How to make an arch from plasterboard - 5 stages of making an arched doorway

When carrying out major renovations in their apartment, every homeowner probably 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 simply by simply gluing wallpaper or painting the ceiling and walls, it is unlikely that it will be possible to radically change the environment.

As an original addition to the visual cosmetic repairs, I suggest removing it completely interior doors, and instead leave an open arched doorway of an asymmetrical 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 plasterboard arch with your own hands in a short time without significant financial costs.

Choosing the shape of the arched opening

The integration of a semicircular or figured 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, and therefore does not have any impact on bearing capacity building structures, and the entire house as a whole.

At the same time, such a solution will allow you to get rid of the annoying rectangular shapes of doors and help visually enlarge usable area housing, and get a renewed visual perception of the surrounding space.

Starting from 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 the arch for an interior doorway:

A classic symmetrical arch with a semicircular arch 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;

An arched opening in the Art Nouveau style has a similar shape, but has a larger arc radius, since it is based not on a circle, but on an oval or ellipse. Due to the low height of the arch, this form is well suited for wide openings from double doors in the living room, hall or hallway;
Gothic interior arches made of plasterboard have the same design, however, they differ from the two previous options by the presence of a sharp apex in an oval or semicircular arch;
A semi-arch of irregular asymmetrical shape can have almost any arch configuration, and is most often used for narrow spaces. doorways in the kitchen or hallway. This option is considered the most economical, since its production requires the least amount of materials;

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

When choosing an arch shape for self-made, you should be guided not only by your imagination or beautiful pictures from interior design magazines. To get a high-quality final result, for the first time I advise you to choose an option that will suit 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 on a computer, on which the shape of the future arch should be clearly drawn. To facilitate further work, in addition to the general sketch, I recommend drawing a projection 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:

Before you make a plasterboard arch yourself, you need to completely dismantle the old interior door, along with decorative trims and a wooden box;

If, after removing the trim and frame, significant potholes, large chips, cracks or other construction defects, they need to be leveled and puttied with cement-sand mortar or putty mortar for interior work;
If the doorway after construction of the house has an irregular shape, crooked slopes or indirect blocked internal corners, they also need to be leveled using cement-sand mortar;

After the putty solution has dried, you need to measure the width of the doorway in two places: one measurement is taken at the very top, and the second 500-600 mm below;
At the beginning of the rounding of the arch of the future arch, place 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;
Before making an oblique arch, the 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 not be the same;
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, two parallel lines should be drawn on each side. They will serve as marks for installing the metal frame.

All plasterboard sheets are produced according to a single standard, according to which they can have a thickness of 9 mm or 13 mm. To cover the front surfaces of the door arch, I recommend using sheets with a thickness of 13 mm, so all markings for installing the supporting frame must be done based on this value.

Stage 2. Installation of the supporting frame

The supporting frame for interior plasterboard structures is usually made of galvanized metal profiles or wooden blocks with a cross-section of at least 50x50 mm. Considering that our plasterboard arch will have curves and radius shapes, a metal profile is best suited for its manufacture, although in straight sections you can get by with wooden blocks.

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 blade length of 3000 mm. If the arch has 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.

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

Next, you need to cut four more profiles, the length of which should be equal to the height of the arch. They must be secured vertically, one on each side of the end of the doorway;
Each vertical profile should be fastened on 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 front plane of the wall is exactly 13-14 mm;
For attaching straight profiles to concrete or brick wall It is best to use plastic dowels measuring 6x30 mm and galvanized self-tapping screws with a wide head measuring 4.2x25 mm;
To make a figured arch vault, I advise you to prepare a template in advance. It can be cut from a large sheet of rigid corrugated packaging cardboard, a scrap piece of fiberboard, or thin;

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;
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 with a small margin in length(300-500 mm longer than the length of the arc on the template), and after bending and final adjustment, accurately cut to the desired size;
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 arched shape, many radial cuts need to be made on the side ribs to the very base;

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, and you need to make sure that both profiles have exactly the same bending configuration;
After this, each curved profile must be secured at two points to the very bottom of the vertical guides, which are installed at the end of the doorway;
To combine the entire frame into a single solid structure, radius profiles can be connected together with short crossbars. In addition, it is necessary to install several vertical jumpers between the upper horizontal and lower arcuate profile;
Three types of fastenings are used to connect the profiles to each other: short metal screws with a countersunk head, 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 ready-made metal profiles for curved plasterboard structures. It is a regular frame profile with cutouts and notches on the side stiffening ribs, thanks to which it can easily bend along the desired radius or take any curved shape.
Its price is not much higher than the cost of direct frame profile, so if there is such an opportunity, it is better to buy such a profile to make a radius arch.

Stage 3. Cutting and preparing drywall

The appearance and aesthetic properties of the finished arch will largely depend on how well the radius parts of the front plasterboard 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 sheet of drywall.

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

If we make a plasterboard arch of a symmetrical semicircular shape, then to draw the correct semicircle you will need to make a simple improvised compass.

To do this, you need to find the center of the bottom side of the drawn rectangle, and tighten a small self-tapping screw at this point;
Tie a thin nylon thread to the screw, and tie a pencil or thin marker to the other end of the thread;
The distance from the center of the screw to the writing unit of the marker 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 this, lightly tighten the thread and draw the marker along an arc to the bottom line on the other side of the rectangle. As a result, a symmetrical arch of a semicircular shape will be drawn on a sheet of gypsum board.

To draw a symmetrical semi-oval or part of an ellipse correct form, it is most convenient to use a flexible elastic guide. This could be a long metal ruler, thin wooden slats, narrow plastic profile or water pipe:

On both sides of the drawn rectangle, on the bottom side 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 required radius, and also attach the second end to the other mark;
In this position, it needs to be fixed motionless, so I recommend doing this work with one, or better yet, two assistants;
While two people hold the guide on both sides, the third 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.

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

Just as in the previous case, on the bottom side of the drawn rectangle you need to place one mark at a distance of 14 mm from its edges;
Attach the arched side of the template to the placed marks, and draw a curved line along it with a thin marker.

Plasterboard can be cut using a sharp construction knife, but for accurate cutting along a radius line it is best to use electric jigsaw and a wood saw with a slight tooth spread. To prevent the edge of the sheet from chipping, before cutting out any part from the drywall, I advise you to stick a wide strip of paper masking tape on the cutting line.

Stage 4. Assembling the arched structure

After both front panels are cut, they need to be aligned with each other and check how well they match each other. Ideally they should be exactly the same, therefore, if there is any discrepancy between them, it is better to immediately eliminate it using a knife, a coarse file or coarse sandpaper. After aligning the front panels, you can begin covering the supporting frame with plasterboard.

Each front panel must be installed at the same level in its place in the doorway, and secured around the entire perimeter and in the middle to the metal profile using countersunk screws, in increments of 100-120 mm;
When installing, you need to make sure that the front 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; it can then be leveled using putty. The main thing is that it does not protrude forward anywhere, beyond the dimensions of the doorway;

Further instructions will help you make a figured vault of an arch from a strip of plasterboard, in one of two ways. In both cases, first you need to cut off a strip of drywall. Its length must be 100-200 mm longer than maximum length vault arches, and the width should be equal to the distance between the front panels;
In the first case, the strip must be laid on flat surface, bottom side up, and roll with a certain force with a needle roller so that the needles pierce upper layer thick cardboard. If there is no such roller, you can use a sharp knife to evenly apply many small, barely noticeable cuts to the bottom plane;
The perforated side of the drywall should be moistened generously with water using a foam sponge, and leaned against vertical wall at an angle of 50-45°. Under the influence of water, the gypsum filler will begin to soften, and the strip will gradually begin to take on a curved shape;

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

Before installation, the strip must be laid on a flat, hard surface. front side down and on back side use a sharp knife to make deep transverse cuts to approximately the middle of the thickness of the drywall;
In order to achieve uniform bending, the cuts must be located strictly perpendicular to the center line of the strip, strictly parallel to each other, and at the same distance from each other;
The finished strip must be applied to the arch with the cuts facing up, and, just like in the first case, starting from the middle, fasten it to the arched profiles using self-tapping screws.

Although wet method bending drywall, at first glance may seem more difficult, I recommend using it, since in this case you immediately get a uniform arc without creases, correct round shape, which requires virtually no further modification.

Stage 5. Preparation for finishing

Immediately after the door arch is made from plasterboard with your own hands, it may seem ridiculous and scary, but do not be upset, because after completing the preparatory and finishing work, it will take on a completely different look. appearance.

First of all, you need to cut off all protruding corners and irregularities at the ends of the plasterboard parts with a sharp knife, and then treat them with coarse-grained emery cloth fixed in a special holder or on a flat wooden block;

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

All self-tapping screws, joints, corners and cracks must be puttied in such a way that no reinforcing mesh, no corners, no joints, no fastening screws are visible on the surface. I recommend using acrylic for this finishing putty for drywall, which is sold completely ready for use;
After the first layer of putty has hardened, the arch must be sanded with medium-grain emery cloth. At this stage, some unevenness or other defects will certainly appear, so after preliminary sanding it will have to be puttied again;
After the second layer of putty has completely dried, the surface must be sanded with finer sandpaper, and after making sure there are no defects, coated with one layer of penetrating primer for drywall.

If you bent the drywall using a dry method, then to eliminate broken edges, the upper bent arch of the arch will need to be covered with a continuous layer of drywall starting putty. After drying, it will need to be sanded and covered with another layer of finishing putty.

Conclusion

In this article, I completely talked about how to make a plasterboard arch in a doorway with your 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 interior design concept. Therefore, the homeowner must choose the materials and method of decorative finishing himself, based on his own tastes and personal preferences. To consolidate the knowledge gained, I suggest watching the video in this article, and if readers have any questions, I will be happy to answer them in the comment form.

October 1, 2016

If you want to express gratitude, add a clarification or objection, or ask the author something - add a comment or say thank you!

How to make an arch in a doorway - choice of material

To create an arched structure, you can use any materials: brick, stone, wood, metal and plastic. The former are distinguished by their heavy weight, and the latter by their high cost. The most popular and acceptable option is to install a plasterboard arch. It is a lightweight, environmentally friendly and practical building material.

This design has several advantages:

strength;
reliability;
simplicity.

Its installation is not accompanied by large-scale work with increased noise and high consumption of building materials. It would not be amiss to note the affordable cost of all building elements used in the installation of a plasterboard arch and the huge assortment in every hardware store.

How to make an arch in a doorway - preparing the doorway

Having chosen the type of arch to be installed, you can proceed to preparing the opening. First you need to get rid of installed structure, instead of which you want to build an arch. Remove the door and dismantle door frame. For this purpose, you can use a crowbar and a grinder. If the dimensions of the opening do not satisfy you, correct the situation. You can cut out part of the wall, or you can build a smaller structure by reducing the distance in the opening. The surface must be cleaned of chips, dust and pieces of concrete. To protect yourself from fungus and mold, treat the wall with antiseptic impregnation.

How to make an arch in a doorway - installing a frame

The main frame of the arch is made from the guide profile. Pre-prepared strips must be attached parallel to each other on both sides and to the top of the opening. Drill holes in the ceilings with which you will secure the profiles with dowels. Please note that the main frame must be installed with a retreat deep into the opening. The retreat should be equal to the thickness of the sheet of drywall and putty. Thus, the surface of the door arch will have one plane with overlaps.

To make the arc-shaped part of the frame, you will have to perform a “simple” manipulation: cut the side flanges of the profile and bend it to an arc. The cuts are made using a grinder or scissors at a distance of 50 millimeters from each other. We attach the resulting arcs with self-tapping screws to the main guides. A DIY plasterboard arch must be strong enough. To do this, you need to install stiffeners from the supporting profile.

How to make an arch in a doorway - an arched fragment of an arch

Using a tape measure, measure the length and width of the arc. Take a knife and cut a piece of drywall to suit the dimensions. Now, to bend drywall, you can use 2 methods:

Get it wet. Suitable for creating slight bends.
We make cuts every 10 centimeters. Use building level so that the cuts come out strictly perpendicular to the side edge.

The drywall needs to be turned over with the cuts facing up. Carefully give it the desired shape. Be careful and the drywall will quickly take shape. Start fixing from the top of the arch with self-tapping screws. Step by step, the sheet of drywall will take on its intended shape.

How to make an arch in a doorway - design

The formed and puttied arch needs additional decoration:

Painting. The interior is painted with light paint.
Wallpapering over the arch. This is a simple and affordable way.
Finishing with stucco molding made of polyurethane. Skills will not be superfluous, but everything is quite simple, because all the elements are assembled and glued in stages. Assembly begins from the top of the arch. The side elements are adjusted to the required height.
Finishing with plaster stucco molding. The method is similar to the previous one, however, by doing the work yourself, you risk making poor-quality seams and ruining the appearance.
Decorative stone laying. It is better to entrust this work to professionals.

Arched doorways add a distinctive architectural charm to your home design. Arches are designed to visually increase the space of a room. Whether to do the work with your own hands or turn to specialists - everyone decides for themselves.

Do you want to functionally and visually zone the space of your apartment, but don’t want to install standard interior doors? Then your choice is plasterboard arches. They not only separate rooms, but also effectively decorate doorways, making them more original. Besides these beautiful designs do not require large expenditures - you can even do them yourself. How? First, find out the features of different types of arches and evaluate photos of finished products in the interior to decide on the design of the model. Then read step by step instructions and watch a video explaining all stages of installation. And then you can confidently begin installing the arch. More about all this below.

Choosing the type of arch

home distinguishing feature each arch - the shape of the vault. It is this that serves as the criterion for classifying products. So, the following types of arches are distinguished:

classic - a traditional version with a semicircular arch, the cross-sectional center of which lies exactly in the middle of the doorway;
portal – laconic arches with a rectangular vault;

segmental - an asymmetrical arch, the arch of which consists of two elements: one repeats the shape of the portal, and the second - the classical model;
modern - semicircular arches with a non-standard arch radius - more or less than the classic radius of half the width of the doorway;
romantic - a type of portal arch with neatly rounded corners.

Advice. When choosing the shape of the arch, you should take into account the size of the rooms. If the ceilings in your apartment or house are low, it is better to avoid classic variations - they somewhat hide the space. And for very low rooms it is better to select arches without pronounced curves at all - segmental or portals.

Getting ready for installation

Before you begin the actual construction of the arch, you need to perform several preparatory work. The first one is the blank necessary tools and materials. In particular, you will need:

plasterboard sheets: two sheets 12 mm thick and one for the vault - 6.5 mm thick;
metal profiles - at least 6 pieces;
two arched corners;
dowels and screws;
hacksaw for metal;
drywall knife;
hammer drill, screwdriver and drill;

Tool for installing a plasterboard arch

building level;
pliers;
roller;
gypsum putty and spatula;
primer;
sanding paper;
pencil and tape measure.

Next, you need to prepare the opening for installation of the new structure. First of all, you need to eliminate door frame– this will help to significantly increase the opening area. After dismantling, it is necessary to thoroughly clean the surface from various flaking materials, dirt and dust.

After finishing preparatory stage start installing the arch. Start by assembling and installing the structure frame.

We construct the arch frame

The construction of an arched frame consists of the following steps:

We install drywall on an arched frame

After the arch frame is installed, it needs to be sheathed with plasterboard. Start with the side parts: screw the prepared sheets to the metal guides with self-tapping screws in increments of 15-20 cm.

Advice. Screw in the self-tapping screws so that their heads “sink” into the drywall - this way they will not interfere with the work. finishing works and in the future they will not spoil the appearance of the arch.

Next, you need to secure the drywall to the curved top profile. This is the most difficult procedure, since the material, on the one hand, bends poorly, and on the other, can quickly deform under force. The best way out of the situation is to slightly wet the drywall and, carefully bending it, adjust it to the frame. When the required arch radius has been reached, attach the plasterboard elements to the curved profile using self-tapping screws. Then ready top part The arches must be connected with the same screws to the side walls of the structure.

We process and decorate the arch

The last stage of creating a plasterboard arch is finishing and design of the structure. The first procedure is performed in several stages:

Walk along the surface of the arch with sandpaper to remove all roughness and unevenness.
Attach the arched corners to the putty - they will hold the shape of the upper part of the structure.
Apply putty to all installation seams.
After completely dry putty again smooth out all the irregularities.
Cover the surface of the arch with a primer, and after it has dried, apply finishing putty on top and sand the structure again.

wallpapering is a simple option with great opportunities: thanks to the variety of textures, colors and patterns, you can choose cladding for absolutely any style. It is best to use non-woven ones - they are not only aesthetic, but also durable.
painting – this decoration option is good for its practicality: the painted structure can be washed an unlimited number of times. Choose water-based paint– its colors are more saturated.

covering with fabrics – non-standard finishing, which will give your arch a more noble look. The choice of fabrics is unlimited - from laconic cotton to exquisite jacquard.
decorative patterns are a very easy to implement decorating idea: you only need template stencils, cans of paint, protective film and your own imagination.

A plasterboard arch is an effective and relatively simple way to transform the interior of your home with my own hands. All you need is to follow the instructions and carry out all the work step by step. And the result will not keep you waiting long - you will get a distinctive and original doorway instead of the usual interior door.

How to make an arch with your own hands: video

Drywall arch: photo

Cleaning up swing doors, the owners increase the usable area. Installing a plasterboard arch instead is the simplest and most affordable option.

Types of arched structures - choose for your apartment

Arches made of plasterboard are created by yourself different shapes, differing mainly in the upper part. Many styles have been developed - from the simplest to the complex. We will focus on those that even people without special skills can do. Having mastered the basics of creating arched openings, you can move on to more sophisticated designs.

One of the popular styles is classic with a strict top shape. This is a semicircle with a radius equal to half the width of the doorway. Looks good in an apartment of sufficient height, when the doorway is not lower than 2.5 m. Suitable for any interior, but best use– entrance to the kitchen or long corridor.

Close to classic style portal, only has strict rectangular shape over the entire height. Ideal option for wooden houses, apartments with clear horizontal and vertical lines. Right angles in this design look elegant. Often add additional originality with wooden decorative elements threaded.

The style of the classic semicircular arch in the elliptical one is practically preserved. Her arch is fulfilled different heights. Formula: the height of the arch is equal to half the width, does not apply. Ideal for apartments with low ceilings.

An even more simplified arch is typical for romantic style. The craftsmen gave it the name “with rounded corners”. The shape allows you to create structures that are large and relatively low. Ideal for decorating a passage to a balcony connected to a room.

The top of the modern style arch has a small radius of curvature and a sharp transition at the junction with the vertical parts. Looks good in rooms with simple design. Often installed instead of a door on a balcony or in an office.

Trapezoidal shape attracts supporters custom design. The asymmetrical interior arch also emphasizes the originality of the owners’ taste. A popular form of recent times is the semi-arch. One side is semicircular, the other remains straight. Fits in modern styles minimalism, hi-tech, art decor.

The shape and design must be consistent with the overall design. The width of the arch and the height of the room are taken into account. Before making the arch, we determine the parameters, especially those related to the radius of curvature. Classic is suitable for apartments with ceilings of three meters or more. For arches in place of standard doorways, rounded corners are recommended. It is better to decorate a wide opening in Art Nouveau style.

Tip: to visually assess how the door arch will fit into the interior, we make a template and apply it to the doorway.

Preparation - design, materials, opening, installation of profiles

We start with a project that we draw to scale. We outline the location and type of the arch. We indicate the dimensions and all distinctive features. It’s even better to make a template that will help for further work, especially for a novice master.

The work will require tools: a hammer drill with a drill, a screwdriver or drill, a jigsaw, a drywall knife, and a hammer. For measurements you will need a tape measure and a level. We fasten everything with self-tapping screws, if the opening is brick - with dowels. We purchase UD and CD profiles from materials. For a wooden frame you will need pieces of timber. We buy simple plasterboard for ordinary rooms, for places with high humidity– moisture resistant.

Next we prepare the doorway: dismantle the door leaf and frame. Depending on the intended size, you may have to expand the space. There is no need to plaster the sides: everything will be covered with sheets of drywall. We remove the peeling plaster and level the side parts. We do not achieve a perfectly vertical state: it is important that the sidewalls are more or less even for reliable fastening of the profile slats.

If we plan lighting, we install the wiring in advance. On uneven walls The depth of the arch is determined by greatest thickness. We take all measurements in several places to avoid mistakes. An arched vault takes up to 15 cm, and the distance to the ceiling is required to be at least 20. Do not forget about this when calculating and marking the arch.

We cut two pieces of metal profile according to the width of the arch. Four more will be needed for the sides. Their length is equal to the height minus the thickness of the profile rail. To install on a concrete or brick wall, we make holes with a puncher, install dowels, and screw the profiles with self-tapping screws. To attach to wooden walls, we do without dowels and use self-tapping screws 50 mm long.

We retreat from the plane of the wall to a distance equal to the thickness of the drywall. For plaster, add another 2 mm. After 50 cm, we install reinforcing crossbars that reach from below to the place where the upper arc-shaped piece of drywall will join the sidewalls. To attach the arcuate element, you will need to install additional profiles, but we will not install them at this stage. We now have a base to which we will attach the casing.

Installation of an arch is the main method for creating any structures

For some reason, many people have particular difficulty with the arched part. You can read many instructions on how to make it with calculations and formulas. Maybe math lovers use them, but in practice everything turns out much simpler; you don’t need to remember the school course.

We take a piece of plasterboard, equal in width to the doorway, from which we will cut an arc. You will need a straight, preferably a wooden strip, at one end of which we drive a nail. Find the middle on the sheet and draw a line. For a classic arch, we also drive a nail from the second end of the rail at a length from the first, equal to half the width of the arch.

We step back along the center line from the top of the sheet so that the top nail is at its edge, and press the bottom nail into the drywall. We came up with a kind of compass. We take the top of the plank and draw a semicircle, leaving a mark from the top nail. We have outlined the dimensions of the top part of the classic arch. If you need an oval one, move the lower point along the axis downwards, as much as you want to reduce the height, and draw a cutting line.

We cut the arc along the intended contour. We do this using a drywall or metal saw. You can use a jigsaw, but it creates a lot of dust. We smooth out any uneven cut that may occur with sandpaper, ensuring that the curve comes out in an ideal shape.

We carry out further actions in the following sequence:

1. Use self-tapping screws to attach a rectangle with a cut out arc to the frame. Temporarily screw the same one on the opposite side.
2. Take a square, place it on an unmarked piece of paper and use a pencil to mark the points that correspond to the cut out arc. We make them larger so that we can draw the most accurate curve possible from them.
3. Remove a piece of sheet and draw a line at the points. We cut off the excess and install the second arc in its permanent place.

A copy of the first arc should not be made: asymmetry is possible, so installing a second sheet with an absolute coincidence of the contours is problematic.

We take a smoothing iron so that its width is enough for two sheets, and align them. Then we install profiles between them. They need to be bent. We make cuts in the sides with scissors, bend them, and adjust them to fit. We fasten it to the drywall with self-tapping screws, holding the strip with a block so as not to injure your fingers. We set the back of the profile rail at the same level with the edge of the arcuate element.

Having attached both strips, we install jumpers between them. We cut the profile into pieces with a length that is 1 cm less than the depth of the arch. In the places where the jumpers are attached to the installed profile, we cut out the sidewalls from the inside and install the prepared fragments. The jumpers provide the necessary rigidity.

Next, we attach the sidewalls on both sides. The arc also needs to be covered with plasterboard. To do this you will have to bend it. This may seem impossible to the ignorant, because they are convinced that standard gypsum board is both fragile and rigid - it does not want to bend and breaks. We'll talk about how to give it the desired bend ahead.

Technology of working with drywall - how bends are made

For surfaces with curved lines, thin drywall is available. You can buy a sheet and install the required length. But the logic kicks in: why buy a whole one if you only need a small piece, of which there are plenty of purchased sheets? standard thickness? In general, everything is correct: a thick piece of paper can also be bent.

Usually simple and quick way. Place the piece cut to size on a flat surface, face up. Take a square and draw lines 10 cm across with a pencil. We make cuts along them, approximately ⅔ of the thickness. The angle is not required, but desirable: a parallel bend will be of better quality. For arches with large bends, this method is most suitable.

We turn the workpiece over with the cuts facing up and apply it to the arch. We fix the upper part with self-tapping screws. From the center we gradually move towards the end. We screw in the screws every 10 cm on both sides. Little effort is required, the sequence is mirror-image. We do everything gradually, slowly, then the gypsum board will bend almost perfectly.

For those who do not like or do not know how to plaster, another method is recommended. After all, more than one layer of plaster will have to be applied to drywall bent using the previous method. A very steep bend using the proposed method, which is called wet, is difficult to obtain, but possible. Its advantages are that the bent fragment remains intact; there is no need to mask the damage with plaster: a regular finishing layer is applied.

You'll have to buy a roller with needles and make a template for bending. No special skills are required, but the process is lengthy and technological breaks must be observed. We do it as follows:

1. Cut out semicircle templates from fairly hard material. We install them vertically and fasten them together.
2. Sheet of drywall required sizes lay it flat and roll it with a roller. Wet it with water, but not too much, so that it seems slightly damp.
3. After 10 minutes of exposure, place the workpiece on the template - the unrolled side is below. The workpiece itself begins to sag, we carefully help without applying excessive force.
4. We wait about half an hour until moisture is felt to the touch. There is no need to wait any longer, it may dry out and the fragility will return.

Plaster and design – we give the product a finished look

A frame covered with plasterboard is a semi-finished product, without high-quality finishing at the finish line it was better not to start. Many people don’t like this stage - it’s better to cut, drill, and fasten than to deal with mortar and sandpaper. Yes, the work is not easy, but necessary, since we decided to do everything with our own hands.

First, apply the primer and let it dry. Those who ignore this stage, wanting to save money and time, are wrong. It is the primer layer that allows the plaster to reliably adhere to the surface and not be torn away over time. We use acrylic putty, but it is better to apply a special one for drywall joints on the seams. It is more durable and does not crack later.

We seal joints, possible defects on drywall and screw heads. We try not to apply a lot of putty, otherwise we will have to remove it later. We pass with a spatula, taking away the excess. To hide unevenness, add strength, and prevent cracking, we cover the joints with fiberglass mesh. Overlaying the segments required length onto fresh putty. Make sure there are no folds. If you can’t align it, it’s better to tear it off and try again.

We cover the bend of the arch with mesh. There will definitely be folds here. To eliminate them, we cut the mesh in these places and glue it. Immediately apply the second layer over the mesh. We wait until it dries: it will become completely white. We smooth the surfaces with sandpaper. Do not overdo it: the mesh should not be exposed. If this happens in selected places– undesirable, but not scary.

Clean off any dust and apply the next layer over the entire surface. Again, wait until it dries and sand, but with finer-grain paper. Finishing layer Apply to a thoroughly cleaned surface. We wait long enough for the putty to dry well. The next day we start sanding using the finest sandpaper.

Sometimes painting an arch is enough to give it a finished and elegant look. But many want to achieve originality using the following techniques:

sheathed with wood or plastic;
cover with wallpaper, veneer;
we use artificial stone finishing;
decorate with mirrors, mosaics;
decorate with stucco molding, columns;
we arrange lighting.

You can use any option, the main thing is harmony with the overall style.

How to make an arch in a doorway? This question interests many owners of apartments and private houses.

It should be noted right away that an arched opening can only look ideal in rooms with high ceilings.

At low ceilings such a structure visually significantly reduces the opening. Therefore, you should think carefully before deciding to build an arch. If you accept it, then you can find a lot of materials to implement your idea.

Methods for constructing arches

How to make an arch instead of doors? Today there are such ways to create arches:

For an arched opening, the wall is hollowed out according to pre-made markings. This method is more suitable for rooms with not very high ceilings.
If the ceilings and doorways are of sufficient height, their upper part is sealed with pieces of plasterboard or plywood to give them an arched shape.

When chiseling a wall proceed as follows:

You need to remove all decorative finishing including door frame.
A vertical line is marked from the floor itself on both sides of the opening to the height of the future arch. For accurate markings, use a level or plumb line.
The width of the marked opening is measured and divided in half. The result is the radius of the arch.
The center of the arch is marked on the top horizontal line. A screw, self-tapping screw or nail is fixed to this point.
A strong thread is tied to the screw, the other end is attached to a pencil. The excess thread is wound around the pencil, leaving a length equal to the radius of the arch.
A mark is made on a line vertical from the center point downward at a radius distance.
A semicircle of the upper part of the arch is outlined.
On the other side of the wall, the marking operations are repeated.

Now you can start chiseling using a hammer drill or other tool. The choice of tool depends on the wall material. It is recommended to drill as many holes as possible along the intended contour. They will help in the chiselling process. IN wooden wall The opening is cut out with a jigsaw or a hacksaw with a narrow blade. The final stage of the preparatory work is processing the edges of the resulting opening and decorating it with prepared materials.

For high ceilings do door arch It is possible if you follow this sequence of actions:

In an opening made of wooden or metal profiles The frame of the future arch is assembled.
Marking is done on drywall or other material from which rectangles need to be cut. Their width is equal to the radius of the arch, their length is equal to the width of the opening. Using a large compass or thread and a pencil, the upper arcs of the arch are marked and cut out with a jigsaw.
The resulting blanks are attached to the frame with hardened self-tapping screws. Their caps are recessed 0.5-1 mm into the drywall.
The end of the opening is sealed. This can be done using fiberboard. This material bends quite well. You can use a strip of plasterboard 8 mm thick. It is rolled several times with a needle roller and sprinkled with water. Punctures are made to a depth of up to half the thickness of the drywall sheet.
If there is no needle roller, punctures can be made with an ordinary awl. The distance between them is about 1 cm. They are made only on the side where the part will be bent. After some time (after about 1-1.5 hours), the plaster gets wet and the strip bends quite easily. It is better to bend it on a wooden or plasterboard template. After drying, it becomes hard again.
Drywall is puttied and the arch is decorated at your discretion.

Arch configurations

An arch in a house gives the rooms a certain personality. There are many configurations and forms of arched openings. Let's look at some of them:

The classic version is suitable for rooms with a height of 3 m. A regular-shaped arch has a bending radius of 45 cm or more. If you add it to the height of the doorway, then the total height of the room may simply not be enough.
The Art Nouveau arch is often erected in standard apartments. Its radius exceeds the width of the doorway, so there are angles between the vertical elements and the arc. They can be made sharp or rounded.
Romantic style is an arch option for large openings. There can be a horizontal insert between the rounded corners, or it can be installed at an angle.

The configuration of the arch depends on the desire and aesthetic taste of the owner of the home. An arched opening can be wavy, polygonal, illuminated, with various niches and shelves, with stained glass windows and so on.

Materials for arch equipment

The arched opening can be made from monolithic concrete, plastic, brick, metal, wood, chipboard, fiberboard, plywood, from plasterboard sheets and other materials. When using brick, concrete or stone, their weight must be taken into account. Such structures may require a special foundation and reinforcement elements for connection with the walls.

Metal is a material that fits into any style. But not every metal is suitable for these purposes. Option from of stainless steel is very expensive. Galvanized iron in interior spaces doesn't look good. It is quite difficult to make complex figures from metal.

Beautiful material natural origin is a tree. It requires virtually no additional finishing.

The best materials to process and allow arches of any shape to be made are plasterboard, fiberboard and particle board. These building materials can be finished with plaster, painted, covered with a layer of decorative or ordinary plaster, paste over with wallpaper, veneer with decorative stone.

Plastic is a material that is easy to process. Plastic structures are not required additional processing and finishing.

To decorate the arches, they also sell ready-made designs from different materials.

The appearance of the arch should correspond to the overall design of the room. Each side of the opening can be designed differently.
Any work on the construction of arched openings begins with dismantling the door frame.
For convenience and to speed up the marking process, it is recommended to use a full-size template. It can be made from cardboard.
When constructing curved frame elements from metal profiles, slots are made on them that allow the workpiece to be bent. The slots are made in increments of about 5 cm.
For work, a drill or hammer drill, a hammer, iron scissors and a hacksaw are usually used. Sometimes other tools may be needed.
The frame is attached 10-12 mm deep into the doorway so that the drywall attached to it is flush with the wall after puttying.
The assembled structure is sanded and puttied. You can cover surfaces and corners with fiberglass mesh.