The arch as a building structure is the most ancient type of ceiling. Until they began to cover buildings with wood and reinforced concrete slabs. It still prevails in church buildings.
In residential buildings and public buildings in Russia that have survived to this day, windows, doors, and inter-house openings for the passage of people and vehicles remain arched.
They were performed on connecting walls made of brick, hewn stones with a special wedge in the middle. This is exactly how arches are created in private homes today. They are legal if they are included in the construction project. Below are recommendations on how to make an arch with your own hands.
Material for production
When planning to make an arched opening yourself, you should choose a material suitable for this work.
To make an arch you can use:
- drywall,
- wood and its derivatives,
- metallic profile.
When thinking about how to make a decorative arch in a house, novice craftsmen should pay attention to drywall. It is easy to use and can be easily mounted on any supporting structure. Drywall is easy to fit into your home interior, and minor flaws in the work will be almost invisible.
A wooden arch will serve as an excellent basis even for finishing with artificial stone, since it can withstand its weight.
Structures made from wood derivatives (plywood, chipboard, laminate) are easy to fit into a finished doorway. The work of making them does not require much experience in such work. The simplest design is easy to make over the weekend.
Advantages of paper decor
This design has several advantages that attract newlyweds to it:
- The opportunity to make the celebration unique and inimitable.
- Save money on florist and designer bills.
- A great alternative to boring jewelry.
- Simplicity and ease of production, since anyone can make paper flowers with a little practice.
- Easy to attach to almost any surface.
- Decorative flowers made from paper will not wither on a hot summer day and will not freeze in the winter cold.
Arch elements
The arch consists of:
- vault,
- transoms,
- portal.
The vault of an arch has the shape of an arc and can be solid or consisting of stacked elements. The highest point is called the apex of the vault. The wings of the arch descend from it in both directions, which can have support or be completed with decorative elements. The edges of the wings of the arch are called heels.
The arched vault can rest on decorative columns or simply go into the wall.
The design of the arched structure below the heels is called the arch portal. Usually the vault and portal of the arch have a single decorative design.
The upper part of the arch frame is usually called a transom; it can be glazed or made blank and decorated.
When planning the manufacture of a door arch, it is important to adhere to the rule of the “golden ratio”, in which the height of the opening should be three times its width. The same rule applies to the length of the arched passage.
Types of interior arches, easy to manufacture, have a semi-circular shape and are appropriate in rooms with high ceilings. It is important to know that from the top of the arch to the ceiling the distance should be at least 1/3 of the arch of the arch. Otherwise, the arch will not look as impressive as the master would like.
If you carefully study the photo of a homemade arch, you will notice that it is harmoniously complemented by carved pilasters or capitals. It is the additional decor of the arched structure that allows it to fit harmoniously into the interior.
According to the shape of the arch, there are:
- semicircular,
- elliptical,
- Persian,
- lancet,
- curly,
- segmented.
The most popular and easiest to make are Persian arches, which are easier to draw yourself. In addition, they are not subject to the “golden ratio” rule.
What are we decorating?
Paper flowers are universal, as they can be used to decorate almost any moment of a wedding celebration. First, let's list what can be decorated with them:
- wedding procession;
- arch;
- screen - background for the bride and groom;
- the hall where the ceremonial part takes place;
- various pieces of furniture;
- use during a photo shoot.
However, these are not all the possible options for how you can use paper flowers for a wedding.
Brides who care about the environment and strive to keep as many flowers alive as possible are happy to bring a floral bouquet made of paper to the ceremony, and decorate the buttonholes of the groom and his friends with unusual boutonnieres made of the same material.
Arch markings
When constructing a drawing, it is convenient to mark the opening of a semicircular arch by using a homemade compass from a lath and a self-tapping screw with a small shoulder.
It is convenient to use ready-made templates from the Internet to construct a drawing.
Arched openings in the form of an ellipse and the so-called Persian arches are drawn, partially closing at the bottom. It is important to take into account here that the generatrices tangent to the heels are directed vertically.
Segmented arches require a careful approach when designing the corners of the architraves. It must be cut along the bisector of the angle between the parts. A ready-made drawing from the Internet will help you avoid complex calculations.
Measuring the vault of an arch is easy to do by using cotton-based insulation tape. It does not stretch or tear when removed. A strip of insulating tape is carefully applied to the arched structure, then removed and measured.
Tips for decorating a wedding with paper flowers
Wedding decor should be approached seriously and thoroughly. Decorations are the basis for creating a solemn atmosphere at the holiday. To effectively decorate a wedding, you need to use all your imagination. Festive decor involves the use of all kinds of products, the appearance of which is determined by the style chosen by the newlyweds for the wedding. A popular idea for decorating a celebration is original decorative accents made using colored paper.
Wedding decorations in the form of flowers or balls, made by hand using paper, have gained wide popularity these days. Homemade decorative elements provide a unique opportunity to creatively decorate a wedding venue, create a romantic atmosphere in the banquet hall, and at the same time not waste the holiday budget of a young family.
With the help of such a simple and accessible material as paper, amazing things are done. There are many variations on the theme of paper wedding decor. Particularly popular are bright voluminous flowers that decorate arches, tables, and chairs in banquet halls. To create beautiful lush flowers, a variety of techniques and different types of paper are used. When decorating a room with such decorative elements, keep in mind that paper is highly flammable, so artificial flowers and decorations should be kept at a safe distance from candles.
The main advantage of holiday decorations is their cost-effectiveness. Paper, even colored, compacted or corrugated, is significantly cheaper than fresh flowers. In addition, artificial decorations will not lose their attractive appearance and will delight the newlyweds and guests throughout the holiday. Handmade decorative jewelry is not only very beautiful, but also symbolic.
Drywall arch
In practice, two methods are used for making an arched structure from plasterboard. The first method is in demand among professional craftsmen because it saves time. The second one is more often used by non-professionals at home.
Both methods have common technological aspects that need to be given special attention.
Screen background
In the process of decorating a banquet hall for a wedding celebration, significant attention is paid to decorating the background - a screen for the young couple. Designers highlight the following possible options for this design:
- made of fabric and paper flowers;
- only from paper flowers;
- from paper pompoms.
When creating such a screen, it is worth remembering that this is a background and it should not overlap the bride and groom. Therefore, it is better to use pastel shades of paper, thinking about how and what paper flowers will decorate the screen.
Formation of the vault
An important stage in the manufacture of a plasterboard arch is the formation of a curved arch of the structure.
In practice, two methods of obtaining a vault are used.
For small and narrow elements, the arch can be easily made using the dry bending method: the workpiece is bent along a contour outlined on a horizontal surface. Small notches are applied using a sharp knife; after installing the arch, they are masked with putty. The work should be done slowly and carefully to avoid breaking the workpiece.
Manufacturing an element for a large arch (span from 2 meters, width from 1.5 meters) requires wet technology.
Wet method of arch formation
For the wet method of forming the vault of an arched structure, you will need a special rubber roller with needles and support templates.
- The workpiece must be rolled with a roller and carefully moistened with a paint brush.
- After waiting 10 minutes, place it on the template with the untreated side.
- Wait until the edges begin to sag under their own weight.
- Then press briefly with a weight or your hands to give the desired shape.
- It is important not to overdry the part, otherwise it may break. Typically this process step takes about 40 minutes.
Decorating the wedding procession
Paper flowers look quite unusual and original on cars. Passersby involuntarily turn around after the wedding cars, which are decorated with large paper flowers. You can attach several large buds or create a whole composition that will harmonize or, conversely, contrast with the color of the car. Flowers can be secured with duct tape or tape. You can also decorate the handles of the machine with small bouquets, after securing the stems together with ribbon or braid. Paper flowers can be strung on fishing line or strong braid. That is, make a garland to decorate the hood. No one limits the number of flowers and garlands; the most important thing is that they do not interfere with the driver.
Arch installation
The best ideas on how to design an arch will save not only time on installation of the structure, but also materials.
The professional installation scheme includes a reliable frame made of metal profiles. The use of this scheme will require additional costs for the profile, but the result will be a strong frame. And its configuration will allow you to use any scrap material for finishing the transom and portal.
Detailed instructions for decorating arches suggest the following procedure:
- It is necessary to assemble the main frame of an arched structure without an arc from a galvanized shaped profile for plasterboard and secure it in the doorway.
- If a door is planned to be installed in the opening, then the frame for it is mounted separately from a special profile.
- An arched vault requires a special shaped profile with notches, which is bent according to an existing template. The blanks are fastened starting from the top point of the arched bend, and the wings and heels of the arch are fixed.
- The strip prepared in advance is fixed to the frame.
- They install the portal skin and transom.
- On site, the edges of the pilasters are carefully measured, the details of their cladding are cut out and installed.
- Using putty, seams, joints, slots, heads of fasteners, scratches and chips are masked.
- Then a plaster mesh is glued onto the structure using silicone glue.
- The structure is plastered and the surface is leveled. After this, you can start decorating.
A simplified version of arch installation assumes the absence of a galvanized profile frame.
- Two parts for cladding with an arched figured slot are cut out of a sheet of plasterboard, and they are fastened in the opening.
- From below, transverse jumpers are attached to these parts, onto which the arch arch is screwed.
- A part is attached to the lintels, forming the vault of the arched structure.
- Seams, joints and various defects are covered with putty.
- The final stage of the work is plastering and decorating the arch.
Such an arched structure is easy to manufacture and requires minimal costs, but is not durable due to the fact that it does not have a frame.
Drywall arch decor
Do-it-yourself methods for decorative finishing of arches for plasterboard structures involve the use of:
- wallpaper,
- different types of plasters.
Pasting an arched structure with paper wallpaper has a number of advantages, including:
- ease of operation,
- low cost of finishing materials,
- wide range of wallpapers.
Operating procedure.
- Before starting work, you will need to apply a finishing primer to the structure, then level the surface so that the seams between the parts become invisible.
- Then you need to dilute and mix the wallpaper glue thoroughly.
- Pasting begins with a strip next to the arched opening. It is placed so that the edge of 2-2.5 cm is bent onto the arch.
- The next vertical stripes are cut out and glued also with an allowance of 2-2.5 cm.
- The allowances are cut with scissors to avoid bubbles and wrinkles.
- The wallpaper is carefully smoothed.
- The arched vault is pasted over last, carefully measuring the size of the part.
The only disadvantage of this method of decorating an arched structure is that the service life of paper wallpaper is limited.
You can decorate a plasterboard arch using liquid wallpaper, decorative or silicone plaster.
Decor of the path to the altar
You can place paper flowers or pinwheels along the path to the altar; such decor will look cute and relaxed.
- Decor of the path to the altar
- Decor of the path to the altar
Wooden arch
It’s easy to create a beautiful arch decor with your own hands by making an arched structure from wood.
You can highlight the beauty of the natural texture of wood using stain and clear varnish. Such an arch can be made using ready-made bent lamellas or decorated with additional carved elements.
Often an arched wood structure serves as the basis for decorating the opening with artificial stone, tiles or mosaics. This type of decoration looks very impressive in a home interior.
A master class on decorating arches in the house will help you cope with this work. Facing an arched opening with tiles or stone involves decorating not only the arch itself, but also part of the wall adjacent to it. The arrangement of decorative details can be either symmetrical or arbitrary, depending on the design idea.
Decorating the hall
The decoration of a banquet hall can be not only a screen with paper flowers, but also the most ordinary chairs and tables.
They can be decorated with large paper buds or garlands of not very large sizes. Also, almost any unremarkable room can be transformed by hanging paper flowers from the ceiling or beautifully placing them on the walls.
Operating procedure
- First of all, you need to prepare the surface. It is leveled, then special notches are applied.
- Decorative elements are laid out in the desired order.
- To work, you will need a cement solution or liquid nails. Finishing begins with the walls adjacent to the opening.
- The first element is attached at the junction of the wall and the arched opening. The solution is applied in a thin layer to the wall and to the stone or tile.
- The second part is fixed above the first with an offset towards the opening by the thickness of the tile or stone.
- This alternation is continued to the intended level.
- The opening is laid out with the same offset, which allows you to beautifully design the corners of the arched opening.
- After the solution has dried, the seams are rubbed down in a couple of days.
When using natural stone as decorative elements, it is important to consider the weight of the structure.
Plywood arch
Plywood structures are mounted on a frame like plasterboard arches. The frame can be made of a metal profile or timber.
For decoration, wallpaper, MDF elements, wooden overlays, and decorative plaster are used.
An arch made by yourself will serve as a worthy decoration for your home interior and will significantly save the family budget.
