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bryan_wates

Brick tile floor ideas

7 years ago

My house has thin brick tiles as flooring in the laundry room and den. They look a lot like the first attached picture but the grout is darker. Given that these are faux bricks, I am trying to determine if I can mortar wash the tiles to make them look older and more like real bricks and also lighten the color of the room. I know they will never look as nice, but more like second attached picture. Is this possible with a smooth brick tile? Any advice?


Thanks,






Comments (6)

  • 7 years ago

    You will get wear paths that are red in between the bucket of paint accident.

  • PRO
    7 years ago

    are your tiles porcelain or clay? hard and shiny or porous? That would make a difference in what you do. I have painted concrete in my breezeway mudroom and have had no problem with it wearing of in spots. I used and exterior paint, not even an epoxy.

    I am thinking since you want it white you might want to use just a primer. That should stick well. But how you apply it is going to depend on if your tile is porous or not.

  • PRO
    7 years ago

    I believe you are working with quarry tiles. I don't see achieving the look in your second photo. One of the main features is the chiseled edges.

  • 7 years ago

    You definitely need to ascertain if these are tile or brick...paints and finishes need to penetrate to be durable...

  • 7 years ago

    Just as an aside we had stained concrete floors with for over 15 years...finish stayed same that long as it was a stain...in the converted garage space we used plain old spray can paint and it is also still holding up...with a spray and wipe technique on a porous surface and perhaps a smoother finish....will probably get the finish you like...maybe using white primer as it has no shine..spraying a more solid coat on the grout lines...this paint sticks like glue to almost anything ...and I always use the cheapest Walmart brand spray paint ...

  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    I would attempt it only if I was OK with having to rip it out and replace. Because the potential for failure is huge. In all likelihood, the floors have been treated with sealers/ penetrating sealers and who knows what all else that could interfere with any subsequent products adhering to the surface.

    At best, referencing what Creative Tile said, I think that even if the color washing attempt succeeds, you'll end up with a floor that looks like 'someone tried to make quarry tile look like brick'. Because quarry tile is a uniform product that doesn't have the subtle texture (pits, rough edges), color & irregular size differences that real brick has.

    Maybe try it in the (small?) laundry room first before committing to the larger & more public den area?