Can kitchen backsplash tiles be painted

[MELSMICE]

I am beyond words right now. We just had Corian counters put in our kitchen. We had white laminate counters before with a white backsplash. I chose beige counters with splashes of white to blend in with the white backsplash. We had a small piece of Corian as a sample.

Well, I just came home & the counters are nothing like I imagined they would be. The "splashes" of white are few & far between. So now I have these beige counters - which are also darker than they looked - & this white backsplash.

I love the counters but can't get past the contrast with the white backsplash. Is there anything that can be done to paint the tiles on the backsplash. I just spent all this money on these counters & now I can't even begin to explain how disappointed I am in the total look.

 

[JerseyJanice]

I guess it depends on what your back splash tiles are made of.

I want to say that if they are ceramic, then no, they can not be painted.

If you don't know what they are made from, then you need to get a tile expert/contractor to check them out and see if they can be refinished or if they must be replaced.

I'm certain that replacing tile is a lot cheaper than replacing countertops.

 

[MAKmom]

Whats the name of the Corian you had installed. I'm thinking maybe you can stencile the tile in a few places & pull it togather. I'll look at my corian samples at work tues if you give me the name. Did you say you have back splash & tile?

 

[MELSMICE]

Whats the name of the Corian you had installed. I'm thinking maybe you can stencile the tile in a few places & pull it togather. I'll look at my corian samples at work tues if you give me the name. Did you say you have back splash & tile?

It's actually called Avonite - a "form" of Corian. Our backsplash is made of tiles - I'm pretty sure they ceramic. I don't know the name of the pattern if that's what you mean.

DH kept saying, "it looks fine, I don't know what the big deal is. The cupboards are brown - it matches the cupboards." Are all men so dense about things like that. I looked at him & said, "all cupboards are brown" (I know, I know - some are white or other colors)

Of course, to make matters worse, I wanted a lighter color, but DH & my DD's talked me into this one. UGH - I could shoot myself. Oh well, worse things have happened in life I guess. I just was so excited to get them & now this...................

 

[JerseyJanice]

Another possibility--

Look up "Tattouage" on-line. It's art transfers. HSN sells it, but I'm told that it's less expensive ordered directly through the manufacturer.

You press it against the tile and rub it with a wooden stick. It's supposed to last and comes in a multitude of color and styles.

 

[Rafiki Rafiki Rafiki]

OK, here's what I'm thinking.

1--can you show us a photo?
2--if it's that stark, I say remove the grout on some of the tiles, pop them out, and add an identically sized tile of the same color as the Corian to accent. Tiling is really not difficult. To remove tiles and grout, all you need is a hammer and a deglazing tool (which looks like a putty knife and costs about $6). You can fix it up for probably $40 or $50 and be completely happy with it.

 

[MELSMICE]

Another possibility--

Look up "Tattouage" on-line. It's art transfers. HSN sells it, but I'm told that it's less expensive ordered directly through the manufacturer.

You press it against the tile and rub it with a wooden stick. It's supposed to last and comes in a multitude of color and styles.

I just thought about this when I woke up this morning.

Whats the name of the Corian you had installed. I'm thinking maybe you can stencile the tile in a few places & pull it togather. I'll look at my corian samples at work tues if you give me the name. Did you say you have back splash & tile?

MAKmom - do you work with Corian. I'm asking because.......................

the entire counter was not actually installed yet. The main piece, containing the sink & going the full length of the kitchen & around a "bend" to the stove was dropped & cracked before the put it in. They have to go make another piece.

DH mentioned this morning that they left a piece here in case we ever needed a repair they had to use a piece that came from the same dye lot. He said he was thinking about it & thinks they should make all the counters over because he doesn't want the main counter to be different than the island, the desk or the other part of the counter that is against the wall.

Does this make sense - should it all be remade to come from the same dye lot? If this is the case, I'm wondering if I could just have them done in a lighter Corian (Avonite).

BTW - now that I've had a night to sleep on it, it's not that bad. I like the idea of the art transfers possibly.

 

[golfgal]

You can get tile electrostatically painted. It is basically an auto paint that they spray on the tile. You can have appliances painted this way as well. I don't know how good it looks when it is done, I have only seen ads on tv for this.

 

[kdibattista]

We had our bathroom ceramic tiles "refinished". It was much, much, much cheaper then replacing them. It was a few day process because they have to break down the color, refinish and then paint using a special paint (but you are able to pick a custom color). I swear it was the best money we ever spent. It looks fabulous and I get tons of compliments.

Check with your local paint store... they can give you referrals.

 

[mickeyfan2]

On many design shows they do paint the tiles. I think it is more of a short term solution and will eventually flake off. They say to use the special tile paint. Maybe paint a few beige tiles every so often.

 

[ChristmasElf]

You actually have a few options.

You can use a glass paint on the tiles to either add a design or stencil one on the existing tiles.

You could score around the grout lines of a few tiles and then pop in a "designer tile" that would match the counters more closely.

You could also just use the glass paint on a few tiles here and there that would form a pattern on the backsplash tile.

Or, and this is what I would do, lay cardboard down on the new countertops.
Get a hammer and smash the old tiles and remove them. This is actually very easy and replacing your backsplash will not take very long, you will be surprised.
Go up to either a tile store or Home Depot and pick out the new backsplash tiles and the tools you will need. They will show you what you need for the job.
Installing is very easy. It is as simple as measuring and buttering bread and putting it in place. You can get very creative too, like do a mosaic pattern with random peices of tile or putting in different sized tiles that will form a pattern. You will be amazed at how easy this is once you get started.

Good Luck!

 

[LuvN~Travel]

I think I would do the same. Pop out a few tiles and replace them with some accent tiles, i.e. different colors or tone on tone raised design or even some cool designs you find with lots of neutral colors. I would definitely try to make 'some lemonade with these lemons'.
Kim