Do-it-yourself entrance and interior arched doors. What are the arches in the doorway, from what materials and how to make them with your own hands Do-it-yourself arch in the doorway

27.06.2020

Main salient feature arches - they always look advantageous in the interior, both classic and modern. This architectural element allows you to visually combine several rooms, which to some extent softens general impression from small apartments.

The arch in the kitchen is very practical, because with the advent of powerful hoods, the need for a door has completely disappeared. The same element, installed in the opening leading to warm loggia, actually unites the space and makes the adjacent room noticeably more spacious. Thanks to the expansion of the opening, it is also possible to increase the degree of insolation, which is important.

In this article we will tell you how to make an arch in a doorway yourself from different materials.

arch types

Immediately before you get down to business, you must definitely decide what shape your arch will be. Accurate and correct selection of the option will ensure the harmony of the overall appearance of the apartment and combine aesthetics with practicality.

When choosing the type of arch, you need to take into account the following points:

room height;
the width of the existing opening;
the material from which the walls are built.

So the correct (semicircular) arch does not look good in a room where the floor-to-ceiling distance is 250 cm, unless the opening is narrow (up to 70 cm). This the option fits perfectly into high rooms (3 meters or more).

The classic arch should have a bend equal in depth to ½ of the width of the opening. That is, if the last 80 centimeters, then the radius of the arch will be - 40.

In the presence of a wide passage and low ceilings, it is advisable to build a straight portal, the arched element here will look too unnatural. Alternatively, it can be narrowed by placing open shelving on the sides (or only on one side).

The easiest way is to choose the shape of the arch if the wall is only planned to be built. Here the choice is practically unlimited. The openings can be wavy, trapezoidal. It is acceptable to make it completely round in Asian style.

materials

In reality, the arch is easy to build from a variety of materials:

brick;
wood;
Chipboard and MDF;
metal;
drywall;
plywood;
plastic.

In the conditions of an apartment, capital arches are not erected, and therefore they are most often made of wood, plasterboard or plastic.

Preparatory work

First of all, the opening should be freed from old door. It is dismantled along with the box. Internal surfaces cleaned of the remnants of the solution, dedusted and carefully primed. If there are irregularities, they are eliminated.

Next comes the time to determine what type of arch in your particular case. fit better Total. To do this, you can cut out several options from cardboard and, by attaching them to the opening, see what will look more harmonious.

If you don’t have the desire to mess around for a long time yourself, get a ready-made arched portal at a hardware store. The following materials are currently available:

plastic;
wood.

The last option is the most expensive.

clapboard

It is not difficult to build an arch if the room is trimmed with clapboard. In this case, however, you will have to install it on the wall of the adjacent room, but such accent elements are very popular today.

In this case, the base of the arch is cut out of chipboard (not thinner than 18 mm). It should clearly fit into the dimensions of the opening. It is strengthened there using trimming bars installed across the sidewalls. Then the walls are sheathed with decorative strips, cut to shape. The inner vault is sealed with either flexible plywood or pieces of lining. Here you can set the backlight, but only LED bulbs are allowed in it.

Drywall

In order to veneer the GKL opening correctly, it is necessary to knock down a layer of plaster from the wall above the future arch - this will allow you to place the sheet flush with it. The drywall blank is cut out so that it protrudes at least 15 cm above the opening, on the sides - 5 cm on each side.

The profile is needed only to stiffen the circle itself. To do this, take the type UD. In it, with the help of scissors, cuts are made at least every 20 mm, so that only one side wall remains intact. As a result, you will get a flexible part that can be easily adjusted to the shape of the arch.

In a rectangle prepared from drywall, whose size is 15 cm larger than the future arch in height and 10 in width, two points are marked 50 mm from the edge.

Next, using a pencil on a string, the outlines of the bend are applied, holding the end of the string along the center of the lower edge of the piece of plasterboard, starting from one of the above marks. If the arch is made incorrect (sloping), then the place of fixation of the thread is moved back below the edge of the workpiece.

Then, along the drawn line, drywall is cut with an electric jigsaw or a conventional one. hacksaw blade for metal (not suitable for wood - too large teeth severely damage the edge). It is advisable to put two blanks together at once and cut out the excess in one fell swoop.

A profile is screwed to the rounded end of the GKL with self-tapping screws, not reaching the edge of 1.5 cm, so that the strip with which you will close the arch along the end “drowns”.

Next, the surface of the wall, freed from plaster and primed, is covered with a layer of glue (Perlfix is the best) using a notched trowel. A piece of GKL is pressed against it and lightly slapped with the palm of your hand. Additionally, it is fixed with several dowels. On the other side of the wall, a second arch element is installed.

When the glue dries, jumpers are mounted between the profiles for rigidity. The end is sheathed with a strip of drywall, notched from the inside across, through 2 centimeters and broken.

All seams are sealed with special glue (Fügenfüller) and glued with fiberglass. The edges are protected by a flexible corner. The sides of the opening are also lined with plasterboard strips and reinforced.

The last stage of work is puttying and painting.

The arch of the doorway is an original architectural solution that allows you to separate adjacent rooms and give individuality. standard apartment. Every year, this interior design is becoming increasingly popular, due to its versatility and attractive appearance. Making an arch in a doorway is not difficult, so every homeowner can handle this job.

Varieties of arches in the apartment

Choosing an arched opening should not only take into account taste preferences, but also depending on the width of the opening and the height of the ceiling. It is necessary to properly plan the structure, which should look organically in a particular interior. It will also be necessary to take into account the features of specific premises. For example, an arch installed instead of a door to the kitchen or living room will be a great solution, but to a nursery or bedroom can complicate use.

For the device of door arches can be used:

wood;
drywall.

It is drywall that has received the greatest distribution, since it is an inexpensive and easy-to-use material that with equal success allows you to make rectangular and oval arches. Every homeowner with minimal experience in construction work will cope with such a finish.

In rooms kept in classical style, recommend choosing arches with a semicircular shape that look great in rooms with a ceiling height of more than 3 meters. Such a design can be made according to patterns, and the subsequent finishing is carried out from wood, stone or decorative materials.

In rooms with a small area and low ceilings, semi-arches in the style of romance, which look like an arc with rounded corners, are suitable. IN modern interior simple U-shaped portals made of drywall or similar materials look great. The advantage of such straight arches is their versatility, which allows them to be used in rooms with different interior styles.

Step by step manufacturing instructions

When planning repairs in the house, you can turn to professional finishers who will equip the arches from drywall and other similar materials. If you wish, you can do all the work yourself with the simplest tools.

You just need to choose the type of arch, which should correspond to the characteristics of a particular room, make an approximate sketch of the future design, decide on the height, width of the opening, choose the right materials, dismantle the door yourself and make an original and stylish arch.

Taking measurements

Like any other construction work, the manufacture of the door arch begins with measurements. For this, a level and a simple tape measure are used. Take measurements from the opening and passage, determine optimal height and width, you will need to take into account the dimensions of the span between the walls.

All obtained measurements are recorded in the drawing, which greatly simplifies the work and allows you to calculate the required amount building materials. All work is carried out, referring to the sketch, maintaining the calculated dimensions.

Dismantling the old door

If necessary, the old door is dismantled, which is removed along with the box. It is recommended to perform the work as carefully as possible, keeping all the platbands and the canvas itself. You will need a chisel, mallet, chisel and similar tools.

Dismantling the old door takes literally half an hour. If necessary, it will be necessary to further level the opening, for which they carefully operate with a chisel, chisel and hammer: large protrusions are removed and the concrete is cleaned of foam and sealant.

Arrangement of the supporting frame

The supporting frame is the basis of the whole structure, which is attached to the doorway and ensures the reliability, rigidity and durability of the arch. The use of metal guides for drywall simplifies the work, while the elements can be fastened either directly to the walls or pre-assembled, and then fixed with anchors and dowels.

The frame is mounted as follows:

Along the lines of the opening, with the help of anchors and dowels, a contour made of metal profile.
Vertical guides are installed with a slight ledge from the interior wall.
Parallel to each other, 2 profiles from a metal contour are installed on each side.
Having mounted the profile, you can begin to fix the drywall. With a GKL thickness of 12.5 mm, self-tapping screws measuring 3.5 by 35 are used.
Drywall sheathed 2 sides of the frame. It is not recommended to save on self-tapping screws and fasteners, since the quality of fixation and the durability of the completed structure will depend on this.
The easiest way is to build an arch-arc from a metal profile, for which the metal is cut in increments of 6-7 cm with special scissors. For the manufacture of an arched structure, you will need 2 such blanks.
The arcuate profile is installed and fixed on the frame. They need to be fixed with self-tapping screws or special suspensions, the number of which will depend on the width and length of the opening.
With a step of 50 mm along the perimeter of the frame, stiffening ribs are installed, which are fixed by guides from two contours.

The supporting frame will be durable, the homeowner will only have to sheathe it with drywall, plywood and carry out decorative trim. On sale you can find a ready-made curved profile, the use of which will greatly simplify repair work and making an arch.

Bending drywall sheet

Having mounted the supporting frame, you can begin to bend the drywall sheets, which is necessary to give decorativeness and original appearance to the completed arch. GKL is a versatile, durable and pliable material that easily takes the desired shape and guarantees the highest possible durability and reliability of repairs.

There are two ways to bend drywall sheets:

dry;
wet.

With the dry method, small cuts are applied to the wrong side of the sheet, located parallel to each other. The material is easily bent and fixed on the installed frame with self-tapping screws or other fasteners.

The wet method takes more time, but it is possible to give the material an original shape. The sheet is moistened, small punctures are made in it, after which, under pressure, it is gently bent according to the pattern. After drying, the surface retains its shape, all that remains to be done is to fix the cut and bent parts in the mounted supporting structure.

Rough lining and puttying

Drywall sheathing of the mounted arch frame is simple. It is recommended to pre-fix the material with adhesive tape, on top of which screws are screwed. The minimum fastening pitch is 5 cm. With a larger distance between the screws, it is simply impossible to ensure high-quality and reliable fixation, and the arch will have to be redone.

After fixing the material with self-tapping screws, it is recommended to clean the edges of the drywall sheet, which will prevent damage to the edge, on which a perforated plastic corner is additionally installed. Having completed the fastening of the GKL, you can proceed to its rough finish and leveling with putty.

A primer is applied to the sheet of drywall, on top of which puttying is performed. To improve the quality of work, it is necessary to putty in several layers, using a special reinforcing mesh and reinforcing the corners of the arch with fiberglass. It usually takes 10-12 hours for the putty to dry completely. For complete drying of the composition will have to wait a day.

decorative trim

Do-it-yourself door arch can be finished with various materials. Factory wooden linings are very popular, allowing to give the structure an original look. You can also sheathe the opening with plastic elements, wallpaper, paint, decorate with Venetian plaster.

Popular finish doorways natural or artificial stone, which allows you to create an unusual and original interior. Homeowners who prefer environmentally friendly materials, we can recommend a cork, which is additionally coated with wax or natural-based varnish. In private houses, arched cladding is made with clinker tiles; such a finish does not require maintenance and will last for decades.

In each case, the choice of a particular finish is made based on the preferences of the homeowner, the style of the apartment or private house, and the overall budget. The easiest way is to independently make an arch in the apartment and sheathe the opening with ready-made wooden and plastic panels. Venetian plaster- original decorative material, work with which will require appropriate experience and special tools, therefore, when choosing a finish, it is best to turn to professionals, which will guarantee the quality and durability of the repair.

There is an opinion that the arch as an architectural technique is more suitable for palaces and museums than for ordinary house and apartments. But such an opinion is erroneous. A doorway made in an arched style can look organic in the most ordinary apartment, in almost any interior, and serve as its decoration. Manufacturers offer different kinds ready-made arches that can be built into doorway, the arch can be made with your own hands.

Advantages of arched openings

Even a person who is ignorant of the intricacies of interior design and architecture is struck by the fact that the arched structure, unlike the door, does not separate the premises, but unites them.

Doors separate the rooms from each other, and the arch creates a common space.

Experts note the following advantages that distinguish interior arched openings:

They are able to create the effect of visual expansion of space.
Such an architectural solution has versatility: it is suitable for a number of interior design styles.
The versatility of interior arches is also manifested in the fact that they organically fit into both spacious and small rooms.
The arched doorway is able to give the interior originality and individuality.

In practice, it has been proven that arches look good both in classical-style houses and in modern or techno-style apartments, especially since arched openings allow for numerous design options that enliven them. appearance(for example, lighting, a combination of wood with metal inserts, the use of stained glass).

Types of arches

When designing an interior arch structure, qualified specialists take into account the features of both rooms, which are connected by an opening. The height of the ceilings, the width of the opening and other factors are taken into account. This is necessary in order to choose the right type of arch that is suitable for these conditions. Three main types of arched structures can be specified:

The classic version is characterized by a certain ratio of the bending radius and the width of the opening: the radius is equal to half the width. This option is suitable if the rooms have high ceilings (no less than 3 m). The reason for this is purely geometric: with the specified ratio of width and radius, with a door width of, for example, 90 cm, the height of the arch will be 45 cm.

And if the doors are wider, then the height of the arch will be greater, and with a low ceiling, it will either not fit, or it will not look aesthetically pleasing.

The Art Nouveau arch has the appearance of an oval and can be performed in typical, including small-sized, apartments.
Type "Romance": the design has rounded edges and a straight insert, horizontal or inclined.

Of course, the whole variety of possible designs of arched openings is not limited to these three options, but they are the most common and are used in the vast majority of cases.

Materials used

To perform an arched interior opening, in principle, can be used various materials. But the real possibilities of their use are far from being equivalent.

In the first place in terms of convenience, accessibility and practicality are sheet materials - fiberboard, plywood, drywall. The technology for making arches from these materials is well developed, and various options finishes are able to give the arch an aesthetic appearance and arrange it in the desired color scheme and the right style. natural wood- also an excellent material for these purposes, and its only drawback compared to sheet materials is its higher price.

Often, interior arched structures are made of concrete, brick or natural stone.

These materials allow you to make an arch of any size and configuration, but it must be borne in mind that these materials have big weight, and weight gain interior partitions not always desirable (for example, in older houses).

Metal structures are very original, but not suitable for every interior style. In addition, stainless steel is very expensive, and galvanized iron structures do not look so impressive. In some cases suitable material is plastic - it is relatively inexpensive, practical, durable and does not require finishing.

Making a door arch on your own

The easiest way to purchase a finished interior arch desired type and dimensions and mount in the doorway. But with some skill and necessary tools interior arch can be made with your own hands.

An example of the arch installation process in doorway can be seen in the following video:

The beginning of this work should be the preparation of a “project”: it is necessary to draw the contours of the future structure directly on the wall (on both sides) or make (for example, from plywood) a full-size template.

It is also necessary to think over all the details before starting work, in particular, the location of lamps and other elements, if they are supposed to be built into the arched opening.

The main operations for the manufacture of arches from sheet materials are:

Production and fastening of aluminum profile guides. You can bend the aluminum profile by first making cuts on it every 5-6 cm.
Manufacturing of frame parts. These details must match the template. In order to bend a sheet of drywall and give it the desired shape, it must be moistened. To bend plywood or fiberboard at home, the sheets are moistened and heated with an iron.
Mounting the frame with self-tapping screws.
Finishing work. They should be started only after all the mounted fragments of the arched structure are completely dry.

All these operations are quite within the power of a fairly experienced home master. To perform them, you need the most common tools - a hammer, a drill, hacksaws for metal and wood. But if there is no experience and skills in plumbing and carpentry, then it is better to turn to specialists in order to get an interior element that is made with high quality and fully meets the requirements of both strength and aesthetics.

One way to increase living space is to remove doors. But it is not always possible or willing to destroy the walls. Then the former doorway is made out in the form of an arch. Another option for using arched openings is to divide a long corridor into zones, breaking up too simple geometry. When repairing on their own, drywall arches are most often made: they are the easiest to do with your own hands.

Types of arches

Interior or corridor arches may have different shape. They differ mainly in the shape of the upper part and sometimes in the way they are connected to the vertical parts. Their main types are shown in the photo.

This group lacks one of the most popular lately - the semi-arch. They have a rounded corner on one side only, on the other it remains straight. Hence the name - semi-arc. It looks good in modern interiors: minimalism, hi-tech, maybe in art deco.

The classic is distinguished by the correct shape of the top. This is strictly a semicircle, the radius of which is equal to half the width of the doorway. This view looks good with an opening height of at least 2.5 m. It fits well into any interior, but looks best in long corridor, or instead front door to the kitchen.

The arched opening in the Modern style is distinguished by a small radius of curvature and a sharp transition at the junction with the vertical components of the opening. It looks good if the walls and ceiling have more or less simple design. Looks great in place of the former balcony door, good at the entrance to the office.

The arch of the “Romance” style is rather just rounded corners (mostly masters call it that). It looks good with a large width and not the greatest height.

The "romantic" shape is good with a large width and small height

The shape of the "ellipse" is very close to the "romantic". It differs only in greater curvature in the middle part. Also suitable for low and wide openings. It just looks a little softer.

A trapezoid is a non-standard design consisting of broken lines. It is hard to play up in the interior, therefore it is used infrequently: for some non-standard designs.

One of the design options is a trapezoid

It is very similar to a regular opening, but in fact it is, only without a door leaf. For greater originality, it is often accompanied by wooden carved elements in the form of columns on the sides. Good for this kind classic interiors, as well as ethnic style - Greek or Roman, depending on the type of columns.

For decoration in modern styles use another prim - next to the main arch, they have smaller portals. This technique allows you to "beat" a simple form.

Another version of the arch "portal"

Before you start making an arch, you need to decide on its parameters. select the type, and then the options: where it will start from, and what the radius of curvature will be. It can be a really sharp bend, or it can just be some rounding of the corners.

To understand how your chosen shape will look, you can cut a template out of cardboard and attach it to the doorway. Rate the effect. If everything suits you, you can make a blank according to this template. But only one - for one of the sides of the opening. The second must be done in place, otherwise it will turn out crooked.

Step-by-step instructions with photos: the fastest way

Do-it-yourself drywall arches different ways. This takes the minimum amount of time. Having decided on the form, we proceed to installation. On the prepared opening - cleaned of peeling plaster and relatively leveled, we fix the frame according to the size of the future arch. It is made from a profile for drywall or a dry wooden block. right size. Sometimes, if the wall is narrow, you can only pick up wood.

To begin with, we cut out a rectangle from drywall according to the size of the future arch, find its middle, mark it, and then temporarily screw it into place. We retreat from the edge of 12.5 mm - the thickness of the drywall sheet. If the adjacent walls are already plastered, add a couple more millimeters to the putty so that the surface can be leveled.

Now we take a piece of a profile or a hard corner, set aside half the width of the opening from one edge. At this place in the corner we make a hole, insert a carnation into it. We stick this nail into the middle of the doorway marked by us earlier on the sheet. It turns out a kind of compass, with which it is easy to draw a perfect line.

Arc delineator

By changing the height of the mount, you can get a more or less high arch. If you need a flatter curve, increase the length of the "compass".

Having removed the sheet, we cut out the arc along the outlined contour. This can be done with a special drywall file, a metal saw with a fine tooth for a smoother edge, a jigsaw (there will be a lot of dust). If the cut turned out to be not very even, we level it with a grater fixed on a grater. sandpaper. With this device we achieve a perfectly even curve of the shape we need. The cut out fragment of the arch - the side wall - is again fixed in place.

If everything is smooth, there are no distortions or irregularities, on the other side of the opening we attach the same drywall sheet as a few steps earlier - a rectangle or a square - depending on the shape. It must be fixed strictly vertically. Now transfer the shape of the arch to it. We take a square, at a right angle and with one side we press against the drywall, on which we transfer the arch, with the other side - to the arch. Having set the square perpendicularly, we mark a point with a pencil. We make such points along the entire arc. The more often they are made, the easier it will be to draw a line and the match will be more accurate - there will be less grinding.

Why is it so difficult and not just to make a copy of the first sheet? Because few openings are symmetrical. As a result, it is very problematic to install the second sheet so that the lines of the arch coincide.

Having noted all the points, we remove the sheet, draw a line, cut it out along it. We mount in place. Now again we take a trowel with sandpaper and now we level both edges until they completely match. One point - the trowel should be wider than the opening so that both walls of the arch are captured in one pass.

We measure the length of the arc, cut out a piece of the profile of the same length, make notches on the walls every 3-4 cm. This tape will need to be fixed along the arch of the arch from one side and the other.

We fasten it to self-tapping screws, carefully, pressing the profile and holding it with a bar, and not with your fingers: it is elementary to get into your fingers with a self-tapping screw. By the way, you need to work with a cut profile with gloves. If not, you will cut your hands for sure.

By the way, the back of the profile can be set along the edge - it’s easier to work, and then the joint will still have to be sealed. Screw the strip to the other side in the same way.

This is a bottom view - profiles are attached to the sides

There is a second way to attach the profile - put it on a quick-setting universal glue, such as liquid nails. This method is acceptable if the width of the opening is small. With a large thickness of the arch, the adhesive may not withstand the mass of drywall, which will be attached from below.

The next step is to attach the jumpers. First, the depth of the arch is lost, 1-1.5 cm is subtracted from it. This will be the length of the jumpers. Cut pieces of a profile of this length.

Jumpers are cut from the same profile

In the places where the jumpers are attached, the “petals” are cut off, the prepared fragment is installed and fixed. It should not rest against the walls, it is located approximately 5 mm from the back. Jumpers are needed to make the design more rigid, otherwise it “walks” when pressed.

Next, from the drywall, you need to cut a rectangle that will cover the structure from below. Its width is determined simply - from the outer edge of one sheet of plasterboard, to the outer edge of the second sheet. The length is measured with a flexible tape (it can be tailor-made) or a tape measure with an assistant. We fasten this sheet with screws to the arch frame. The sheet has to be bent, and how to do this, read a little lower - towards the end of the article.

Arched opening made of drywall: the second method (photo report)

This method is good if the thickness of the partition is small: try attaching the profiles if the gap between them is several centimeters, and then attach the jumpers. It all starts the same way: the first wall of the arch is cut out, fastened and transferred to the second sheet.

After the width of the gap between the two sheets, wooden crossbars are cut out, which are attached along the edge of the arch to self-tapping screws.

The cut-out strip of drywall is fixed, starting from one side. To make it more convenient, you can fix it with clamps, since the thickness of the wall is small. When attaching the strip, you can focus on the screws with which the bars were screwed. That way you'll hit the crossbar for sure.

Then it remains only to fix a special perforated corner along the corner and level the irregularities.

A corner is attached along the vault of the arch, everything is puttied

It is also more convenient to level the dried putty along the arch of the arch with the entire plane of sandpaper fixed on a grater. It is unpleasant that dust falls into the eyes, so it is almost impossible to work without glasses.

How to make an arch instead of a door: the third method - typesetting

Another way to make drywall arches with your own hands is stacking. The vault is broken into segments and assembled from pieces that create close to the required curvature.

They are attached to putty, diluted with a mixture of PVA and water. Such a batch dries quickly, so first we cut the plates and try them on. It can be folded on the table, only the vault will turn upside down, but it will allow you to evaluate how correctly the plates are assembled.

Then the plates begin to be attached to the opening, for reliability, periodically reinforcing with self-tapping screws. Washers are placed under the heads - so as not to push through the cardboard. Remove excess putty immediately. If it gets stuck, it's impossible to tear it off. The finished surface is primed to improve adhesion (adhesion), and then puttied, leveling the arch. To make it easier to display, you can use a template attached on both sides.

It is not easy to make sharp bends using this technology, but for rounded corners and semi-arches - great way do without profiles.

How to bend drywall

One important detail: standard wall drywall bends poorly. For curved surfaces, a thin one was specially invented - 6 and 6 mm thick. This bent part is easier to make from it. With a slight curvature thin sheet can be bent easily and without tricks. If there is no desire to buy thin GVL, there are two ways to bend the standard one.

First- take a needle roller and roll the cut segment well on one side. You need to roll with effort so that the plaster breaks. Then the leaf is wetted with water and left for two to three hours. After such procedures, it should bend well. Take it, fix it on one side, and gradually pressing it against the arch frame, bend it, screwing it gradually along the edges with self-tapping screws. The method is not bad, only with a lack of experience and insufficient processing of gypsum, the sheet may burst. You will either have to mask the gap later, or start over.

Second way to bend drywall: on one side, make notches with a knife about every 4-5 cm. The notches should cut the paper. Such a strip is also gradually fixed, breaking the gypsum as necessary. It bursts along the incision lines from a light pressure.

Beautiful do-it-yourself arch

The passage from the hallway to the living room or from the library to the office can look much more original than the usual door leaf, hung on metal hinges that regularly require lubrication from creaking. In particular, the opening can be left completely open, which will provide convenience, due to the absence of obstacles, and give aesthetic completeness to any design. Proponents of monumentality for the construction of the arch usually choose a brick, since it can be used to finish the opening with a hint of the Middle Ages, with a keystone and other related touches.

However, more practical people prefer simplicity and efficiency, preferring chipboard and drywall. That's just from the last arch with your own hands can be made the fastest, but how - it will tell you this master class. First you need to decide what type of arch you want to see in the interior wall (this can be not only a door, windows can also be made in the same style). There are 4 main options: classic, modern, ellipse and portal.

The first type includes arches, the upper curved part of which is a regular semicircle. The second type in its upper part looks like a small segment of a semicircle, the radius of which is much more than half the width of the opening. The elliptical version does not require any extra comments, it resembles an egg in shape. And the portal is an ordinary opening, only slightly larger than the standard size and ennobled with decorative trim. However, we will consider the usual classical type.

How to make an arch with your own hands - practical instruction

The most common and easily processed material today is drywall, it is from it that we will build an arched structure. It is most convenient to do this in the gap between the two walls, where the opening is completely absent, that is, the entire clearance from floor to ceiling is available. In extreme cases, before making an arch in the wall with your own hands, in a house or apartment, you can hollow out a wall above the opening, at the same time expanding it as much as possible. The thing is that we need space for mounting aluminum profiles. Having determined the scope of work, we make an arch with our own hands in order to ennoble the passage between the rooms.

Do-it-yourself massster class arch - step by step diagram

Step 1: Markup

We measure on inside opening from both edges a distance equal to the thickness, we put marks near the ceiling and near the floor.

With the help of a plumb line and a coated thread, we beat off the lines between the markers. We perform the same operation on the ceiling and floor. If the arch is located in the corner of the room, and one side of it is a transverse wall, we transfer the markings to it indicating the thickness of the drywall sheet.

Step 2: Mounting the rails

Along the lines made with an indent under the skin, we fasten aluminum profiles to the walls and ceiling with self-tapping screws, leaving a gap for wiring if necessary.

During installation, the markings made earlier should remain on the outside of each of the two rows of guides. Vertical details should be duplicated, you will need "copies" later.

Step 3: Determining the Width of the Arch

On the floor, we measure the required distance from the wall opposite the vertical profiles and put marks on which we then draw a transverse line. This operation is carried out on both sides of the opening. Further, according to the markup, we fasten short profile trimmings to the floor, the length of which should correspond to the distance between the lines along which the vertical guides are screwed.

Step 4: Installing the frame profile

We insert the prepared parts into the trimmed on the floor, identical to the guides mounted on the wall earlier.

The difference is only in the position, we turn the frame metal profiles by 90 degrees, with mounting surfaces to the premises. We fix each with two screws.

At the top, we fix it to a horizontal rail screwed to the ceiling.

Be sure to use a plumb line and a level so that every detail of the frame is level.

Step 5: Trim one side

On the resulting structure, we fix drywall, sawn to size, on the top with self-tapping screws, mounted on the sides vertical stripes for which waste can be used. If there is not enough material for the upper part, you can use a narrow fragment under the ceiling or directly above the opening.

Step 6: Making a compass from improvised means

You most likely do not have at hand (and there is no way to get) a classroom teacher's compass, which is usually used in geometry lessons to draw circles with chalk on a blackboard. Therefore, we propose to make this tool on our own just for our case.

We measure half the width of the opening (we put a marker on the edge of the drywall) and get the radius of the future arched arc. Now we take a rail of a slightly longer length and screw a self-tapping screw from one end a centimeter from the edge. We screw the second same screw exactly at the previously measured distance, determining its position using a construction tape measure.

Step 7: Marking the Arch

If you put a marker by measuring half the width of the span, you can immediately proceed to drawing the arch line, otherwise we apply the tape measure again and find desired point. A centimeter above the edge, we stick one self-tapping screw of our compass, and with the second we draw an arc from the upper corners of the portal.

Step 8: Shaping the Arch

Using a hacksaw (manual or electric), we cut the drywall along the line and get an arched passage.

It remains to strengthen it, for which we measure the length of the arc from the sawn-off fragment with a construction tape measure and take a profile of the same size (for the speed of the process - a couple). Every 5 centimeters we make cuts in the guides and carefully bend one of the parts along our arch, successively screwing it with screws.

TO ceiling profiles we fix the curved part with two guides of the appropriate length.

On the sides attaching drywall strips

Another fragment, cut along the length of the arc, is abundantly moistened and processed with a needle roller on both sides.

We pause for a few minutes so that the material is slightly saturated with moisture. Then we set the previously cut one vertically, put a strip on it, and it itself slowly bends under its own weight.

When the process stops, we gently help with light pressure on the ends, after which we let the material dry a little and screw it onto the bend of the arch.

In no case should drywall be allowed to soak strongly, since there is a high probability of internal or external defects.

Do-it-yourself arch installation - original solutions

A less common type is a semi-arch, when half of the arc in the highest part rests against the wall. It can be either classic or elliptical, or completely irregular shape. There is an option called "romance", these arches resemble portals, but have rounded upper corners. Also, those who want something original install trapezoidal arches between the rooms, the upper part of which has the shape of a corresponding geometric figure.

And, finally, a rather curious version of the eastern arch is quite rare, when the upper part of the opening sharply expands into a horizontally oriented oval or ellipse. Do-it-yourself arch installation is possible, whichever option you choose, although the classic one is the most easily doable. However, upon completion of the installation of the structure, you can continue to work, this time in the direction of design.

To finish the arched openings today there are many ready-made solutions, for example, wooden or plaster trim, half-columns for the sides of the opening. You can decorate with tiles, artificial or natural stone(if the construction is made of drywall, it is advisable not to abuse the cladding in order to avoid deformation). Also on the inside of the arch, you can mount small shelves for flower pots or figurines.