In recent years, the design of the entrance has gradually returned to fashion without the use of a door. In this case, it is replaced by an arched opening, giving the interior a unique style. Using this architectural element, you can visually enlarge a small room or divide the surrounding space into functional zones. After reading this article, you will learn how to make an arched opening in the arch of the wall.
Possible configurations
Using this design technique allows you to give any room a unique individual style. Today, there are several different arch configurations. The most popular of them are:
- The classic version, suitable for rooms with a ceiling height of at least three meters. The bending radius of the correct arch should be more than 45 centimeters.
- An arched Art Nouveau opening, ideal for decorating typical apartments. In this case, not only rounded, but also sharp corners are allowed, since the width of the doorway is much smaller than the radius of the arch.
- Design in a romantic style, perfectly suited for wide openings. Between corners with curves, horizontal inserts are often placed.
The configuration configuration largely depends on the individual characteristics of the premises and the personal preferences of the owners. The arched opening (the photo of which will be presented below) can be polygonal, wavy, with all kinds of shelves, stained glass or backlight.
Materials used to create such structures
In modern interiors, you can often see an arched opening constructed of plasterboard sheets, plywood, fiberboard, particleboard, wood, metal, brick, plastic or monolithic concrete. When using heavy materials like natural stone, their weight must be taken into account. For such structures, a special foundation and reinforcing elements will be required, providing a better bond with the walls.
Advantages and disadvantages of arched openings
Those who plan to create such a design need to think carefully about everything, weigh all the pros and cons of such structures.
The main advantages that are endowed with an arched opening include:
- Style and aesthetics, since the entrance designed in this way looks much more interesting than a standard door.
- The opportunity to expand the review, which is especially important for young families with small children. Thanks to this design decision, parents, without leaving the room, will be able to see what their child is doing.
- Zoning of large areas. With the help of the arch, you can easily separate the kitchen from the dining room without losing a holistic perception of space.
- Visual increase in the room. Erasing the clear boundaries between two rooms creates the effect of combining them into one.
One of the most significant shortcomings of such designs can be considered a complete lack of sound insulation. Everything that happens in your room will certainly be heard in the next room. In addition, the arched opening does not prevent the spread of odors throughout the apartment. This is especially true when it is built between the kitchen and the living room.
Design Features
Ideally, the arch, emphasizing the doorway, should be in harmony with the overall style of the room. Therefore, even before the start of construction work, it is necessary to determine the shape and size of the future structure. Especially popular today are round, rectangular, ellipsoid and asymmetric arches. Slightly less often you can see designs made in the form of a rounded portal. As for the dimensions, the dimensions of the arched openings directly depend on the area of the room.
How to make a drywall arch with your own hands?
To create such a design, you should pre-stock all the necessary tools, including plumb, dowels, drills, aluminum corners, screws, a drill, a ruler, drawing patterns, scissors or a hacksaw for drywall and a puncher or jackhammer.
At the initial stage, it is necessary to determine the location of the future design. Having drawn a sketch of a new opening, you can get rid of an unnecessary part of the wall. This is done with a jackhammer or hammer drill.
Next, apply a corner on both sides of the inner edge of the top of the opening. Then, with a drill, holes are drilled in it in the wall, into which dowels are subsequently inserted. After fixing the plumb bob necessary for the installation of drywall, you can proceed with the installation of a previously cut arch sheet. For a good frame of the inner edge, it is advisable to moisten the drywall sheet with water. These manipulations will greatly facilitate the process of shaping. After the installation is completed, the resulting structure is carefully puttied and, if desired, pasted over with a fiberglass mesh.
Arched finish
The simplest and most affordable way to decorate the arch is wallpapering. In this case, problems may arise when decorating the wall in the area of the vault. So that everything works out in the best way, you need to glue the sheet so that it protrudes slightly into the opening. After that, you should carefully trim the protruding part, leaving a couple of centimeters. The resulting allowance is cut into centimeter strips and glued to the inside of the arched vault. The wallpaper pasted construction can be additionally decorated with paper, plastic or veneer frieze.
Another popular finishing method is decorative plastering. In this case, you will need to pre-putty the surface of the structure in order to hide the caps of the screws, seams and other distinguishable irregularities. After this, the arch must be primed and wait at least 12 hours. It takes so much time for the complete drying of the primer. Then you can start applying the plaster. So that it does not protrude into the opening, it is first recommended to process the inner plane of the arch and only then proceed to finish the walls around the arch. After a day, the dried plaster is painted with special paints.