Tsugunov Anton Valerievich
Reading time: 5 minutes
Drywall is widely used in the renovation and decoration of apartments. However, coatings made from it have one significant drawback: various hanging interior elements, such as shelves or cabinets, adhere very poorly to their surface. Therefore, it is recommended to strengthen the frame in advance at the places where they are attached. But a more original and aesthetically attractive solution could be a niche in a plasterboard wall, which you can make yourself.
What are the advantages of gypsum board niches?
Recesses in the walls can perform both decorative and practical functions, so they are relevant for all rooms in the apartment. They are made in bedrooms, halls, hallways, kitchens, bathrooms and toilets. They allow:
- Save free space a room that is “eaten up” when the walls are leveled with plasterboard.
- Divide the room into .
- Organize convenient storage books and small items on shelves located inside the niche.
- Place heavy weight household appliances on the wall, such as a TV or audio system.
- Give the room a unique look appearance.
Niches can be open or closed. In the latter case, they turn into original cabinets. Have a good one visual effect can be achieved by providing additional lighting in the recess using spotlights or LED strip.
Drawing up a drawing
Each room is individual, so you will have to design a niche yourself, focusing on your own idea. You can get ideas, and choosing the design of a niche intended for a TV will help.
Having decided on the purpose and type of niche, first of all they draw up a detailed drawing of it. It is needed for calculation required quantity material.
The dimensions of the recess are calculated depending on its purpose: what is planned to be placed there, whether there will be lighting, whether shelves are needed in the niche.
Installation requires special attention household appliances, for example TV. In this case, it is necessary to provide for the following points:
- must have sufficient strength to support the weight of the device. It should be further reinforced with horizontal jumpers. Some craftsmen advise making the shelves themselves not from plasterboard, but from plywood: it is more durable and can withstand greater loads.
- The depth of the niche should be calculated taking into account the gap between the device and the back wall. It is needed not only for placing wires or other communications, but also to prevent heating of the drywall from the operating device.
Advice. It is advisable that outer side installed equipment, for example, a TV screen, was in the same plane with the border of the niche or was slightly moved deeper. This makes it more difficult to accidentally hit it and knock it over from the shelf.
- Clearances are also required on the top and sides for comfortable installation of equipment and its maintenance.
The drawing indicates all the elements of the future frame. When placing profiles, take into account the dimensions of the plasterboard sheets to reduce the amount of waste. All gypsum plasterboard elements must be joined on the profile, and joints are not recommended to be placed at the edges of the structure.
Necessary materials
Having made calculations based on the sketch, they purchase the necessary materials with some reserve:
- Drywall. In most cases, a regular wall gypsum board with a thickness of 12.5 mm is used, but thinner ones, including arched ones, can be used. For rooms with high humidity, such as the bathroom, use moisture-resistant plasterboard.
- The frame is made of a guide (UD) and a rack (CD) profile.
- If the base wall is uneven, straight hangers may be required.
- Damper tape providing sound insulation of the structure.
- Dowel-nails 6 × 60 mm for attaching guides to the wall, floor and ceiling. With a large layer of plaster, longer hardware is used, for example 8 × 80 mm.
- Metal screws for fastening frame elements together.
- Putty and primer for drywall, as well as serpyanka mesh - to prepare the niche for finishing after assembly.
Tools
Standard set required for the construction of plasterboard structures:
- Metal scissors for cutting profiles.
- A hammer drill equipped with a drill of the required diameter.
- Screwdriver. It is recommended to purchase a special one. It limits the depth of screwing in the screws and prevents damage to the material.
- Marking and measuring tool: tape measure, pencil, square, level and plumb line.
- Spatula, brush and roller.
How to make a niche out of plasterboard with your own hands: creating a frame
Instructions for assembling the frame:
- The drawing from the sketch is transferred to the walls, floor and ceiling.
- The required pieces of the guide profile are cut off. Their back side is glued with damper tape.
- The guides are mounted on the ceiling, wall and floor using dowels in increments of 30–40 cm.
- The rear plane racks are installed: profile sections are cut 1–2 cm less than the height of the room. They are inserted into guides on the floor and ceiling, and then fixed with metal screws or a cutter. They can additionally be attached to a flat wall with dowels. If the base surface is lumpy, then straight hangers are used.
When the niche has a curved configuration, you can use a flexible arched profile. Another option: petal-shaped cutouts are made on the guide in the side walls, after which it will easily take the required shape. The required bend is fixed using vertical jumpers.
- The necessary horizontal jumpers are made from the rack profile and secured with self-tapping screws. The result will be a flat frame of the back of the future niche.
- In the same way, in a mirror, the frame of the front part of the structure is assembled.
- Both structures are connected by horizontal bridges. They are needed not only to create the outline of a recess or attach shelves, but also for rigidity. The jumpers are made from a rack profile and are fixed with self-tapping screws.
Fastening drywall
The cladding of the gypsum board frame begins with back wall niches, if required, because often its role is played by a flat base surface. First, the recess is lined, and then the drywall is installed on the front surface. There are a few things to consider:
- If you plan to place sockets in a niche or Spotlights, then the holes for them in the drywall are cut in advance.
- Bevels are made at an angle of 45˚ in all places where individual plasterboard fragments will be joined.
- Sheathing elements forming right angles are installed so that the plane of one covers the end of the other.
- Fragments from gypsum plasterboard are mounted in increments of 20–25 cm. The fastening points on adjacent pieces are shifted relative to each other.
- To bend drywall, for example for a niche in the shape of an arch, proceed as follows: the surface of the element is moistened with water and rolled with a roller with needles. Another option: a series of parallel cuts are made on the fragment, forming the desired bend. The smaller the radius, the more frequent the cuts. Only cut through the cardboard layer on one side of the element.
Preparing for finishing
The assembled plasterboard structure is prepared step by step for finishing:
- All corners are additionally reinforced with special perforated corners: this will protect them from damage during operation. A small layer of putty is applied to the corners, after which the corner is pressed into it. Excess mixture comes out through the holes and is removed with a spatula.
- The seams are glued with reinforcing mesh and then sealed with putty. After it dries, grouting is done using fine sandpaper. The technology of work is described.
- The holes formed by the screw heads are sealed with putty and then rubbed down.
- The entire niche is coated twice with primer. The second layer is applied only after completely dry first.
Before finishing with wallpaper or paint, the structure is puttied, before laying tiles or decorative stone there is no need to do this.
How to assemble a plasterboard niche in the wall for curtains and for a TV. A detailed description of the stages of work on installing the structure in the wall.
A niche in the wall serves as a multifunctional department in the interior of a living space. How to make a niche from plasterboard with your own hands? It's very simple. It takes a little effort, patience, and design modern approach will serve its functionality for a long time.
This is what an illuminated niche looks like. Return to contents
Niches come in various sizes and non-standard forms. It has a shallow depth for a painting or photo, or a deeper niche for a TV made of gypsum board. A niche in an apartment can be:
- To divide a room into zones;
- Installation of a TV or music center;
- Shelf for books or collections;
- In order to place furniture;
- For custom design.
You can make a plasterboard niche in any room of the living space. Will it be a living room or a bathroom. In every room this niche will perform very important functions.
In residential areas you can see decorative niches from plasterboard. They are located in the living room, in the bedroom and above the window. Their direct function is the originality of the design approach, as well as the division of the room into zones. Vases are placed on gypsum board shelves, and paintings are hung on plasterboard walls. Basically, such niches are illuminated using spotlights.
A plasterboard niche performs direct functions, mainly located in the bathroom for hygiene products; in the bedroom, such a niche is used to make a wardrobe.
This is what a wardrobe built into a niche looks like
A niche made of plasterboard can increase the space, visually, of course. If the niche is made in a horizontal design, the wall becomes wide. In the case of a vertical project, the wall increases upward.
The room looks like interesting interior, If top part curtains are hidden and lighting is installed. Most people are interested in the question: how to make a niche for curtains from plasterboard? This is also done simply; a box for lighting is created in the plasterboard ceiling.
Appearance of a niche for curtains
How to make a niche for a cornice? This design has various sizes and shapes. The easiest way is to make a box on the ceiling for lighting near the window. Its walls will serve as a niche for curtains.
An interesting fact is that niches for plasterboard cornices can be made with your own hands.
If there is no opportunity or time, then how to make a niche in the wall from plasterboard? Call a team of craftsmen and describe your desires and preferences. The craftsmen will initially create sketches and drawings, which are adjusted, and clarify the details of frame installation.
RULE! Before working on creating a niche, you need to decide what it is needed for.
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Preparatory work
In order to begin preparatory work, you need to establish yourself with the design of the niche. It will be very good if you make a sketch of this component of the room.
- After the sketch, you can start drawing.
- To do this, you need to prepare the room (free up space to create a niche).
- Take all measurements.
TV niche dimensions
- It is necessary to clarify how deep the niche will be (this depends on its functionality).
- If the niche will be made for installing equipment, the depth should be increased (for air ventilation and wire drainage). Otherwise, the same TV may heat up and burn out.
- A TV or other electrical equipment should not “stick out” from the niche. The facade of the equipment is flush with the edges of the niche.
- In the drawing you should write the weight of the object installed on the niche shelf. If it's not a wardrobe.
- You should also immediately decide on the wiring under the drywall. This is especially true if there is backlighting.
running wires in a niche
RULE! All measurements and numerical data should be recorded. This will make it possible to easily calculate the amount of material required.
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Required material and tools
For the assigned work you need the following materials and tools:
- Profile: guide and rack.
- Small size self-tapping screws.
- Screwdrivers – flat and figured.
- Drill.
- Dowels.
- Construction level and a simple pencil.
- Roulette.
- Plumb.
- Hacksaw.
- Build a knife with a set of blades.
- Pliers.
- Hammer.
- Scissors for cutting metal.
- Putty for drywall “Start”, “Finish”.
- Drywall.
- Glue for drywall.
- Dye.
- Needle roller.
- Spatula.
- Everything you need for wiring (wires, terminals, lamps, switches and sockets in drywall).
RULE! There is no need to ignore the level and plumb line, doing everything “by eye”. This is fraught with unevenness, which cannot be called a design invention.
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Main stages of work with step-by-step instructions
Initially, you should not only draw up a drawing and collect everything you need, but also choose the material from which the niche will be made. It can be wood or a metal profile. Wood has some disadvantages: when there are changes temperature regime it can shrink or swell, which will ultimately lead to deformation of the structure.
The profile for drywall can be made from different materials manufacturing. Aluminum is best. It is easy to use and inexpensive.
Aluminum profile for niche frameReturn to contents
Drywall
On construction markets There are three types of plasterboard: ceiling, wall, moisture-resistant (green). You need to decide which one you need? It depends on the location of the niche. If the niche is planned to be made of plasterboard in the bathroom, then you should choose “green” gypsum board. Well, if you want to divide the room into zones, then you need to look at the thickness of the drywall sheet.
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Marking
Here you will need the previously created drawing. Transfer each number to the wall. Only if the drawing was made on a regular sheet, then real data must be measured on the wall and lines drawn along it.
The process of applying markings for a plasterboard nicheReturn to contents
Base
In order for the profiles to fit snugly against the wall, alignment should be done base surface. This should not be done carefully and with a ruler. The main thing is that when attaching the profile there are no distortions or large gaps.
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Electric wires
If you are planning a plasterboard niche with lighting, then you need to think in advance about how the wiring will be routed: under the baseboard or in the wall.
Installing wiring for niche lightingReturn to contents
Installation of a metal profile frame
The installation principle will consist of what niche should be. If a small-sized structure is intended, then it will be better if the frame is assembled first and then attached.
If the niche big size, then it is going step by step. The supporting profiles are attached to the wall according to the markings. These fasteners play a big role in the design (appearance and consistency under equipment or books).
Metal frame for a niche for a TV
RULE! If the structure reaches the floor, then there are few wall profiles; the profiles should also be fixed to the floor. This will give stability.
For a more accurate understanding of how the frame is installed, you can watch the video.
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Installation of shelves and stiffeners
To make a large niche, strong and wide profiles are required.
When creating a frame for shelves, you need to make a frame from the profile the right size and attach it to the base. In order to bend the profile, the side part should be cut.
Attaching the profile to the base
If the frame is long in size, then it must be secured using jumpers. They are installed at intervals of 400 mm. If you use 2 of these frames, it is possible to make a hanging cabinet.
By attaching the frame to the floor using profiles, you get a base for making a niche in the wall.
Attaching a frame to the floor for the base of a niche
In order to make an original curved structure, you need to use a flexible profile and a regular one. Some profiles have certain “locks”, which is very convenient when creating structures.
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Technology of covering a niche with plasterboard
Before you start covering with drywall, you should protect yourself by wearing a face mask or glasses.
You can cut a sheet of drywall construction knife, as well as an electric jigsaw. Each part must be attached to the frame so that it is not smaller or larger than the required size.
To cut plasterboard sheet strips, you need to correctly measure the length and height. GCR is very easy to cut; to do this, draw along the marked line with the edge of a drywall knife and with a slight blow the sheet breaks.
Each piece of drywall must be attached in accordance with the sketch. The caps of screws or other fasteners should be pressed tightly against the sheet so that they do not “stick out” above the surface. But you shouldn’t overdo it either, as the leaf may burst. If there is a small part, then the self-tapping screw is screwed in approximately in the middle so that the drywall does not break.
When lining a curved frame for an arch made of gypsum plasterboard, the drywall needs to be bent to the required radius. To do this, the edges of the sheet are cut, and after installation they are puttied. There is also the option of bending the sheet into a semicircle using water. Here you should run a needle roller over the plasterboard part, then sprinkle it with water and leave it to dry in a special form. After 12 hours, the drywall sheet takes on the desired shape.
Curving drywall to the desired shape
If cracks appear during bending, they need to be puttied using reinforced mesh.
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Backlight
When illuminating a niche, it is better to use LED strip. Installing a lamp is a more labor-intensive task:
- It is necessary to make a hole in the niche, and this will be difficult to do with small recesses.
- It is necessary to calculate the power going to each lamp.
This is what the lighting in a niche looks like. Return to contents
Finishing a plasterboard niche
First of all, you should putty the places where the fasteners enter. The surface should be flat and the areas should not be visible. The boundaries of drywall joints should be cut (chamfered) at an angle of 25 degrees, and then sealed using a sickle mesh, which is glued to glue or thin layer putties. It is pressed well at the border area, and the surface is brought to a perfectly flat surface. If you do not make cuts at the joints, then when puttying a bump will appear, and it will take a lot of material and effort to level it.
It is necessary to putty the places where fasteners enter
Corners in a niche. In this case, a chamfer is made on the drywall using a drywall plane. The chamfer angle is 45 degrees. After this, the chamfer must be sanded with a rasp.
As a result, everything is puttied with “Finish” and treated to remove small pebbles and stripes. After drying, you should apply a primer in order to wallpaper or paint the structure.
View of the finished structureReturn to contents
Niche decoration options
To make the niche individual and look beautiful, you can use various materials for finishing: mirror, wallpaper, paint, fabric.
There are some decorating rules:
- The colors should be light. If the tone is dark, it will visually shrink and darken the room.
- Basically, the niche is made in the same tone as the wall. Less often, 2 shades darker than the main color.
- If mirrors are inserted, they make the space larger.
Examples of niches in residential premises.
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Kitchen
In the kitchen, a niche no longer serves as decoration, but as functionality. Microwave, washing machine and other equipment can be hidden in niches. It will not only look beautiful, but the kitchen will also visually become larger. If you need to place a vase, flowers or pots, then you can make niche shelves.
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Living room
In the living room you can put a niche for an aquarium. But this is only if the aquarium with fish is small or empty (an element of decoration).
Design option for a niche with an aquariumReturn to contents
Bedroom
A niche looks great for lighting or for placing photo frames or paintings there. You can also make a niche for necessary things, such as a phone, a book to read at night.
You can see in the photo various options decorating a niche made of plasterboard.
Possible design of a niche in the bedroom
How to make a niche in a plasterboard wall? Just. Following the rules, having some cash and patience, and most importantly - the desire, you can transform the room.
Using the color or shape of a plasterboard niche with your own hands, you can completely transform a room, make it lighter or more voluminous. The most daring ideas can be realized using a niche.
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A selection of photos of the design of a plasterboard niche in the wall
In this master class you will find detailed description the process of installing kitchen walls and ventilation according to a finished design project. We will tell you about the features of installing a false wall with a niche using the “from the center” method and give detailed photos this work carried out by experienced specialists.
A plasterboard niche is a popular and effective interior element. She may have different shapes, but invariably emphasizes the taste of the owner of the house. We will tell and show you how to make it yourself.
If you don't have it ready professional project, create a drawing or sketch with dimensions. This way your thoughts and desires will take shape.
Please note that the parameters of the niche in this case are determined by the size of the tiles with which the inside will be lined.
After transferring the marks to the plane of the wall, we begin to secure the guides. This key moment, since further dimensions will be deposited from them.
We create the main frame from the UD profile and check its corners - they must be strictly straight. You can use a tile to check.
Then we cut out and wind the gypsum board strips that will limit the inner plane of the niche.
We install horizontal guides, which we connect to the vertical posts. In this case, the frame is built not from a common plane, but from the center of the element (niche).
Check again how the tile fits in. If there is an error, it is better to eliminate it at this stage.
Attention! When trying on tiles, take into account the putty thickness of 2–3 mm.
Pay attention to the vertical piping of the frame and guides. They are installed after the horizontal stripes.
Thus, fastening and tying the entire structure is much more reliable than if the entire frame was made separately.
We mark horizontal guides under the vertical ribs (step 600 mm).
We install the ribs themselves along the lower guide, first on internal fastenings, and then we place U-shaped suspensions under them.
View of the finished frame without the top row vertical racks(done in the same way as the bottom one):
We cover the frame with plasterboard using standard technology.
Pay attention to how corners are cut in openings and niches (a convenient method). First, we wrap the entire sheet.
Then we cut it horizontally with a hacksaw.
And use a knife to cut it vertically. This method does not require marking and protects against errors during marking - the gypsum board is cut in place, and one of the planes of the niche serves as a guide.
Final view after installing drywall:
All that remains is to prepare the surface for puttying. We open the corners with a plaster float and the joints with a knife.
Carefully checking the accuracy of the horizontals and verticals, we sew the perforated corner with a stapler.
The final view of the plasterboard niche:
If in your case there is a need to use a wall to hang something, be sure to install reinforcements - double ribs. At the same time, U-shaped suspensions should be of a different class - more powerful. In the future, the niche can be given any voluminous appearance using various methods finishing and decorations - tiles, wallpaper, curtains, artificial stone.
Vitaly Dolbinov, rmnt.ru
- How to make a niche from gypsum board with your own hands?
- How are wide plasterboard niches for a bed created?
- How to use tools correctly when working with plasterboard?
Modern interiors are often done using plasterboard, which is becoming very common. This is explained by the fact that such facing material has a low cost. Often, with the help of gypsum boards, they not only align ceilings with walls, but also create original niches from plasterboard in the wall, which visually increase the space of the premises.
Using drywall, you can not only level ceilings and floors, but also create original niches in the walls.
In some cases, sheets of finishing material make it possible to expand the usable space of residential premises with specific purpose, including bathrooms. This is possible using sheets of waterproof plasterboard.
Tools and materials for creating a niche
Knowing how to make a niche from plasterboard in the wall of a room, you should prepare appropriate tools with materials, the list of which includes:
- Special safety glasses.
- Hacksaw.
- Building level.
- Side cutters.
- Roulette.
- Pliers.
- Metal scissors.
- Hammer.
- Knife with replaceable blade.
- Hammer.
- Putty.
- Fastening element (dowel-nails).
- Screwdriver.
- Bulgarian.
- Drywall sheets.
Tools for installing drywall
Any craftsman, even a beginner, can make niches in a plasterboard wall. The design of the structure is pre-developed, and all dimensions are transferred to the drawing. The master must have an accurate idea not only of how to make a niche from plasterboard, but also of how it will look in the interior of the room.
All this will allow you to make an accurate calculation of the required amount of material in order to purchase it without extra costs. At the same time, the use of additional building and finishing materials depends on the design of the niche, for example:
- Glue.
- Paint.
- Dry type construction mixture.
- Electric tool.
- Needle roller, etc.
Most easy option It seems possible to install one niche in a wall made of gypsum plasterboard, but it is possible to mount two or more niches in one structure. When planning the placement of a niche in the wall, the cladding of the structure is moved back to a certain distance, which is equal to the size of its depth. The width of the entire structure may not be very large, for example, 15 cm. Installation of a plasterboard niche should begin when the wall is marked according to the diagram. Then the metal profile is installed, taking into account the entire perimeter of the future niche.
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How to make a niche from gypsum board with your own hands?
Mounting diagram metal frame under drywall.
It is convenient to cut a metal profile using a grinder or metal scissors. It is important to set it correctly. For this purpose, a tape measure is used building level. You can strengthen the profile using mounting umbrellas (dowel-nails). When making a niche that is not very wide, you can use a guide profile (NP) or use a rack profile (SP).
Then they move on to assembling the frame. It is more convenient to set the guide profile from the floor of the room. All work is carried out using a tape measure, which can be used to measure required size. Measurements are taken from the surface of the base wall using a tape measure, taking into account the thickness of the plasterboard.
Traditional dimensions of drywall are 2500x1200x12.5 mm. When all the marks are made, they are connected by drawing special lines. It is required to transfer all marks for the ceiling NP (guide profile) using a plumb line. When assembling the frame, the installation of rack profiles of the required size is carried out vertically. The installation of the upper and lower guide profiles is also carried out.
The standard length of the profile is 3 m, so it should be cut. The profile height is measured separately, since it differs by 1-1.5 cm in different areas premises. This is due to the presence of errors allowed during the construction of any premises. Using a level, you should ensure that the racks are positioned strictly vertically.
Scheme of a niche with hidden lighting.
Only after this the frame elements are secured using dowel-nails. If necessary, assemble the frame using only the guide profile. When making the transition to the floor from the wall, it is enough to make a cut with scissors to bend the profile at an angle of 90 degrees.
Having placed the profile, it is fixed to the wall, after which vertical posts with horizontal jumpers between them are installed, taking into account the size of the niche.
Then you should install jumpers from the racks towards the wall. When installing these niches along the entire surface of the wall, it is necessary to create a fairly reliable frame. You cannot do without additional profiles with jumpers alone.
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How are wide plasterboard niches for a bed created?
Before creating a niche from plasterboard, you should develop a design so that the metal profile is combined with the gypsum board. For example, furniture walls - slides, which are multi-level, are considered well known. They can be made independently from sheets of drywall.
Select a profile that has the greatest strength. Large niches can be made if you use a profile with a back width of 75 mm. For example, German manufacturer Knauf manufactures reliable products using the thickest metal possible.
Diagram of the correct joining of drywall sheets.
To create a frame for the shelves, you can use a piece of profile that is solid. To do this, a frame in the shape of a rectangle is bent from this material, secured to the wall with dowels and nails. In the required place for bending, you can only cut the side of the profile. After this, the adjacent sidewalls are fastened using self-tapping screws or a cutter.
If the frame is of sufficient length, it should be strengthened with crossbars, which are spaced from each other at a distance of no more than 400 mm. Using two frames, you can make a frame for wall cabinet, if you fasten them with jumpers. By securing the frames to the floor using profiles, you can obtain a base for creating a niche in the wall. If these types of designs are combined, then you can make with your own hands various types of built-in furniture that have niches with shelves.
For creating original designs use a flexible profile, for example, produced by Flext. All its sections include two halves shaped like the letter “L”. They have special locks at the ends. As a result of installation, a profile of the required length is created, which makes it possible to produce a structure with a closed or arbitrary shape. By combining the Flext profile and the usual type of profile, they are used to create a frame for gypsum plasterboard walls with round or oval niches, etc.
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How to use tools correctly when working with plasterboard?
Before working with plasterboard, be sure to wear safety glasses. Cutting is carried out using a stationery knife and electric jigsaw. You can sand and level the sheet using a hacksaw and a plane.
It is better to use two people to cut the drywall into strips the length of which is equal to the length of the sheet. Then mark the required size with front side GKL, apply the profile to the marks to make an incision using a knife. It is enough to hit the back side of the sheet with your hand so that it breaks at the place of the cut. Then a knife is drawn along the back side of the sheet.
The cut sheet consists of separate parts that have the appropriate dimensions. These parts are elements of the niche design, made strictly according to the drawing. Each joint should be treated with putty. After this, a thin layer is applied, pressing a special mesh into it to reinforce the structure. An additional layer of putty is applied on top, but you can also use paper tapes, they are lowered into water and laid evenly so that there are no folds.
All self-tapping screw heads are puttied. When the entire structure is dry, apply finishing putty. For getting bent arch drywall, it should be sprayed with water and rolled using a needle roller. When lining a niche, drywall is attached using special glue, cutting out pieces of plasterboard of the required shape.
Plasterboard niche- a phenomenon in construction technologies quite new, but already conquered great popularity.
IN living room, for example, it not only serves as a decorative element, but has practical useful, as it can replace cabinets and bookshelves, souvenirs and other things.
That is, by installing a plasterboard niche, you are actually killing three birds with one stone: decorate apartment, save money on furniture and hide possible defects and unevenness in the wall.
Such multifunctionality and does this building structure so popular.
Drywall niche in the interior
Niche in the bedroom
Currently a very popular solution for registration interiors of residential premises is the installation of plasterboard niches in bedroom
Typically such structures are located Over the bed, but it also occurs another variant, when a niche is made from the floor and a bed is inserted into it.
This one is interesting decorative element gives the room a special cosiness, especially if equipped with additional backlight.
Note: To enhance the effect, you can install an aquarium in a niche, and then plants and fish will create a constantly changing picture. This design, among other things, will have a relaxing effect.
TV niche
With the advent flat screen TVs It became convenient to hang them directly on the wall. Some users limit themselves to this, others believe that the best option will niche from plasterboard for a TV.
Such a design will not only become beautiful And stylish design walls around the “blue screen”, but will also allow you to conveniently post next to it are associated equipment - speakers, DVD player, as well as a stereo system, CD and DVDs, books, etc.
In addition, a niche for a TV won't allow accidentally hit and knock an expensive device off its support.
Let's consider the advantages and disadvantages of such niches over other options.
Advantages:
- Simple execution such a design in front of other types;
- Hiding postings under parts of drywall;
- Safety for a TV and the inability to roll it off the bracket;
- Any niche can be made from plasterboard configurations– both rectangular and arc-shaped;
- Under drywall you can hide any wall defects;
- Without additional purchases you get for your use set of shelves and lockers.
Flaws:
- At the time of buying another model TV, it may turn out that your niche is not suitable for sizes. That is, it will either be too big, or the TV simply won’t fit into it. Therefore, when installing a niche, you should take into account this possible problem;
- At rearrangement furniture, which will include your TV, you will have to disassemble niche or use it for another purpose.
How to make a niche out of plasterboard yourself, see video:
Niche for curtains
Excellent design solution is niche for curtains.
Agree that when installing a new glass unit, wallpapering and installation two-level the ceiling tires peeking out from under the curtains do not look very presentable.
The most simple option there will be an opportunity for them hide.
A plasterboard niche will allow fully hide this drawback and significantly improve design of your room.
Such a design will not only become beautiful decoration, but also visually will increase ceiling height due to the fact that cornice for curtains will disappear from view.
Partition with niches
For zoning premises in apartments and private houses are used partition with niches.
Sometimes there is a desire to somehow change apartment layout, for example, separate living room from the dining room or share children's room into two halves.
Can cope with this task perfectly partition with niches from plasterboard.
For one-room apartment, such a design will be a real way out of the situation, because with its help you can divide room for hall And bedroom
Boxes and shelves such a partition can be usefully used to place books, souvenirs, vases with flowers or toys.
In addition, the partition with niches significantly will improve the design your apartment, as it will give it a stylish and modern view.
Partition with plasterboard niches
DIY plasterboard niche
If you think that build DIY plasterboard niche is an impossible task, then you are deeply mistaken. This kind of work really fulfill even to a layman, and now we will try to prove it.
To begin with, you must decide on sizes, location and design the created structure. You shouldn’t start without this, because correcting your own flaws it will be very difficult in the future.
You can even make it simple drawing for greater convenience in subsequent work.
Materials
To work you will need the following materials:
- drywall;
- profiles(rack and guide);
- dowels(in our case we will need 6 by 80 and 6 by 60);
- pendants;
- self-tapping screws
Marking
Having acquired the material, we proceed to markings. To do this, you need to draw the outline of your niche on the wall.
Then we carry out fixation profile along the entire line. In the event that the outlines of the structure have more complex composition than a regular rectangle, fastening adjacent segments should be done by using additional stripes.
Frame installation
First you need to screw the guide profile to the wall using self-tapping screws. It will be back part of your frame.
Then you need to mount guides to the floor and, as necessary, to ceiling.
The next stage of your work will be installation main profile, which is also needed fix using self-tapping screws.
After this work, you need to check strength the resulting design.
If the frame secured correctly and cannot be pulled off, then you can proceed to the next stage.
Sheathing with plasterboard sheets
In order to built-in the niches have acquired a completed look, it is necessary sheathe your frame with sheets of plasterboard.
Do the job like this:
- Cut out of plasterboard details the size you calculated;
- Using self-tapping screws we attach them to frame;
- For correct when fixing with self-tapping screws, you need to make sure that their caps are slightly buried in the sheets;
- When covering, ensure evenness docking sheets, especially when it comes to corners
Finishing work
You need to know that a niche for a TV or for another purpose ends with the implementation putty works
To do this, first use a spatula overwrite stitches, then apply reinforcing tape and apply putty on it (you can learn more about how to properly putty walls from this article).
Then, after removing the reinforcing tape, we clean up seams with fine-grained sandpaper and apply again layer putties.
After waiting full After the last layer has dried, we process the seam sandpaper again.
After processing the seams, we begin to putty the niche itself. To do this, use a large "class="glossaryLink" target="_blank">spatula and special mixture.
Note: Instead of a special mixture, you can use diluted universal putty.
The final stage will be painting niches in the color you need or wallpapering(read about how to glue wallpaper on drywall here).
Illuminated niche
If you took care of wiring before casing, then illuminated niche will be a completely doable task. To do this you need to install in advance cooked cut out lamps by connecting them to a hidden niche wiring
Illuminated niche
Often, instead of lamps for illumination, they use LED strips. On plasterboard box they can be fixed using ordinary transparent tape.
How to make a niche out of plasterboard with your own hands, see video:
In the repair and decoration of residential premises, a person’s desire for beauty is expressed in different ways - some want to decorate their home with finishing materials of incredible colors, others focus on designer furniture, and still others give preference to the structural elements of an apartment or house. In principle, both are partly right; all these methods are designed to improve the comfort of the premises and create coziness in them. But few people understand the fact that the greatest results are achieved exclusively in the process of using all methods at the same time - an apartment or house should have good furniture, and high-quality beautiful surfaces of walls, floors, ceilings, and, of course, decorative structural elements. We’ll talk about one of them in this article, in which, together with the site, we’ll look in detail at the question of how to make plasterboard niches with your own hands, what material is needed for this and what tools are used to create them.
DIY plasterboard niche photo
How to make a niche from plasterboard: frame construction
As with all plasterboard products, the frame is the main component of the entire structure - the shape, rigidity, reliability and even appearance depend on it finished product. The final result depends entirely on how responsibly you approach the construction.
To build a niche frame from plasterboard, you will need three types of materials - these are ud guide profiles, with the help of which the structure is tied to the walls and the contours of the product are formed, cd profiles, designed to impart rigidity to the structure, and sheet thickness 12.5 mm (preferably moisture resistant, but Ordinary is possible).
How to make a niche frame from plasterboard with your own hands
Before you start work, you must clearly understand the full picture of what you want to get in the end - you cannot do without it. You may even have to draw a small sketch or a simple drawing that needs to be transferred to the wall in real size. Drywall outlines drawn on the wall will really make the job easier. You will have to draw everything - every shelf and every curve. The more precise you are, the easier it will be to create it.
Guide profiles ud are installed along the drawn contours. They are secured using dowels and a hammer drill. There will be no problems with straight sections of the structure; difficulties arise when designing radial surfaces - to construct them you will have to learn how to bend smoothly metal profiles. In principle, this is not difficult - to obtain a smooth arc, the guide profile flanges are cut in increments of 50mm. If you don’t want to do this work, then purchase a ready-made arched profile, in which the cuts have already been made at the enterprise. In my opinion this is extra waste money - quite simply (within 2 minutes) cut with a grinder or even scissors.
How to make a niche from plasterboard photo
Okay, let's move on and give our frame volume. In accordance with the required depth of the niche and plasterboard shelves, it is also necessary to install guide profiles on the floor and ceiling - their ends, located on opposite surfaces, must lie in strict vertical level. Along with the volume of the structure, the front plane of the plasterboard niche is also specified, which must be perfectly flat.
DIY installation of a plasterboard niche photo
Now let's start forming the corners - as a rule, they are made from two guide profiles twisted together. Their shelves should be at an angle of 90° relative to each other. These corner elements are installed vertically and are inserted into the upper and lower profiles located on the ceiling and floor respectively. It is imperative to check the level of their installation in two planes at once (on the front and side surfaces). If everything is in order, then you can safely fasten the guide profiles and corner post between themselves - for this, self-tapping screws ø3.5mm by 7.5mm are used (popularly called “tex” or “flea”).
Having given volumetric outlines to the frame, on next stage A DIY plasterboard niche will require you to make it rigid. There is no point in relying on drywall to cope with this task. The frame is simply reinforced - for this purpose the cd load-bearing profile is used. It is cut into small pieces, the length of which corresponds to the distance between two opposite guides, inserted across them and secured with two ties on each side. Again, do not forget to control the level and plane of the resulting surface. Such reinforcement from load-bearing profiles cd on the side faces of the structure will need to be installed with shelves in different sides- in addition to giving rigidity to the frame, they also serve as a basis for screwing drywall. And in such products you have to twist it both inside and outside the niche.
Plasterboard niches in the wall photo
After the frame of the plasterboard niche has been strengthened, you can begin to form the shelves. The principle of their manufacture is almost the same as that described above. First, using ud, a level and self-tapping screws, the plane of the shelf is set, after which it is strengthened load-bearing profiles, with shelves located up and down, every 300mm.
Most craftsmen (including me) practice covering it with plaster while making the frame. Before installing the shelves, the entire internal cavity of the niche is lined with plasterboard - believe me, it’s easier to fix one large sheet than to work on its individual pieces. And thanks to this approach, the structure acquires additional rigidity.
You know Golden Rule drywaller? Fewer joints means fewer headaches later. This principle applies to all products, including plasterboard niches.
In addition, this approach to business will help to diversify this tedious and monotonous work a little.
Niches and shelves made of plasterboard photo
An important point in the process of creating decorative niches from plasterboard is its illumination and noise reduction - all this must be thought through at the stage of manufacturing the frame. You need to decide on the location of the lamps and lay the necessary electrical cables, and all inner space fill the frame with mineral wool. In principle, if you are satisfied with a ringing hum even when objects lightly hit the niche, you can refuse noise reduction - some people are fine with this phenomenon, but some are annoyed by it.
Decorative niches made of plasterboard photo
Installation of a plasterboard niche: framing the frame
This stage of forming a plasterboard niche is quite simple and does not have any special nuances, with the exception of a few, which we will consider later.
- Firstly, this is docking individual parts drywall. At the junction of individual parts sheet material it is necessary to install additional stiffeners, to which two separate pieces of drywall are screwed. If you ignore this nuance, then during operation you will get a crack in this place, even despite the high-quality sealing of the seams.
- Secondly, the absence of which again leads to the appearance of cracks. At the junctions of individual sheets of drywall on their cut edges, it is necessary to chamfer.
- Thirdly, this is the step of installing screws. It is standard and is 150-200mm.
Well, in conclusion, I would like to pay a little attention to decorating the niche, or rather preparing for this process. If you think that you can refuse to putty, then you are deeply mistaken - a plasterboard niche does not require putty only in one case, when it is tiled or tiled. It is this stage of manufacturing a plasterboard niche that is the most labor-intensive - you will have to install a huge amount perforated corners, place dozens of meters of reinforcing mesh in the corners and joints and properly fill even the smallest cavities.
Decorating a modern home is not an easy task; it is often necessary to arrange and decorate the space of the room with a sufficiently large number of useful items, and at the same time not to lose vital space. Therefore, all the most expensive and important items are registered on shelves or niches in the plasterboard wall.
For ordinary person who started in the house design option repair, sheet plasterboard can be considered a gift of fate. The incredible simplicity of working with plasterboard walls with considerable possibilities for implementing the most interesting solutions design makes gypsum board the most popular material for the manufacture of plasterboard walls with niches.
Why are niches in plasterboard walls so popular?
It just so happened in self-built apartments that niches in plasterboard walls allow you to gain advantages in the perception of the interior over furniture delights:
- Get rid of wall shelves on walls, shelves or intricate stands that greatly eat up the useful volume of the room;
- Raise the most necessary things in life and pleasing to the eye on the walls, thereby giving them new content, and updating the appearance by simply replacing some items in the niches with others;
- Often, niches in plasterboard walls make it possible not to use heavy furniture cabinets or other similar home “architecture”, while successfully zoning the area with architectural “highlights”.
For your information ! The use of walls with various niches made of plasterboard will allow you to correctly distribute the usable space of the room, periodically change the decor and interior of the room in a short time and at low cost.
Such experiments can hardly even be called redevelopment of an apartment or room. Moreover, an unusual structure in the living room with a niche in the plasterboard wall can become the most powerful impression of the interior renovation or renovation.
What are the types of plasterboard niches?
For the most part, niches allow you to “recess” some objects or even a piece of room space into the walls, a simple technique and quite often used in one-room apartments.
Most often, decorative niches in the wall are made from plasterboard. For such projects, stylish items, even antiques, are additionally purchased, and interior items are often rearranged.
A simple idea will help to successfully refresh the look of the walls or enhance the feeling of comfort in any corner of the apartment:
Advice ! Arches combined with plasterboard walls - partitions and emphatically utilitarian wall niches for things of everyday use - have long become a classic of the genre.
We divide the space in the room into personal and shared
The use of a plasterboard wall with a niche is almost the only in an accessible way create comfortable conditions for work if there is a teenager in the house. The sense of individualism and the desire to have boundaries of one’s own inviolable territory can be supported small design made of plasterboard, and you do not have to block off the apartment or room with a wall of many furniture or wooden screens, curtains or doors.
But such options will require knowledge of the basics of home construction of plasterboard walls, otherwise niches and openwork racks will make the structure weak and fragile.
Emphasize the recreation area
In addition to walls with niches and windows that allow a child or an elderly person to be allocated his living space, a similar technique is used to isolate a recreation area and its holy of holies - sleeping places, an aquarium or a TV. In the latter case, plasterboard niches in walls are generally uncompetitive due to the widespread use of flat plasma or liquid crystal models.
For your information! An interesting feature of niches and plasterboard walls is their relative impersonality.
An empty structure has nothing of its own until objects or things appear in it. Next, the plasterboard product is transformed into a frame or wrapper, skillfully emphasizing the style and character of the main item.
A furniture stand or cabinet already has its own style and design, often with modern TV looks archaic or bad taste.
How to make a niche in a plasterboard wall
For high level decor requires a perfectly flat wall surface and right direction lighting or additional lighting. This is not difficult if you try to take into account all the requirements for building a niche in a plasterboard wall.
Working with drywall in the manufacture of a wall, partition, arch or niche does not require exorbitant qualifications of the worker; only accuracy and an accurate understanding of the goal are required.
If the plane is decorative plasterboard wall or its elements are provided with factory-smooth planes of material, then you will have to rack your brains regarding the direction of lighting. Often, to achieve the desired effect, it is necessary to use two types of lighting. Using solar flux or monochrome light under warm or cool color rooms, you can achieve a visual increase in the space of the room during the day and the opposite effect in the evening or night hours.
Niche - TV stand
The reasons for the popularity of plasterboard niches for TVs were mentioned above; let’s consider the most popular option for making a large decorative design for widescreen TV.
How to properly position a niche for a TV
All you need to do for future comfortable viewing of programs at any time of the day is to take into account the recommendations of the TV manufacturers and the wishes of family members:
- The niche structure must be securely mounted on the wall with support on the floor, the main support shelf is calculated and reinforced based on a double safety factor;
- In the niche itself there should be plasterboard side walls of the stand, shading the TV screen from direct rays of the sun or bright lamps;
- Drywall conducts sound perfectly, which means that in order not to disturb the rest of the family, it is necessary to use sound insulation made of mineral wool or polystyrene; we also place external speakers or speakers in soundproofed niches.
Assembling and fastening the niche frame
We assemble the main frame of the portal niche from a galvanized profile on a prepared wall and a wall covered with plasterboard. It is better to choose a 15 mm gypsum board sheet for a niche, since the dimensions of the individual elements of the niche are quite large and are calculated for the weight of a TV up to 10 kg.
According to the markings, we sew the main bearing structures profile.
Arches and curves of the wall can be made from flexible metal inserts, or make cuts on the profile of one of the shelves. This will allow you to bend the profile along the required arc. You will have to sew up rounded elements using small pieces of drywall sheet.
The most difficult part will be to cut and accurately install symmetrical round posts so that they exactly match the curvature of the left and right parts of the structure. After installing the vertical racks, we attach to the wall the frame of the main shelf and auxiliary plasterboard niches for speakers and small items.
We lay sound insulation in the wall cavity and sew it up outer surface thin-walled 8 mm sheet.
Puttying and finishing the drywall surface
Finishing work, as a rule, is no different from standard work with plasterboard products, but in places where large gaps have formed between the sheets of plasterboard, it is better to use a perforated plastic or aluminum corner to reinforce the putty layer.
We clean the wall in two stages, removing the rough layer and finishing it with a fine mesh. After finishing machining We prime the wall with a double layer to paint it in the most suitable color.
In this master class you will find a detailed description of the process of installing kitchen walls and ventilation based on a finished design project. We will talk about the features of installing a false wall with a niche using the “from the center” method and provide detailed photographs of this work performed by experienced specialists.
A plasterboard niche is a popular and effective interior element. It can have different shapes, but it invariably emphasizes the taste of the owner of the house. We will tell and show you how to make it yourself.
If you don't have a professional design ready, create a drawing or sketch with dimensions. This way your thoughts and desires will take shape.
Please note that the parameters of the niche in this case are determined by the size of the tiles with which the inside will be lined.
After transferring the marks to the plane of the wall, we begin to secure the guides. This is a key point, since further dimensions will be based on them.
We create the main frame from the UD profile and check its corners - they must be strictly straight. You can use a tile to check.
Then we cut out and wind the gypsum board strips that will limit the inner plane of the niche.
We install horizontal guides, which we connect to the vertical posts. In this case, the frame is built not from a common plane, but from the center of the element (niche).
Check again how the tile fits in. If there is an error, it is better to eliminate it at this stage.
Attention! When trying on tiles, take into account the putty thickness of 2-3 mm.
Pay attention to the vertical piping of the frame and guides. They are installed after the horizontal stripes.
Thus, fastening and tying the entire structure is much more reliable than if the entire frame was made separately.
We mark horizontal guides under the vertical ribs (step 600 mm).
We install the ribs themselves along the lower guide, first on the internal fasteners, and then we place U-shaped hangers under them.
View of the finished frame without the top row of vertical posts (done in the same way as the bottom one):
We cover the frame with plasterboard using standard technology.
Pay attention to how corners are cut in openings and niches (a convenient method). First, we wrap the entire sheet.
Then we cut it horizontally with a hacksaw.
And use a knife to cut it vertically. This method does not require marking and protects against errors during marking - the gypsum board is cut in place, and one of the planes of the niche serves as a guide.
Final view after installing drywall:
All that remains is to prepare the surface for puttying. We open the corners with a plaster float and the joints with a knife.
Carefully checking the accuracy of the horizontals and verticals, we sew the perforated corner with a stapler.
The final view of the plasterboard niche:
If in your case there is a need to use a wall to hang something, be sure to install reinforcements - double ribs. At the same time, U-shaped suspensions should be of a different class - more powerful. In the future, the niche can be given any three-dimensional appearance using various finishing and decoration methods - tiles, wallpaper, curtains, artificial stone.
