Old Hall Bath: Ceramic flaking/cracking on 'integral' tile soap holder

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Khufudude

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Hi all, Thanks for all the advice so far. First time Homeowner/Quick Learner... Got these (2) lovely ;) ceramic holders grouted into the tile in my old hall bathroom. The soap holder is flaking / cracking on the top ceramic surface (glaze?).
Is there any thing I can do to paint / coat / seal it? Basically is there anything short of going at it with a grout rake, pry bar, etc. and putting in a tile... The state of the art ;) cup holder w/ 6x travel toothbrush holders is still in good shape. Thanks for any suggestions in advance!

I Don't wanna be This Guy! http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_RXV5MKAh6ng/SLNnLlQnEEI/AAAAAAAACdw/uubJPTgUw_M/s1600-h/P1011892.JPG

hall bath 1final.jpg

hall bath 2final.jpg
 
It looks like the tile and those fixtures were painted. I think I can see the same color on the wall tile just above the sink. If that's the case, you may need to strip and repaint the soap holder.
 
It looks like the tile and those fixtures were painted. I think I can see the same color on the wall tile just above the sink. If that's the case, you may need to strip and repaint the soap holder.
Turns out, it is (tile?) paint that is coming off.. It appears that previous owner painted over all the tile in this (~6'x6') bathroom (including all grout and these holders).

After some "handy" work I got it looking like this:
22858910225_e6609d37a5.jpg


The ceramic appears to be in ok shape... I would love (for the short term) to just re paint it... I'm sure I will need to do some significant work in here down the road. suggestions on paint type/prep work?
 
If you use epoxy paints be careful and read the instructions on how long to wait and not wait between coats. Most of them dry quick and can have a second or more coats, but then have to dry something like 48 hours if you wait to long. If you put a couple coats on and then think you might want to spray another the next morning the new paint will work like paint remover and you will have a big mess. Don’t ask me how I know that, I’m the guy that always says I don’t need those directions.
 
Thanks for all the input. Update: I ordered some rust-oleum tub & tile. was the best reviewed of the common ones (better than homax/Way better than XIM). Gets here today.

I stripped the whole soap dish. Managed to only accidentally strip 1 (~.25") spot (had same tile paint) from an adjacent tile :beer: .Planning on using CLR (orig. pourable) to prep it. I'll be back!;)
 
hey guys. I've been workin' on other stuff, and it took quite a while to get the epoxy paint delivered. I decided to order the rustoleum tub and tile. I ordered the 12 oz spray can (aerosol)(delays plus can only be shipped 'ground'), based on a chat with paint dept guy at hd about getting a smooth coat(s) on this uneven surface.
here is the dish after all stripping/during prep.
waKQ3be.jpg

I attempted to follow all instructions/suggestions to a T. I stripped, sanded, CLR'd with scub pad, rinsed, clr'd, rinsed, dried, waited 90min. then...
YAIFK3T.jpg

Let's just say I sprayed too much :hide: I got over zealous.
Paint pooled up a bit in the 'grooves(?)' of the soap holder. I noticed pretty quickly. So, I know i will need to strip n start over. No problem. Of course my (hind) sight is 20/20
I could use some feedback about one particular issue. I masked off the whole area, and used painters tape at the edges. Now I have "hard" (slightly raised) edges around the sides:
xL7CQ8J.png

Any ideas greatly appreciated, Thanks!
 
This won't help with the actual work, but an old painting trick is to write the brand, color, serial number, etc. of the product that worked best on the underside of the nearest cabinet. If these tiles are chipping away, others might follow. Also, these seem like high contact areas you'll have to re-touch up again. :)
 
I would let it cure then get some 1500 grit wet/dry sandpaper. Use it wet to smooth the ridges down.
 

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