$800 kitchen makeover wins writer $5,000

By Barbara J. Woerner
Correspondent

VIRGINIA BEACH

It was FrogTape to the rescue for Nora Firestone when she took leave this summer from her regular writing responsibilities to give her kitchen a much-needed upgrade.

"I wanted to get a lot of things organized and done around the house," she said.

Firestone, a regular contributor to The Virginian-Pilot's Home section, had her sights set on a do-it-yourself kitchen makeover. Also a decorative painter, she started assembling paint, brushes and other materials for the project.

Then she made the discovery that turned her project into a success.

"I happened to find FrogTape while collecting my supplies," she said. "I was embarking on the project anyway, so when I happened to notice they were having a contest, I decided to enter."

FrogTape, a painter's tape with an adhesive side made of absorbent polymer called PaintBlock technology, creates a micro barrier when it comes in contact with latex paint. It was just what Firestone needed.

"Bleeding paint is a big problem," she said. "I really was concerned at one point when I sliced the tape into quarter-inch strips to create the faux tile.

Would it still use the PaintBlock technology?"

Back at the beginning of the project, Firestone had to decide what to do with her red kitchen sink.

"I wanted to find a way to fit the sink in with a new design," she said.

The refreshed look included painted kitchen cabinets, which are light on top and dark on the bottom with nickel accents for metal and reds and greens as colors. She resurfaced the old counters with red tinted concrete and an clear acrylic covering.

"I had decided not to take the cabinets and counters out," Firestone said. "I just wanted to use what I already had on hand."

So she continued to paint and spread gritty concrete and textured paint while cutting lots of strips of FrogTape. Family members ate take-out dinners in the dining room.

"I kept telling them I was saving them $10,000 by doing this," said the Virginia Beach woman, whose kitchen transformation cost less that $1,000.

All along she kept notes on her progress, hoping to help others create faux tile and redo counter tops.

Confident about her entry, Firestone entered the national FrogTape Earn Your Stripe contest in June. She submitted photos and notes on her "Cooked-up Kitchen" project and, at the end of the month, was declared the grand-prize winner of the contest, which was judged on workmanship, originality and room accessories.

Her painstaking work using FrogTape won her the $5,000 grand prize.

"Our first-place winner literally did a complete room transformation," said Kristin Bixler, media relations manager for ShurTech Brands LLC. "She earned her stripes by using paint everywhere in her kitchen, giving it a sleek, new updated look."

Added Firestone's husband, Jon, about his can-do wife's attitude, "This contest was judged by a panel of professionals, but I was surprised that she thought she was going to win."

The money will come in handy.

"Two days after I finished submitting the entry, our 32-year-old oven went out with a bang and a fizzle," said Firestone, a mother of three. "So, I thought, 'The first thing I'm going to do is replace the oven if I win.' "

But that's not all.

"I'm also reinvesting some of it into a workshop to learn more about resurfacing cabinets because I've always wanted to teach others how to do this," Firestone said. "And with a project like this, you can always change it."

The second place winner, Heather Flint of Norfolk, Neb., received $2,500. Third-place winner Elyas Beria of Washington, D.C., won the $1,000 third-place prize.

Barbara J. Woerner,bjwzcool@yahoo.com