can I paint over ugly marble floor?

[Bece]

I have 1300 sq ft of PINK and GRAY UGLY marble floors. HELP. I thought it would be easy to change/cover. I can't afford at this time to remove it. Found out it's too thick to cover with wood or tile. Can I paint it? Someone said I could get black mold if I seal the marble. Any suggestions? I feel like I'm trapped in Miss Piggy's Brothel! Thanks, B.

[catamount]

Hi, Bece, and welcome!
Given the right prep and the right paint, you can paint over almost anything. That doesn't mean it's a good idea, though. What, exactly, makes this floor "too thick" to go over? What would you want if it was in the budget?
Can you post pix? The folks hereabouts LOVE pix!

[hans_idle]

Bece,

That's amazing! I'm in the exact same boat. I have about 200 square feet of this pink and gray marble. It's the worst, isn't it. I'm removing mine and putting in Travertine. I hadn't thought about painting it. The problem I see is that painted marble probably won't wear well, with paint coming off here and there. I guess if you used a high-traffic paint, it might work. Mine is polished (or at least it was until the polish wore off). I don't think the smooth surface that I have would work well with paint.

But let us know how it goes.

-Hans

[hans_idle]

Now that I think about it, if you know how your floor was put together, it may be easier to just remove the tile. You had said that you don't have the resources for it. But if the tile is on CBU and NOT adhered to the subfloor, it would be relatively quick work to remove the tile down to the subfloor. You could quickly throw some flooring over such as the laminate wood stuff for a temporary setup. That kind of floor goes in quickly and can be removed easily later. I removed the marble tile and CBU in one of the closets that the marble goes into just to see how easy it would be to remove the tile. It's not bad, although it's messy.


-Hans

[Bece]

Thanks for the replies. The marble is covering the entire lower level of my home. The genius (previous owner) that installed the marble, did so without removing the appliances. Therefore, I would have to tear out any new floor cover if I ever have to move dishwasher out for replacement. Countertop does not give. The marble is over concrete. They also built a 'stage' for the dining area. Ugh. I thought when I bought the home a couple yrs back that the floor would be an 'easy fix', now everyone at HD and Lowe's say you can cover anything BUT marble. So if height alone is not enough of problem, they say marble can get black mold if sealed or covered. I am a DYI'r, but feel this might be more than I can handle....hence the question, could I stain it or paint it? Thanks everyone! Bece

[RubberFrog]

Why can't you just take it out? You got muscles....

[Davestone]

You could stain it, but you would have to hone it, and you wouldn't get a consistent look given the properties of stone, with some minerals being harder than others in any given stone.A honing of this material would take some of the pink out.I see this is a checkerboard, this would add to the expense and difficulty of the project.I can't in good conscience recommend painting your beautiful stone that took nature millions of years to produce.

[trecile]

Or just wait, it will come back in style!

[Lynettefrancois]

Bece, what color scheme are you going for? I can probably help you with a temporary solution. I've read nearly every decorating book that exists, and own about half of them. I've also had some REALLY ugly floors that I covered with area rugs and throw rugs, and you just didn't notice them after the furniture etc was in. If the walls are just slightly tinted with either of the offending colors, you won't notice them as much either. Most paint colors in style right now have a slight gray tone to them. Do you have pics of the room or furniture? Feel free to email me. I'd be happy to help. Lynette

[Bece]

Thanks Everyone,
I actually like marble tile...just not checkerboard. If it were all gray or all pink I could live with it. But this is too loud. I have walls painted a nice gray, so yes the floors do fade a bit. Rugs help...but, it's still THERE. I love the look of stained concrete or satillo tile, and hate carpet. Also, I live in Vegas..desert..and carpet don't mix well. I guess my answer is to tear it out one square at a time. I got a bid on polishing it, ..2k!!! Ouch. And laminate cover is what Lowe's said would create black mold risk. As much as I try to have a different end to this story, it always seems to come back to the only solution is to have it taken out. Sigh.

[Lynettefrancois]

Bece, judging from what you've said, I think you should just take it out. If it offends you that much, it's probably worth it to just take it out- As long as you'll be in the house awhile. Good luck! Lynette