Hi, friends! They don’t call me Australia’s renovation queen for nothing – I’ve tackled more dodgy walls, wonky floors & tragic layouts than you’ve had snags at a Bunnings barbie. So, when I purchased one of the smallest apartments in this country, a hop-skip & jump from Sydney’s CBD, I knew I’d met my match.

Before – A 18 square metre studio apartment.

When I first clapped my eyes on this place, I nearly spat my flat white. This 18 square metre shoebox was in need of a major overhaul & when analysing it a little closer, I realised the walls were rougher than a bushie’s beard – scratched, scuffed & a little worse for wear. But I’ve been around the reno block long enough to spot a diamond in the rough. I needed something fast, fabulous & tough enough for the walls to handle my creative chaos. Enter one of my favourite products, Easycraft’s easyVJ 100 wall panelling – my secret weapon, guaranteed to turn this home from dingy to designer in a blink of an eyelid!

Before – old walls prior to being sheeted with easyVJ.

Now, I’ve tiled, plastered & knocked down walls from Tassie to the Top End, so I know a good product when I see one. Easycraft’s easyVJ 100 is moisture resistant, pre-primed MDF with a sneaky tongue-and-groove system that snaps together like a dream. If you’re handy on the tools, you’ll have no problem installing this product, straight over the top of your existing walls. If you go the other way & can’t operate a power tool to save your life, rest easy knowing that most carpenters are very skilled at installing this sort of wall & roof panelling, quickly & easily these days.

Easycraft’s easyVJ 100 wall & roof sheeting.

Armed with my interior design plan, I ordered a stack of wall panelling sheets from Bunnings in various sizes to suit my raked ceiling with sheet sizes ranging from 900mm height, right up to a whooping 4800mm height. The smart folks at Easycraft really got this right in their product design, with the longer sheets meaning you have no visible cut & joint marks halfway up your wall. Tick. √

In this reno, I also tossed up whether to use Easycraft’s Silhouette Convex 35 wall panelling as well. What I love about the Silhouette Convex 35 panels is the rounded curves which could have been a nice contrast to all the square shapes & lines in the apartment. The curves also would have offered some dramatic lines & by default, shadows to the apartment which would have been a nice architectural feature, at no extra expense. But at the end of the day, considering the small space & the need to not have too much texture, I opted to stay with just the easyVJ 100 wall panelling to keep things simple. Less is sometimes more, right?

Easycraft’s Silhouette Convex 35 panels.

In this tiny apartment, my chippies clad most of the walls with the easyVJ 100. The vertical lines of the VJ wall panelling give off this timeless vibe – think heritage Queenslander meets Bondi Beach chic. We ran the panels vertically on all the walls, a deliberate move to stretch the tiny space skyward, because in an apartment this small, you’ve got to fake it ‘til you make it height-wise!

The transformation was instant. Those grotty walls went from “someone call the wrecking ball” to “ooh, get me on The Block” in a single afternoon. I painted all the panels in Taubmans Pebble Bay Half strength, an ever-so-slight light stone colour – my go-to for keeping the internals of your home light & airy. Suddenly the room felt less like a sardine tin & more like a boutique retreat, mostly due to the addition of the wall panels alone. The panelling’s sleek lines instantly added depth & texture, proving you don’t need a big space to make a big statement. I’ve done enough renos to know that’s the kind of trick that leaves buyers drooling & begging to sign your Contract of Sale!

After – walls clad with easyVJ 100, increasing the sense of height in this apartment.

And durability? This stuff’s tougher than a roo on a rampage. The lovely folks at Easycraft reckon it’s 300% stronger than plasterboard & I believe it. Over the years, I’ve bashed into it with paint cans, toolboxes & once, a rogue esky incident & it didn’t even flinch! Plus, it’s slimline, so I didn’t lose a skerrick of precious floor space – crucial when every square centimetre in a tiny apartment is fought over like the last Tim Tam in the packet.

By the end of this 7-day reno, Easycraft’s easyVJ 100 wall panels had turned my sad-sack walls into a design triumph, that’d make even the snootiest Balmain influencer tip their Akubra. The panels took this cramped hovel & made it feel open, polished & downright schmick, all without me breaking a sweat or the bank account.

After – walls clad with easyVJ 100, adding a designer look.

So, if you’re itching to transform your own home, you might want to order a free sample, get clued up on their installation guide or just check out Easycraft’s range of wall panels & my personal favourite, easyVJ 100 on their product inspiration page. It’s one of my go to reno products that adds designer flare to any room or home, without sending you broke. Plus, in my experience, your painting bill should be slightly less as new wall sheeting requires very little pre-paint preparation by your painters.

PS: If you’re a member of our discounts card group, you’ll get a handsome little discount off Easycraft’s VJ100 through Bunnings stores nationally too!

Until next time,
Cherie x