another solution is to strip the floor with a scraper to remove the waxy coating from the floor and provide a rough and keyed surface for proper adhesion.