Blame it to the pregnancy hormones, but after twenty months I could not take it any longer: the glossy black tiles with faux marble and Greek columns with gold details in our toilet had to go. When we moved in in February last year, we updated all of the wall colors, all door hardware and electric sockets, outdoor lights, curtains and Robert also added quite some domotica. Which means we can adjust light settings, heating, security and shutters through voice commands or from apps. Everything looks so much more like 2022 and most importantly: we feel at home here. The bathroom had been updated less than a decade ago and looks OK, it’s beige with a pebble decor, with white furniture, tub, bidet and shower. But our toilet space had not been updated in a while: the wall tiles are in great condition, and everything functions: we just wonder why anyone ever picked these glossy black tiles for a toilet space with only a small window. I’m not afraid of using black in a home, but these tiles: where did people even find them?
At the same time, we were not ready to retile the walls. It’s dusty job and not something I wanted to dive into the last trimester of pregnancy. That’s when I found out about Epodex: they specialize in synthetic resins for lots of different kinds of applications: walls, floors, concrete, metal and also: TILES!
The videos on the Epodex website convinced me this could actually be a quick and good looking solution for our black tiles. The most complicated part was choosing the right color for the toilet. The space is not too narrow, but it only has one small north facing window, which means the light is rather grey-ish. All cold tones likes grey, green, purple, lilac and blue were easily discarded. Robert also vetoed any kind of pink or terracotta. And I didn’t want beige or white. So it had to be yellow! I’ve been a little bit obsessed with yellow lately: it’s a color that I keep coming back to since our first home together more than two decades ago. In general, finding the right yellow is not easy: furniture in yellow is often too “pale” or too “mustard” or too “lemon”. For our toilet I envisioned a warmer softer yellow. I tested several of the Epodex hues: ochre yellow, finca pastel and pastel yellow. The latter, pastel yellow, turned out the be the best option: bright but soft and sunny and a little beige/orange-y.
Epodex tile paint is not just regular paint: it is actually strong enough to resist scratches and their 2K tile paint is even waterproof and can be used on tiles with permanent water contact, like a shower! The only thing that could potentially be tricky, so I thought, was mixing the different components. But boy I was wrong: it’s actually very forgiving: you simply use a scale to weigh the different components that you pour into the paint bucket: the mixing ratio between resin and hardener is 5:1 and then you add 5% of the total weight in color pigments. Or you just mix all 3 bottles and it’s ready to go. Sand, clean and degrease the tiles and tape off all surfaces you don’t want to paint. Then you simply apply the paint with a foam paint roller in thin layers. Like most paint projects: it first gets worse before it gets better. After the first layer, especially when applying light yellow paint on a black background, it looks, let’s say: “interesting”. I applied 4 layers total, but when the contrast between tiles and paint isn’t so big, 2 or maybe 3 layers should be enough.
Once I was done and removed the tape and put the shelves (that also got a lick of paint) back in place, it looked like the sun was shining in our toilet. We went from a dark and outdated toilet to a sunny space. Check it out:
Every time I open the door, I’m surprised by what a big difference it makes: it is so much brighter and warmer and looks more like 2022. And apparently the Greek columns are long way forgotten: the other day Robert commented that he didn’t miss the “maritime lighthouses” in our toilet. That made me laugh 😉
As the light changes throughout the day and seasons, the Epodex pastel yellow looks more orange-y and bright, or more soft warm beige. I find it hard to define the exact color, it’s a bit like a chameleon.
Now I just wish we could replace the actual toilet by one of those Japanese toilets and update the wash basin and faucet as well, for a more contemporary look. But that will have to wait until 2023.
Now I’ve painted kitchen tiles before: more than twenty years ago we lived in a house with a tiled but ugly backsplash in the kitchen that I primed and painted lavender blue. It looked allright, but it also looked very much like “painted tiles”. Unlike the result you get with Epodex tile paint: as they also have a grout marker in either white or grey that you can use to draw the grouts. It’s surprisingly easy as the edges of the grouts will guide the lines. And if you make a mistake, you can easily remove the marker with a wet cloth before it’s dry. It makes quite a big difference: it looks a wall with tiles and grouts, less like painted tiles. Unfortunately the Greek column decor on the tiles was in reliëf, so when you look from a specific angle you can still see them, but it’s very subtle:
The Epodex grout marker makes all the difference: the original grouts reappear and creates a real “tile” look.
Wow, what a huge difference: every time I open the door, the sun shines in here:
Overall I’m very pleased with the Epodex 2K tile paint: it is a high quality product that is easy to apply and allows to obtain a sleek and professional result without any specific skills, other than knowing how to paint. And so much easier than re-tiling an entire bathroom, toilet or kitchen backsplash too. It’s also very budget proof. Check out all details and colors on the Epodex website.
This blogpost was created in collaboration with Epodex, who provided all paint and accessories. But all images, opinions and words are my own, as always. I’m genuinely satisfied by the service of Epodex, by their very speedy shipment from Germany, and by the quality of their products. The final result looks professional and sleek. And very sunny as you can see!
