How to change the colour of slate tiles?

[lickle_lainey]

  

we would like to modernise our bathroom and entry hall floor tiles and paint them a charcoal grey.

would I need to strip the varnish first and with what and which paint/stain is best for this material and location?

thank you

[EricL]

Hello @lickle_lainey 

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's sensational to have you join us and thanks for sharing your question about changing the colour of your slate tiles.

There is a high probability that your floor is sealed and under that sealer is the actual paint. Technically you would need to know what sealer was used on your floor in order to get the proper seal remover. Using non compatible removers can sometimes damage the surface of the slate or the result is unsatisfactory. 

The main issue with painting your slate floor is compatibility; will a particular paint work on the surface of the slate and will the sealer placed on top of it work with the paint used? Please allow us to contact our suppliers and see if they have any recommendations in regards to what paint will work on your slate surface. As soon as we have more information, we'll get back to you.

Thank you for your patience.

Eric

[MitchellMc]

Hi @lickle_lainey,

Thanks for your question. I wanted to provide some clarity regarding painting slate tiles. Typically, paint manufacturers do not recommend coating slate. Slate is a natural stone that can degrade over time, and sections may delaminate, particularly if they’re not sealed with a slate-specific sealer. This makes it very difficult to guarantee that paint will adhere properly or last.

Another challenge is the sealer itself. Many slate floors are sealed with penetrating sealers, which are very difficult to remove completely. Even strong sealer removers may not fully strip the surface, and any remaining sealer can prevent paint from binding correctly. Because of these issues, most paint suppliers would not advise painting over slate.

Given these factors, the safest and most reliable way to change the colour of your slate floor is to remove the tiles and replace them with a material that suits your design vision, whether that’s standard tiles or another type of flooring such as floating timber or vinyl.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell