Do-it-yourself archway. Installation of a drywall arch

During the repair or redevelopment of an apartment, the owners often wonder how to do it with their own hands in the doorway. It's so elegant and practical solution that you can't imagine better.

But before you figure out how to make an arch in the house, you should understand what style prevails in your room and choose the style of the arch accordingly.

There are several types of interior arches:

classic;
modern;
romance;
ellipse;
trapezoid;
portal.

Below is what these types look like. From the pictures you can already roughly understand how to make an interior arch.

But do not rush without understanding all the intricacies of how to make an arch yourself.

The arch can be made in the wall or in. Making a doorway in the form of an arch is subject to almost everyone, we will talk about this in detail later.

But in the wall you should not do the arch on your own. The reason is simple: if you do not have the appropriate education or the skills to properly chisel walls and understand how to make an arch in the wall, you will spend extra time and money. Since in order to then correctly redo the arch, you will have to hire specialists.

You may want to make an arch in a load-bearing wall. This can be done, but remember that any openings in load-bearing walls must be carried out by workers from certified firms that have SRO approval.

Master class on making plasterboard arches

Since the most commonly used material in the manufacture of arched structures is drywall, the master class will be devoted to the question of how to make a drywall arch. Stages:

Take drywall and cut two identical rectangles to fit the opening. Carefully tighten them together with the help of self-tapping screws.
Putting these sheets on a flat surface, find the middle and draw a line.
Measure from the edges of the "compass" 8-10 cm and draw a semicircle between the marks.
Cut the workpiece with an electric jigsaw.
Attach the resulting sides of the arch to the opening.
Inside the acre, fasten the UD profile and pieces of drywall. There must be emphasis.
Cut pieces of drywall along the inner width. Width should be 10 cm.
Dilute the drywall adhesive and glue the pieces of drywall inside the arch so that they do not protrude beyond.
Glue aluminum corners along the vertical sides of the arch and arched corners on top. Thus we see how to make a frame for the arch.

The question of how to make an arch with illumination is a separate one. This point needs to be considered in advance. The arch inside should be left a little hollow, and not completely laid with pieces of drywall. In this cavity you need to put the wiring. In the places where the lamps are installed, cut holes of the desired shape and size, depending on which bulbs will be installed there. Holes need to be cut after the final finishing of the arch. Otherwise, they will not exactly correspond to the plane, and there may be a problem when puttying the arch.

You have decided to make a renovation, maximizing the living space, but you cannot demolish the load-bearing partitions. The device of arches is one of the solutions to this problem. Using a material such as drywall, you will successfully complete the work yourself in a short time.

Types and features of door arches

Before proceeding with the manufacture of the arch, you need to choose which configuration best suits the decoration, furniture and purpose of your room.

arch configurations

There are seven main types of arches that differ in the upper outlines and the shape of the angles of contact with the side vertical wall:

"Classic" - used for high openings in any interiors and is an arc with a radius of half the width of the opening.
Classic arches are most often installed in long corridors or at the entrance to the kitchen.
"Modern" - is used for wide open openings and is distinguished by a gentle bend of the arc, the line of transition to the vertical is sharp and broken.
Arches of the "Modern" type are used in rooms with a classic finish, they are installed after dismantling the window and balcony block or as an entrance to the office
"Romance" - the top is horizontal, the corners are rounded, the opening is wide and low.
Arches of the "Romance" type are made in wide and low openings
"Elliptical" - characterized by a slight gentle bend of the top.
The elliptical arch unites rooms where there are no height restrictions, and looks softer than "Romance"
"Trapezium" - according to the trapezoidal shape of the corners of the junction of the top to the side slopes.
Trapeze configuration fits well with classic finishes
"Portal" - outlines in the form of an elongated rectangle.
The Portal configuration is a long rectangle connecting rooms of low height, usually with wood paneling.
"Semi-arch" - one side is completely vertical, the other is made in the form of a semicircle. Often used by designers modern interiors: minimalism, hi-tech, art deco.
The semi-arch configuration is a variation of the classic arch for low spaces.

We select a suitable configuration and evaluate it visually by cutting out and fixing the paper outline of the arch in the opening. After that, we remove it and save it for cutting.

Choosing from a variety of beautiful pictures, try to evaluate whether you can make such an arch yourself and whether your choice matches the available finances.

Preparing to make an arch

Before performing work, it is necessary to choose the right materials and tools depending on the size of the opening, the type of wall or partition and its thickness.

Material selection

To make an arch, you may need:

Plasterboard lining. According to the mounted frame, the arch is sheathed with plasterboard 9.5 mm thick, which provides strength, the possibility of easy bending and cutting out the desired shape. For work, use sheets of 1200x2500 or 1200x3000 mm in size with the following markings:
Frame. It is most often carried out from a galvanized ceiling, bearing (PN 60x27 mm) and corner (PU 27 mm) profile 2400 or 2800 mm long. There is a special arched profile that easily accepts any bend. Profiles are used for installation in all walls, except for wooden or thin partitions, where it is preferable to use wooden bars or rails. For openings of small width, plywood can be used.
For the manufacture of the frame, a profile for various purposes is used
Fasteners:
Materials for preparation for fine finishing after drywall patching. Reinforcement of joints, preventing cracking and giving strength, is performed with special pasting paper, fiberglass mesh or perforated corner. The final finishing, the elimination of seams and cracks is carried out with acrylic or gypsum putty, cleaning is performed with fine, medium and large sandpaper.
For reinforcing corners and large recesses at the joints, fiberglass mesh and a perforated corner are used.

Tools required for work

According to the work being done, tools are prepared:

Opening preparation

We carry out the following preparatory work:

Video: opening opening

Do-it-yourself arch installation

We will consider the installation technology using the example of a classic type arch. Initially, we will cut drywall:

Carefully cut out the front of the skin along the drawn line with a knife or jigsaw. Then mark it and cut out the second part.

A high-quality and even cut is obtained using a jigsaw. Other tools can damage the edges. To prevent damage to the edges, before starting cutting, we stick a wide paper tape on the cutting line.

Installation of a frame from a profile

The opening most often has geometrically irregular shape. We apply a level line on the walls of the opening, from it we mark the bottom of the frame elements and front linings to ensure alignment of the upper lining of the arch.

The method of work production is determined by the prepared profile:

We mount the ceiling profile, framing the top of the opening on both sides, retreating from the plane of the walls inward by the thickness of the drywall. We measure the length of the side profiles according to the cut-out front plasterboard lining.
We mount the profile on the top of the opening
By the size of the length of the arc of the front lining, we cut off two pieces of the profile corner.
We take one of them, make parallel cuts with metal scissors to the corner of the shelf in 3–5 cm.
We put incisions on one shelf of the corner, which will make it easy to bend the profile
Carefully arching, with the notched side we fasten the segment of the corner with a step of 120 mm with self-tapping screws to the arcuate edge of the plasterboard front part.
Carefully bend the profile and fasten it to the cut out drywall arc
We only bend the second segment of the corner along it.
We sew the front part with a screwed corner, fastening it with self-tapping screws to the perimeter frame with a step of 120 mm.
The front part is attached to the frame with self-tapping screws.
We cut jumpers from the ceiling profile with a length equal to the thickness of the opening minus 15 millimeters, and install them every 200–250 mm.
At the ends of the jumpers with metal scissors, we cut off 20 mm from the rack-mount part of the profile, leaving the bottom flat part. We fasten the jumpers to the screwed corner, retreating 5 mm from the edge attached to the drywall.
Jumpers from the profile are prepared for installation by cutting off the side rack part
On the second end of the jumper, we fasten the remaining curved corner with a whole shelf and mount the second front lining.
We mount the jumpers, fix the second corner to them and fasten the second front part

Video: flexible profile for GKL

Arch profile frame

According to its characteristics, the arched profile is more plastic and stronger than the corner. It is used for fastening curved elements:

Installation of a wooden frame

WITH wooden frame there are constant changes - unlike metal, it reacts to seasonal deformations of the building, changes in humidity and temperature. If you sew drywall onto a wooden frame directly, cracks will appear at the joints over time, caused by deformations at the attachment points. To overcome this drawback, plywood is used as an intermediate material, which gives the structure additional rigidity, and drywall is already mounted on it. The frame is attached directly to the front of the plywood arch. The work is done in the following order:

We calculate the dimensions of the sheathing according to the formula 2 plasterboard thicknesses +2 plywood thicknesses.
From the thickness of the opening we subtract the resulting figure, we get the width of the frame bar. If it turned out more than 120 mm, which corresponds to the average width of the board, we make a frame from a double bar 40x40 with the insertion of bosses. To do this, we connect the cut bars in two with bosses every 150 mm.
By carved front surfaces from drywall we make the same figures from plywood 3-4 mm thick.
We fasten them with self-tapping screws to the bars - first to the framing rectangular parts, and then to the stiffening ribs parallel to the sides - vertically, every 120 mm.
We attach wooden bars to the front lining of the plywood arch
We mount plywood lining with a wooden frame at the top of the opening, deeper than the wall plane by the thickness of the plasterboard.
We mount the frame sewn onto plywood with bosses in the opening
We sheathe the opposite side with the second plywood lining.
We check the ratio of the curved sides with a level, a building square, trim or clean it with sandpaper.
We fasten the second front lining from plywood onto the frame

Laying communications

If the design project provides for the installation of fixtures, we lay the cable along the mounted structures to the installation site of each light source and fix it so that the end of the cable hangs over the lower plane.

The cable is attached to structures, the ends are brought out beyond the plane of the filing

After sewing on the strip and its fine finish, holes are cut out with a crown and lamps are installed.

Holes of the required diameter are cut out in the lower strip of the arch, into which lamps will subsequently be installed

Drywall installation

We sheathe the finished frames with drywall:

made of an arched profile - on both sides according to the finished frame;
from wooden blocks - over plywood. If there is no cut out arc in the prepared rectangles, we do it in place, focusing on the lower edge of the plywood;
on the metal carcass Facial linings are installed in the process of its assembly.

Then we check the correspondence of the curved cutouts to each other with a level or a building corner, align them by running a grater with a fixed medium-grained sandpaper several times simultaneously along the bottom of both sides.

After stitching front sides we sew drywall on the bottom of the arc:

We make accurate measurements of the length of the curved part of the front surface.
We cut out a strip of plasterboard with a length of 100 mm more than the measured distance and a width corresponding to the distance between the front surfaces.
We put marks on the prepared strip at the locations of the jumpers and lamps.
We drill holes for the lamps.

We sheathe the arcuate bottom with this strip, doing the work in one of two ways:

"Dry" - we make parallel cuts every 50 mm for half the thickness of the sheet and fasten to the frame from the center of the arc with self-tapping screws in increments of 100 mm.
We make cuts on one side of the lining, bend the strip and fix it
"Wet":
- with a special roller with needles, we pass the side without marking several times. In the absence of a roller, randomly over the entire surface with a knife, we make shallow cuts 20–30 mm long every 15 mm;
  We apply punctures in a strip of drywall with a special roller
- if possible, we make a U-shaped box of boards according to the size of the opening;
- wet the treated side with a sponge with water;
  To obtain an accurate and even bend, the strip must be laid on a pre-assembled box.
- after 40 minutes, we fasten the finally curved strip from the center of the arc onto self-tapping screws;
- trim off excess length.

In the absence of a box, you can lean the strip against the wall with the wet side down, and after the start of the bend, re-moisten it.

The wet bending method is more difficult, but it gives a more even surface, on which it is only necessary to putty the screws.

Video: how to bend the bottom strip of the stitching

Making vaults by gluing

Work is possible on a partition of medium thickness:

Pre-finishing

Perforated corner is installed at the joints of drywall for reinforcement

We knead small portions of putty - acrylic or gypsum-based.

We apply it with a spatula to the junction of drywall with the main walls and smooth it out, comparing the surfaces. With a significant depth of irregularities, putty is applied 2-3 times, waiting for the applied layer to dry.

With a large depth of irregularities, the putty is applied in several layers

We putty hats of self-tapping screws, joints, glued paper, perforated corner.

Having closed the existing seams, potholes and strengthened the reinforcing materials, we leave the coating to dry.

After drying, carefully clean all the irregularities with medium-grained sandpaper, trying not to damage the reinforcing layer.

Rinse the surface with a damp sponge.

We apply a thin layer of finishing putty, eliminate irregularities.

After drying, smooth again with medium-grained sandpaper, wipe with a sponge.

After each layer of putty has dried, the surface is polished with medium-grained sandpaper.

We apply the last, third thin continuous layer, trying not to scratch the surface with a spatula.

Let dry for 12 hours.

We grind the surface.

In the absence of a reinforcing corner and paper, after applying the first layer of putty, we unwind a roll of fiberglass mesh of the required width, cut off the desired length, pressing it with a spatula, fix it on the corner, cut the wrinkles of the mesh on an arcuate surface and bring its ends to each other.

Glue the mesh to the corner on a layer of putty

If the bend was made dry, there will most likely be slight kinks from the notches.. In this case, for leveling, we additionally apply another continuous layer of acrylic putty. After drying, we grind and apply a finishing putty.

We also independently changed the door to an arch in our old-plan apartment. The first difficulty was that the entrance to the hall with double door 1600x3000 mm was located on the corner, close to the front door. A large open opening into a small room, where they enter in street shoes and clothes, did not suit. After lengthy disputes, we decided that we were making a semi-arch in a semicircle to entrance doors to build a blank wall into the corridor. Height - 2500 mm, arch radius - 1500 mm. The opening above the mark of 2500 mm and 1000 mm from the floor from the side of the arc is sewn up tightly, and in the rest of the space we make a glass colored stained-glass window. The old partition was made of double-shingled board and plastered, the thickness of the opening was only 90 mm. They framed the entire old opening with a planed rail 60x10mm on all sides, above 2540 mm they made a frame out of it for a blind wall lining. We bought an arched metal profile 3000 mm long. A quarter of a circle with a radius of 1500 mm was drawn on the old cardboard packaging from the refrigerator. A profile was bent along it and installed in place, securing it to the upper frame under the wall lining. At a height of 1000 mm from the floor, a side frame was completed from the rail for the wall lining, fixed to the profile and the rail on the opening. According to the measurements of the frames and the drawn quarter of the circle, the upper and lower linings were cut out of drywall and fixed to the frames with self-tapping screws. We measured the remaining uncovered profile, and according to it and the drawing of the semicircle, we marked and cut out arc linings from drywall 60 mm high, aligned with the profile at the bottom of the arc. Pieces of 15 mm long were cut from a 60 mm rail, fixed to a bent profile after 150 mm. The side plasterboard linings were fixed to the profile. Then bought 6 corners for tiling and 3 plastic panels the same color under the beech. All openings and the bottom of the arc were paneled with the help of tile corners. Before that, they made a full putty and alignment of the plasterboard linings with the wall, pasting the joints with fiberglass mesh. In order for the putty to lay flat, I advise you to do a full drywall primer acrylic composition. The final touch is the purchase of a beech-colored plastic holder rail for glass, sticking it on liquid nails and glazing. The only thing I regret is that after the exchange of the apartment, the hard drive on the computer burned out and there were no photos of the resulting miracle, which I am proud of.

fine finish

There are many design solutions fine finish. Take your time to look at them. When making the final choice, have complete confidence that you will be able to do the work yourself and master the financial issues. After that, boldly embody your fantasies. You will succeed.

Video: do-it-yourself drywall arch

Making an arched opening with your own hands is quite realistic. It is important to work carefully and know what you want to get as a result.

Arches have been used in architecture since the second millennium BC. At the dawn of history, they were given a special sacred meaning: to pass through the arch meant to be born again.

Today, arches are gaining popularity in interior design.

The interior arch performs the same functions as several thousand years ago: it gives originality and visually divides the space, at the same time combining two rooms together.

Arches are most actively used in a wooden private house or in an apartment, they are usually mounted in a corridor or connect a kitchen and a living room.

Varieties

Arches are a symbiosis of elegance and versatility, fit into any interior, ennoble the doorway.

The variety of forms of arched structures classified as follows:

In addition, the arches can be made according to individual sketches and have a bizarre shape, depending on the customer's imagination.

Interior arches are made from the following materials:

Wooden – practical material creating an atmosphere of comfort and warmth. Arches made of wood fit into any type of opening.
Drywall- Differs in plasticity, ease of installation.
Plastic(pvc) - easy to care for, moisture resistant, durable.
mdf- aesthetic, large selection of colors and textures, affordable cost.

Do you know how to fix drywall on a wall without a frame? Read in this article.

Decorative finishes

Interior arches made of mdf, plastic or wood are usually left in original condition.

In turn, drywall structures require additional decor.

Finishing performs the following functions:

camouflage - allows you to hide installation defects;
technical - adjustment of dimensions using decorative elements;
decorative - gives the arch final view in the theme of the chosen style.

A huge number of modern finishing materials allows for individuality and combinations with other components of the interior.

Consider the most common options decorative finishes:

Plaster- a simple method, while the choice of textures and colors will satisfy the most demanding taste. The surface is preliminarily puttied and primed, they are allowed to dry completely and decorative plaster is applied. If a relief is provided, then a drawing is made on a fresh leveled layer.
Cork wallpaper- presented in the form of rolls or tiles made of veneer or cork chips. They are light, elastic, durable, mounted on a leveled surface with glue. Finishing the arch itself with cork wallpaper is quite easy and does not take much time.
Painting. pre-aligned drywall construction coated with acrylic or water-based paint, wooden - varnished.
Decorative rock- durable, resistant to external influences, but not cheap material. Installation is laborious, requires certain skills. The stone must be glued to the cement base after preliminary filling and priming of the vault and walls.
Mosaic. It is made from pieces of ceramics, glass, stone, pvc panels with a wide range of shades. Based on the material used, the elements can be square, round, oval, rectangular, triangular, arbitrary shape. Decorating the arch with mosaic drawings is quite easy, you just need to turn on your imagination. Mosaic drawings are original and unique.

As you know, modern design ideas are constantly presenting us with new solutions. Finishing with mirrors or textiles looks original. Frescoes will give the status to the interior– hand-painted with paints on wet plaster.

Design experts experimenting with shapes, creating arches with through niches or bar counters. In recent years, stucco, columns and gilded details have returned to fashion.

Do-it-yourself arch in the hallway

Making an arch at home is not a difficult job, requiring minimal experience in the field of home renovation. Consider the technique of erecting a simple semicircular plasterboard arch in the hallway. Note that the process may vary slightly depending on the thickness and material of the walls.

We buy materials and prepare tools

Measure the opening, make a sketch, indicating the height of the beginning of the rounding and the radius.

Best option - moisture-resistant, fire-resistant drywall. It is desirable to choose a wall with a thickness of 12 mm, arched - 6.5 mm. Straight frame elements require a rack metal profile, and a contour guide profile.

You will need short self-tapping screws for metal, special for drywall, as well as wood screws.

From the tools we prepare:

roulette;
perforator;
level;
jigsaw;
putty;
pencil;
metal scissors.

Preparatory work

Clear the opening of paint, wallpaper, expand the opening or increase in height, if necessary. Level the side walls using putty, make marks with a pencil.

Cut out two rectangles from drywall. Apply an arc shape to the drywall using a nail or pencil tied to a thread.

Do not make an unnecessarily steep arc, especially for a narrow opening.

Then cut the arch with an electric jigsaw, or with a hacksaw, repeat the procedure with the second rectangle. (see photo)

Frame installation

Cut four vertical elements equal in length to the height of the workpiece and two horizontal elements equal in width. Next, you need to install the profiles and attach them with self-tapping screws. 40-50 cm long to the walls of the opening, leaving about 1.5 cm deep on both sides.

Consider the thickness of drywall to the design coincided with the plane of the wall. Start with the horizontal guide.

You may be interested in information on how to putty drywall for painting. Read this one.

Assembly

Fasten drywall sheets to both sides of the frame using a screwdriver. Leave the heads of the screws flush with the surface. Then measure the length of the arc and separate the profile section with metal shears.

To bend a profile need to make a few cuts around the edges, the more often - the stronger the bend will be. Fix the resulting arc with screws at the bottom of the metal frame. Connect the guide and drywall with self-tapping screws in increments of 10-15 cm.

Lightly dampen the drywall before bending. Now attach the resulting element to the arches (the cuts should be inside the structure), attach with self-tapping screws. Achieve maximum fit of the frame to the structure.

Finishing

At this stage, it is necessary to sheathe the edges of the drywall and joints with fiberglass mesh or paper tape, wait for it to dry. Apply a layer of putty and after drying sand the surface. Repeat the process twice for perfect smoothness.

Decorate according to your taste. As an example, let's take the easiest and most economical way- pasting the arch with wallpaper with further finishing of the edges with a plastic corner.

Wallpaper should be chosen easy to care for (vinyl, bamboo, non-woven), monophonic or with a small complex pattern are recommended. It is necessary to glue the walls on both sides of the opening, leaving a margin of 2-2.5 cm, cut off the excess, fold the edge into inner part arches.

Cut a strip of suitable width and glue inside the opening.

The joint will look more aesthetically pleasing if you use a plastic corner.

Preferably before installation degrease the inside corner, then apply a thin layer of sealant, liquid nails or special glue, press firmly to the installation site. fix, wait for the glue to set.

The work is completed, you can enjoy the result.

Do-it-yourself drywall arch: video instruction.

Any owner of a residential building with an arched passage, one way or another, thought: how to arrange the design of the arch so that it takes on a stylish beautiful view. In addition, it is necessary to observe the complete harmony of the overall style of the room.

As a rule, the arch is used to delimit the space in the kitchen, living room, balcony, corridor and hallway. The design can take any shape, configuration and size, take different variants decor.

How to paint an archway?

The photo of the arch in the interior shows the most popular way of designing the structure - this is the initial plastering, then painting. This method is equally suitable for both classic luxury and trendy modern style.

Please note that for starters, it is important to correctly select the base for the paint (the plaster itself), which is divided into several types:

to create a relief effect;
traditional putty;
texture version of the composition;
apply a special pigmented solution.

Previously, before starting work, it is necessary to align the contours of the arch in the apartment as much as possible. For these purposes, apply drywall sheets, corners and putty. Joints and possible cracks should be filled with sickle. To obtain the most even and clear contours of the structure, it is necessary to fix the corners with a profile.

Then you should ideally evenly clean the area of \u200b\u200bwork by applying paint with a roller. If it is intended to further decorate the element with embossed accessories, it is reasonable to immediately apply a pigmented solution. After finishing the main work, linings or decorative curtains can be introduced into the opening.

Decorating with stone and tiles

In a no less relevant way beautiful design arches is decoration with facing materials, which include: tiles, natural or artificial stone, brick imitation. Less often, the opening is decorated tiles or mosaic.

An important advantage of this method is the introduction of arch decor into absolutely any style. The combination of stone can be completely different: with paper, textile canvases (wallpaper), plaster, paint.

Finishing the opening with this method, gypsum materials are usually used, but clinker and porcelain stoneware raw materials are not excluded. Due to their high strength and durability, they are usually located at the entrance to the house, or on the balcony area.

In order for the design of the arch with a stone, that is, its initial cladding to be of high quality and reliably serve its household members, it is necessary to make the surface perfectly even, and then select a good desired adhesive composition.

The cladding can be made with an individual non-standard pattern, so it is recommended to mark it first for further precise orientation of the masonry.

You can also veneer the opening with natural durable stone, but this will be a very expensive repair. Moreover, it is worth considering that the arch needs to be in the opening only bearing wall, or a solid partition.

The use of panels and stucco in the interior

A popular way to decorate a door arch is to frame it with special decorative panels and overlays. The most relevant and relatively inexpensive material serves as MDF, which is in perfect harmony with classic style premises.

The surface is treated with artificial veneer or film. Please note that imitation of natural wood always remains at the height of fashion.

For proper fixation of the panels in the aisle, it is worth using special carnations without caps and an adhesive solution. There are situations when you have to bring the level, you should use a spacer and mounting foam. This process is practically no different from installing a door frame.

As in other methods, you first need to level the surface and eliminate all possible gaps and joints. Markets and Specialty Stores building materials offer ready-made overlay options that are fixed with a simple click.

An interesting way to decorate an arch in an apartment is stucco molding, which is not at all difficult to do on your own using glue or liquid nails. Most often, polyurethane is used, which gives the interior a special grace, chic and luxurious rich look.

You can make relatively simple shapes, or you can make the most complex bulky cast parts. The main disadvantage of stucco molding is rapid mechanical damage and failure.

Curtains and curtain

Since ancient times, the arched opening has been decorated with ordinary curtains, but even now this design option, although less often, is acceptable. The entrance is masked with a light tulle, a curtain or a thick curtain, which will serve as if it were the door itself.

Usually, the doorway is masked with bamboo curtains, beautiful threads, decorative beads. This method is very simple to do with your own hands, using a cornice over the opening to fasten the curtains. There are curved cornices that match the very shape of the opening.

It is no secret that the arch serves as a continuation of the wall, which is why, when decorating it, it is necessary to take into account the decoration of the walls.

As you know, wood is the most noble and wear-resistant raw material, which is successfully used to decorate classical everyday life. It is better if the design is simpler, but very refined in form. It is also possible to hang a wooden arch with an elegant curtain with gilding, which will successfully set off the classics.

lighting solution

The beautiful design of the arch is complemented by built-in lighting devices, which can be point, side or contour types. The easiest way is to embed the fixtures in a drywall element in the end part.

The decorative opening is equipped with recesses, where light bulbs are later installed. To hide the backlight a little, you need to mask the recesses with glass. It is important to use colored or translucent glass, which in itself will serve as an additional detail of the interior and the structure itself.

The arch that divides the space of the kitchen and living rooms looks very beautiful, and its lower part smoothly turns into a bar counter.

Photo of arch design options

In the life of any person from time to time there comes a repair. It may be associated with the acquisition of a new house or apartment, with the desire to update the interior of a familiar home. One way to organize space is to create arched structures. Arches in the house can perform two completely different functions: the unification of space, when an arch is placed instead of doors; division of a large area to highlight several zones of different function.

Of these two options, the arch in the doorway is more common, giving a more interesting look to the layout of the apartment. When replacing a door with an arch, it is necessary to take into account the pros and cons of such a solution. To the undoubted advantages for small apartment refers to the expansion of space. When combining a kitchen and a small room, you can arrange a dining room, where it will be convenient and pleasant to dine with family or friends.

If in long and narrow corridor several arches are placed, then the feeling of narrow passages as in a train car disappears.

If a balanced decision is made to install the arch, then we proceed to the choice of the form of the decorative structure:

Rectangular;
Semicircular, having an equilateral rounding;
Semi-arch, having only one rounded corner;
Trapezoidal, the design of which consists of curved lines;
Fantasy.

The disadvantage of the arch instead of the door is that you can no longer close the door to highlight your piece in the apartment. If the arch is placed instead of the door to the kitchen, then the smell of cooked food will spread everywhere.

How to make an arch in a doorway

After the shape has been determined, it is recommended to make a template from cardboard, fiberboard or other improvised materials. Creating a template helps you visualize the end result and more accurately calculate the quantity. necessary materials. When designing, we take into account that the installation of an arch in an existing doorway will reduce its height by about 10-15 cm. If the dimensions of the opening are insufficient to implement design ideas or the owners of the apartment are tall enough, then you will have to increase the height of the doorway. Changing the height or width requires a lot of money, including labor, financial and time to coordinate redevelopment in the relevant organizations. Determining the shape, creating a template are the first stages in the manufacture of an arch.

They are followed:

Dismantling the old door frame (if this has not been done before);
Preparation of the surface of the walls for the installation of the arch;
Creating a frame;
Installation of an arched structure;
Fine finishing and decoration.

All these works can be entrusted to professionals, but if you have a desire, you can do everything yourself.

Instructions: how to make an arch with your own hands

The cheapest and most common material for arch installation, as well as for many other works, is drywall. We dismantle the old door frame. For more modern designs it's simple. You just need to unscrew the screws and carefully remove the trim. Old houses present various surprises to their owners. In ancient times, nails were used to fasten the platbands to the bars.

Carelessness during such work can lead to the destruction of floors or their damage.

After dismantling, we carefully evaluate the intermediate result of the work. The former doorway and the wall next to it must be clean, level, without serious damage. Therefore, if cracks and chips are found, we putty, this will help subsequently to properly and efficiently finish them. If you plan to level the walls with drywall, then this can be combined with an arch device.

When the doorway is prepared, a U-shaped frame made of a metal profile is installed in it. It consists of one horizontal segment equal to the width of the doorway and two vertical segments, the length of which corresponds to our future design. The frame should be on both sides of the opening, that is, in fact, we make two of them. Two rows of holes of 10 cm each are marked and drilled in the profile. Then holes are marked and drilled with a puncher at the ends of the wall. Guides are attached to the walls.

The turn has come to use the pre-cut template. Sheets of drywall are marked on it, with the help of a jigsaw, two parts are cut out for each arch and attached with self-tapping screws to the installed profiles. Along the edges of the attached parts of the template, it is also necessary to mount the profile. Since we are considering how to make a semicircular arch, an important step is to give the drywall profile the appropriate shape. To do this, we cut the edges of the letter P of our profile to the full height. The profile becomes obedient and takes the geometric shape we need. After that, it takes its place along the edges of the slices.

The next stage requires accuracy and care. It is necessary to correctly install the arched fragment of our arch. The profile is already installed, so we measure the length of the arc and the width of our part, cut out the rectangle. The difficulty is that the rectangle does not really want to become an arc. If ordinary drywall is used, then the main method of “pacifying” it is wetting and simultaneously shaping it. But this option may seem complicated to ordinary home craftsmen who are afraid to make mistakes. In this case modern technologies suggest us to use arched drywall, which takes a semicircular shape much easier than usual. We fasten our part in the usual way, moving from the center of the arch to the edges, and we are almost at the finish line.

We process the edges of the arch, cut off the excess. After that, we process the joints and the edges of the drywall with perforated paper tape or sickle, putty, and process it with sandpaper. The choice of putty for finishing depends on the future decor of our arch.

Stayed Finishing work, to which we will return a little later. If you plan to install fixtures in a semicircular part of the arch, then you need to do this before you start puttying. If you are afraid to take on unfamiliar material, then you can put arched structure from plywood. In this case, two methods are possible: the first is similar to working with drywall, the second is described below.

Do-it-yourself door arch: making from plywood

To build such a structure, first measure the size of the arc of the future arch. A rectangle is cut out of a sheet of thin plywood, the width of which is equal to the width of the doorway and the length is equal to the size of the arc. Plywood is a malleable material, so the cut rectangle is evenly moistened, allowed to lie down for a short time and bent to fit into the opening.

It is important to place the cut part evenly and accurately, this will require some skill.

Be sure to fasten the part with screws in the center, then along the edges. The space between the resulting semicircular arch and fill the walls mounting foam and wait for it to dry. If there is a lot of free space, then part of it can be filled with foam parts, and the remaining free space with foam. We cut off the excess foam, putty the facade of our arch using a sickle.

Less common designs are wood and brick arches. Despite the beauty and durability of such arches, their installation requires more expensive materials and the participation of professional craftsmen. The most interesting stage remains to create an arch in the doorway with your own hands - finishing. Various decorative materials can be used here.

Most common:

Wallpapering;
Decorative plaster;
Coloring;
Bonding finished foam plastic finishing elements;
The use of decorative stone and other types of decoration.

How to make a door arch with your own hands (video)

Thus, it is quite possible to make an arch in the doorway yourself, using the usual repair tool and available materials. The result of such work will be pride in their work and original decorative element in apartment design.