How to colour grout and paint tiles in bathroom?

[alice_r]

Hello - I am new to this community. I am starting to plan some basic DIY to freshen up a property we are going to move into in January. I don't have much experience but I am willing to learn. 

I am thinking of painting the bathroom tiles white using specific renovation paint. I have done a lot of research on that process. 

I am wondering if anyone has any advice about creating the look with brightly coloured grout- orange, red or green on the white tiles? 

Would I re-do the grout first and then paint the tiles? 

Will it even be possible to do this? 

I've included some pictures here. One of the bathroom to be updated and of some examples I've found on the internet. 

Thanks everyone 

Thanks everyone. 

The bathroom to be updatedExample of the lookExample of the look

[EricL]

Hello @alice_r 

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's brilliant to have you join us, and thank you for sharing your question about painting and grouting your tiles.

Congratulations on your new home. I've just been in contact with the Dulux Trade Centre and they advise to grout first and then paint over the tiles only. Doing it in reverse is not advised as it will break the paint seal and compromise its integrity. It can be done in the colour that you like, but it will require precision painting on your part. It will be challenging as you don't want the paint in the bucket to dry off as you paint each tile.

Paint colour much like grout colour is a personal choice. The colours you choose often make you happy and provide a sense of calm or the opposite and that they create vibrancy and surprise. The other end of the spectrum are the neutral colours which are often the white and greys, these colours are often used as a safe choice as they will go with decor yo might want to add into the area.

A possible design compromise would be to use neutral colours and put in a colourful piece of art or have your accessories in the bright colours. In this manner should you decide to change them in the future it will be relatively easy to do and not involve having to regrout the entire bathroom wall.

Let me call on our experienced members @redbournreno, @Peggers, @craftyhopper and @lifestylebymari for their recommendations.

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric

[Akanksha]

Let me also extend a warm welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community, @alice_r.

This is such an interesting project. Please do keep us updated as your project progresses. I'd love to see what you end up doing with your bathroom tiles and the effect created.

Great to see you've received advice from Eric. If you haven't already, I recommend having a look at our Best Advice article for related tips: Can you paint bathroom tiles?

And if you're looking for more inspiration, you might want to check out Painted bathroom tiles shared by @Ari. This project also involved transforming bathroom tiles into a clean and crisp white. 

Hope this helps.

Akanksha

[Ari]

Hello @alice_r and @EricL 

Unless the existing grout is damaged (in which case repair the grout first), I would suggest

1. painting the entire wall - tiles and grout - with Dulux Renovation Range or White Knight in the neutral colour.

2. colouring the groutline using a waterproof permanent paint/marker in the contrasting bright colour.

I expect it would be very difficult to paint individual tiles and much easier to paint/draw over on the grout.  I painted over bathroom grout 4 or 5 years ago using tile paint (all the same colour) and it still looks great.

Cheers,  Ari

[alice_r]

Thanks @EricL  @Akanksha  @Ari  for all your excellent advice. 
I think that perhaps this kind of look is too ambitious for me to manage when I’m just sticking to a paint job. Unless someone starts making bright coloured grout pens! (If anyone knows of any, please let me know). 
Otherwise, I’ll save it for if I ever redo the tiles. 

[Ari]

@alice_r  I’d still suggest painting your tiles. It’s a cheap and easy job that has a big impact. 

Maybe consider painting your storage shelf in a bright colour and adding matching knobs to your vanity?  Or paint your floor tiles a bright colour? 

Don’t be scared to paint the floors, mine still look good after years. They’re both off bedrooms and don’t see shoes/boots too often though.