How to Take Gloss Off of Tiles

If you have plans to paint over the tiles on your home, you must first remove the gloss from the tile. You can use harsh chemicals to etch the tiles or you can use a labor-intensive method of sanding to remove the protective hard-coat from the surface of the tile, which creates the high-gloss appearance. Although it does create more work, using the sanding method avoids exposure to those chemicals, which could damage items around the tile.

Degreaser cleaner
Rags
Towels
Orbital sander with 220-grit sandpaper

Instructions

- 1
  Clean the surface of the tile with a degreaser cleaner designed to strip grease and wax off the surface of the tile. Use a rag and wash the floor with your hands instead of a mop, which can simply push dirt around. Get the floor or surface of the tile as clean as possible. Dry the tile thoroughly with a towel before moving on.
- 2
  Place a piece of 220-grit sandpaper onto an orbital sander and sand the glaze off the surface of the tile. You do not have to sand all of the glaze off. You simply need to remove the glossy finish from the glaze. Removing just the gloss keeps the tiles sealed to prevent the tiles from soaking up moisture.
- 3
  Wipe the surface of the tile off with rag wet with clean water, to remove all of the sanding residue. Do not use chemicals to clean the floor at this point.

How to Connect Carpet Between Rooms

How to Get Something That Is Stuck Off of Concrete Floors

Floor Repairs