Paint Tile Floor to Look Like Slate: An Amazing Inexpensive Alternative for Interior Update

Updating the flooring in your house can cost you a lot of money. The reason is related to the fact that the floor is one of the most extensive parts of any interior.

The situation can be quite problematic when the money you provide for the update is limited. In this situation, it would be best for you to find an alternative to still get what you need without having to pay more than the budget you have.

An example that we will bring up in this post is to paint tile to look like slate. Compared to purchasing the natural slate floor, this can be a better alternative, especially when you see it from a cost point of view.

Read this post further if you want to know why painting your current tile flooring can be a better alternative than installing a brand new slate option. We will also share some fascinating projects done by creative homeowners to get you inspired.

1. Why Faux Slate Tile Is a Better Choice Than the Real One

Before getting inspired, first of all, we want you to know why faux slate made by painting existing tile floors is a better choice. In this case, we cannot separate the talk from some facts about the metamorphic rock.

When made for tile floors, slate is actually a good selection. Its high popularity comes from its very durable characteristics.

Besides, people also love it because of its unique value as well as attractiveness. For houses with a radiant heat system, slate tile can also be an excellent choice to consider. With all the advantages it has, it is even considered an option to boost real estate value.

When we see it from the positive point of view, slate tile is an excellent option to think about when you want to update the interior floor. However, you must not forget that it, indeed, comes with some disadvantages too.

All the best quality slate tile comes with a price. As a matter of fact, its price is expensive, so that it will not have the budget-friendly value you are looking for to get the interior update.

Other disadvantages of it are also still connected to cost. These include the difficulties in replacing or repairing it, the need for sealing to prevent staining, and the more significant difficulties in DIY installation.

On the other hand, painting your current tile flooring is a highly considerable alternative. The first benefit is that you do not have to remove the existing flooring to do the project. This point already helps you to save effort and money.

When done correctly, you will get the slate look on the floor as the final result. It is genuinely eye-deceiving in a positive way.

Another benefit that you must not forget is that by doing such a project, you will not lose all the qualities and characteristics that you love from the old flooring. For example, if the existing tile floor is ceramic, you can still get all the natural benefits and, at the same time, get an attractive slate appearance.

The last but not least point that we love about the idea of painting the interior floor to look like genuine slate is the higher chance for you to do it in a DIY project. It has been proven by some creative and talented homeowners in the inspiring projects in the following.

2. Some Project Examples to Get Inspired From

Here, we will show you some inspiring projects that we found. They seem to prove that painting existing tiles can result in a fascinating slate-like look too.

Besides, they also prove that with a simple painting, an outdated or cheap tile floor can be 'changed' into something amazing. It can even give you the expensive visual of natural slate without wasting you much money.

2.1 Painting Old Ceramic Floor to Get Slate Appearance

The first project is from House Tweaking. The project was focused on the hallway and entry in which the original floor is reddish-brown ceramic.

While the straight herringbone pattern and the 70’s vibe are the things that the homeowners find of, the reddish-brown tile color and the darkened grout became the reasons why the update took place in the first place.

The exciting thing about this project is that the homeowners were also concerned about the project cost and all the waste resulting if they had to remove the existing floor first. Getting inspired by some similar makeover, they finally decided to paint the tile instead and get the slate appearance they wanted.

This picture here shows how the new slate-like floor looks like. In the project, there are two types of paint and a sealer used. Those are French Linen Chalk Paint for the grout, Graphite Chalk Paint for the tile, and Annie Sloan Lacquer Matte Finish for the sealer. All these are from The Purple Painted Lady.

Like any other tile painting or repainting project, this one was also started from a proper cleaning. It is a must if you want the final result to be excellent.

After cleaning, the next step was applying a new color to the grout. It was then followed by the color of the tile by the graphite chalk paint. The last but not least step is applying the sealer to enhance the look and durability.

The whole process was completed not in a day but several. The reason is that some time is needed between steps for a more excellent result. The example was the time between cleaning the grout painting or the coloring of the grout and the tile paint application.

Here is the close-up look of the tile floor after getting the update. The final result is so satisfying. It emphasizes the straight herringbone pattern even better. Besides, it also gives a more natural slate-like look to the entry and hallway tile floor.

If you are curious about the whole process, visit their inspiring blog post to find out about everything. They clearly shared the steps and even mentioned that it is a perfect one for DIY.

2.2 Fascinating New Slate Look on Builder’s Grade Kitchen Floor Tile

The next project was done by Our Old Place. Here, the painting was done to give the original beige builder’s grade kitchen tile a new look. For us, it seems like another proof that new paint color can change the floor appearance to something unique that even looks like the actual slate.

We do not say that builder’s grade tile floor is a wrong choice because it is undeniably a good and inexpensive starting point, mainly when there is a strict budget limitation.

However, we cannot lie that it comes with some disadvantages too. An example that is suitable for the topic of this post is the look.

This was something that the owners of the kitchen shown in the picture above wanted to change. The solution they picked was painting the tile floor with a darker color that makes it look like slate.

Compared to the previous project example, this one used more products to get the slate appearance on the kitchen tile. Those include; Fresh Earth BCP14 Behr Chalk Decorative Paint, Farmhouse White BCP09 Behr Chalk Decorative Paint, Rust-Oleum Home Floor Coating, Annie Sloan Lacquer Matte Finish, and Rust-Oleum Painter’s Touch Ultra Cover Premium Latex Primer.

We think the new slate-like look creates a cleaner look on the kitchen floor. It even affects all the kitchen elements above it, including the white cabinets with black countertops.

Generally, the dark yet clean hue of the floor somehow makes the room brighter. We really love how the contrast visual between the new floor and the cabinet is formed here.

Here is a closer look at the final result. The new paint color really changed the whole appearance of the beige builder’s grade kitchen floor.

2.3 Tan Builder’s Grade Bathroom Tile Floor to Faux Slate

This last project example that we found is from The DIY Vibe. Here, the original floor was also a standard builder’s grade tile. The difference is that the one that gets the makeover is the kids’ bathroom.

At first, the floor color was tan, as you can see in the picture above. The project here is meant for making the tile floor more attractive by painting it in a slate color.

There are actually at least four different products used in this product to obtain the natural stone look. The first is Slate Gray 1-Part Epoxy Concrete and Garage Floor Paint by Kilz, the second is some different craft paints used by the homeowners to get the natural slate look, Semi-Gloss Transparent Varathane Elite Floor Finish by Rust-Oleum, and the last is regular paint for the grout.

This project also shows the beautiful and contrasting appearance between slate grey from the floor and white from other upper elements, including the walls, door, cabinet, and sanitaryware.

Again, it creates a clean look that we think is perfect for the bathroom. It also seems that white seems to be one of the best color to pair with slate grey too.

4. Closing

The idea to paint tile floor to look like slate is a clever solution to deal with budget limitations to makeover an interior. Remembering that the cost for replacement can be pretty expensive, this idea becomes a saver you can pick so that the update you want is truly obtainable.

Another best thing that you should never forget is that you can do everything yourself in a DIY project, as proven in the three outstanding examples we mentioned earlier. It is another value that makes the budget-friendly value even better.

You even do not have to worry about removing the existing tiles first since it is not necessary. in this case, it makes painting a better option even when compared to other alternatives available to make the floor looking like slate, including installing new tiles with faux natural stone look.

If you worry that the result will be far from durable, we have a suggestion that you can do. Here you can try to do a small research first by searching for more and more project examples.

It would be better if you find ones that also show detailed information not only about the products they use but also the steps such as two from the three examples that we present you here. Following the correct instructions from the right people will lead you to the best final result.

Other than that, you can also try to find more pictures of interior designed with slate-like painted tile floor to get even more inspired. This way, there is a bigger chance to get the best look that is the closest to the one you want.

One last thing that you must remember is to apply a sealer to the painted tile floor. This is the best decision to increase the durability of the final result. Although it is inexpensive, it will be better for it to last longer, too, right?