How to Paint a Subfloor to Look Like Slate Tile
- 1). Paint the entire floor white. The white paint will not only give you a good base for applying your color, but will also make it easier to create faux grout lines. Allow this paint to dry for four to six hours.
- 2). Tape off your "grout lines." Use strips of painter's tape that is a half-inch wide to create a grid for the grout lines for the tile. Your faux tiles should be 1 foot square. Tape off all the vertical lines in the room first and then go across with your horizontal lines.
- 3). Paint the floor gray. The main color in slate tile is gray, and this will give you a good base before you add the other colors. You can use a regular paintbrush or roller to apply this coat. Let it dry for 4 hours.
- 4). Add the accent colors. Slate tile is typically accented with tones of blue, yellow or even purple. Look at your sample tiles for inspiration on how these colors appear on the tile. Use a fine art brush to do squiggly lines or veins of color. A fan shaped art brush can be used for sweeps of color. A rag dipped in the accent color and then dabbed or swept across the surface will give a larger swipe of color.
- 5). Remove the painter's tape. Gently pull up all of the painter's tape in the room. Make touch-ups if necessary if the tape pulls up some of the paint.
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