Painting existing tile

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I saw this on another site and thought I would post it for your information.

Painting on Ceramic Tile
You can paint on just about any surface, provided that you have the correct primer applied to a prepared surface. This includes those surfaces one would not usually think of as being paintable, such as ceramic tile.
First clean the surface with a good degreaser/cleaner such as TSP (available at the paint store). Remove any loose grout. You can fill in the gaps with a vinyl spackle or paintable caulking.
If you want to mask off any tiles or surfaces that you do not want painted, use 3M's blue Long Mask tape. My experience is that it is very difficult to completely mask off grout to keep the paint out; it is often best to come back later with a small liner brush (available at arts and crafts stores), and repaint the grout line.
If the tile is a high gloss, you may want to lightly scuff the surface with some medium grit sandpaper.
Brush on an even coat of a solvent based bonding primer such as X.I.M. White Primer. This is a high solvent primer, so use only with sufficient ventilation; (read and heed the safety notes on the can!). There are also some new water based bonding primers on the market, such as Benj. Moore's "Fresh Start". If the use of solvent primers is a concern for you, try out one of the water based primers on a sample tile. This will show you if the primer will work on the tile you have.
Let the primer cure for several days before painting it with your latex paints.
After you have finished painting your tiles, protect the surface with 1-2 coats of a low sheen acrylic finish such as Benj. Moore's Stay Clear Acrylic Finish. If you are going to paint counter top tile or floor tile, or in an area that gets lots of water, apply 3 coats of finish, and let it cure for up to a week before using. (Acrylic finishes dry to the touch very quickly, but require a cure time to reach maximum hardness. This varies according to the thickness of the finish and the relative humidity of the room).

For more great paint ideas, check out Glenwood Sherry's "Fresh Paint, Fun and Easy Ways to Decorate with Paint", available at 1 800 441-3000. For information on Glenwood's upcoming class schedule check here