How to Tackle Messy DIYs in a Small Space – One Room Challenge Week 5

One Room Challenge

Jun 2

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I'll spare you another "ahhh I'm out of time" opening and just dive right into this week's One Room Challenge update! These last couple of weeks have been filled with lots of not-fun hiccups. From a small water leak to my original tile vendor falling through, it's been challenging. But I've also had a lot of wins, like hanging my first sheets of drywall! My archways are coming to life before my eyes, which is incredible because I friggin' built them!

I got a lot done this week.

Most notably, I started wrapping drywall around the beam! I'm nervous to start mudding and to add the corner bead, but i'm sure it will feel easier once I start.

I rebuilt the base for our island (the former base wasn't straight and was hastily built) and added cover panels. All it needs now is a new top! I also painted the doors with Durapoxy HP paint supplied by Kelly-Moore Paints, one of my ORC sponsors. It's an enamel paint that's perfect for cabinets and other high-touch surfaces and I'm so impressed by how well it's cured so far. I chose Yin Mist for the doors and lower kitchen cabinets and, after much anguish, chose White Linen for the upper cabinets. It's a wonderful combo of off-black and creamy white and I am delighted. It's the first time I've used Kelly-Moore in my adult life and I'm so impressed! I fully expected it to be pretty stinky, but I didn't actually detect any paint smell at all. Plus, you can use their online shop to have paint shipped directly to your house. Ideal!

I also swapped my first door handle. I used this INSANE egg knob with a Wilshire side plate from Emtek in unlacquered brass – it coordinates perfectly with the hardware I'm using on the kitchen cabinets. I was surprised by what a simple swap this was! When I did the ORC last fall, one of my main fixes was swapping out the hardware on our built-ins. Frankly, it's an absolute delight to open this Emtek doorknob, and I'm a huge fan of building in moments of simple joy with things we touch every day.

Lastly, y'all helped me choose a tile color. I went with Tumbleweed, a beige-y blush matte tile from Fireclay! Since it's SO late in the process, I was worried that I wouldn't have time to order anything special. But thankfully, Fireclay Tile has a robust set of options available in their Quick Ship section. It's tight, but I think we can still make it happen!

5 Tips for Less Messy DIYs

Someone asked me how – with all the drilling, sawing, drywall, painting – I keep the mess contained. After all, we live in a small condo and I don't have access to an outdoor workspace or garage. I know that I'm not alone in that struggle. And while most of you probably aren't attempting a kitchen remodel while living in your small apartment, who doesn't love a good project tip. 😉

Prep your supplies

Gather all of the tools and other supplies you'll need for your project (or the section of the project you want to complete). Line everything up in one location -- that way, you're less likely to have to dig through things and make a mess mid-project. When I started cutting drywall this week, I grabbed my square, straight edge, razor blade, pen and measuring tape so that I could rock through all of the cuts at once.

Buy a tarp. Seriously!

I bought a blue plastic tarp in 2018 when I moved into my first solo apartment and needed a place to re-pot my houseplants. It came in handy when I stripped the paint off of a midcentury credenza and was a helpful surface for sanding the plant stand I built with my first power drill. While it has its fair share of paint splatters now, that same tarp is still going strong.

Remove rugs and other fabrics.

When I'm using my circular saw, I try to make cuts (which get shockingly messy!) in parts of our condo with few porous surfaces. I've used our bathroom (lol) and our kitchen/entryway. It's important to take safety precautions when you're using power tools – I always wear safety glasses, usually put on a mask, and make sure I have a stable, level cutting surface.

Tried wet sanding?

Me neither. Lol! But it's on my list. Apparently, drywall projects are rough for DIYers because, in a finished home, all of the sanding that's required leaves a ton of dust. I'm always looking for ways to cut down on dust because I have major dust allergies. Here's a very fun video of a guy in a kilt (aptly, his YouTube channel is called That Kilted Guy DIY Home Improvement) demonstrating wet sanding on drywall mud and talking through the pros and cons. I'm planning to try that out this week on the beam wrap.

Clean as you go and tidy at the end of every session.

You might reach a point where it feels easier to just leave your supplies out for your next round (if you're working through a multi-day project). But in a small space, that's tough!! Any little mess can feel overwhelming, so save some energy for a quick tidy up at the end of your session. I also love to vacuum OFTEN. My Dyson stick vacuum has seen a lot of mileage during this project, and I remain very grateful that I upgraded from my last cheap vac.

Now I know some of y'all probably have great advice for keeping projects clean in small spaces. Share the love in the comments! I've learned A TON from watching other folks tackle their One Room Challenge projects this time around (I can't remember who shared the tip about wet sanding, but THANK YOU). Follow along with the other featured designers below!