Old ceramic bathroom tiles may be scratched, outdated, or have simply lost their shine. It may also have become boring to look at after years of seeing the same old stuff. There are some things you can do to improve this position. The first thing is simply to give it a good cleaning. The second is to restore it if your budget does not allow replacement, and the third is replacement.

Bathroom tiles can simply become dull due to a buildup of environmental debris, smoke, or even mold. Simple wall cleaning from time to time can remove obvious water stains or grime, but it’s not enough to remove the oils that smoke from bathroom tile dissolves in. Tiles may be clean, but grout discolors easily. By giving your bathroom walls a spring cleaning, you can bring them back to the shine they once had.

If you’ve been using household cleaning products, that may be the reason your bathroom ceramic tile is dull. Ceramic tile cleaners are available on the market and have been specifically formulated to clean tile. Some are formulated to also remove grout that has embedded itself in the tile. You can also make your own tile cleaner, using one part water, one half vinegar, and one half baking soda. Use a bucket or spray bottle. A sponge is all you need. Thoroughly wash, rinse and dry polish. If the grout is still dark in places, scrub with a brush, rinse, then dry. If discoloration still persists, rub with bleach and wipe clean. Do not expose yourself to bleach fumes.

If cleaning hasn’t brought your ceramic bathroom tile back to life and money is tight, you might consider refinishing your bathroom and painting over the tile. Tiles do not adhere well to paint. First you need to prepare the tile surface. This means turning the smooth surface into a rough one. You can do it with sandpaper, but once you start, there’s no going back. You’ll need to clean the tile with a cleaner that won’t leave chemicals on the tile, such as one with trisodium phosphate. Use a large pore sponge for better scrubbing. Then, using 180-grit sandpaper, roughen up the ceramic well. It will feel gritty to the touch when you’re done. Then paint over an acrylic latex primer, preferably with a roller. Smooth with a latex brush, then let the primer dry. Once dry, apply the paint. A semi-gloss latex paint is probably best. After a couple of hours, add a second coat if it looks like it requires it.

Your third option for correcting old or unattractive ceramic bathroom tiles is to remove the tiles and replace them with new ones. The big job is removing the ceramic from the wall. A grout saw, with a thick handle blade, is used to cut through the grout. Then, using a hammer and chisel, gently pry the tiles away from the wall. Be sure to wear eye protection. You can also remove old mortar using the hammer and chisel method. If the old adhesive was chemical, you will have to use an adhesive remover, which you can buy at any hardware store. Once this is done, sand the wall until smooth.

Placing ceramic bathroom walls requires cleaning the wall with mortar or chemical adhesive and laying the tiles. It is finished by grout. You can find more detailed instructions on the Internet.

When you’re tired of the same old bathroom walls, try a good cleaning and if that’s not satisfactory, repaint or replace. You are not trapped with those walls. With a little work and a little money, your ceramic bathroom walls can once again be a treat for the eyes.