How to finish an arch: forms of arches and types of decoration

Gusevsky Andrey Anatolyevich

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The popularity of arches, replacing a rectangular doorway, turned into a boom about 15 years ago. Interior doors are demolished, right angles are squeezed to obtain a semi-oval figure in the form of an arch.
Brickwork is being built to close the entrance to the kitchen. Arches are cut in the wall connecting the kitchen with another room to simultaneously connect and separate these zones, niches in the walls are made and the windows are given a unique design.

Shapes 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, increase it and move from one zone of the room to another without obstacles.
So:

• Passive arches made at the neighbors or in your apartment and have a simple configuration.
• Active arches relate to complex forms of structures and can open a view of several rooms at once.
• Classic look, where the arch 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 up" of the space at the rounding point, due to the large radius.
• "Romance" It has a straight central part and rounded corners and is placed in a small height opening.
• "Modern" lined up with a vault in the form of an ellipse, the correct shape. Looks good in wide spaces and in small openings.
• Rocker-shaped arch It goes well with the panel of the door leaf, gives the individuality to the room and is applicable on any size of the doorway.
• "Portal" refers to the simplest design of a rectangular type and refers to standard doorways.
• "Transom" set as a continuation of the doorway. It was practiced in old houses with high ceilings, now it is used in buildings where it allows a large space.
• The arch is made in the form of a trapezoid with decorative stitching corners. It is used as an element of decoration of a rectangular opening that does not require cardinal reorganizations.

Caution: Arches made of plaster and plastic are recommended for indoor use only.

What are the 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 the classical form and is required decorative finishso that the arch really becomes a decoration of the room. The choice of materials for decorating arches is not big enough, it is huge and you need to decide what to choose and who will do it.

Variants of an ellipsoid shape

Is it possible to do this work with one's own hands or to heed the saying that “greedy pays twice” and trust specialists immediately? How to trim the ends of arches and corners, is it possible to combine different materials in a small space?
What can I make an interior arch:

• Brick arch, when a wall with an arch-shaped opening is used by a jumper between rooms, and a brick arch is made with a formwork template. The template consists of two racks and the arch itself of the boards.
  Racks perform the support function and are sharpened on a plane so that it is convenient to remove it from the finished structure without destroying the masonry. The laying of the first row is made by wedge brick, performed without gaps, exactly according to the template for reliability.
  The thickness of the seams when laying with trapezoidal (wedge) brick should not exceed 1 cm. It is recommended to remove the template no earlier than two weeks after the solution has completely dried.
• Arches from the massif of trees, combining with modernity and classics and adding luxury and respectability to the interior, are made from valuable species of trees. What to finish arch in the apartmentwhen she announces 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 selected for the decoration of the arch.
• Glued wooden arch of solid blocks, tightly interconnected. Existing technologies make it possible to obtain an arched structure of a given shape and length. Pine and spruce are used for the manufacture, and physico-mechanical, aesthetic qualities are not inferior or superior to arches made of valuable tree species.
  The joints of glued arches are reinforced with metal inserts connected by screws.
• MDF or the literal translation from English is a medium-density wood-fiber board that does not change its geometry under temperature changes and under the influence of moisture. The cost of an arch from MDF is much less than from a tree.
  How can you finish an arch in an apartment made of sawdust if it has an irregular geometric shape? It turns out that veneer lamination and veneering 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 apply to expensive materials.
  A veneered MDF board practically does not differ from the material from a whole piece of wood. The performance characteristics of an arch with veneers are higher than wooden, it is not afraid of moisture, resistant to odors and does not absorb them, it does not warp and it does not crack.
  The only drawback is that only smooth surfaces can be coated with veneer, and curved parts are left without top finishes. When grinding and varnishing is carried out by specialists, the transition from veneer to MDF becomes invisible.
• Fantasy on the theme of futuristic style is not complete without plasterboard arches. The material from which any shape is created in style and size.
  Drywall constructions are used as decorative elements due to the inability to hold loads. How to decorate the drywall arch so that it becomes a real decoration and is associated with frozen music.

The choice of finishing materials

A variety of finishing materials are on sale, manufacturers have tried and responded to increased demand. The easiest and fastest way is to level the surface, then painted or wallpapered.
A variety of modern compositions and wallpapers withstand cleaning, washing and have any texture as desired.
If the classic look does not suit you, other materials may be used:

• Tiled, ceramic tiles or mosaic.
• Decorative stone or artificial brick.
• Mirror system.
• A variety of textile material.
• Workable cork material.
• Decorative plaster.

Caution: The Achilles heel of the arched doorway is an unprotected hard-trimmed corner.

Wallpaper at the joints will begin to peel off, which gives the arched space an untidy and messy look. How to trim the corners of the arch to protect them from mechanical damage and give the opening an elegant look.

Ideal shapes and sizes

Arched corners made of plastic with different widths of shelves and convenient dimensions of 10x20 mm. The wide side of the corner is glued to the inner surface of the opening, and the narrow to the outer side of the arch.
Fastening is done with liquid nails, instructions for use are given on the packaging. To glue the corner to the surface along the entire length, it is fixed with masking tape for 12-18 hours.
Finishing with plastic corners is quick, but it looks cheap and rustic, so customers should better heed the advice of specialists.
So:

• Arch finish mosaics require a professional finisher to veneer the arch with small, narrow details that repeat all the bends.
• It is possible to finish the arch of gypsum plasterboard yourself with a cork or cork wallpaper on a self-adhesive basis. The work resembles a sticker on the wallpaper, which is glued end-to-end without gaps, crevices and air under them.
• Artificial stone looks harmonious in the interior, when the lining is made not only of the opening, but also captures part of the wall around the arch. It can be performed symmetrically or asymmetrically, seamlessly switch from one wall to another and look original and impressive.
  Watch a video on how to properly stone a stone.

Caution: A 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 the arch, which for many years will delight you with its original design.