How to Build a Curved Doorway

Spread out a drop cloth beneath the doorway to protect the floor.

Separate the door casing from the drywall on both sides of the doorway with a utility knife. Run the knife through gently so it cuts through the caulking or paint without cutting the drywall deeply. Pull the casing from the wall with a flat pry bar as you go.

Pry the door jambs from the opening with a claw hammer. Remove the baseboards from the door opening with the pry bar. Now the framing is exposed inside the opening.

Hammer an 8-inch 1-by-4 vertically to the trimmer studs at the upper corner of the opening on either side of the doorway using 2-inch nails. Hammer two 16-inch 1-by-4s to the header so each one butts up against the shorter 1-by-4 using two-inch nails.

Draw an arch pattern with a pencil on a piece of cardboard 15 inches high and as wide as the doorway. Use a pre-cut plywood arch as the pattern. This arch, along with two door jamb columns, will be installed over drywall for a seamless integration into the room.

Cut out the cardboard pattern with a utility knife and hold it in place. Ensure that the half circle, ellipse or other shape you’ve chosen for your arch looks right and leaves enough headroom.

Trace the cardboard pattern onto two pieces of drywall that are 15 inches tall and as wide as the doorway. Cut the shape out of the drywall with a drywall saw. Raise the first drywall piece into place and secure it to the 1-by-4 blocks you nailed in earlier using 1 1/2 inch drywall screws. Repeat on the opposite side of the doorway.

Place drywall tape along the new seams and cover it with two or three layers of joint compound, allowing each layer to dry before applying the next. Sand the joint compound smooth and apply a coat of primer.

Lift the pre-cut plywood arch into place and push it up as high as possible. Stand the door jamb columns in place and adjust the arch as needed so it’s tight against the top of the columns. Nail everything in place with a nail gun.

Prime and paint the plywood arch and columns to match the room’s baseboards. Paint the area above the arch to match the color of paint on the walls or repaint the whole room for a new look.