In ancient times, the arches symbolized the firmament, the road of life, freedom, victory (triumphal arches among the Romans), protection (the arched form of the city gate among the Slavs). And now constructions of this type are not forgotten, and most importantly - it is not difficult to make them. So, a unique arch in the apartment and at the same time - with your own hands!

Create an arch of any shape

In standard-layout apartments, the arch performs both decorative and practical functions - it separates adjacent rooms, making them more spacious, original, and organic. It also highlights functional areas, creates an atmosphere of coziness and comfort in the interior.

If the decision to make an arch with your own hands is made, you first have to solve a number of questions, the answers to which will affect the money and time costs.

Do one arch or several? A successful design move is to make both the door and the window opening arched. An interesting choice is in favor of openings in doors and niches in the wall of the same shape. Column and arch look original together.

What size arch to make? Its parameters coincide with the dimensions of the doorway or slightly exceed it. If the construction is done on the entire wall, then we are talking about a vault, not an arch.

The choice of the shape of the arched structure depends on the design and style and is limited only by imagination. From the main directions they choose:

• round (semicircular) arch - a classic, common option;
• Arabian (Moorish, reminiscent of a horseshoe);
• lancet - two arcs intersect in one corner;
• concave - convex arcs go inside the opening;
• keeled - a semicircle with a pointed angle at the top;
• elliptical - the upper part of such a structure is an ellipse;
• parabolic - the upper part is made in the form of a parabola.

These are not all the options, but if the goal is to make an arch with your own hands, then preference is given to the traditional semicircular shape.

Classic (round or semicircular) arch

The choice of material is not limited: everything is used - from plywood to bricks, but gypsum plasterboard remains the "top" due to the relative cheapness and versatility (it allows you to make any arch in the doorway of any complexity and shape), ease of finishing and the speed of installation with your own hands.

In the works, arched drywall (GKLA) is used, due to the use of durable cardboard and reinforced fiberglass, this material is easily bent without damage.

How to make a drywall arch in a doorway with your own hands?

The work algorithm is as follows:

1. Preparing the cardboard layout

The first stage in the work on finishing the doorway is preparatory. It is associated with taking measurements and making a template for the future arch.

Experiment by drawing outlines of the planned structure on the wall, this will allow you to clearly represent the result.

An installed arch will visually reduce the opening by 20 centimeters, so if its size cannot be increased, it is better to abandon the idea of ​​installing an arch. Otherwise, instead of a noble arched structure, you will get a "hole in the hole".

Dismantling the door frame

So, the arch visually reduces the opening, conclusion - increase the size if the ceiling height allows. How to determine how much? Do this so that the height of the extended opening is five centimeters higher than the top point of the planned arch.

An important condition for ensuring a good result is the evenness and verticality of the walls. Otherwise, the arch will turn out to be skewed. Conclusion - the walls are pre-finished with plaster and allowed to dry.

After expanding the doorway, prepare the surface by smoothing out irregularities, get rid of excess material, removing dust and dirt.

Doorways in a load-bearing wall must not be remodeled without appropriate permits.

This is how the profile is cut

Installation of an arched structure

Making a frame yourself is not that easy, but quite realistic. For this, builders recommend using a P-type metal profile (the so-called pashka, or more precisely, a guide profile 27/28).

The size of the guides is determined by the width of the arch, the number is 2 pcs. The frame is installed on both sides of the doorway, slightly deepening inward (after fastening the drywall and applying putty, it will become flush with the wall).

Starting from the top, the first profile is attached, then the second is necessarily mounted parallel to the first. Then they are fixed on the sides, from the upper corner to the rounding point of the arch.

To make the profile bent without effort, cuts are made on it with an average interval of 6.5 cm, for which metal scissors are used.

You can give the desired shape to the profile by bending it along the layout. When the frame arc is ready, it is attached to the ceiling and walls.

An example of bending a metal profile according to the layout

The profile frame is fastened to brick or concrete walls with dowels; self-tapping screws are also suitable for wooden ones.

Preparation of drywall for installation in the structure of an arched frame

Draw an arched line for the arch using two identical drywall sheets. If there is no compass, use the tools at hand - an awl (or self-tapping screw), a thin rope and a simple pencil, or a ready-made flexible workpiece.

Make two identical halves along the marked line using a metal file (a hacksaw or an electric jigsaw).

The process of cutting drywall along the arc line

Bending drywall

To trim the bottom end of the arch, cut a strip to the specified size and fold. For deformation, it is recommended to put a load on the sides of the strip. To simplify the procedure, drywall is moistened with water and the surface is pierced with a needle roller.

Further, the still damp deformed strip is fixed, starting from the middle of the arch, fixing with self-tapping screws for metal along both sides. In accordance with the technology of work, the drywall is allowed to dry. The time allocated for this is 12 hours.

Bending drywall with a load

Treatment

The final stage of the main work is finishing. All joints of the arch are finished with putty, glued with reinforcing tape and putty. Next - step-by-step grinding and priming.

Decorative finishing

The culmination of the process of making an arch with your own hands is decorating it.

Video to help craftsmen:

How to decorate an arch

The even shape of the arched structure in the apartment is half the success, finishing is no less important. You can decorate the finished arch with a decorative narrow stone. The budget option is the use of plaster, wallpaper, paints and varnishes, decorative plaster. The flight of fantasy is not limited. They decorate arches by installing lighting or glass stained-glass windows.

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10710 0 0

How to make a drywall arch - 5 steps for making an arched doorway

When performing major repairs in his apartment, for sure, every home owner has a desire to radically change the interior design that has been boring for many years for the better. From my experience, I can say that it is unlikely that it will be possible to radically change the environment with just the banal wallpapering or painting the ceiling and walls.

As an original addition to the visual cosmetic repairs, I propose to completely remove the interior doors, and instead leave an open arched doorway of an asymmetric or classic semicircular shape. To help the reader cope with this simple work, later in this article I will talk about how to make a drywall arch with your own hands in a short time without significant financial costs.

Choosing the shape of an arched opening

Integration of a semicircular or curly arch into an existing doorway does not imply a violation of the integrity of the interior walls, and does not require redevelopment of the apartment, therefore it does not have any effect on the bearing capacity of building structures, and the whole house as a whole.

At the same time, such a solution will allow you to get rid of the annoying rectangular shapes of doors, help visually increase the useful area of ​​housing, and get an updated visual perception of the surrounding space.

Starting with the next section, step-by-step instructions for making arches will be described here, but first I want to offer a choice of several options for the size and shape of an arch for an interior doorway:

1. The classic symmetrical arch with a semicircular vault is considered a universal option.... It is quite simple to manufacture, and is well suited for the opening of any narrow single-leaf interior door;

1. The Art Nouveau arched opening has a similar shape, but it has a large arc radius, since it is based not on a circle, but on an oval or ellipse. Due to the low height of the vault, this shape is well suited for wide openings from double doors in the living room, hall or hallway;
2. Gothic interior drywall arches have the same design, however, differ from the two previous variants by the presence of a sharp apex in an oval or semicircular vault;
3. An irregular asymmetric semi-arch can have almost any configuration of the arch, and is most often used for narrow doorways in the kitchen or in the hallway. This option is considered the most economical, since the least amount of materials is required for its manufacture;

1. The openwork arch is a complex structure, in which, in addition to the entrance itself, there are decorative through or blind openings of small sizes, intended exclusively for decoration. This option is usually installed in a doorway in place of two-leaf or four-leaf entrance doors to the living room or bedroom;
2. The multi-level arch most often has an original author's design, which is developed strictly individually, in accordance with the conceptual style of apartment decoration and the personal preferences of home owners. Most often, this option is distinguished by smooth curved lines and the presence of curly decorative elements that can be located at different levels relative to each other.

When choosing the shape of an arch for self-production, you should be guided not only by your imagination or beautiful pictures from interior design magazines. To get a high-quality end result, for the first time, I advise you to choose an option that suits your practical skills and financial capabilities.

Stage 1. Preparation and marking of the door opening

First of all, you need to draw a preliminary sketch of the doorway on paper or in a computer, on which the shape of the future arch should be clearly drawn. To facilitate further work, in addition to a general sketch, I recommend depicting a projection of the finished arch in three planes, indicating all the required dimensions.

You need to take measurements from a clean doorway in the light, so first you have to do some simple preparatory work:

1. Before you make an arch from plasterboard yourself, you need to completely dismantle the old interior door, along with decorative platbands and a wooden box;

1. If, after removing the platbands and the box, significant potholes, large chips, cracks or other construction defects are found on the end surface of the wall or door slopes, they must be leveled and putty with cement-sand mortar or putty mortar for interior work;
2. If the doorway after the construction of the house has an irregular shape, curved slopes or indirect obstructed internal corners, they also need to be leveled with a cement-sand mortar;

1. After the putty solution has dried, you need to measure the width of the doorway in two places: one measurement is made at the very top, and the second is 500-600 mm lower;
2. At the beginning of the rounding of the vault of the future arch, put a mark at the end of the wall, and measure the distance from it to the horizontal upper plane of the opening. This size will be considered her height;
3. Before making an oblique arch, marks on the right and left sides must be placed at different distances from the top of the opening, because in this case, the height of the arch on the right and left sides will be unequal;
4. On the vertical side ends of the wall, and on the horizontal upper slope, at a distance of 13-14 mm from the edge of the wall, draw two parallel lines on each side. They will serve as marks for installing the metal frame.

All gypsum plasterboards are manufactured according to a single standard, according to which they can be 9 mm or 13 mm thick. For cladding the front planes of the door arch, I advise you to use sheets with a thickness of 13 mm, therefore, all markings for installing the supporting frame must be performed based on this value.

Stage 2. Installation of the supporting frame

The supporting frame for interior plasterboard construction is usually made of galvanized metal profiles or wooden bars with a cross section of at least 50x50 mm. Considering that our drywall arch will have curves and radial shapes, a metal profile is best suited for its manufacture, although wooden bars can be dispensed with in straight sections.

For single-leaf doorways with thin interior walls, I recommend using a galvanized frame profile of the "CD" type, which has a height of 27 mm, a width of 62 mm, and a whip length of 3000 mm. If the arch will have a width of more than 1500 mm, then for its manufacture it is better to use a more powerful rack-mount profile of the "CW" type, the dimensions of which are 40x75x3000 mm.

1. Regardless of the option chosen, the manufacture of arches must begin with the installation of the upper horizontal guides. To do this, two profiles must be cut from the whole whip, the length of which must be equal to the width of the doorway;

1. Next, you need to cut off four more profiles, the length of which should be equal to the height of the arch. They must be fixed vertically, one on each side of the end of the doorway;
2. Each vertical profile should be fastened from the inside of the drawn vertical marking line. After installation, you need to check that the distance between the front plane of each profile and the frontal plane of the wall is exactly 13-14 mm;
3. For fastening straight profiles to a concrete or brick wall, it is best to use plastic dowels 6x30 mm in size and galvanized self-tapping screws with a wide head measuring 4.2x25 mm;
4. To make a curly arch arch, I advise you to prepare a template in advance... It can be cut from a large sheet of rigid packaging corrugated board, an unnecessary piece of fiberboard, or thin;

1. The width of the template should be equal to the width of the doorway, and the upper part should exactly repeat the semicircle, semi-oval, or other figured configuration of the arch of the future arch;
2. To make the frame of the radius part of the arch with your own hands, you need to take two identical pieces of plasterboard profile. They must be cut off with a small margin in length.(300-500 mm more than the length of the arc on the template), and after bending and final adjustment, precisely cut to the desired size;
3. The straightness and rigidity of the plasterboard metal profile is ensured by two longitudinal side ribs. In order to bend the lower profiles along the required radius, and give them the correct arcuate shape, many radial cuts must be made on the side edges to the very base;

1. Profiles with cut side ribs must be bent along a given radius, and then cut to length exactly to the size of the doorway. It is convenient to do this by attaching them to the template, while you need to make sure that both profiles have strictly the same bending configuration;
2. After that, each curved profile must be fixed at two points to the lowest part of the vertical guides that are installed at the end of the doorway;
3. In order to unite the entire frame into a single one-piece structure, the radius profiles can be connected together with short transverse bridges. In addition, it is necessary to install several vertical jumpers between the upper horizontal and the lower arcuate profile;
4. Three types of fasteners are used to connect the profiles to each other.: short self-tapping screws for metal with a hat in a secret, steel blind rivets, or a special punching tool that punches a hole in the walls of two profiles, and then wraps the punched metal in different directions.

In building materials stores, you can find a ready-made metal profile for curved plasterboard structures. It is a conventional frame profile with cuts and notches on the side stiffeners, so that it can easily bend along the desired radius or take any curvilinear shape.
Its price is not much higher than the cost of a straight frame profile, so if there is such an opportunity, it is better to buy such a profile for making a radius vault.

Stage 3. Cutting and preparation of drywall

The appearance and aesthetic properties of the finished arch will largely depend on how well the radius parts of the plasterboard front panels are cut. To cut a symmetrical semicircle, semi-oval, or asymmetrical arc, I recommend using one of three methods. Regardless of the method chosen, the first step is to draw a rectangle on a drywall sheet.

Its width should correspond to the width of the opening, and its height should be equal to the height of the future arch.

1. If we make a symmetrical semicircular drywall arch, then to draw the correct semicircle, you will need to make the simplest impromptu compass.

• To do this, you need to find the center of the lower side of the drawn rectangle, and screw a small self-tapping screw at this point;
• Tie a thin nylon thread to the self-tapping screw, and tie a pencil or thin marker to the other end of the thread;
• The distance from the center of the self-tapping screw to the marker pen should be equal to half the width of the arch minus 14 mm;
• After making sure that the length of the thread strictly corresponds to the calculated size, you need to attach a marker to the bottom line on one side of the rectangle;
• After that, pull the thread slightly, and draw the marker in an arc to the bottom line on the other side of the rectangle. As a result, a symmetrical semicircular arch will be drawn on the plasterboard sheet.

1. In order to draw a symmetrical semi-oval or part of an ellipse with a regular shape, it is most convenient to use a flexible elastic guide. This can be a long metal ruler, a thin wooden strip, a narrow plastic profile, or a water pipe:

• On both sides of the drawn rectangle, on the underside, you need to put marks at a distance of 14 mm from each edge;
• Attach one end of the guide to one mark, bend it along the desired radius, and attach the other end to the other mark;
• In this position, it must be fixed motionlessly, so I recommend doing this work with one, or even better with two assistants;
• While two people are holding the guideline on both sides, the third person should make sure that it describes a symmetrical regular arc and draw a line along it from one edge to the other of the bottom side of the rectangle.

1. For those who are interested in how to make a semi-arch of an arbitrary irregular shape in order to draw an asymmetrical curved line on a sheet of gypsum, I advise you to use the existing template.

• As in the previous case, on the underside of the drawn rectangle, one mark must be placed at a distance of 14 mm from its edges;
• Attach the arcuate side of the template to the set marks, and draw a curved line along it with a thin marker.

Plasterboard can be cut with a sharp construction knife, but it is best to use an electric jigsaw and a wood saw with a small set of teeth for a neat cut along the radius line. In order to prevent the edge of the sheet from breaking off, before cutting out any part from drywall, I advise you to stick a wide strip of paper masking tape on the cutting line.

Stage 4. Assembling the arch structure

After both bezels are cut out, you need to align them with each other and check how they match. Ideally, they should be exactly the same., therefore, if there is any discrepancy between them, that is, it is better to immediately eliminate it with a knife, a coarse file or a coarse-grained emery cloth. After aligning the front panels, you can start sewing the supporting frame with drywall.

1. Each front panel must be installed on the same level in its place in the doorway, and fixed along the entire perimeter and in the middle to the metal profile using self-tapping screws, with a step of 100-120 mm;
2. When installing, make sure that the face plane of each panel is flush with the plane of the wall. If the front panel is slightly recessed, then there is nothing to worry about, then it can be leveled with a putty. The main thing is that it does not protrude forward anywhere, beyond the dimensions of the doorway;

1. Further instructions will help to make a curly arch from a strip of drywall, in one of two ways. And in fact, and in another case, first you need to cut off a strip of drywall. Its length must necessarily be 100-200 mm longer than the maximum length of the arch of the arch., and the width should be equal to the distance between the bezels;
2. In the first case, the strip must be laid on a flat surface, with the bottom side up., and rolling with a definite force with a needle roller, so that the needles pierce the top layer of dense cardboard. If there is no such roller, you can evenly apply a lot of small, barely noticeable notches on the lower plane with a sharp knife;
3. The perforated side of the drywall should be moistened abundantly with water using a foam sponge, and lean against a vertical wall at an angle of 50-45 °. Under the action of water, the gypsum filler will begin to soften, and the strip will gradually take on a curved shape;

1. After some time (20-25 minutes), when the water is absorbed, the strip must be carefully placed on the floor, moisten the top layer with water again, then lean against the wall again and leave alone for another 40-60 minutes;
2. After the strip becomes sufficiently plastic, it must be carefully attached with self-tapping screws to the sweep on both sides to the arched metal profiles;
3. You need to start fastening from the middle, and gradually move to the edges, mirroring the screws, then from the right, then from the left side of the arch. In order to prevent the formation of creases and edges, the step between the screws should be no more than 80 mm;
4. The second method makes it easy to bend drywall to dry, but in this case, small chopped edges are formed on the surface of the strip, which will need to be additionally putty in the future;

1. Before installation, the strip must be laid on a flat hard surface with the front side down, and on the back side with a sharp knife make deep transverse cuts approximately to the middle of the thickness of the drywall;
2. In order to achieve uniform bending, the cuts should be located strictly perpendicular to the center line of the strip, strictly parallel to each other, and at the same distance between themselves;
3. The finished strip must be attached to the arch with notches upward, and, as in the first case, starting from the middle, fix it to the arcuate profiles using self-tapping screws in the secret.

Despite the fact that the wet method of bending drywall, at first glance, may seem more complicated, I recommend using it, because in this case you immediately get a uniform arc without creases, of the correct rounded shape, which requires almost no further refinement.

Stage 5. Preparation for finishing

Immediately after the do-it-yourself drywall door arch is made, it may seem ridiculous and scary, but do not be upset, because after the completion of the preparatory and finishing work, it will acquire a completely different appearance.

1. First of all, it is necessary to cut off with a sharp knife all the protruding corners and irregularities at the ends of the drywall parts, and then process them with a coarse-grained emery cloth fixed in a special holder or on a flat wooden block;

1. In those places where plasterboard parts fit together at right angles, you need to fix perforated metal or plastic corners on small self-tapping screws. They cover all irregularities and crevices, allow you to get an ideal right angle, and also provide additional strength of the corner joint;
2. At the joints of two adjacent parts that are in the same plane, as well as at the junctions of the front panels with the plane of the main wall, you need to glue a fiberglass reinforcing mesh, which is also called serpyanka;

1. All screws, joints, corners and slots must be putty in such a way that no reinforcing mesh, no corners, no joints, or fastening screws can be seen on the surface. I recommend using an acrylic drywall finishing putty, which is sold ready-to-use;
2. After the first layer of putty has hardened, the arch must be sanded with a medium-grained emery cloth. At this stage, some irregularities or other defects will certainly appear, therefore, after preliminary grinding, it will have to be putty again;
3. After the final drying of the second layer of putty, the surface must be sanded with a finer sandpaper, and after making sure that there are no defects, cover with one layer of a penetrating drywall primer.

If you bend drywall drywall, then in order to eliminate broken edges, the upper curved arch of the arch will need to be covered with a continuous layer of starting drywall putty. After drying, it will need to be sanded and covered with another layer of finishing putty on top.

Conclusion

In this article, I fully talked about how to make a drywall arch in a doorway with my own hands, and deliberately did not mention a word about finishing. The thing is that the appearance and design of the arch should generally correspond to the concept of interior design. Therefore, the homeowner should choose the materials and method of decorative finishing himself, based on his own tastes and personal preferences. To consolidate the knowledge gained, I propose to watch the video in this article, and if the readers still have questions, I will be happy to answer them in the comment form.

October 1, 2016

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Reading time ≈ 8 minutes

If you have to repair an apartment, then perhaps you will need information on how to make an arch, and do it yourself at home beautifully and correctly, without resorting to the help of builders. Recently, such interior elements have attracted more and more attention. The door is removed, and the opening itself is made in the form of an arch, which can have the most varied, sometimes bizarre shapes.

Arched opening of an unusual shape

Apartment options for arched openings

The owners can pursue several goals: create a common space, expand the room, create a light and elegant design, and so on. If you wish, you should buy a ready-made arch in the construction department, as a last resort - make a little effort and take a little time to create an original and interesting version that will definitely be exclusive.

The arch has acquired an extraordinary distribution

To refine the passage from room to room without using a door, it is not at all necessary to call a hired team of craftsmen. Choosing the right type and format of the building, you can easily do everything yourself. It is equally important to competently approach the choice of materials that will be used to create this element. The step-by-step instructions below will show you how to do everything as correctly as possible and avoid common mistakes.

Various types of arches have some differences in design, which affects their further installation. The main differences lie precisely in the structural supports.

It should be noted that interior openings are not load bearing. Therefore, it is important to choose an arch based on the relevant parameters.

Beautiful arch between rooms

The arched opening, which is used instead of a regular door, is made of several materials. Now we are talking specifically about the frame of the entire structure:

• a metal profile on which gypsum plasterboards (gypsum plasterboard) are mounted on top;
• wooden bars with a cross section of 20-30 mm.

This type of arch can easily hold its own and total weight along with the finish. The main task here is reliable and rigid fastening to the walls. This will preserve the elements and remain in place in their original form for more than one year.

If we are talking about a private house or apartment, then the open arch is used only as a decorative element. But the entire bearing load in this design option is transferred to the side concrete walls or the lintel above the structure itself.

Purchased plastic arch

Possible types of arches and features of each of them

Before you make an arch with your own hands at home, you need to choose a form of construction that will look beautiful and correct in the future. The most common forms are:

• classic;
• romantic;
• modern;
• elliptical;
• trapezoidal;
• portal.

Austere arch portal

The arched opening of the classical form is based on a regular semicircle. But the arch-portal consists of strict rectangular outlines. Other varieties are marching from these two main varieties. In addition, there may be asymmetry with only one support on the side. Or the shape may be unthinkable at all.

The most common form of openings

The choice of both the shape and finish of the future arch should be chosen based on the overall design of the room, so that it harmoniously fits into the interior. For example, a semicircular arch will fit perfectly into. It is necessary to initially take into account the following parameters:

• ceiling height;
• doorway dimensions;
• individual features of the apartment.

You must understand that one living space looks great with a classic arch, and a portal will harmoniously flow into the second. But here it all depends on the personal preferences of the owners.

Art Nouveau arch

1. A classic arch will look great where the ceiling is over 3 meters high.
2. The design in the Art Nouveau style is ideal for a panel apartment building and for decorating the entrance to the kitchen;
3. The romantic with wide supports frames well the entrance from the corridor to the hall;
4. Portal structures fit into the interior with clear lines (both vertically and horizontally). They are well suited for installation in beautiful houses made of wooden beams or logs.

Log house with arch

Material selection

To quickly decorate an arched opening, you can buy a ready-made kit for creating an arch in the store. But this option is not suitable for everyone due to the rather high price. And their appearance is not very different from each other. However, the selection of the required model may come to a standstill due to the difference in the parameters of the opening and the future structure.

The main components of the arch

Most often, the following materials are purchased for self-production:

• drywall;
• plywood sheets.

The winner is drywall, which is lightweight and fairly easy to use. It is also considered an advantage that it is gypsum plasterboards that can be easily finished with many finishing materials. And plywood lends itself better to bending.

Arched opening finishing

To create the frame part, apply:

• wooden bars with a section of 20 * 20 mm and 30 * 30 mm;
• metallic profile.

As an option: you can create similar structures from bricks, concrete, aerated concrete. The top will only have to give a neat appearance. But not everyone will like it. After all, such an interior is an indicator of solvency and status. It is also necessary to take into account the weight of such a structure. If the floors are old and fragile, then this type of arch should be thrown back.

Metal frames are little used, not only because of the additional weight, but also their considerable cost. If you want to build an arch of a complex shape, then you must understand that it will be very difficult to do it yourself. To design an arch with your own hands, it is better to choose drywall and a suitable profile.

DIY step-by-step arch creation

Below are photos and step-by-step descriptions of the whole process, with the help of which it will be much easier for you to make your masterpiece in the doorway. Initially, you need to take care of creating the wireframe part. And only after that, do it trim and finish. The main thing is to be as attentive and accurate as possible. Then your idea will be implemented in the best possible way.

Plasterboard arch (diagram)

Before proceeding with the installation of the arch, you need to properly prepare the doorway.

1. The door leaf and frame of the old door must be removed.
2. Expand the opening to the dimensions required for installation work.
3. Do not plaster the trimmed walls on which the frame will be installed. In any case, they will be covered by the casing. You just need to level the edges and dismantle pieces of old building materials (plaster, concrete particles, falling bricks).
4. The main task is to create a base and securely attach a frame to it. This requires that it be upright. Slopes are not allowed.
5. If the arch will have lighting or illumination, then the wiring is carried out before the start of installation work.
6. Measurements are taken not at one, but at several points of the opening. When the walls do not shine with perfection, it is worth choosing the widest part of the opening. This will be the width of the structure.
7. A cardboard template will help make the markup easier. So you can indicate what is necessary and not make mistakes. Moreover, you can see on the spot how the future arch will look like.

Important! Do not forget that the arched opening at the top absorbs about 15 cm of the total height. The minimum distance between the arch and the ceiling should be 20 cm. This information is entered during preliminary calculations.

The arch reduces the height of the doorway

The construction of the supporting frame is an important stage, because the entire structure of the arch will be supported on it.

Fastening the sheathing to the frame

Dry or wet method is used to bend drywall. For the first, you need a jigsaw to carefully make cuts. For the second, it is better to use a needle roller for quick and even wetting of the panel. With the help of self-tapping screws, the cut out elements of the arch are installed in their places. The final stage is plastering and finishing with the selected material.

Finished arch

Now you know how to make an arch with your own hands at home, and you can design it beautifully and correctly. The main thing is to fantasize and choose, but do not forget to follow the dimensions and assembly instructions exactly. And in the video below you will find the entire process of creating an arch.

How to make an arch with your own hands? This question worries many who dared to make the design of the interior opening on their own.

A do-it-yourself door arch made with your own hands will make you proud of yourself, thereby allowing you to add something original and unique to the interior of a room or bedroom. Despite the fact that many beginners are plagued by vague doubts, in fact there is nothing terrible in this work, the main thing is desire. If you have it, our detailed work plan will help you!

What is an arch and its varieties

An arch is an ancient architectural element that is increasingly used as an internal decorative element of an entrance or interior door, or rather a doorway. An arch is a universal opening in the wall, which is able to give "volume" to a small room, and at the same time, to zone an apartment of a small square.

Taking into account the wishes of the homeowners, thanks to the arches, designers can translate different ideas into reality, giving the doorway a different look. Today, modern materials allow you to give arches a different geometric shape, as well as form intricate vaults. Most often, for the manufacture of arches and their facing are used:

• Brick.
• Wooden bar.
• Plywood.
• Tiles.
• GKL, etc.

The structure of the arch is a support for partitions and walls. But, since doorways in high-rise buildings are not load-bearing, the only requirement that is put forward for them is to withstand their own weight (with finishing finishing material). If the wall is load-bearing, the material must be selected according to external loads.

Any version of the arch, which is mounted instead of a door, performs an exclusively decorative function. The frame of the structure can even be made from a light profile for fiberboard or chipboard, you can also use a wooden beam. The only important point is a reliable fixation of the partition, so that the decor does not fall off and does not deform after a few days.

As we noted, the design of the house can be beautifully complemented with an arch, because there is a huge variety of its forms. They can be done in a classic or romantic style. Art Nouveau is also often used. The ellipsoidal shape, trapezoid, "portal" and many others are equally popular.

The first example is designed as a regular semi-arch, in the form of a semicircle. In the last photo you can see a square interior opening, called a "portal". This design method is performed in strict observance of rectangular outlines. All other samples are intermediate variations between the two basic shapes.

But, these are not all options. You can also experiment with side supports, curved struts, etc. You can decorate the form and decorate it in different styles, the main thing is that the passage harmoniously fits into the home interior. In some apartments, the classic looks great and a round, correctly bent vault, in others - portals, it all depends on the taste preferences of the owners. Pay attention to the advice of experienced finishers:

1. Classic arches are best done in apartments with high ceilings, at least 3 m.
2. In high-rise panel-type buildings, it is better to frame the doorway in the Art Nouveau style.
3. It is preferable to decorate wide doorways from the corridor to the hall in a romantic style, for which wide racks are selected.
4. The decoration of the "portal" opening goes well with the interior of the room, which uses clear lines. "Portal" is ideal for houses that are made of lining, logs or timber. This combination is very elegant and harmonious.

What materials can be used to form arches?

To make an arched vault, you need to stock up on the following material:

• Plasterboard sheets.
• Plywood.

It is worth noting that it is best to sheathe the frame with sheets of drywall, because in the future it can be decorated with various decorative materials. But, if you need to create a more sophisticated shape, choose sheets of plywood, as it bends better. The preparation of the arched frame is formed from:

• Metal profile.
• Wood beams.

But, for the construction of an arch, you can also take concrete, aerated concrete and brick, which you can decorate with finishing material. Despite the fact that such structures are solid, it is forbidden to erect them in high-rise buildings due to their heavy weight. It is also forbidden to make a door frame made of metal, which, moreover, will cost a pretty penny. And how to make an arch in an apartment with your own hands from metal? After all, this is a very laborious process that requires the use of specialized devices. That is why drywall is the most acceptable material for decorating apartments.

How to make an interior arch. Step-by-step instructions (video)

How to make a wooden arch?

An arch made of wood with your own hands, or rather a wooden frame, is formed without much effort. But, in addition to wood blocks, sheets of plywood are also useful to you. The first thing to do is measure the width of the passage, subtract the thickness of the materials, after which we get the optimal thickness of the wooden beams. Then an arc is drawn on the plywood, which is cut with a jigsaw.

Subsequent installation is carried out with self-tapping screws (5cm), which fix the beams to the plywood. The arch in the doorway is also fixed with self-tapping screws, which are screwed in at a distance of 15 cm. The final stage is fixing the 2nd plywood wall and its subsequent sheathing with drywall sheets. Note that you need to fix the drywall sheets with special self-tapping screws for working on drywall.

We mount an arch from plywood

How to make an arch with your own hands from wood without using natural material? Today it is not difficult, because the tree can be replaced with plywood. To correctly calculate the amount of materials needed, including fittings, the first thing experienced finishers do is create a sketch.

To work with plywood, you will need the following handy tool:

• Jigsaw (or hacksaw).
• Drill.
• Screwdriver.
• Sandpaper.
• Finishing fixtures.

Since plywood is a fairly unique material that allows you to create original and unusual shapes, you need to work with it, following the step-by-step instructions:

1. Measure the doorway and mark how big the arch will be.
2. Then you need to cut the strip and carefully process it.
3. The resulting strip is slightly moistened and left for a while.
4. After the performed manipulations, the plywood will be malleable and will easily take the required shape.
5. The prepared bar is bent in the right way and immediately inserted into the required doorway, carefully fixed and spacers installed in the corners.

Forming an arch from plywood. After the canvas is installed, you need to wait a little until the sheet is completely dry and takes on its final appearance. At the next stage, you can act in two scenarios:

• Form inserts from wooden blocks and sew up the surface with plasterboard.
• Use polyurethane foam by filling the voids with it.

Installing a drywall arch

Working with drywall, like with plywood, is very similar and not difficult, but cheap. If you have the opportunity to erect walls and form an arch at the same time, this way you can finish the work as quickly as possible. Before forming an arch, you need to stage-by-stage surface preparation, namely:

• Dismantle the old door panel, decorative strips, platbands and other fittings.
• Repair any damage to the walls to avoid future troubles.
• Get tools.
• Draw up a detailed work plan and sketch.

You can put a drywall arch in different ways, then we will describe each method in more detail. The first option is the most popular:

• Take 2 sheets of drywall, one of which is cut in half.
• In the doors, a U-shaped frame is formed using a metal profile.

• One segment is fixed on the frame, having previously marked it into 2 equal parts and marking the center.
• A hole is drilled in the rail at the edge and in the center. The distance between them should be equal to the middle of the arc of the formed arch. To do this, determine what distance will be observed between the edges of the semicircle.
• Then a curved line is drawn, with the help of which the hole in the middle of the rail is connected to the center of the piece of drywall sheet, which is fixed on the frame. It is immediately worth checking if the height of such an opening is suitable.
• Then the sheet is removed and the excess is cut off, after which it is again fixed on the frame.
• The second drywall sheet is placed on the opposite side. Taking the corner and the first segment (like a stencil), transfer the dimensions of the arc. Further, the cutting of the arc and its fixation are repeated according to the same scheme.
• After the work done, a void is obtained, into which the frame is mounted. For this, the profile is cut and bent. The resulting structure is fixed to the racks and drywall. It is also worth installing jumpers for the reliability and strength of the structure.

• Next, cut out the necessary strip, bend it, and make deep cuts from the inside out. You need to fix it without haste, with gentle movements.
• That's all, the arch is formed. The only thing left to do is to paste over the wallpaper or paint it in the desired colors.

The second way is much more complicated. The masonry is formed using the following technology:

• Sections of drywall are fixed from the corners on both sides using a mixture of PVA glue and water.
• Drywall is cut so that each next piece is smaller than the previous one.
• Work continues until the smallest fragment is installed.
• Self-tapping screws or anchors are used as additional fixation.

This is just a preparatory process. Further it will be even more difficult. The next step will require plaster and putty. Large expansions and other defects are covered with plaster, and a smooth arc is created with putty mortar. This is a rather painstaking work that requires the firm and experienced hand of a master, so it is better for a beginner to immediately purchase template blanks.

Step-by-step instruction

If you decide to carry out work on the installation of an arch in the hallway, in the kitchen or on the balcony, follow the recommendations below:

• Dismantle the old door and trim.
• Expand the doorway to the desired size.
• Trim the walls and patch up any imperfections.
• If the structure will be backlit, conduct the wiring.
• Take all measurements in different places to minimize errors.
• For uneven walls, select the arch depth at the thickest point.
• Do not be too lazy to make a sketch in full size (this will allow not only to carry out the installation of the arch as accurately as possible, but also to estimate in advance how the arch will look like).
• You need to start work on installing the supporting frame in the following sequence:
• Along the perimeter of the doorway, create a basic outline from the profile and fix it to the wall.
• Fix the frame system.

• Install the vertical guides with an indent from the plane of the interior surface by the thickness of the drywall and add 2 mm to the data (the margin is made for plaster).
• The surface must be rolled out with plaster to maximum evenness.
• To create a semicircle from the profile, cuts are made on it with a step of 5-7 cm.
• When an ideal curve is formed from the profile, it is installed in the right place and fixed to the frame.
• For greater strength, the arc must be fixed with several hangers to the horizontal upper rail.
• Then the crossbars are installed in increments of 40-60cm.
• The result should be a structure of metal profiles in the shape of an arch for further cladding.

Finishing

When the arched frame is ready and sheathed, finishing work can begin. To do this, you need to glue the edges and joints of materials with paper specialized tape or fiberglass mesh. You will also need to apply at least 3 layers of putty and sand the structure. After you are convinced of the reliability of the formed structure, you can proceed by observing some of the recommendations below.

To do all the finishing work, you need to purchase an acrylic putty, which is intended for interior work. But, mind you, it is better to act with a special mass for drywall. Before use, the putty mixture is thoroughly stirred until smooth.

When starting work, put on gloves and other personal protective equipment! The putty is applied in linear movements with a rectangular trowel. In addition to filling all the irregularities and joints of materials with the putty, it must also be applied to the caps of the screws so that their edging does not appear. Similar actions are carried out until the surface is perfect.

After filling, you can start gluing the joint and edges in order to remove all kinds of irregularities and give the material strength. To do this, you can take a fiberglass mesh or paper tape, it all depends on your preference (both are good options). Cut a piece of the mesh and place it on the joint (in the very center), pressing it with your fingers into the not yet dried putty. Check if the tape is securely fixed and not wrinkled.

After all the joints have been processed with mesh, you can cover the curved parts of the arch with it. You need to do the work in a similar way. When the mesh forms folds during the processing of arcuate sections, they can be straightened by cutting the canvas with a sharp knife.

After drying, the putty will become snow-white. This will be a signal to take the sandpaper and go to smooth the surfaces. But, work carefully, do not remove too much putty, so as not to expose the mesh. For this work, use a respirator, because during the grinding of the surface there will be a lot of dust, which is very harmful to human lungs.

When all 3 layers of putty are applied, and the surface is cleaned, you need to wait about 12 hours for the structure to dry completely. Sand again with a fine grit to achieve a perfect finish. That's all, you can decorate the surface.

Arch decoration

It does not matter at all what material you used to install the arch, because even a brick arch made with your own hands needs a final design. To decorate the door vault, you can use the following techniques:

• Painting to match the walls.
• Sheathing with wood blocks (as an option, laminate, siding, etc. are often used for this).
• Wallpapering.
• Use an artificial stone based on gypsum.
• Decorate the structure with mirrors or mosaics (small pebbles, corks, glass, etc. can be used for mosaics).
• Use foam molding or surface painting.

Important! Try not to overdo it, so as not to clutter up the passage and not to mix the incompatible. It is worth noting that sometimes a simple paint job is enough to add elegance.

As you can see, there are a lot of finishing options, for which you can use not only natural materials. It all depends on the idea of ​​the designer and the wishes of the owners, as well as the general style of the room. The classic additional interior can be supplemented with stucco moldings, fabrics, so that everything is harmoniously combined together. The finishing of the columns looks no less laconic if clinker is glued to them.

Ready-made arch kits

If you are not confident in your own abilities, and the training video lessons from the Internet are not entirely clear to you, you can make your life much easier by buying a ready-made kit for forming an arch. Such kits can be made from different materials, have different designs, colors, designs and textures, which will allow each person to find the most suitable option. The most suitable option is a set of fiberboard or MDF. These materials are very similar to wood, but are less difficult to handle and install. The ready-made standard set of interior arch is included.

When you have an apartment, you undoubtedly want to make it cozier, more comfortable and larger. Currently, one of the ways to visually enhance your home is to create arches instead of doors.

Various photos of arches show how diverse they are and how much they change the appearance of housing. It is about how to make an arch with your own hands that will be briefly described below.

Types of arches

The arch is an opening in the wall that does not have an overlap in the form of a door. Their types differ only in the upper part, or rather in how the corners are constructed (straight, rounded or curly).

In the modern world, there are 7 types of arches:

• classic;
• "Modern";
• "romance";
• ellipse;
• trapezoid;
• "portal";
• semi-arch.

The first four types have rounded corners and differ only in the shape of the rounding.

So a classic arch is a semicircle with a radius of half the width of the opening; "Modern" has a small corner radius; "Romance" and the ellipse are similar and represent the usual rounded corners.

The trapezoid and the portal are another matter. These two types use sharp corners. At the trapezoid, the top, respectively, represents this figure, and the "portal" is an ordinary opening without a door.

However, even an unremarkable "portal" can be made to sparkle with new colors, giving the supports the appearance of columns in the antique style (Greek or Roman).

A trapezoid, although it is a rather unusual solution, is not suitable for any style, therefore it is used much less often than other options for arches.

The last type is a semi-arch, as the name implies, is 1 rounded and 1 right angle. This type of arch began to be used recently, but it has already gained popularity.

It is up to you which arch to install in the apartment, but we will dwell in more detail on drywall arches, as the most convenient material for building.

Step-by-step instructions for creating an arch

Choosing the future shape of the arch. It is important that it matches the overall style of the premises that will connect.

We clean the opening from the plaster and level it. It is simple here - the cleaner the work surface, the more reliable the fastening.

We fasten the arch frame. We construct the frame itself from a profile (it is possible from wood bars).

We attach the cut-out drywall arch (one side) to the frame. To get the arch of the desired type, in the middle of the plasterboard base we make a hole for the nail. We tie a string to it and get a homemade compass. Now, by changing the length of the rope, you can change the radius of the rounding of the corners and their appearance.

We apply drywall on the other side and mark the arch on it, as if using a stencil, then cut it out and fasten it to the frame.

In no case should this be done on the floor, since the opening is usually asymmetrical, which has a detrimental effect on the accuracy of the one-to-one marking.

Note!

We measure the resulting arc and make a tape for fastening from the profile. After that, we attach the resulting tape to the arch with self-tapping screws.

We install jumpers. Their size is calculated simply: the depth of the arch is minus 1.5 centimeters, the material of manufacture is a metal profile, less often wood. We attach a sheet of drywall to the end of the opening with self-tapping screws.

We carry out finishing work (leveling with putty, rubbing possible holes, painting, or gluing wallpaper).

Other ways to make an arch

You can also make an arch in the opening in two other ways. The difference between these methods of creating an arch is in fixing drywall.

In the second version, it is attached to the jumpers not with a whole sheet, but with specially cut pieces (set) using a special solution (water, putty plus PVA glue) and this should be done without delay, since the solution hardens very quickly.

Note!

The third option provides for wooden lintels, planted with glue. Drywall in the opening is also glued to the lintels.

How to bend drywall?

In addition, the question may arise: how to bend drywall? Thin cardboard (6 mm) is best for this.

And there are at least 2 ways to bend it:
Method 1 - roll a roller on cardboard to break the gypsum in it, soak it in water and gradually screw it to the tape with self-tapping screws.

Method 2 - make cuts on the drywall every 4-5 centimeters. When you attach it to the end of the opening, the material at the place of the cuts will burst and better adhere to the wall surface.

We wish you good luck with your work!

Do-it-yourself photo of the arch

Note!