QUESTION

I bought a new home and I don't like the tiles in the kitchen backsplash. Rather than replacing them, I want to paint them. I used a non-orbital sander with 60 sandpaper, and then primed them with 123-Primer (Zinzer).

BUT, I lightly scraped a tile by mistake with my fingernail, and the primer seemed to come off. The tiles were fairly smooth and dull, and not "glazed" in the usual sense of glass-like.

Any suggestions?

ANSWER

ANSWER - It is not normally recommended to paint over existing ceramic tile. The tile installation is worth a lot more to the value of the home than the painted surface; assuming the tile installation was in good shape.

There are epoxy based paints that should bond well to the tile scarified surface. You could also use a polymer modified tile thin-set adhesive to apply over the tile surface to smooth it out, and then paint over that surface. You have to make sure the thin-set is recommended for adhering tile over tile.