How to Create a Wall With an Arch

Building the Wall Frame

• 1

  Mark the location for the new wall onto the floor by snapping a chalk line. Choose a location where the ends of the new walls can be nailed to studs in the existing walls to provide added strength. You can locate the studs with a stud finder.

• 2

  Remove the baseboard trim from the walls where the new wall is being installed with a reciprocating saw.

• 3

  Mark the location of the doorway onto the chalk line. Measure the distance between the walls and the side of the future doorway, and cut a pressure-treated 2-by-4 board to fit on each side. These are the sill plates. Screw them onto the floor with galvanized screws every six inches.

• 4

  Cut the top and bottom plates for the new wall from untreated 2-by-4 boards. The top plate is the length of the entire wall, and the bottom plates match each sill plate.

• 5

  Lay the top plate and one of the bottom plates on top of the sill plates, and measure the distance between them and the ceiling. This distance is the length of the wall studs.

• 6

  Measure and cut studs for the new wall, using untreated 2-by-4 boards. Determine the number of studs you need for each side of the wall by dividing the length of each bottom plate by 16, as the studs can be placed no farther than 16 inches apart.

• 7

  Nail a stud into each end of the two bottom plates, then more studs in between the end studs, keeping them spaced no more than 16 inches apart.

• 8

  Nail the two sections of the wall to the top plate. Position the outer edges of the wall sections along the outer edges of the top plate.

• 9

  Lift the assembled wall frame onto the sill plates. Drive nails through the end studs into the studs in the existing walls, and through the bottom plates into the sill plates, every 6 inches.

Building the Arch Frame

• 10

  Cut a 2-by-3 board that is the same width as the doorway. This is the header for the arch frame.

• 11

  Create the faces of the arch out of sheets of 1/2-inch plywood (you need one for each side of the arch). Cut the plywood to match the width of the doorway, then draw an arch onto one of the sheets. Cut the sheet along the line, then use that piece as a template for the other piece of plywood. Trace the arch onto the second sheet, then cut the second sheet.

• 12

  Measure and cut side jambs that are two inches shorter than the sides of the arch faces. Use 2-by-3 boards for the side jambs.

• 13

  Nail the side jambs to the ends of the header, forming a U. Lay one of the plywood arch faces onto the U-shaped frame, lining up the top and side edges with the header and side jambs. Nail the plywood to the U-shaped frame, then flip it over and nail the second plywood face to the other side of the U-shaped frame.

• 14

  Move the arch framing into the space for the doorway in the wall framing, and nail it to the header and the side jambs of the doorway.

• 15

  Cut blocks from 1-by-2 lumber to fit in between the two plywood arch faces. Screw them into place every two inches along the curve at the bottom edge of the arch with drywall screws.

Finishing the Wall

• 16

  Cut sheets of 1/2-inch drywall to cover the wall with a utility knife. Trace the arch onto the drywall for the arch facing so you know where to make the cuts in the drywall.

• 17

  Install the drywall by holding it against the framing and driving drywall screws through the drywall and into the studs and top and bottom plates. Use one screw every 16 inches.

• 18

  Cut a strip of 1/4-inch drywall to fit along the bottom edge of the arch. Spray it with a water bottle so you can flex the drywall without cracking it.

• 19

  Install the strip along the bottom of the arch by driving two drywall screws into each 1-by-2 block along the bottom edge.

• 20

  Staple flexible corner beads along the bottom edge of the arch facing, using one staple every three inches.

• 21

  Place joint compound over the joints between the different drywall panels, and place strips of drywall tape into the joint compound. Press the drywall tape into the joint compound with a putty knife. Repeat this with the flexible corner beads, and allow the joint compound to dry overnight.

• 22

  Sand the joint compound smooth with fine-grit sandpaper, then wipe it off with a tacking cloth.

• 23

  Add two more layers of joint compound and drywall tape to the wall, allowing each application to dry overnight.

• 24

  Apply a coat of primer to the wall, and allow it to dry. Paint the wall with two coats of paint, allowing each coat to dry.

• 25

  Nail baseboard trim along the bottom edges of the new wall.