I recently stained and painted a dresser in my 1 bedroom apartment. I moved my dining table to the middle of the living room and did all my work in the corner where I normally eat. I used a cheap tarp from lowe's to protect the carpet and opened windows and ran fans to try to avoid some fumes. I think I had that mess in there for a week and it was annoying, but I live alone so it wasn't bothering anyone else and the finished result made it worth it!

Here's a post I bookmarked exactly for this idea.

http://littlegreennotebook.blogspot.ro/2012/06/my-pantry-and-500-give-away.html?m=1

I clear as big of a space in the living room space as I can and I tarp it off. and yup, I walk around it until it is done!

I am still afraid of trying spray paint (but I have heard tips of using a large box or a garment bag). and for sawing there isnt much I can do so I dont do those types of projects

I've always lived in very small apartments, including a 350 sq foot studio that was a finalist in Small, Cool once. I have done countless projects, ranging from upholstering wingback chairs and refinishing a dresser to sewing quilts to making 25 paintings over the course of two weeks for an installation. Tarps are your friend. Making time for set up and clean up each day is key for multi-day projects. Yes, you walk past it on a daily basis. I also always had a dedicated cabinet for the DIY supplies, so at the end of a day all the tools/supplies are put away, and only the project itself is in the way.

I live in a one bedroom condo with no balcony. While in the apartment I've stripped and refinished two pieces of furniture (both of which were featured on AT) by making my dining room my work room. I took apart my table, and moved it and the chairs in to the living room, and then laid down a thick plastic sheet to protect my hardwood floors.
I've done some small spray paint projects (picture frame, bookends) by using a big box sitting on to of the plastic sheet. I would not do anything bigger inside - there is simply just too much spray that floats in the air and goes everywhere.
Yes, it a little annoying not to have a specific place to designate project central, but having your project always there and in view will encourage you to finish it so you can reassemble your living space.

I am SO glad someone asked this. I think about this all the time. I've tried a few different venues, but am not in love with any of them. I wish someone would open a DIY space (with tools and basic supplies) somewhere in Brooklyn. Here's what I've tried:

I've done big multi-day projects in the living room, but I hated it-- it was pretty frustrating to have a disheveled living room for as long as I did. And every day I couldn't work on it, I felt like the project was just sitting there taunting me (which might work as incentive to some, I suppose.) Having people over was impossible, bc there was nowhere to sit.

My favorite, although not super practical, solution is to drive everything out to my parents house. Do you have tolerant friends or family with a yard within a couple hours of the city? It's a real pain to cart things back and forth on the train or bus, but it's worked out well for some small projects.

So far my favorite solution IN the city is the sidewalk or the roof, especially for painting. I'm lucky to live in a brownstone with a "garbage area" on the sidewalk where a tarp or cardboard box can be laid out for spray painting, but I've also just used curb. Again, not ideal and people stare at you, but any port in a storm, right?

I really hope that people have some brilliant ideas, because I struggle with exactly this problem and have mostly written off DIY projects in my apartment as a result! I have a small one bedroom, and I just don't have any space that is good for this kind of stuff, particularly if it's a multiple day project. Plus, I have a big dog who has never really completely outgrown chewing, so I really can't leave some things out. If it's something I really want to do, I will sometimes take over the kitchen for a few days and just plan to eat takeout, but it's really not ideal, and the chaos drives me nuts until I'm done. I have at least learned to try to schedule some vacation days at work so that I can knock things out more quickly. But, I tend to hire out most of these type projects. I also don't have room for tools, etc, so it works well for me. I found a guy who does a fabulous job of taking vintage stuff and remaking it - I pretty much just tell him what I have in mind, and he builds it and brings it to my place. It's probably a little bit more expensive, but it's been worth it for me. He has the tools to do every job properly, and he's done a lot of neat things for me that I would completely lack the skill and/or creativity to do. I should add - I'm not sure what type of projects you have in mind - the types of things this guy has done for me are remaking an old trunk into a raised feeder for my dog, making a coffee table from an old furniture cart and barn door, making a cabinet for an odd space in my bathroom and faking it into looking old, remaking a sewing machine table into a bar/wine rack, and recycling a bunch of cool old crates and such into a coat/shoe/dog junk rack by the front door.

One other thing - CaseyinTO, you are probably smart to avoid spray paint, I have a small place but great ventilation because it's old and was built to get cross-breezes, etc. However, I spray-painted my radiators last year, and although I felt that it was fine, my neighbors were pretty sure that I was going to kill myself and made me evacuate the apartment for a while :-). It does get toxic pretty fast in a small place, especially if you are the type that is too impatient to be smart and use boxes, etc.

I have a one bedroom, open lay out apartment (read- we have a livingroom/kitchen combined). Ontop of that, we live in a rowhouse style neighborhood. I have no balcony, roof space, yard, trash alley, etc.

The only spaces I have for DIY are the kitchen island or the floor infront of our "family room." When we painted an Ikea Vittsjo unit we layed down a tarp/cardboard to protect hardware floors and pushed furniture as far over as we could. I don't use spray paint because of ventilation/residue concerns. For small projects I paint right on the kitchen island and use proper covering to keep everything clean.

For some upcoming projects, I am considering spray painting on the fire escape (using a box to keep the area clean). But I will not do this until it is warm enough for manufacturers standards to allow the paint to cure.

We put our bed on 7" blocks so I can store my tool box, a box of painting supplies, etc under the bed and they don't take up precious closet space.

#1 - I do things when my husband is out of town

#2 - don't use spray paint indoors. I cleaned red dust that was everywhere for YEARS from an apartment after doing that.

This isn't a problem for me, but I'm wondering if one could rent a storage unit for a month while working on a project. Of course, it would need to be in a safe place, and I guess you'd have to find out about what you can or can't do there ( spray paint? ). Just a thought.

I have a small 66sft balcony outside my 1bedroom condo that I plan to use in the summer to refinish a few Ikea pieces, but I had the (rather tacky and cumbersome) idea of taking pieces outside on the elevator when I want to spray them with anything. I just don't think my space is big enough to spray paint in without getting it all over the place. Renting a storage unit is an excellent idea, or perhaps asking a friend with a backyard/basement if you can mooch off of their space for a few hours. With larger objects, this second option is better if one of you has a car, of course.

Part of DIY in a small place is timing. I try to do it all over the weekend. For many projects, I just wait until I have a completely free and clear weekend. Get all the supplies in by Thursday, then start work on the project Friday night. Keep working on it on Saturday and Sunday, fitting in weekend chores during drying/curing times. That solves most of the issue of having to have the project staring you in the face for days until you find time to finish it. For really big, lengthy projects, you could work on it over the weekend, then put things away as best you can, and finish up the next weekend.

For painting/refinishing that is going to involve fumes but must be done indoors, spring and fall are better bets than winter and summer, because you can leave the windows open without roasting or freezing.

I have sanded down furniture on a fire escape, then brought it indoors and refinished it on a huge tarp in the middle of the living room.

In a couple of apartments, I've been lucky enough to have an eat-in kitchen and the kitchen table can become DIY central.

I'm lucky enough to have an oddly large bathroom with vinyl flooring in my small apartment. I've painted a side table, an IKEA shelf and countless other small items. I've also stripped furniture using Citristrip. Currently I'm walking around eight frames I'm painting with oil-based paint. Perhaps not the smartest idea but it works.

I'm also lucky enough to have a balcony I spray paint on. While my lease doesn't explicitly say no spray painting, I always try to do it when the management it away.

A DIY space is SUCH a good idea for a business!!!

I'm doing a ton of work right now to my 1 bdrm condo. Here's what I did. I bought an industrial cart that will become my "bar cart". For now it has become my "garage" and I keep all my tools and spare parts in it. I also use cardboard boxes to hold different types of tools, bits, etc. These boxes are stacked up next to the car or in a corner of the bedroom.

We have done all the cutting (wood and glass tile) in the bathroom. Make sure you have a good vacuum and use it a few times a day. Also, wipe down your walls. They hide thin layers of sawdust and tile...dust(?).

Tarps are a huge help. I bought one enormous tarp (maybe 10' x 10') and just fold it/unfold it depending on the size of the job. Also, save any cardboard you get if you buy/order stuff. Cardboard is a life saver. You can move furniture on it, lean things against the wall using it, put it under furniture to spray paint, or it can hold extra tools, parts, or instruction manuals, and if your dog is like Ruby the English Bulldog, it comes in handy as a quick "I-feel-the-urge-to-destroy-something" toy.

When we're done, the tools will get packed up in the closet (using some of those cardboard boxes) and the industrial cart is getting an Oil-Rubbed-Bronze spray-paint bath, new casters, a mirror for the bottom shelf, and then she'll be looking pretty. I've even got an English Bulldog bottle opener that'll be attached to the side.

Pretty much any DIY takes up 100% of the floor space in my studio, but that's really good motivation for finishing projects and not just letting them linger.

I haven't spray painted anything in my place yet, but I've thought about doing so down in the basement where the building's trash goes... even if something gets sprayed I can't imagine it mattering. I might also try spray painting in the spring out on the sidewalk/street in front of my building. There's a fire hydrant in front of my building so no one can park there anyway.

Carts and tarps, as mentioned above, are a huge help. I also use a plastic drop cloth. I live in a house with a garage and outdoor room, but being that it's winter (although rather mild so far) I do a lot inside. I have a smallish, stainless wheeled table that I can put smallish furniture on to move it around, making painting easier as well as getting it out of the way when not working on it. Our kitchen/dining table is also stainless so I don't worry about damaging it, paint drops, etc, although I do use some kind of barrier. (drop cloth/old newspaper)

We don't have carpet, planned it specifically due to our lifestyle/dogs, but I'll sometimes tape a drop cloth to the tile floor in the kitchen when I'm pouring/mixing concrete in there. Stackable rubber totes for keeping supplies in are great. I also use them as well as buckets for curing concrete pieces in the bathroom. (We do have two, so not that main one.) Items that serve double purposes, thus eliminating the need for more are a good idea. Specific to concrete, I have a mixing tub that doubles as a basin for wet finishing and can be stashed away easily enough. This type of thing.

I have the same dilemma and all of these ideas are awesome! I saw this clever hack a little bit ago and thought it was great. I wouldn't use it in my apartment, but I would set it up in the parking area of my building and feel confident I wasn't going to get paint all over everything
http://lifehacker.com/5959461/repurpose-a-hanging-wardrobe-into-a-spray-painting-tent

I just do it in the middle of the floor and then try to walk around it. I really need to stop spray painting in the apartment, but I don't see that happening in the near future.

This is an excellent question without an easy answer.

It really depends on what you want to do.

When I had a house, I did a lot of woodworking. There are a lot of considerations - dust being the biggest concern. Often, working with wood produces dusts that, depending on the type of wood, have more risks than others. Nearly all are irritants (I had severe reactions on my hands to fine dust from spruce). Some are far more dangerous. Look up wood toxicity. There is a lot of information out there. And this is ignoring the finishes or treatments (anyone reclaiming wood?) that may be present. And the dust from certain types of composite materials can be even more risky. I'm not trying to be an alarmist. But I'm trying to advise to do your homework before you bust out that router in the living room.

At the time when I was knee deep in it, I had a garage. There is no way I would use power tools (other than a drill) indoors. Not even a sander.

Now in a little condo I wouldn't rule out woodworking, but it would be hand tools that produce shavings not dust. Hand planes, chisels, cabinet scrapers. Fine woodworking tools that craftsmen (and women) have used for years to produce the best furniture. There are vacuum options with extremely good, fine filtration systems that aren't terribly expensive that would clear up the remnants. And certain species of wood I would steer away from.

For finishes there are options that are far safer than others. A lot of them are old school (much like the hand tools I like). Besides the options at the average DIY store, some specialty shops offer products like milk paint that are great.

There are even great workbench options for small spaces. Check out this one:

http://www.leevalley.com/en/Wood/page.aspx?p=66736&cat=1,41637

I am in the process of refinishing a dresser (well painting now since it didn't take stain very well). I had to strip the dresser and used my front "porch", entry way which is outdoors. I put a small tarp down and made sure to finish by that evening and sweep up any mess after I was done. My neighbors think I'm nuts, but the project didn't bother them.

I would never spray paint indoors. Too many chemicals and the over-spray gets everywhere. DIY is not worth compromising my health.

Actually, in Brooklyn there's Makeville Studios (www.makeville.com) in Park Slope and 3rd Ward (www.3rdward.com) in Williamsburg that woodworking studios open to anyone. You might need to take a safety class before doing wood working stuff there... but they're great spaces.

I hauled stuff up to the roof back when I lived in a tiny San Francisco apartment.

In our condo it was almost impossible. I used my balcony when I could. Now it's the garage and even then a lot of the projects I do are based on seasons. As in please don't try and strip paint off a dresser in minus 30 windchill in winter in Canada and think you're going to rock the project.

I sand things in the alley and paint them in the spot my kitchen table usually occupies. Haven't tried stripping or spraying yet, so I'm pleased to read all these great suggestions.

By the way, I'm thrilled to see this kind of post on AT. As a small, urban apartment dweller, I sometimes feel like I'm reading a blog called House Therapy and it's nice to see pieces articles like this which align more closely with my home-making experience.

I live in the Seattle area in a small apartment with my teenage daughter and have to consider the probability of rain for most of my projects. Typically I have several different types of projects going on, depending on what the weather is like. Good planning & using lots of containers are key.

Last summer I refinished a cool dresser I found for my daughter at Goodwill. Most all of the painting was done outside.This summer I started using reclaimed wood from pallets (yes, you have to be careful with checking all treatments & finishes beforehand). I washed & scrubbed the wood clean & let it dry in my bathroom. Then I hung out my bedroom window over a narrow, covered balcony with my electric sander to prep it & finish it. I brought it inside to paint @ my work table which is in my living room. It's a 2' x 6' art table from a local elementary school that was going to the dump. The head of maintenance was more than happy to give it to me. I get my pallets for free from them, too, and have deconstructed them on the weekend by their garbage bins (gross, but free). Once when it was pouring rain outside I used wood finishing spray in my bathroom with the fan on...never again! It gave my daughter & me massive headaches.

This winter I'm deconstructing pallets in my sister's carport. With the rain we're experiencing it probably will be a long-term project and that's exactly why I have several different types of projects going at once.

Under my table I have containers for power tools, wooden wine crates w/casters for project supplies, fabric, painting canvases, wood, etc. All I need is a fabric skirt to hide it all from view and that's on my project list, too!

I dream of having my own studio for building, upcycling & repurposing things, but in the meantime I'd settle for renting a workshop or co-op which would come with all the tools that I don't own and have no space for. Who's with me!!

Depending on what you want to make, shared maker/hacker spaces could be an option. The only one I found in a quick search for hacker spaces in Brooklyn was NYC Resistor, http://www.nycresistor.com/.

I live in Seattle, where there are several hacker spaces like Metrix, http://metrixcreatespace.com/. Here's more about Metrix, http://metrixcreatespace.com/about. There are shared woodshop tools, electronics tools, sewing machines, and a laser cutter available for low fees.

i could make the space for a project and handle stepping over/around it for a few days/weeks... but what do i do about my cats? they're why i haven't painted my apartment or built the sofa table i desire. i just imagine two felines covered in paint and lacquer. ugh.

I recently painted a table in my apartment and learned the hard way to drape EVERYTHING before you start, particularly if you are a bit of a pack rat like I me.

Thanks for the great tips everyone. I'm looking for more things like this for my new job over at Rooof.com, a website for landlords and tenants to connect. Great stuff - grateful to have found Apartment Therapy!!

Andy

I live in a condo that has one room with a large living area. I basically took out about 42" out of the room and hung a large nice looking curtain all the way across. Behind this curtain sits all of my tools for my CNC router and my workbench. It also encloses our two dog's sleeping area and my kayak. In order to make the space more usable I use a large cart that can quickly slide under my standing desk or come out to expand my work area.

This made my wife and I happy as I got my workspace and she can maintain a nice looking place. I have two cats too and the curtain keeps them out of my stuff.

Wow! The empathy and creativity in these responses is incredible! To be honest, I felt silly asking the question but it had bouncing around in my head for months so I decided it would be better to look the fool and finally get an answer. I'm quite relieved I'm not the only one struggling with this.

I even took notes because frankly, I hadn't even heard of some of these things like citristrip or milk paint.

Like vlhaven, I have a one bedroom and open living / kitchen area. I don't have a patio, balcony or any outdoor space. The apartment community puts a premium on nicely maintained premises so hopping outside for some painting will probably not go over well. That said, it sounds like many people successfully paint indoors - albeit generally without spray paint. I think I can manage that with a tarp (a very clear requirement now!) and commandeering my kitchen table for the wall art I'm planning.

Now for indoor painting, clearly seasons play a large roll - I live in MN so northstory's comment about -30 windchills is well acknowledged. I've been in that weather and the feeling of mucus turning to ice inside your nose is not fun - trying to work like that would be literally painful (frostbite, anyone?). That said, I *really* need some life on my walls. Would an air purifier help while I paint (acrylic on canvas) or would that be a waste? What about some of those charcoal odor absorbers?

Maybe Someday's suggestion of artisan handtools is fascinating! There's no arguing that plenty of quality furniture has been made like that but I hadn't even thought about it. Such an interesting idea...

Clearly there's no getting around a little bit of chaos but I'm starting to think it's about planning and perspective. If I can prepare a solid weekend and accept a bit of chaos for DIY prior to starting, maybe I won't suffer the taunting problem AKK730 so perfectly described.

Thanks everyone! I'm looking at my space so differently now...and googling DIY orgs and trying to think of how to complete some projects at Mommy and Daddy's without Daddy finishing it for me in his style. :-)

My apartment has a small dining alcove in a corner off the living room and kitchen. Instead of filling it up with the big table and a hutch or sideboard, I put a very small table and two chairs up against the wall, and a bookshelf under the window. The layout could look slightly empty-ish if I didn't fill the room with plants that I can move around the apartment when I need the floor space. It looks and functions like a normal room, but it's easily adaptable for just about any project. Plus it's out of the way of daily traffic flow if I need to keep things set up for awhile.

For small projects like sewing, I actually have my old (big) dining table in the living room in front of the window (where I can see the view). It also functions as a desk, a music studio, an art table, and so on. When I first moved the dining table to the living room, it seemed like one of those things you weren't supposed to do, but I hated feeling stuffed in the corner, I LOVE my view, and it made my big table 90% more functional than it was in the dining alcove.

Sometimes, though, I just work on the project wherever the item is going to live. I re-finished my table in the spot it's in now, except with a dropcloth underneath.

In my small space, I find it's also important to stay organized and tidy. That means only taking out the things I need, instead of an entire toolbox. And it means putting things away as soon as I'm done with them. I will leave things out for an extended project, but I prefer to keep them all coralled in a basket or bin.

The most annoying thing to deal with has been what to do with closet contents when I'm painting inside. I end up putting things in my dining alcove, but it feels kind of messy anyway.

Living in a flat thats less than 400 square foot really limits the sort of diy I can tackle, but usually I just push all the furniture up against the walls and work in the middle of the lounge which is the biggest space. This includes projects that involve spray painting.

Wow I thought I could complain living in a small space without a balcony, but I'm fortunate to just be on the second floor and have a carport/outdoor paved space where I've done a couple of painting projects. I agree with some other people though, don't spray paint indoors! Or do anything else that gives off strong fumes if you don't have decent ventilation, it's really not good.

Depending on the project, having a good work surface -- such as a 3' x 4' piece of 5/8" Plywood or MDF -- and placing it on a drop cloth on your bed is a possible solution for a work-space. Again, depending on the project and how often you're DIY'ing, this may be something to be stored beneath the bed and brought out on an ad-hoc basis.

I built a wall-mounted, two-position dining table in my small (600 s.f.) San Francisco apartment, which is secured at either "eating height" (31") or "working/entertaining height" (42") with adjustable legs on one end and a pair of wall ledgers at the other. This table becomes a "work bench" for DIY-projects, along with drop cloths and a "bench cover." The surface is made of reclaimed redwood tongue-and-groove siding, Fortunately for me, the window to this room opens up to a full 38"w x 50"h if I'm painting or varnishing something, so ventilating for brush-on painting projects is not much of an issue.

My solutions took a lot of time to come by, but they now get used with tremendous frequency -- I'm working on a project for either myself or a customer at least once a week. Maybe not ideal for everyone, but if you're a DIY addict, I can tell you that it's worth the investment.

... and never -- NEVER -- spray indoors in your apartment. You're better off bringing your piece to a paint shop before trying it in your home.