How to Finish Ceramic Tiles with Gloss Paint

The passage of time can take its toll on the gloss paint on your ceramic tile counters, leaving you with dull, discolored surfaces. Since it is costly to replace the tiles on your countertop, you should consider repainting your tiles instead of replacing them. To finish your ceramic tiles with gloss paint, here is what you should do.

What you’ll need

• Tile Cleaner
• Rubber Gloves
• Protective Mask and Garments
• Painters Tape
• Sponge
• Scrubber
• Sander
• Rags
• Quick Dry Adhesive
• Caulk
• Quick-Dying Epoxy
• Paint Brush
• Artist Brush
• Paint Primer
• High-Gloss Paint
• Water-based Clear Urethane Paint

Step 1 – Clean the Tiles and Prepare the Area

Safety first: The materials you will be using are normally hazardous with prolonged exposure. Be sure to maintain good ventilation in the area where you work. Wear a face mask and rubber gloves.

Wet the area with a small amount of water and a heavy duty tile cleaner, then clean it briskly to remove grease, dirt, mold, etc. Ensure all areas are cleaned thoroughly to get rid of bacteria or fungus that would eat up the paint from below. Wash the area thoroughly and let it dry.

Use electric sander to remove the original “shiny” coating of the tile surface. Clean the area thoroughly again, to prevent dust and other small particles from causing ugly bubbles on your paint.

Step 2 – Rework Tile Imperfections

Rework imperfections on the tiles before starting to do the paint work. Use quick-drying epoxy on tile cracks and caulk on chipped portions of the tiles. Be sure to let the reworked area dry up completely. Re-apply grout to cracked places. Let these applications dry for 2 days. Secure painter’s tape as edging over areas not intended for painting.

Step 3 – Apply the Acrylic Paint Primer

Apply the acrylic paint primer using the paint brush. Cover all areas evenly with thin single strokes. Be sure to cover even the recessed portions occupied by grout. Let the paint primer dry overnight. Repeat this process one more time before you apply your gloss paint.

Step 4 – Apply the High Gloss Paint

Apply the high gloss paint the same way as you applied the primer. Use the artist brush to apply contrasting paint into the grout. Use the artist brush to make fine lines or shapes, if you desire, on the tile surface. Make this the fun part as you decide how your tile surface should appear. After applying the high gloss paint, let it dry completely.

Step 5 – Apply the Water-based Clear Urethane Paint

Apply the water-based urethane paint using paint brush. The urethane paint produces a hard coating on the surface that will make it last for years. Make thin layers, applying several applications to ensure a finer finish. Applying layers of paint on the surface of your tile can also help protect your tile.

Step 6 – Finishing up

After applying the gloss paint, keep whatever leftover paint you have in a safe place. If you have kids at home, make sure that you store your left-over paints in a place where your kids cannot reach them.

Source: www.DoItYourself.com

How to Paint Ceramic Kitchen Wall Tiles

Painting your ceramic kitchen wall tiles is easy. All you have to remember is that you have to remove as much gloss from the surface of the ceramic tiles that you are painting on so that the paint adheres to the ceramic tiles well. Below are the materials that you need along with the instructions on how to paint ceramic kitchen wall tiles.

What you’ll need

• Fine grit sandpaper
• Bleach
• Sponge
• Orbital sander
• Mild commercial tile cleaner
• Primer
• Oil-based paint
• Urethane finish
• Dust sheets or old newspapers
• Cleaning cloth
• Nail brush
• Bristle brush

Step 1 – Use Dust Sheets

Place various dust sheets at the bottom of the kitchen walls that you are repainting. This is to make sure that all the dusts from the sanding that you will do later on will be collected and easily disposed off. You can purchase dust sheets at your local hardware but if you do not want to use dust sheets you can also use old newspapers.

Step 2 – Clean the Kitchen Wall Tiles

Using a sponge and a mild abrasive commercial tile cleaner, clean the kitchen wall tiles thoroughly. Rinse with water to remove the soap grime. The abrasive cleaner will remove the gloss of your kitchen ceramic tiles so that it can be painted over. With a nail grout and bleach, clean the kitchen floor tiles some more and rinse the bleach and nail grout away with warm water. Allow your kitchen wall tiles to dry before painting.

Step 3 – Use the Sandpaper

Using a fine grit sandpaper remove the remaining gloss in your ceramic kitchen wall tiles. An orbital sander is perfect for this job. Sanding your ceramic kitchen wall tiles is the most essential aspect of painting your kitchen wall tiles as the quality of the surface that you are painting on will determine the longevity and quality of your paint job. Painting over glossy ceramic kitchen wall tiles will result to pain peelings in as early as one week so make sure to sand your ceramic kitchen wall tiles thoroughly before applying any paint.

Step 4 – Apply the Primer

Check for any remaining dusts on your ceramic kitchen wall tiles and wipe away the remaining dusts using a cloth. Apply a single coat of oil-based primer using a clean paint brush on your ceramic kitchen wall tiles. Allow the first coat to dry and then add another coating. Read the recommended drying time between each coating in the manufacturer’s label of the oil-based primer that you are using.

Step 5 – Re-sand

Using the same fine grit sandpaper, slowly sand the coat of oil-based primer to remove the primer bumps and even the surface of your ceramic kitchen wall. Wipe the dust away using a slightly wet cloth.

Step 6 – Apply the Paint

With a clean paint brush, apply the first coating of the oil-based paint on your ceramic kitchen wall tiles. You can control the hue intensity of your paint job by the number of paint coats that you will apply on your ceramic kitchen wall tiles. The more coats of oil-based paint you apply the darker the hue of your ceramic kitchen wall tiles. Make sure to follow the recommended drying time between each coat of your oil-based primer. Allow at least 2 days for the last coating of your oil-based paint to adhere into the ceramic tiles before proceeding to the next step.

Step 7 – Finish

Apply a clear urethane finish at the grout of the ceramic kitchen wall tiles with a bristle brush and allow the urethane finish to dry in accordance to its ideal drying period. Allow the finish to dry overnight.

Source: www.DoItYourself.com

The Scoop on Hardwood Flooring

Hardwood has been a popular flooring choice for hundreds of years and it is still one of the most desired flooring types today. There’s no secret to why hardwood is so popular. It’s beautiful and lasts for years (the flooring can even last longer than the house where it’s installed). After a number of years as the floor gets worn, the hardwood can be refinished and given a new lease on life. Hardwood is also easy to keep clean, and since it’s wood it won’t hold dust or dust mites as a carpet might, making it a great choice for a home where people have allergies.

Environmental Concerns

One concern people often have about hardwood is by using it in their home they’re contributing to the depletion of the world’s forests. However, primarily because reforestation practices are mandatory in the United States, our forest have actually grown in size over the past hundred years and almost 1/3 of the land in the US is covered with trees. In fact, experts say there are actually more trees today than in the 1950’s.

Solid Hardwood or Engineered Hardwood?

Just as the name says, solid hardwood is milled from solid lumber. It can be installed in most rooms in a home but not below grade (where ground moisture could get into the natural wood and cause swelling or warping).

Engineered hardwood is a man made product consisting of a hardwood surface layer bonded to an underlay of laminated plywood or fiberboard. Since it looks like solid hardwood, it can be installed everywhere solid hardwood can be used, but the laminated structure means it can also be used below grade.

Perhaps the major difference between solid and engineered hardwood is solid hardwood can be refinished many times while the engineered wood (which only has a surface layer of hardwood) can only be refinished once or twice.

Choosing the Right Wood

Oak – Oak is among the most popular hardwood flooring choices. There are actually two types of oak used for flooring–red and white. Both are primarily golden brown in color but the red oak has a slight pinkish tone while the white oak is more brown.

Maple and Birch – Maple and birch are lighter in color than oak and have light grain lines. Since they’re not as dark as oak they provide a bright, modern feel and can actually lighten up a dark room.

Ash – Ash is often darker brown in color than oak and has a more pronounced grain pattern. It’s extremely hard (it’s used to make baseball bats) so it’s long wearing and a good choice for a room with lots of traffic.

Walnut – Walnut is a dark brown color but since it’s not as hard as some of the other hardwoods it’s best used in rooms with little traffic, such as a bedroom.

Cherry – Cherry not surprisingly has a reddish tone that tends to darken over time. It also has a distinctive grain pattern that not everyone appreciates. Cherry is quite hard, so it stands up well to traffic.

Source: www.DoItYourself.com

Wine Stain Removal Tips

Having friends over or entertaining during the holidays can be a very pleasurable event. But in all the excitement people tend to get a little careless, and, before you know it, you have beverage stains on your carpeting or that new sofa you just had to have for the holidays. Getting these stains out can be a daunting task, but can be made a lot simpler if you use the proper materials and a little elbow grease.

Move Fast
Getting the stain cleaned up before it has a chance to set is probably the best thing you can do for things like beer, coffee, and wine. Carefully blot the stain, and use the proper cleaner to remove it. Don’t rub the stain – you will only spread it around and drive it in deeper.

Chances are that during an evening of entertainment, a stain will get overlooked and you end up the next day with a nice stain dried on valuable clothing, carpeting, or furniture. Here is what to do.

Forget the Club Soda
Wine stains, especially red wine, can be removed if you follow the correct procedure. For clothing that can be laundered, mix a good liquid detergent such as Dawn half and half with hydrogen peroxide. These cleansers must be used together, and the mixture should be fresh. Gently pour over the stain and allow it to sit as a presoak. Use a clean towel between the stain and the back of the garment to avoid the stain leeching through. Launder following care label instructions.

Research shows that white wine will remove red wine stains. Hold the game or tablecloth over the sink, and pour white wine on the red wine stain. It will disappear. If wine stains get on carpeting, pour hydrogen peroxide on the stain. Allow to stand for a few minutes. With a spray bottle mixture of half water and half of a good carpet cleaning shampoo, such as Bissell Fiber Cleansing Formula, mist the stain, and blot dry with a clean white cloth. This will work well even on white carpeting.

1. Mix one teaspoon of a mild pH balanced detergent (a mild non alkaline non bleaching detergent) with a cup of lukewarm water
2. Blot
3. Mix one third cup of white household vinegar with two thirds cup of water
4. Blot
5. Mix one teaspoon of a mild pH balanced detergent (a mild non alkaline non bleaching detergent) with a cup of lukewarm water
6. Sponge with clean water
7. Blot

Note: Always test an inconspicuous area for colorfastness, etc. before treating the exposed area. Also note that certain stains are permanent



Source: www.DoItYourself.com