When facing the choice between bathroom renovation and painting the ceramic tiles, it is recommended to consider a few pros and cons and determine if the product matches your needs. You should also bear in mind that painting – and not only for ceramic tiling, requires proper preparation of the surface and the right choice of materials, as only this will ensure good grip and long-lasting resistance of the coating.

TESSAROL CERAMIX allows you to freshen up, in just one step and without a primer, the appearance of your bathroom, kitchen, lavatory or hallways. The product is available in basic white, which can also be tinted for a range of hues based on the HGMIX colour chart that is wide enough to satisfy any taste. The enamel is water-based, friendly to the environment, has no unpleasant odour and dries quickly, allowing you to finish the job in a single day. It does not yellow in interiors, and it gives a semi-glossy (satin) finish. Its advantages include good mechanical properties and durability against common cleaning agents used in households. After contact with water, the painted surface may soften slightly, but once the film of paint dries its hardness is restored. The enamel is suitable for short-term contact with water on vertical surfaces with good drainage, but it should not be in constant contact with water. It is not suitable for painting horizontal and floor surfaces, self-cleaning ceramic tiles, tiling in saunas and steam rooms, bathtubs and similar items. 

In addition to ceramic tiles, TESSAROL CERAMIX also provides good grip to other challenging surfaces in interiors such as glass, hard PVC and coloured metals (tinned sheet and aluminium). Before painting, always prepare the surface as described in the instructions, which can be found in the technical information. Since the product offers no protection against rusting, TESSAROL ACRYLIC PRIMER UNI should be used to protect any iron surfaces before applying the enamel.

What steps should be taken before painting ceramic tiles?

Ceramic tiling is a challenging substrate, which is why instructions for surface preparation should be consistently followed before painting. Proper preparation is key to achieving good grip and long-lasting resistance of the coating. Before painting, clean the ceramic tiles with a limescale-removal agent and sand it with P400 sandpaper. To remove fats, oils and other dirt use TESSAROL NITRO THINNER or rubbing alcohol. Old silicon can be removed with a sharp knife, and any crusted residue wiped off the surface with a silicon-removal agent.

Next, rinse the surface with plenty of water to remove any traces of cleaning agent and leave it to dry. Minor cracks or imperfections can be filled with standard grout –silicon caulk is not appropriate because the paint will not adhere to it. Before painting, the surface must be completely dry, undamaged and clean, with no oils, fats, dust or any other dirt. The grouts between tiles must likewise be dry.

How to start painting?

Before getting down to work, stir the paint thoroughly to prevent sediments of pigment and other substances. Normally, the next step is thinning, but since TESSAROL CERAMIX is ready to use, no thinning is required and it can be applied directly to the surface. Similarly, no primer is needed. The paint can be applied with a roller, paintbrush or spray. As the most suitable application tool, we recommend using a short-hair felt roller or a roller made of synthetic fibres with a length of 4–7 mm. We do not recommend using a foam roller, because it makes the paint foam and produces an unsuitable finish.

For good results, the temperature of the enamel, air and item should be at least 8 °C and no higher than 25 °C to prevent the paint from drying too quickly, whereas air humidity should be under 80 %. As a rule, 1 litre of paint applied in one coat is enough to cover an area of 10–12 m². We advise applying two coats.

When painting, use masking tape of good quality which should be carefully removed as soon as the job is finished, i.e. when the paint is not quite dry yet. If this is not observed, the film of paint may crack at the edges. As soon as the work is finished, rinse the tools with water and make sure that you clean any stains immediately; the strong adhesion will make it very hard to remove later. Dry paint can be removed with TESSAROL NITRO THINNER.

The enamel is dry to the touch after two hours, and after six hours of drying the second coat may be applied. Before applying the second coat, we recommend you to gently sand the first coat with a fine sanding sponge. This improves inter-layer adhesion and enhances the final appearance. The enamel takes about a month to set completely, so be sure to handle it gently until then. If the surface needs cleaning soon after the painting job, gently wipe it with a soft damp cloth. Later, you can clean the surface using a soft sponge or cloth and a neutral cleaning agent (pH 6–8). For very dirty surfaces, a weak alkaline cleaning agent (pH 8–10) may be used. We do not advise using abrasive cleaning agents and coarse sponges as they could damage the enamel.