It’s been a while since we chatted about our master bathroom – a few weeks back, I painted the tile floor with Rust-Oleum’s new Rock Solid Home paint, and I’m sharing all of the details on how to paint tile floors right here!
The last few weeks in our house have been a tornado of cleaning, DIY, and prepping to get our house ready to put on the market, and I’m finally catching up on sharing the projects with you here. One of the most exciting projects we tackled was painting our bathroom floor. We’ve never been fans of the green tile that was in this space when we moved in, and I’ve been itching to do something about it for two years now – so it feels good to see this project through before we leave this house!
We used a brand new product from my friends at Rust-Oleum called Rustoleum HOME Interior Floor paint. It’s from the same line of paint as the epoxy we used on our garage flooring in the old house, and we loved that, so we knew we could trust it. This paint is specially formulated for painting flooring, and I’m so, so excited about it. It just hit stores this week, so if this is a project you’ve ever considered, read on!
I’ve had so many questions from so many of you who are eager to try this for yourself, so I’m hoping this post will be helpful and informative. Before we dive in, let’s take a look at what this bathroom looked like before we got started.
This post is sponsored by Rust-Oleum and contains affiliate links.
Ohhh that floor. It was so dark, and it made the entire room feel smaller and more closed in. I knew a fresh color would make a world of difference, and I still can’t get over how much brighter, cleaner, and more open the room feels now.
It’s pretty cute too, if you ask me.
I know you’re dying to hear all of the details, so let’s dive in!
How to paint tile flooring
tools & Materials
- Krud Kutter cleaner
- Rust-Oleum HOME interior floor paint in Windsor Gray
- Rust-Oleum HOME interior floor paint in Steam Gray
- Rust-Oleum HOME interior floor Home Top Coat in Matte
- High-quality bristle brush
- Paint roller with 3/8 and 1/4 ” nap rollers
- Delicate surfaces painter’s tape
Click here to see the base color options in the quart size
UPDATE: Since the original publishing of this post, Rust-Oleum has greatly expanded their color options of the Rust-Oleum HOME Floor Coating! They now offer deep tint bases with lots of dark color options, they offer all of their colors in both quart and gallon sizes, and they are available in all 50 states! See all the color options here.
Clean the flooring
The first (and most important) step of the process is to thoroughly (!!) clean your flooring. I can’t emphasize to you enough how vital this step is – if you don’t have clean floors, the paint can’t adhere properly and won’t last as long, so please don’t skimp on this part!
I started by sweeping, vacuuming, and mopping just like I normally would, then I went back in with the Krud Kutter spray and a rag and I scrubbed every inch of the floor. Be sure to pay special attention to the space along the baseboards and in the corners where dirt and hair can accumulate!
Note: It’s also recommended to remove caulk from around the tub and toilet before painting, as the paint will not stick to caulk. I didn’t do this, but I was extra careful in those areas and made sure to re-apply fresh caulk when the paint had dried.
Cut in around the edges
Once the floor is completely clean, you’re ready to get painting. You should start by cutting in with a high-quality, angled brush. I liked to work in sections (so, I’d cut in one part and then roll that same area), but you can also do the entire room before grabbing the roller.
Just be sure to move slowly and steadily – and if you don’t feel like you have a steady enough hand to avoid getting paint on the baseboards, you can always tape them off before you paint!
I started with Steam Gray, and painted the entire floor that color before doing the alternating squares.
Roll the rest of the floor
Once you’ve cut in, grab a 3/8″ nap roller and roll the rest of the floor. Be careful not to allow any drips to sit or paint to pool, or else it might create a texture in your finished product (ask me how I know).
You might want to use an extension pole to make this part easier if you’re working in a large space, but my bathroom was small enough that I just scooted around on the floor and painted with roller at the regular, short length.
Determine if you need a second coat
This paint does not require two coats – you may only need one! However, our floors were so dark and we were painting them so light, that I really needed to do a second coat after the first was dry.
After you’ve painted the first coat, you need to wait a minimum of six hours before doing a second coat (or before sealing it, if you’re just doing one).
After you do the second coat, you only need to wait 1-2 hours before adding the squares (or sealing it, if you’re just doing one color all over).
Tape off your squares and paint an alternating color
I decided to do a checkerboard pattern on my floor. I was going to do a stencil but if you follow my Instagram stories you’ll know how that turned out. This was much faster and easier, and I adore the finished result!
All I did was tape off alternating squares (I left the grout the lighter color) and painted them Windsor Gray. Be sure to use delicate surfaces tape – I didn’t, and some of the paint got pulled off the grout since it wasn’t fully cured or sealed! It was easy to touch up, but I think delicate surfaces paint probably wouldn’t cause that issue.
Be sure to remove the tape immediately after you finish painting the squares – if it dries with the tape still on, you could pull up the paint when you remove it.
do Touch-ups, if needed
I had a few areas where the paint bled through the tape a bit, or where I had pulled paint off the grout with the tape. I went back in and quickly touched those up before sealing the paint.
Add the sealer
Finally, you’re ready to add your sealer. The top coat is similar to a polyurethane, so it’s much thinner than regular paint. Simply do the same combo of brushing and rolling to apply it all over the floor, only this time you should use a 1/4″ nap to apply. Once you’re done, allow it to dry for 24 hours before you use the space!
I’m so, so, so excited about how this turned out, and I can’t get over how much better the room looks now!
As far as cleaning, you should avoid using any harsh chemicals or abrasive cleaners – regular old soap and water is fine, though, and I use my steam mop on it with no issues!
This project wraps up the master bathroom refresh we’ve been working on for months, and next week I’ll be back to share a detailed wrap-up of every project we did in here so you can see how we turned this into an entirely new space with almost nothing but paint! It was a super fun project and I can’t believe how different the bathroom looks now. Be sure to come back because you don’t want to miss it!
If you want to learn more about Rust-Oleum’s Rock Solid Home floor paint, click here to see all of the color options! It’s so much more affordable than replacing tile, and it’s a high-quality product so you know it’ll last for years and years to come!
Gwen says
I have this paint on order from Home Depot! I ordered the ultra white base coat and I was going to do a stencil pattern on top of that! Can I use a different paint for the stencil or do you think I need to use the rustoleum brand for that? I also have the rustoleum top coat on Order in the semi gloss which makes me nervous because I dont want it too shiny but they are out of stock in the matte!
Amanda Hendrix says
I’m sure you could use a different paint, but I’d recommend using the same stuff for best results!
cristal says
Hello, not sure if you ran into this issue or it’s just me, but does your floor pick up all the dirt from your shoes? We painted our bathroom floor and we noticed when we walk in with our shoes the floor gets dirty with are shoe marks. It’s been very annoying and I’m trying to see how I can fix this issue.
Amanda Hendrix says
Hi Cristal – I’ve found that any light painted floor is going to show more dirt than plain tile. We never wear shoes inside the house, so that helped for us!
Ruth says
Have you tried Rutstoleum Porch and Floor for the Interior floor? I was told this would work also. I can’t seem to find anyone that carries the Home Interior Floor Paint.
Amanda Hendrix says
I’ve used it on exterior buildings (like a workshop) but not inside. I’m sure it would work,though!
Linda Wozniak says
We have a very small bathroom-floor area only 4 3/4 feet by 5 feet-but it IS our only bathroom. The ceramic tile floor is builder grade and ugly. Can I use the Rustoleum Home floor covering kit even though we can’t go 24 hours after topcoat before using it? Would just walking in socks be okay? Thank you. Linda
Amanda Hendrix says
I can’t guarantee you won’t have issues if you can’t wait the full 24 hours as I haven’t tried it. However, if it were me I’d give it a shot and just be extra careful!
K Hill says
Hi, Beautiful job, thanks for sharing! I am looking at Windsor gray for my kitchen. In some pics it looks gray, in others it looks brown. On your opinion does it mostly look gray?
Amanda Hendrix says
I think the images here are really true to the actual color!
Katie C says
I’m strongly considering painting the tile in my kitchen, but with two very active large breed dogs and the frequent wearing of work boots (farm life!), I worry about the durability of painted tile. My dogs also seem to have holes in their lips as they tend to walk away from their bowl with a waterfall coming from their mouths. Do you think that with proper prep cleaning and curing time that this will hold up? The ease of cleaning the grout has my attention!!
Amanda Hendrix says
Hi Katie! Based on my experience with it, I would predict that if it’s prepped and sealed properly, it would hold up great! I don’t have experience myself using it in a high-traffic area, so I can’t say for sure, but I found it to be really durable and easy to clean in my bathroom!
Lidia Nascimento says
Hi,
I have 2 questions. I have appliances coming and wonder if you agree I should wait to paint the floors until after they install them? Also I’m worried that my kitchen is going to be off limits for 24 hours. Did the painting of the second color extend the overall time of the project too much? Thanks so much for this post. Hugs 🤗
Amanda Hendrix says
Hi Lidia! Actually, it depends – if you’re able to remove the existing appliances so you can easily access all of the floor, that would make it easier and I’d recommend painting first and just protecting the floor when the new ones come in. If that’s not possible, then I’d probably wait.
The first coat is what takes the longest to dry. Once that one is done, further coats only require a few hours before sealing. So, it shouldn’t change things too much!
Cbymene says
Are the white looking tiles in Steam Gray indeed? I look up the rustoleum website. Steam Gray looks more gray than the pictures you shown here. My current bathroom tiles are in green, red and blue. OMG.. right? ha.. so I want to paint them in very light color. I was thinking of Ultra white. But Home Depot does not ship Ultra White, but steam gray color is available to ship. Thanks
Amanda Hendrix says
Yes! Steam Gray is the lighter color – it’s not a pure white but a really beautiful light gray. It looks much more white next to the other gray, I think!
Courtney says
Hey there!
We took on a similar project and wondering if you felt your floors could have taken a 3rd coat. We had dark floors as well and painted over with white. Looks like a 3rd coat may help (albeit it looks fine from a far, we only see some of the original dark tile peaking through if looking very closely). Still, considering a 3rd coat but unsure if that would be too much/thick? Would love your thoughts, thanks!
Amanda Hendrix says
A third coat definitely wouldn’t hurt anything!
K Gordon says
Have you had any issues with scuffing or marks from shoes on the tile ?
Amanda Hendrix says
No, not at all! We don’t generally wear shoes inside, but on the times we do, it’s never been a problem.
Tania says
Hi Amanda! Your floors look awesome. I am nervously planning to use this paint in my half bathroom and fireplace tiles. Since your project, how’s it going in the mopping department? Can I use Bona when it comes to cleaning the floor?
Amanda Hendrix says
Yes! You can use regular cleaners, just nothing super harsh like bleach!
Faith says
Great job! What was the smell like? I’ve used the Rustoleum tub and tile paint before and it was horrible for a few days. I’d love to try this but dont think I can handle it if the fumes are bad.
Amanda Hendrix says
It’s nothing like the tub and tile paint! It’s just like normal paint. I’ve used that stuff too, and it’s caustic, haha.
Jenn says
Your bathroom looks gorgeous! Floor looks amazing, but I’m intrigued by the ceiling. Is that cedar? I’ve never seen anything like that in a bathroom before. I think I’d like to try something like that when I renovate my bathroom. Thanks for the idea!
Amanda Hendrix says
Thanks! Yes, it’s a cedar ceiling – you can find all of the details on it here.
Katie says
One more question… (I’m really considering doing this!)… the previous owners of our home tiled the counter of the bathroom vanity with the same exact floor tiles in the room (whyyyy? ugh!). Do you think this floor tile paint would also work for the floor tiles that are on the counter surface of the vanity? Thank you!
Amanda Hendrix says
Hi Katie! I would think it would work just fine, yes! I wouldn’t let water sit on it (just like any painted surface), but as long as you take care of it, I’d think it would hold up great!
Katy says
Is there another product for tile shower walls? We have identical tile on the floor and shower and I’d love to paint them the same color.
Amanda Hendrix says
Yes! I painted our bathtub and the tile on the walls – you can read more about it here!
Katie says
Loving this! Did you paint over the grout?
Katy says
What does is feel like underfoot? Does it still feel like tile or does it have a different texture? What about the grout?
Amanda Hendrix says
It still feels like tile to me! And I painted right over the grout – it’s much easier to keep it clean now!