What Is Waterproof That Can Be Used to Cover Bathroom Tiles?

Painting

• Waterproof paint, such as an oil-based paint, can be effective on tile exposed to infrequent splashes. Use a dedicated paint that dries into a waterproof membrane on tile that gets constant water. Cost-effective options include roof paint intended for metal building roofs, or garage floor paint. These will not produce an attractive finish, but they will do the job. Check the manufacturer’s advisements to learn if the product is resistant to foot traffic. An epoxy-based paint is more expensive but incrementally more reliable. Epoxy-based paints are manufactured specifically for high-moisture applications. They dry to a high gloss, they are highly resistant to foot traffic, and typically last many years. They are typically only available from specialist trade paint suppliers.

Paint Process

• Check the entire area by hand first. Remove projections such as old fasteners by hand, repair any crumbling grout, and remove spalling tile surface. Apply a proprietary chemical marketed to kill and remove mold and mildew, and follow that with a powerful degreasant. Use fine-grit sand paper to sand the entire area by hand. This step is vital to ensure good adherence. If you use an oil-based gloss, even a medium grit is likely to leave abrasion marks that show through the final finish. Wipe up every trace of dust with clean rags moistened in mineral spirits. Prime the area in accordance with the instructions on the top coat. Using high-adhesion shellac-based undercoat adds another layer of waterproofing to the job. Several thin applications of the top coat are better than one or two heavy layers.

New Tile

• If the object is to change the bathroom’s appearance, a fresh layer of new tile could be the answer. Heavily scour the preexisting tile to ensure adhesion, and sand it with at least 60-grit paper. The drawback to a fresh layer of tile is it will raise the height of the floor. This could make the retiled room off-level with adjacent rooms, and will almost certainly necessitate removing doors and planing their undersides.

Laminates

• Hardwood laminates are not suitable for use in areas expected to get high humidity, frequent soaking or ponding. In these situations, self-adhesive vinyl tile or roll linoleum works well over correctly prepared tile. Consider fiber-reinforced paneling -- FRP -- to cover tiled walls. FRP may be familiar from washrooms and restrooms in public buildings. The material is sold in 8- by 4-foot sheets. It works best with a specialist glue, and is 100 percent waterproof when the joins are correctly sealed.