This house had great "curb appeal," and had an 8 page glossy full color brochure to go with it.  The neighborhood supported the curb appeal with incredible views of Mt Rainier and Lake Washington.  The yard was meticulously manicured.

     I would have expected the interior of the home to reflect the sales pitch.

     On first glance it did----

Nicely tiled bathroom 

----but it did not take long for the gloss----and the color----to go out of the picture. 

 Things aren't always black and white

     The main upstairs bathroom looked "sparkling" with bright white tiles and shiny brown border tiles that seemed inconsistent with the age of the home.  At first I thought nothing of it, because often the condition of the interior of the home merely reflects how well the home was cared for----or not.

     In this case the entire bathroom was tiled----walls and floor.  They even went to the trouble of matching the window trim the same color as the tiles.

     So why did it look so nice?

     All the tile work had been painted.  The tile trim and wood trim were the same color because they were both painted the same color----no color matching involved.  When you looked close---it was obvious.  At first glance it was not obvious.  My buyer had been in the bathroom at previous visits to the home and had never noticed.  The buyer's agent had never noticed.  It totally gave itself away under the toilet---where the painting was not complete.

Painted tiles shows under the toilet 

     How many of you know the trick of how to clean dried paint out of a plastic bucket or a glass container?  What you do is fill it up with hot water---wait a few minutes----and all the paint peels from the inside of the container in one piece----a floppy shape of the container it was once in.  So, now, imagine the shower walls after a nice hot shower.  Me thinks the buyer would have been "hot" and seeing "red."

 

Charles Buell  

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Post is included in group: AR My Name is Cheryl
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19 Comments on Got the Blues seeing Red in the White shower.

OCT
20
2008
1 Featured Post

Charles, there are paint products out on the market that are specifically for painting on tile. We have had clients that have used them in the past and they do not flake, peel or chip. This maybe one of those type of paint products.

Have the buyer's agent check with the seller's agent before writing this off as regular paint and the buyer deciding against a home that could be great for them.

11:28am • #1
381,002 Points 23 Featured Posts Outside Blog

Patty, I will probably wish that I had mentioned this type of paint in my post:)  What you say is true---they do make such paints.  This was unfortunately not that kind of paint.  Even those paints that are made for such purposes are a poor substitute for the oringinal surface.  They scratch easily and still peel off over time. 

11:45am • #2
136,074 Points 12 Featured Posts Outside Blog

Charles: This appears to be an example of a home seller using a not so nice trick to make something look like what it isn't. The proverbial 'lipstick on a pig'. Now that it has been noted, will the seller be forced to disclose this information or suffer the consequences?

If I saw this in a house I was thinking of buying, my next thought would be "I wonder what else they are trying to hide.

11:56am • #3
381,002 Points 23 Featured Posts Outside Blog

Michelle, when I see this sort of thing I too start to look more closely at everything.  In this case there really wasn't too much similiar going on.  I think, based on the condition of another bathroom in the house that was tiled the same way, they just wanted to improve the looks.  The other tiled bathroom of the same vintage had tiles that were badly "crazed" with many cracks and grout in poor condition.  Painting would have made them look better too no doubt:)

12:21pm • #4
356,317 Points 11 Featured Posts Localism Sponsor Outside Blog

I also thought you could get paint for this type thing.  I doubt they were trying to hide anything.  They were just prettifying.  It's like painting over beautiful wood just to get the newest color on your walls.  I guess this was another deal-killer? 

1:02pm • #5
381,002 Points 23 Featured Posts Outside Blog

Barbara, I don't really think they were trying to hide anything either.  When it says on the can that you can paint tiles with it----what is a person to think.  I doubt that this can of paint said that:)  People hear that you can paint tiles and they might not think that it requires "special" types of paint.  That said----even the paint that is quote "Made for painting tile" is in my opinion a waste of money.  It all peels sooner or later.  Then, not only do you have old tiles---you have "ugly" old tiles:)

1:27pm • #6
564,642 Points 10 Featured Posts Outside Blog

Paint is flying off the shelves down here since people are staying in their homes and painting rather than selling them at a loss.

6:22pm • #7
382,423 Points 1 Featured Post Outside Blog

Oh My .... I've NEVER heard of someone painting the tile in a bathroom, or any room for that matter. I wonder what the original colors were?

Sean Allen

7:34pm • #8
381,002 Points 23 Featured Posts Outside Blog

Russel, paint can hide a multitude of sins for sure.

Sean, if you look up under the toilet (in the picture above) you can see the original color of something less than white:)

8:21pm • #9
236,539 Points 1 Featured Post Localism Sponsor Outside Blog

They would have been better off to have left it alone. Maybe new grout would have enhanced the look rather then paint.

8:32pm • #10
381,002 Points 23 Featured Posts Outside Blog

Carl & Ceil, I really think that if tiles get bad enough to need painting they really need replacing:)

8:46pm • #11
215,802 Points 4 Featured Posts Outside Blog

Well Charles my shower is fiberglass... can it paint it? Or will that peel off too?  

8:52pm • #12
381,002 Points 23 Featured Posts Outside Blog

Tammy, you can get the interior finish redone----that is different than painting though.  I have seen them painted with paint that is supposedly made for these showers and in my experience it does not hold up.  Looks good long enough to sell---well mabe a little longer:)

8:56pm • #13
226,556 Points 26 Featured Posts Localism Sponsor Outside Blog

Charlie - I've seen this freshen up technique done before and it is hard to tell sometimes!

10:04pm • #14
215,802 Points 4 Featured Posts Outside Blog

Oh Charles... I'm a regular reader... now you have GOT to figure out when I'm just pulling your chain. LOL

 

10:37pm • #15
OCT
21
2008
381,002 Points 23 Featured Posts Outside Blog

Carol, it can be really hard to tell----especially if it has been a spray on job.

Tammy, good gosh----I gotta get better at reading between the lines:)---wait a minute---your comment only has one line-----now I am in trouble:)

1:12am • #16

Funny how the paint peels off too, paint doesn't stick well to ceramic, but it does a fair job on grout.  You get all these little squares the size of 4" tiles (or whatever size tile you have).  Have fun getting it out of the grout lines.

Jack

10:28pm • #17
OCT
22
2008

Its the tile with the exact same color (and sheen) grout that gets me! If this bath was the only issue, I hope this didnt kill the deal?

Thanks Charles. 

9:16am • #18
381,002 Points 23 Featured Posts Outside Blog

Jack, you are right----sticks real nice to the grout lines:)

Matt, no----this did not kill the deal----now the crawl space was another story:)

9:35am • #19

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