DIY-Friendly Arch Build

We recently ripped out all of our home office built-ins to construct a big, beautiful arch. Before you hate us for taking out dreamy built-ins, please know that these cabinets were glorified storage space for all the someday items that I “needed” to keep but never actually used. The space served next to no purpose and so, it was a catch-all. Plus, ripping out the cabinets gave us just enough square footage to finally fit a full-sized bed in here.

I decided on an arch solely for aesthetics. It won’t serve any purpose other than to be really, really pretty.

Here is where we got started —

With the built-in out, we could start playing around with different arch angles. Using nothing more than a measuring tape and pencil, Zack drew a few options on the wall. Ultimately, it came down to how much plywood we’d need vs how much we’d waste. We decided on this angle because it came down four feet so it used the full sheet without additional extensions.

MONEY-SAVING TIP - You do not need to invest in good, pre-sanded plywood for this project. In the end, all of the plywood will be covered by drywall so the cheaper, rougher stuff is totally fine.

After tracing the arch, he freehand cut the arch shape using a jigsaw. He needed to do this twice: one time for the back piece and one time for the front.

and now for the install —

After figuring out the measurements and gathering materials, it was time to install. We started by attaching the back of the arch first. This piece will anchor the rest of the project so be sure to take the extra time and check that it is level and properly screwed into studs.

You’ll then cut your 2x4s to depth.

We spaced the 2x4s about 12in apart but learned that they probably should have been a bit closer after drywalling.

TIP: Really take your time screwing in your 2x4s. The drywall will be laid directly on top of the 2x4s and if they are crooked, overhanging, or not in line with your arched plywood pieces, guess what else will be that way? Your drywall. Drywalling is hard enough on its own. Take your time making sure the arch structure is even and level to make the project simpler later.

MAKE YOUR LIFE EASIER: See all the pencil marks along the wall here? Zack took the extra 30 seconds to mark where the studs were before we put up the drywall. Why? The drywall needs to be screwed into every one of the 2x4s so by marking up the wall, he knew exactly where the studs were for the drywall. This allowed us to skip the infamous stud finder frustration.

And now for the drywall & compound —

If you’ve been around for a while, you know our dynamic is quite complementary:

Zack does the math and structural stuff. I do all the finishing and pretty things. I don’t have the mind for measurements and he doesn’t have the patience for sanding.

Drywalling for an arch (especially one this big) is not easy. We cut the drywall to size and tried to soak the back of it like to pros. I’m not sure what we did wrong but it didn’t work. The drywall didn’t move - like at all. There was no bend. No arch.

So, we did what we know works for us: Zack sat and sliced the back of the drywall with - what felt like - 1,000,000 cuts.

If you can get the water to work, I HIGHLY recommend it. Cutting the drywall damages its integrity and makes the finish work trickier. While installing, the cuts allow the drywall to bend with more of an angled corner than a true arch. To combat this, I had to fill some of the arch middles with compound.

The must-have tool:

Here is the ONE tool that will make your life 100x easier. See how the drywall isn’t perfectly even with the plywood? There is a slight overhang and this overhang would quite literally wreck your finishing process.

Using the flush trim router bit guarantees a very even surface. This bit has changed the way we do almost all of our projects.

my biggest whoops —

I don’t know why I didn’t Google or ask questions before taking this arch on but I used regular corner bead (my favorite here) on this arch. I realized very quickly that this is NOT what I should have been using. No matter how much I filled and sanded, the slight angles wouldn’t go away.

I fixed my mistake by redoing the entire arch with this BEAUTIFUL product specifically made for arches: arch corner bead. It’s bendable, pliable, and just about the most incredible thing ever.

I truly don’t know how I didn’t think of this in the first place. I was too excited to get started and just used what I already had. What a ding-dong. So regrettable.

A note on the arch corner bead -

After watching a few YouTube videos and reading a ton of reviews, I learned that applying the arch corner bead with regular compond (what you’d use for regular corner bead) doesn’t work. You need to use spray adhesive and staples. HERE is the adhesive I used. I put the adhesive directly on the wall, pushed the corner bead into it, held for a few seconds (20-30ish) and then moved on. I then went through and added staples to the areas that didn’t quite stick or started to sag a bit.

Mudding is a bit of a nightmare but practice makes better (not perfect). My only tip would be to apply the compound and leave it. Don’t overwork it or you’ll end up taking too much off and needing more layers. THIS is my favorite product. I typically apply it with a 6in trowel and occasionally use the magic trowel. The magic trowel really makes a difference in smoothing everything out. The smoother the better before you get sanding!

The sanding process

Note: process. You won’t be able to do this all in one shot. If you haven’t already, this is the point in the project where you’ll ask yourself why you even started.

Besides ensuring everything starts even and level in the building process, I argue that sanding is the most important step in every project. Skip or rush sanding and no project will ever look professional. I use my dad’s infamous rule - if you can feel it, you can see it.

“If you can feel it, you can see it””

You’ll see me constantly running my hand across a tape and mudded surface to feel for high and low spots. When you run your hand across a newly drywalled surface and feel a spot (whether it is high or low), you will see that spot after the surface is primed and painted. So sand, fill, and sand some more.

Speaking of primer — Pick up a gallon of drywall-specific primer. I use THIS product because it’s super easy to find. I can get it at our local hardware store, Home Deport, and Walmart. The drywall primer seems to cover the newly drywalled surface more smoothly and completely than the regular primer.

Here is the arch built, taped, mudded, sanded, and primed. Isn’t she pretty?

At this point, your arch is yours to finish! I’ve seen people build in drool-worthy floating shelves and gorgeous lower cabinets. See my real take on roman clay (coming soon!) or our guest room reveal (coming soon!).