Have you ever played the tile hunting game? If you've ever renovated a bathroom there's a good chance you have! It's this frustrating combination of trying to find the exact color of tile you want in a price point you can afford and more often than not it ends in headache instead of victory — unless you make everything yourself!
Instructables user jeff-o and his wife decided to not spent a million hours searching down the exact colors of tile for their new bathroom and instead, set to work hand mixing color and painting up their own. By purchasing inexpensive $0.33/ea white tile they saved a bundle by painting the tops with FolkArt Enamels (which can be baked in the oven). Although they come in a great deal of colors, they still had to mix some of their own for this seamless color wheel effect.
The results are simply stunning and would be a great way to get a big burst of color in the exact shade your looking for without the normal shopping pains that come with it. Think outside the box and ponder using something like this for a backsplash in a kitchen, a tiled kitchen table or follow in their footsteps and take the idea into the bath!
• Check out more photos and all the project details at Instructables
Image: jeff-o for Instructables
Must-See Small Cool Homes: Week Two
Beth's Romantic & Retro Residence
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Shaw's Original Fir...
How to Bake a Potato: Three Easy Methods
How To Cook Tender, Chewy Wheat Berries on the Stovetop
I am impressed. When you say baked in the oven, do you mean any regular oven ?
A very fun project!
Allegra M - Yes, with this specific type of paint, you can bake it in any regular oven and when set it's food safe, dishwasher safe and baked right on like it came out of a kiln (it's also fun to paint on assorted dishware).
Very Tron.
I could see doing something like this in blues, moving from the floor in darkest blue-black to the ceiling in blue-white...
Its cool and inventive, but I need a calmer bathroom.
maybe its the lighting or a shadow but some of the orange and red ones look splotchy.
It makes me think of the 1980s sheets that 8/10 kids have, that were white with rainbow stripes running down the sides.
Because of that, I feel like it looks really dated, but the idea behind it is really fun!
While I never shy away from bold, bright colors, I always think it's best used only on the things that can be easily changed (paint and textiles). I applaud their creativity, and like the results, but can't help but think about how they've hurt their resale value.
"to each his own"....
....
Love it! It makes me smile and, while it wouldn't appeal to everyone, that doesn't make it tacky. Evidently, Jeff and wife are more interested in making a home for themselves rather than allowing profit-potential to dictate how they decorate it!
Hmm... If I hadn't seen the before, I would think the 'after' was the before. This would have been perfect in The Hot Tub Machine! Kudos however, to the owners for doing what they want with their own home. :)
Kudos for trying something new. I would love to see this idea executed in mosaic tile. Reminds me of this
http://www.cb2.com/duvet-covers/bedroom/digi-pop-bed-linens/f6356?fromLocation=search
I love this!
Yeah color! Love it!
Why do you people hate rainbows? Color is what takes our homes from bland to beautiful! :D They should paint the ceiling too. It's so lovely.
I think this is great, especially for a basement bathroom - you want something bright and cheerful to offset the dankness - well done!
Good luck selling that baby when you get ready to move.
Why shouldn't homeowners do something they like in their so they can enjoy it while they live there? If or when they decide to move, they can think about how to make the tile more universally appealing to buyers. But what if they want to live there for 10, 20, 30 years? Shouldn't they be able to have fun with their decor?
I don't hate rainbows, but this is definitely not my style. As much as I love color, my favorite color changes alot, so doing something this permanent would be really scary to me. Painting a rainbow on the ceiling, sure!
I don't think it's great for relaxing in the tub but awesome for waking you up in the morning before coffee. So fun!
I LOVE IT!!! And now I know what to do with my bathroom that has damaged tiles from a tub replacement. The old tiles are OLD and a shade of baby blue (and in really great shape) I could never hope to match. But now I have some inspiration and can do a monochromatic light blue to dark blue repair! Hurrah! Thank you for the post!