I had these photos sitting in a folder here & thought I had already put them up ... nope. They're just sitting here nice & neat & labelled in their folder waiting to be posted.
So, anyway, this is something we've been doing for a while that is pretty effective.
You know that nice tumbled marble stuff, all very rustic, doesn't compete with your other kitchen decorative choices, yet gives a nice warm earthy feel? 4" square jobs, some fancy border stuff available.
Well, maybe you want a feature thingy somewhere.
This one is nicely post-able as I got good before/during/after shots, so can show you how it goes. Up above there the tile is stuck on, not grouted, and it's all painted white. That's just primer. Good quality, but regular stuff. It doesn't have to be pot-&-pan-sitting-on-it heat resistant ... just a good quality nice grip to give us a prepared surface. All you want is that you can wipe it later with no fear, right?
Then regular wall paint on top. Here the sky & mountain areas are blocked in.
There's the source pic to the left. It's from the area the client's family is from - and its a surprise from her to him, last Christmas. Cool, eh! Both of them have family from the same small village, and that is one intense piece of landmark up the mountain.
OK, so now the painting of the painting part is all done ...
but nah, we don't like the grout lines, so they've got to go ...
There we are!
It's your choice - grout lines or not. Personally I like the grout lines showing ... but that really works best if your subject matter isn't big on the detail.
You want to get us in after the tiles are stuck in place, but before the grout goes in. If you do want a choice. Otherwise, yes, we will be painting your grout lines.
Here's some grapes before grout, at a different place, and then laundry after grout.
OK, and now I'm having a big old hissy fit 'cos I can't find the pics of the ones with the veges on them! They are beautiful (speaking as a woman who appreciates her produce) and I'm particularly proud of one wee corner with a bit of parsley & some garlic. Drats.
Anyway, anyway, anyway .... you can paint whatever subject matter you'd like on these things. The tumbled marble is nice - but even regular tile can be adhered to with the right goop. I'd stay away from trying to paint any tile that gets dinged up ... high traffic areas, especially if it's starting out high gloss. But it can be done. Might involve a grinder & some epoxy ... but it can be done.
For regular backsplash stuff we do a couple of coats of Modern Master's "Masterclear". It's a restaurant-grade water based clear coat with huge durability & adhesion. "3,000 scrubs" they say.
And, of course, you don't need to paint on tile. You can paint on your wall then clear coat it. This blurb is just to let you know that everything is possible (as usual), and great solutions and enhancing wonders can be found at every turn!
