Make Ceramic Tile Wall Smooth Then Paint

Quick Column Summary:

• Painting tiles to hide grout lines
• Grout lines may not fill  thick enough
• Easier to replace tile with drywall

Stefania, who lives in the wonderful city of Johannesburg, Africa, has a fascinating question:

"Hi there! I would like to paint over my bathroom tiles, however I don't want to see the lines of the tiles at all (in between the tiles).

Is there a method where I paint a thick enough layer so that it looks like a normal wall?  I've attached a picture of the effect I would like (the top).

I'd literally like it to look like a normal smooth wall. THANKS"

Stefania, it's pretty tough to fill grout lines to the same elevation as the face of the tile. Many tiles have slightly rounded edges and the grout has a tough time holding on to the glazed surface.

What's more, even if you could get the grout to bond, it requires great skills and magic to achieve what you want.

It's FASTER to just remove the tile, assuming it's easy to do for you, and just install new drywall.