These Items Can't Possibly Have Any Connection, BUT They Do.

Counter edge band damaged. 15 year old match impossible to find.

Having finally identified the laminate manufacturer, I called the local distributor who sent me directly to the manufacturer. The manufacturer had received a sample piece from me, came up with a CLOSE match. Several months of communication sent me back to the local distributor who could do nothing for me. I finally found someone 5 hours away who could get a full sheet of the close match, that I would have to come pick up. All for a mere $56.00, not to mention time, gas, and someone to cut and install it.I considered mosaic tile, but couldn't find anything that looked appropriate, and that would have meant doing the entire edging through out the kitchen. MONEY, money, money. Something I have preciously little of to spare.

This is what I had to work with. I considered Washi Tape, but after looking at it in the stores, it would not have worked as it was not substantial enough.

Walmart to the rescue... $4.97 for their Cork Duck Tape. Now if I can find a tiny (cheap) bit of paint to tint. Off to Lowe's. Much to my surprise, they offer sample jars of tintable paint for $3.98. We came close to the basic overall color.

The Duck Tape was not only wide enough, but thick enough. Tried whitewashing method. Not so good.

After applying 4 very thin coats of paint, wiping them off as much as I could, this was a pretty close match. The texture of the Cork also matched up with the matrix dots of the laminate.

The protective paper was taped to the top edge of the counter, and below, and anywhere else I thought I might clumsily spray with the adhesive. This is after the spraying on both the counter edge and the sticky side of the duck tape. It took about 2-3 minutes for it to get properly tacky. The hardest part was getting over into the furthest corner to start sticking it very carefully without attaching the strip to itself. And how does the tomato paste come into this equation, you ask? I used it to roll any bubbles out and pressure seal it. Worked great!

The only thing left to do is Mod Poge it to seal it. My contractor neighbor is amazed at my ingenuity. He is sure a home inspector will never even notice it, should I put the house up for sale. So, readers, If I, a 71 YO woman, can do this, anyone can! Just a bit of thinking outside that box.

Original article and pictures take http://www.hometalk.com/10922148/these-items-can-t-possibly-have-any-connection-but-they-do site