How to Cover Up Ugly Pink Bathroom Tile

If you have bathroom tile from the 1960s or 1970s, you may be tempted to rip out that ugly pink, green or purple surface and replace it with something sane. But if the tile is in good shape, you are setting yourself up for a lot of work, which may be unnecessary. Tiles are not the easiest surface to paint, but they can be painted, with the right preparation and finishing.

Vibrating pad sander with medium sandpaper
Oil primer
Paintbrush
Oil paint
Oil-based polyurethane
Extra-fine sandpaper

Instructions

- 1
  Sand the surface of the pink tile with your vibrating sander and medium sandpaper, dulling the shine. Wipe off the dust.
- 2
  Apply oil primer over the tiles with a paintbrush in a thin, smooth coat, with the brush strokes going all in one direction. Don’t paint the grout lines.
- 3
  Let the primer set for 24 hours.
- 4
  Brush oil paint onto the tiles in a thin, smooth coat, covering just the tile face and not the grout lines. Don’t worry that the paint isn’t completely covering the primer, as multiple thin coats are preferable to fewer thick coats. Keep the brush strokes going all in one direction.
- 5
  Let the paint set for 24 hours. Add two more coats in the same manner, letting each of them dry for 24 hours.
- 6
  Brush on a layer of oil-based polyurethane in the same manner as you did the paint, in a thin, even coat that covers just the tile surface. Let the polyurethane set for 24 hours.
- 7
  Lightly buff the polyurethane by hand with extra-fine sandpaper, to dull the gloss. Brush off the dust.
- 8
  Apply a second polyurethane coat. Let it dry for 24 hours. Dull it with extra-fine sandpaper and brush on a third coat. Let it set 24 hours.

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