How to Rebuild Brick Walls With Plaster Archways

Preparing the Wall

• Before you can rebuild a brick wall to include a new plaster archway, you must prepare the existing wall. Begin by using a masonry saw to remove any damaged bricks. If the wall is largely intact, only remove bricks directly above and to the sides of the existing doorway to accommodate the new archway. If the entire wall is damaged, you may need to hire a construction crew to demolish the entire wall and lay a new concrete foundation to build the new wall on.

Arch Forms

• Building a plaster arch in a brick wall begins with the installation of a flexible arch form, which is a prefabricated strip of material that gives the arch some structural support and its general shape. Archway forms can be built to custom sizes for your wall or selected from among standard archway shapes. Most archway forms are several pieces that you must attach to the brick surround using masonry nails or screws. The facing of the form provides a mesh or porous surface for applying plaster later in the process.

Laying Brick

• Once the archway form is in place, you can begin laying new brick around it. Mix up a lime-based mortar following the manufacturer's instructions to ensure that it will be strong enough to hold the wall in place. There are many brick patterns to choose from, including bricks that follow the curve of the archway or bricks cut to continue the straight lines of each course, or horizontal row, until the bricks meet the archway's curve.

Plastering

• The stage at which you apply plaster to your brick wall's archway depends on the type of wall you're building. If your finished wall will have a completely plaster surface over a brick structure, plastering is the final step. If your brick wall will have a plaster archway surrounded by exposed bricks, however, it is easier to apply plaster to the arch form before surrounding it with bricks. Use a lime-based plaster and apply several layers to achieve a smooth surface.