The popularity of arches, replacing rectangular door openings, went into a boom 15 years ago. Interior doors are demolished, right angles are cut until a semi-oval figure in the form of an arch is obtained.
Brickwork is being erected, covering the entrance to the kitchen. Arches are cut through the wall connecting the kitchen with another room in order to simultaneously connect and separate these zones, niches are made in the walls and a unique design is given to the windows.
Forms and types of arches
The task of the arch is not to isolate one zone from another, but to create the visual integrity of the space, its enlargement and transition from one zone of the room to another without obstacles.
So:
- Passive arches made by neighbors or in their apartment and have a simple configuration.
- Active arches refer to complex forms of structures and can open a view of several rooms at once.
- Classic look, where the arch of the arch is made in the form of a regular circle with a radius of curvature equal to half the width of the opening. The disadvantage is the “eating” of space in the place of the rounding, because of the large radius.
- "Romance" has a straight central part and rounded corners and is placed in a small opening in height.
- "Modern" is built with a vaulted ellipse, regular shape. Looks good in wide spaces and small openings.
- Rocker arch goes well with the panel of the door leaf, gives individuality to the room and is applicable to any size of the doorway.
- "Portal" refers to the simplest rectangular design and refers to standard doorways.
- "Transom" installed as a continuation of the doorway. It was practiced in old houses with high ceilings, now it is used in buildings where a large space allows.
- The arch is performed in the form of a trapezoid with decorative sewing on the corners. It is used as an element of decoration for a rectangular opening, which does not require radical reconstruction.
Attention: Arches made of plaster and plastic are recommended for indoor use only.
What are interior arches made of?
The doorway is ready and looks like an arch or, as in the photo above, the wall element is made in a classic form and it is required that the arch really become a decoration of the room. The choice of materials for finishing arches is not big to say, it is huge and it is necessary to decide what to choose and who will do it.
Is it possible to do this work with your own hands or to listen to the saying that “the greedy pays twice” and trust the specialists right away? How to decorate the ends of arches and corners, is it possible to combine different materials in a small space?
What can you make an interior arch from:
- Brick arch, when a wall with an arch-shaped opening is used as a lintel between rooms, and a brick arch is made with template formwork. The template consists of two posts and the arch itself from the boards.
The racks perform the function of support and are sharpened along the plane, so that it is convenient to remove it from the finished structure without destroying the masonry. The masonry of the first row is made with wedge bricks, it is performed without gaps, exactly according to the template for reliability.
The thickness of the joints when laying with trapezoidal (wedge) bricks should not exceed 1 cm. It is recommended to remove the template no earlier than two weeks, after the solution has completely dried. - Arches made of solid wood, combined with modernity and classics, and adding luxury and respectability to the interior, are made of valuable tree species. How to decorate when she declares the stylistic accessories of the surrounding interior?
Patterns, details of the corresponding style, affecting the final cost of the product, if the price of such luxury does not suit the customer, another material is chosen for finishing the arch. - Glued wooden arch made of solid blocks, firmly connected to each other. Existing technologies make it possible to obtain an arched structure of a given shape and length. Pine and spruce are used for production, and the physical, mechanical, aesthetic qualities are not inferior or superior to arches made of valuable tree species.
The joints of the glued arches are reinforced with metal inserts connected with screws. - MDF or literal translation from English is a medium-density fiberboard that does not change its geometry when the temperature changes and under the influence of moisture. The cost of an MDF arch is much less than that of wood.
How can you decorate an arch in an apartment made of sawdust, if at the same time it has an irregular geometric shape? It turns out that lamination and veneer are used to decorate the MDF arch.
When laminating, a special wear-resistant film with a wood texture is applied. It is available to many consumers because it does not belong to expensive materials.
MDF board, finished with veneer, practically does not differ from the material made from a whole piece of wood. The performance characteristics of an arch with veneer are higher than wooden ones, it is not afraid of moisture, it is resistant to odors and does not absorb them, it does not jar and it does not crack.
The only drawback is that only smooth surfaces can be covered with veneer, and curved parts remain without top trim. When sanding and varnishing is done by specialists, the transition from veneer to MDF becomes invisible. - Fantasy on the theme of futuristic style is not complete without drywall arches. The material from which any shape is created in style and size.
Plasterboard structures are used as decorative elements due to the inability to hold loads. How to decorate a drywall arch so that it becomes a real decoration and is associated with frozen music.
Choice of finishing materials
There are a variety of finishing materials on sale, manufacturers have tried and responded to the increased demand. The easiest and fastest way is to level the surface, then painted or wallpaper.
Modern various compositions and wallpapers withstand cleaning, washing and have any texture you want.
If the classic look of the finish does not suit you, other materials can be used:
- Tiled, ceramic or mosaic tiles.
- Decorative stone or artificial brick.
- Mirror system.
- Diverse textile material.
- Flexible cork material.
- Decorative plaster.
Attention: The Achilles heel of the arched opening is an unprotected corner with a rigid finish.
Wallpaper at the joints will begin to peel off, which gives the arched space an untidy and unkempt look. How to trim the corners of the arch to protect them from mechanical damage and give the opening an elegant look.
Arched corners made of plastic with different shelf widths and convenient dimensions 10x20 mm. The wide side of the corner is glued to the inner surface of the opening, and the narrow side to the outer side of the arch.
Fastening is done with liquid nails, instructions for use are given on the package. To glue the corner to the surface along its entire length, it is fixed with masking tape for 12-18 hours.
Decorating with plastic corners is quick, but it looks cheap and rustic, so customers are better off listening to the advice of experts.
So:
- mosaic tiles require a professional decorator to tile the arch with fine, narrow details that follow all the curves.
- It is possible to independently finish the plasterboard arch with cork or cork wallpaper on a self-adhesive base. The work resembles the pasting of wallpaper, which is glued end-to-end without gaps, crevices and air underneath.
- Artificial stone looks harmoniously in the interior, when the facing is made not only of the opening, but also the part of the wall around the arch is captured. It can be performed symmetrically or asymmetrically, smoothly transition from one wall to another and look original and impressive.
Watch the video on how to properly clad with stone.
Attention: Heavy decorative stone can deform or destroy a drywall arch.
- The question of how to finish the end of the arch in the manufacture of structures from various materials disappears when choosing a finish. Wallpaper, decorative plaster and the rest of the above components.
The result of all the work is an arch, which will delight you with its original design for many years.