I have a mosaic question

I am buying a house and in the kitchen between the stove and the broom closet is a small counter. Someone covered it with what looks like dull white tile and did white grout. It isnt really level as it should be but since its small I can deal with that for now, however it needs some color. Any idea what kind of paint I can use to paint these odd shape tiles that would stay on it? I appericate any advise.

i have a couple of suggestions...



if you really just want to paint what is there, you can take a little sand paper and rough up the surfaces a bit and then use a good quality primer (brushed, not sprayed on) - and you might consider 2 coats of priimer before you paint. make sure the primer is good and dry before you put on a second coat or begin to paint. this should work for you.



painting will probably not give you a very decent job though, since the work is not level already. you say it is a small space - your small and mine may be different, but why not think about removing the old work and mosaicing it again with colors of your choosing and have some fun while you are at it? tile centers or home product stores, like home depot may give you really reduced prices (or even free) broken or chipped tiles you can put together into a work that is pleasing to you or you can raid a resale store for some colorful plates to break up - it is a great way to relieve stress breaking the stuff!!! if this is your first project, i suggest using materials that are all about the same thickness so you don't end up with the same uneven surface you have now. you can dry lay up the pieces into a pattern you like, if that is easier for you. use a table top or large piece of heavy cardboard for this. it does make setting the tiles into the adhesive go a little faster if you do this. you can level the surface fairly easily by using a plastic putty knife to spread on a fairly thick layer of adhesive for the tiles (if you look at a home supply place, you can find grout that will also work as a tile adhesive.) place your pieces into the adhesive and wiggle them a bit to set them. you can set a ruler or scrap piece of straight wood on your pieces as you are placing them to make sure the tiles are at close to the same level as you go along. then let the adhesvive harden - overnight is usually good. then grout the finished project. it is best to seal your work also.(makes it easier to clean, for one thing)





if i were in your postion, i would re-do what is there rather than paint it, but i have mosaiced almost anything that has not had the sense to move away from me fast enough!!! [img]images/smiley_icons/roflmbo.gif[/img]



if this was not clear enough or you have other questions, you can email me at luckydaez@aol.com or there are a couple of postings in this board on making mosaics that may be useful too. let us know what you decided to do - and post a pix, if you can when you finish... gl to you and let me know if i can help you any other way