How to Brick the Arches of Your Interior Doorways

Measure the inside perimeter of your doorway in inches, starting from the floor on one side, around the arch and back down to the floor on the other side. You will be laying brick veneer around the inside of the doorway and on each side of the wall around the archway, so multiply the inside perimeter distance by three. Measure the height in inches of a brick veneer sample. Divide the doorway measurement in inches by the brick height in inches to determine approximately how many pieces you need. If your doorway's inside perimeter was 67 inches, multiply by 3 to get 201 inches. If a brick is 4 inches high, divide 201 by 4. You would need about 50 pieces of brick veneer for your archway in the example.

Cut brick veneer pieces to fit the inside of the doorway arch. The length you need will equal the thickness of the wall at the doorway. Measure the length you need. Cut a piece off each end of the brick veneer piece. The smooth cut ends will be covered by the outside framing brick veneer. Spread brick-and-tile adhesive over the inside of the doorway with the notched trowel. Starting from the bottom, apply brick veneer pieces to the inside of the doorway. Work your way up one side, over the arch and down the other side.

Draw a pencil line around the doorway opening that is one brick’s length from the opening. Apply adhesive to the wall around the doorway, staying between the opening and the pencil line.

Starting from the floor, install brick veneer pieces horizontally on the wall up the straight side of the doorway. Position each brick to cover the end of the brick pieces lining the inside of the doorway. Stop when you reach the beginning of the arch. Repeat on the wall on the opposite straight side, again stopping at the beginning of the arch. Repeat on both straight sides of the doorway on the other side of the wall.

Stick a corner brick on the wall at the beginning of the arch at an angle that will be perpendicular to the line of the arch. If necessary, notch it with the tile nippers so it aligns exactly with the end of the first brick that lines the inside of the archway. Set a brick horizontally over the arch corner brick and mark the angle where the brick will have to be cut to fill in the space behind the corner brick.

Lay the first fill-in brick flat and use the straightedge to extend that angle line across the two or three additional bricks you’ll need to fill in behind the corner brick. Cut the bricks with the wet saw and stick them on to fill in the space behind the corner block. Repeat this process three times, once on the opposite side of the doorway and twice more on the opposite wall.

Fill in the arch on both sides of the wall by spreading adhesive with the notched trowel and setting each brick piece perpendicular to the line of the arch. Allow to set overnight. Fill in the spaces between the bricks with grout. Use water and a rag to remove excess grout.