Add an artistic touch to a variety of crafts projects with hand-painted tiles. Even if you are not an accomplished artist, you can paint art tiles to decorate back splashes, trays, mosaic designs and outdoor fountains. Tiles have a slick, non-porous surface; certain paint products will not adhere to tiles. With the right kind of paints and techniques, you can paint the tiles and set the designs without a kiln. Select tiles from local home-improvement stores and find the painting supplies from local crafts stores.
Instructions
1. Clean the ceramic tiles with glass cleaner and a soft cloth. Wipe over the cleaned surface with rubbing alcohol to remove fingerprints. Wear cotton gloves from this point forward to avoid adding fingerprints to the tiles.
2. Squirt a small amount of the background paint color onto a plate. Using a paint sponge, apply a thin coat of the glass paint onto the surface of the tile. Allow the paint to dry according to the manufacturer's instructions. Repeat this step as needed to deepen the background color of the tile.
3. Tape the stencil or design template onto the front of the dry, painted ceramic tile. Omit this step if you are creating the design using a rubber stamp.
4. Add small amounts of the design paint colors to the paint plate. Using an artist's paint brush, apply the paint to the tile according to the design. If you are stamping the design image, cover the raised portion of the rubber stamp with the glass paint. Lightly press the stamp onto the tile and rock it back and forth to paint the stamp design onto the ceramic tile. Clean the rubber stamp with stamp cleaner before the glass paint dries on its surface.
5. Remove the stencil or template and allow the painted design to dry on the tile. Cover a baking sheet with tin foil. Place the tiles onto the sheet.
6. Bake the tiles in the oven to set the glass paint. Follow the manufacturer's baking instructions for oven temperatures and times. Some manufacturers recommend placing the painted objects into a cold oven, and then baking at 275 degrees for up to 25 minutes.
