How to Build a Sheetrock Arch Door Opening

Measure across the width of the doorway from stud to stud with a measuring tape.

Cut a piece of 3 1/2-inch metal flexible drywall framing track with a hacksaw to 1 1/2 times the measurement from Step 1. Flexible drywall track is a series of steel plates with tabs that turn up on the two outer edges to cup the sides of 2-by-4 or 2-by-6 framing lumber. The flexible track can move from side to side to create curves, or can be bowed to create arches.

Position the track within the top of the door frame until you have an arch shape you like, with the tails of the track at equal lengths on both sides of the door frame. Drill through the metal and into the wood of the door header at the center of the door, and secure the track to the wood with a drywall screw. Repeat to secure the tails of the track to the studs on either side of the door frame and on the opposite side of the door frame.

Install a full 4-by-8-foot sheet of 1/2-inch drywall on both sides of the wall with its long edge horizontal to the ceiling and covering the top of the door framing. Drive in drywall nails every 12 inches down each stud the sheet covers, using a hammer. The drywall sheets should extend down from the ceiling to cover the the door opening at least to the bottom of the flexible track.

Cut up to the flexible track arch with a drywall keyhole saw on both sides of the doorway. Follow the curve of the track around with the saw, trimming the drywall off flush with the bottom of the track. You now should have identical arch openings covering each side of the door frame.

Affix the drywall to the edge of the arch with drywall screws extending through the drywall and into the metal tabs of the flexible track, approximately every 4 inches. The tabs provide a sturdy surface to accept drywall screws without additional blocking.

Cut a 4 1/2-inch-wide strip of flexible, 1/4-inch drywall to the same length as the track you cut in Step 2. Drywall is most effectively trimmed by scoring the paper on one side along the cut-line with a utility knife, bending it along the line until it snaps, then cutting the paper on the other side, where it forms a hinge. the 4 1/2-inch strip spans the actual 3 1/2-inch depth of the 2-by-4 framing and the 1/2-inch of drywall on each side of the wall.

Center the strip of flexible 1/4-inch drywall in the arch. screw its center to the underside of the track at the center of the arch. Moving from the center out -- first on one side, then the other -- gently bow the strip of drywall up against the track and screw it into place around the inside edge of the curve. Unless your doorway is less than the standard 30 inches wide, flexible 1/4-inch drywall bends around curves with minimal pressure.

Measure the distance inside the door frame from the floor to the bottom edges of the now-covered flexible track. Cut two 4 1/2-inch-wide strips of flexible 1/4-inch drywall to this length. Attach the strips to the studs of the door frame, using drywall nails.

Replace any drywall removed from the bottom half of the wall around the door opening in the same manner as in Step 4. Apply drywall tape over all seams on the wall and in the arch.

Measure the entire inside of the door frame with a measuring tape, from the floor on one side, over the arch to the floor on the other side. Cut two pieces of flexible vinyl corner bead with splayed tabs, each long enough to reach from the bottom of one side of the door frame, over the arch, and down to the bottom of the other side. Attach the corner bead over the edges of the arched doorway, making sure the attachment points are offset from the locations of the screws that affix the upper sheet of drywall to the track. The corner bead tabs splay open to accommodate the curve of the arch. After the corner bead is attached, make certain the heads of all screws or nails are flush with the drywall surface and no tabs are sticking up to interfere with creating a smooth finished surface. Tabs that would create bumps should be fastened down or trimmed.

Apply joint compound over all taped seams and the corner bead, using a wide-blade drywall taping knife.