August 5, 2008

The Wonders of Paint

It seems that many of ya'll are either right in the middle of a re-do or revamping of a room in your home. Right now my kitchen is on my radar to re-do. What started out as a "simple" update quickly became a nightmare.

About 4 years ago we had a tile floor installed over my old 20+ year old linoleum. We were on a cruise when a "friend" came in to do it as that seemed a perfect time to be out of the house and out of his way. We-l-l-l-l, no one told me that you should not mop unsealed tile and/or grout....however, in my own defense, I did not know that the tile and grout had not been sealed. Over time, it took on a dull and dirty appearance. So my first order of business in updating the kitchen was to have a professional grout cleaning company come by to give me an estimate to clean the grout and tile. You can read all about that ordeal here.



Now I must digress a minute here.....last Friday Rhoda and I met for a little retail therapy, (i.e. flea marketing) and I was moaning and groaning over the cost of having the tile floor removed and replaced. She suggested that I try painting the grout with an outdoor patio paint as she had used that technique on a kitchen remodel of her own. She said she had used Patio Paint and it held up good. I figured I had nothing to loose but the price of a small bottle of patio paint.

I could not wait to get to Michael's later that day to find some paint. I had seen Patio Paint in the craft section before but apparently they now call it Outdoor paint. I got two colors -- one in Linen which was close to the tile color and the other in Barn Wood which was close to the original grout color. I think each bottle cost around $1.99. Got home and painted two sections to see which color I liked. Hubby and I both decided we liked the Linen as it made the tile look much better and your eyes didn't immediately go to the grout. So, since Friday night I have been working on the grout and let me tell ya'll, it's amazing what a difference there is! While this has been a back-breaking job, down on the tile floor painting each grout line, I'm doing the happy dance when I think I've saved about $1,600 which is what it would have cost to have the floor ripped out and replaced. I've got about $10.00 altogether in paint and supplies! After a few hours of painstakingly painting with my little brush, I went out Saturday and got a little bottle of glue which I emptied out and used the bottle with the pointed nozzle for better control. Made the job go much faster.




Here are my two paint choices....after we decided on Linen I went and got a bigger bottle


Great stuff!


Here's the "supplies" I'm using


Here's the floor "before" with the dirty looking grout


Look what a difference - "before" on the left and "after" on the right!


And now here's a big section all done!
The bottle says the paint is permanent and self-sealing. I've tested all sections I've done with water, etc. and so far the paint is adhering very well.

I should finish the floor by tomorrow afternoon and then on to having the cabinets and walls painted and adding some rope trim and bun feet to the cabinets. I've got a little drawing of something I'm having made to go over the stove.....I am so-o-o-o ready to get started and have my "new" kitchen done!


After my "sweat equity" hubby is taking me to the Scott Antique Market in Atlanta this weekend! I've never been and I hear it is fab-u-lous!




35 comments:

Karin said...

That Rhoda is a genius. I can't believe the transformation. That's amazing. The previous oners put tile throughout a lot of this house. They used a tan grout in the powder room that just grates on my nerves. I'm going to try your (and Rhoda's!)trick and see if that helps. Now go get a massage with all that money you saved!

Unknown said...

I can't believe I'm actually finding someone with the same problem. I've cleaned my grout on my hands and knees more times than I care to count just to see it get dirty again within a week or two. I've even sprayed the sealer on it when it was clean and I couldn't see that helped keep it clean any longer!

I have heard of painting the grout...but have been afraid to try it...your looks great! You may have helped me out here!
Thanks for posting!
diane

Unknown said...

What a great idea. I love craft paint. i will try that. it looks awesome.. mishelle

Anonymous said...

Judy,
What would we all do without Rhoda? I'm so glad her idea worked out for you. What a huge difference too!

I've never been to that market in Atlanta but I'm going to add it to my list of "1,000 Things I want to Do Before I Die".

Gretchen
birdnestcottage.typepad.com

Rhoda @ Southern Hospitality said...

Hey, girl! I know you've been on your hands & knees for days, but BOY, does that look great now! I knew it would be worth the pain of getting it on there. I tell you, I don't think you'll have a problem with it coming up. I hardly had any scuffing on mine the whole time it was down. Mopping goes right over it. It really looks 1000 times better, I'm so glad you tried it & are almost done!

You're SO welcome...any bit of info I can pass along on my renovations, I'm happy to do it. It always helps when someone's done it before.

Enjoyed our time out shopping!

xo,
Rhoda

Rhoda @ Southern Hospitality said...

Is that your countertop the paint is sitting on?? I don't think I'd change that either, it's very pretty. Looks like Corian to me (or another brand of that solid surface!). Keep it!

Rhoda

twintoo10292 said...

Blog land opened up a whole new world of talented friends out there. God Bless Rhoda!! You'll have to spring for lunch some day. The floor looks amazing and the money saved is priceless. Twin

Alyce said...

Who told you that you can't mop unsealed grout? We did not seal our grout when we got our tile put in because the installer said it was a personal choice. If its sealed, it has to be resealed every year. We didn't want that hassle. But mopping my floor has never caused any problems. (its 3 years old). We do have some spots that are tough to clean up and I've wondered if sealing would be worth it..but..I think I'll continue to scrub. Oh, the installer also told me that occasionally when cleaning it, to soak, really saturate the floors. You sure did take on a job with painting the grout..I hope your kitchen isn't too large..what a back breaking job! Looks great though!

artis1111 said...

WAY TO GO!!! An artist is born!!Kathy

Alyce said...

Judy,
Thanks for coming by my blog today. I've just spent several minutes visiting your Savannah posts. Ok...so you went into Paris Market and actually made a purchase????????? Those nests must have cost you a vehichle!! I love that store..but I can't afford the dirt on the floor in there! Have you been downstairs? I went downstairs last year and a frame w/ shells was around 4-5 THOUSAND bucks!! It was a big frame..or mirror...one or the other..but goodness!
I adore Savannah..I'd love to live there someday. We love Tybee too. Did you eat at Uncle Bubba's?

Beverly said...

My grout is "flaky"...I can sweep and little "crumbs" are always there. It is Mexican tile, and I wonder if they did not seal it when it was laid. I did not do it, so I do not know for sure...

Kelly said...

I have used acrylic paint to change the color of grout . However , I have a kitchen and two hallways with porcelan tile that was not sealed properly and they look terrible . This seals ( ahem..... ) the deal . Guess I'll break out the knee pads and do some painting . Thanks , your floors look fab !!!

Cindy said...

Our new tile floor had to have some tiles replaced and the grout didn't match. duh. So our brand new grout was painted. They used an expensive product for this but I like your plan better!

If you want your grout clean before painting, my contractor told me that the carpet cleaner people can make dirty grout look new again. Maybe a steamer?

Great post!
~Cindy

Mrs. Jones said...

Wow, I didn't know they even made that kind of paint! Looks great, and it probably seals the grout better than sealer. If it makes you feel any better, I did seal my grout once and it didn't do anything. It needed to be cleaned and resealed so it didn't help. And if you ever need to clean grout again, Mr. Clean's magic eraser works pretty well.

Heather Anne said...

Wonder of wonders! That is fantastic! I'm so glad Meredith linked to your miracle floor fix - we need it - badly!!! Thanks for sharing your success!

Rhonda said...

Thank you!
Thank you!
Thank you!

my floors look exactly like your before floors and it has been bugging me to no end!
I am a do-it-myself kind of girl and this will be just the solution I need.

again, Thank you!

Deb said...

I am all over this. We were just talking yesterday about how horrible the tile in the kitchen looks because it is all stained. Well, HELLO!!! Now we can fix that. Thanks so much for posting this. What a money saver.

Ms. Tee said...

I found you via Rhoda - your floor looks great! I am so happy to have found this solution, since kids and animals have taken their toll on my kitchen grout! :)

Diane said...

Hi
Do you know of a product I can put over the painted grout to seal it and make it more permanent?

Free Art Printables said...

This looks AMAZING! What a difference! Jen R

Anonymous said...

Thank you so much for doing this post! I have so much dingy grout in my home in need of SOMETHING. You have inspired this girl to begin painting it!!! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!

BlondeMomBlog (Jamie) said...

I just painted my hall bath this weekend. The tile is circa 1968 and I am SO going to use this tip. Thanks!

xinex said...

Wow! Not only did you save $1600 (well, less the glue and brush cost) you also get a fabulous looking floor. And above all, you get to a super antique market. All of that really calls for a happy dance!...Christine

Michelle, All Home and Love said...

What an amazing idea! It looks clean and beautiful.
~Michelle

Unknown said...

That looks great, thank heavens for friends with good ideas!

Margaret said...

Wow! What a transformation and a great inexpensive idea! You have saved people so much money by posting this! Thanks!!!!!

Wendy said...

When we put our tile in a couple of years ago, I did not like the color of the grout. The guy that put it in told me when it was dried, it would change to the color on the box. IT did not change and I hated it. I bought some grout paint and painted ours. It is going on almost 2 years now and it still looks great.

You did a fantastic job. Your grout looks great.

Wendy

Kat said...

What a difference. I'm sure this was alot of work, but wow, it really looks great and it certainly beats the mess (and expense) of tearing up the floor. Great tip! Kathy

Linda Q said...

What a great saving idea for this problem. Glad it is working out for you!!
Now if that would only work on the whole surface for our basement level 1980's icky brown and gold vinyl flooring, LOL!
I wish!
Linda

Scooterblu's Whimsy~Rhonda said...

Thank you for sharing this! I have some older grout that needs sprucing! Very clever! ~Rhonda :)

The Bliss Journey said...

What a difference in the grout. I'm sure your back must have been breaking. It looks great.
Kathleen

~CC Catherine said...

Judy...way too cool of an AFTER post! That is definitely a great makeover and it looks like new! Super job! ~CC

Susan (Between Naps On The Porch.net) said...

Great idea! Thanks for sharing this info! Susan

Kim @ Twice Remembered said...

Oh, wow! I'm so going to try this in my studio! I've heard of grout stain and thought about buying some, but I think I'll try this first and see how it goes! Thanks for sharing and thanks to one of your readers (Elle) who direct me to this post!

Tiffany said...

I just found this post from Like Merchant Ships, you wont believe the GLEE on my face right now!!! I have some tiles to save for $1.99 AMEN AMEN AMEN!

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