Last updated April 8th, 2022 at 02:49 pm
Can you paint shower tile? YES! We made over our entire bathroom with PAINT! Let me show you how to paint shower tile.
The ugliest part of our guest bathroom was the tile. If there’s one color I hate, it miiiiiight be brown. (Sorry, chocolate!) This entire bathroom was brown. The shower walls were brown. The floor was brown. The vanity was brown. YUCK. I wanted to brighten this room up and BOY DID THIS DO IT!
Can you paint shower tile?
YES! How do I know? Because I did it! By doing the right prep and using the right products you can paint your shower tile too! The best part? It only cost about $50 and only takes a few hours! What are you waiting for!?
What to use for shower tile paint?
Here’s the secret: using the right primer is JUST as important as the shower tile paint. If you want to paint bathroom tiles in a shower you need to make sure you do all the proper prep in order for it to last. I’ll go through the steps below, but the primer you need to use is called INSL-X Stix Acrylic Waterborne Bonding Primer. This stuff is MAGIC y’all.
Stix primer is made specifically for adhering to challenging surfaces like glossy tile, PVC, vinyl, plastic, glass, etc. It’s made to bond to to hard-to-coat surfaces LIKE YOUR SHOWER TILE!
For the actual shower tile paint, you can use whatever color you want! I chose white, but you could do any color you want. When picking your paint, go with a Satin Oil-Based Enamel. It’s made for indoor and outdoor use, cures to a hard/durable finish, and resists household chemicals. We used BEHR PREMIUM Oil-Base Satin Enamel and you can geek out over the product details here.
Just adding the primer to the shower tile made a huge difference! It was SO MUCH BRIGHTER! Now let’s paint the shower tile!
How to Paint Shower Tile
Can you paint shower tile? YES! We made over our entire bathroom with PAINT! Let me show you how to paint shower tile.
Materials
Instructions
- Remove plumbing fixtures or tape around them
- Remove caulk
- Tape edges and cover tub (you don't want drips!)
- Clean the tile like it's never been cleaned before
- Sand the tile so it's roughed up and ready for primer and paint
- Prime the tile
- Paint with Satin Enamel Oil-Based Indoor/Outdoor paint
- Allow sufficient time between coats (consult paint instructions!)
- Allow to fully cure according to paint instructions before using the shower.
- Reinstall hardware
- Re-caulk
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I was 1000% shocked with how GREAT this looked! I kept pulling up pictures on my phone and thinking OMG THIS USED TO BE BROWN! It’s so much brighter and I’m so happy with the bright white color.
Now it’s time to replace the hardware and install a DOOR! I loath shower curtains and since we went to so much trouble to paint and brighten this space, I think a clear glass door is going to do wonders for opening up the space!
Since the same tile was used on the floor, I also went ahead and primed it when I primed the shower tile. Be sure to follow along to see what we do in this space next and to see what we do with that floor! (Hint: I’m using a stencil and bringing in the COLOR!)
Sonya Caudle says
Just wondering how the paint is holding up in the shower? I really want to try this in my shower but am worried about it holding up.
Amber Oliver says
Still no issues!! This is a guest bathroom though, so not used daily. It is cleaned twice a month though!
Karen says
What type of paint would you use on the floor of a shower? I’m doing this exact project however it is a stand up shower.
Amber Oliver says
Hi, the paint we used isn’t recommended on the floor and I haven’t tried anything I can recommend. So sorry!
Bethany says
How long would you suggest we need to wait to use the shower after painting?
Amber Oliver says
As long as possible! I’d say *minimum* should be 48 hours.
Chris says
I am so interested in your painting shower tile. Do you know if it would work for shower board? Thanks.
Amber Oliver says
It’s held up for years now!! I haven’t tried on the shower board buuuuut I think if you can sand it you’d probably have luck! My worry would be the surface is too slick!
Kiersten Walker says
Hi! I am about to try this project on our shower tile and wanted to check on how yours was holding up now that it is has almost been 3 years? Thank you!
Amber Oliver says
We had our first problem this week! Our foundation had to be leveled and we got cracks in the grout. The paint itself hasn’t had a single chip!! I’m shocked!
Kiersten says
Thanks for responding! I am going to be trying this tomorrow and am super excited.
Robin says
You instructed to remove grout. What if it’s not possible? Just sand first?
Amber Oliver says
yes! I painted over the grout!