How to bend drywall for an arch: a step-by-step description, effective methods and recommendations

Drywall is a universal building material. Quite often it is used to create smooth surfaces. But more and more popular among homeowners and designers are curvilinear objects from the GKL, among them we can distinguish:

• Multi-level relief ceilings;
• Arches of doorways;
• Niches with curved lines.

You can create such masterpieces with your own hands. To do this, you will need tools, materials and instructions, which you can read below. Tips on how to bend drywall for the arch will help not only the finishers, who almost every day deal with plasterboard, but also ordinary consumers who started repairs in the house or apartment. If you want to diversify the interior of one of the above objects, you need to learn how to bend the sheet of drywall and strengthen it.

Preparation of tools and materials

If you are thinking about the question of how to bend drywall for an arch, you should prepare:

• Self-tapping screws;
• Gon;
• Roller;
• Roulette;
• pencil;
• A knife with replaceable blades;
• Sponge or sprayer.

Before starting the work, it is necessary to cut the drywall to the size. The operation is quite simple, for this, the gon should be placed along the edge of the sheet and using a knife to make a deep cut. The sheet is bent along the cutting line to break the gypsum layer. At the final stage, the master has to cut the paper layer from the opposite side.

It is important to make sure before starting the bending that the fragment is suitable for the size. To date, there are several methods that allow to give the gypsum board a curved shape, among them it is necessary to distinguish humidification and application of parallel incisions.

The first technology is used if necessary to slightly bend the canvas. The second technique will be useful when the sheet needs to give more curvature. You can use an alternative in the latter case, for this two layers of plasterboard are used, the thickness of each of which is 6.5 mm. This material is an arched gypsum board, since it is easier to bend. It is possible to use one sheet of gypsum board with the mentioned thickness and another layer of plywood with identical parameters. Before you bend the drywall for the arch, you need to practice on the waste. Repeat manipulations several times, this will further exclude errors.

Sheet folding with notches

Cuts allow you to bend the sheet of plasterboard when the material is planned to be used to form door arches. In this case, you can give the sheet an impressive radius. In order to bend the sheet, it is necessary to make incisions with a certain step on it, the distance between them should vary from 3 to 5 cm. The sheet must be laid on the floor and leaned against the wall.

Using a ruler or a building level, parallel incisions are made on the canvas. If the paper layer is cut from one side, it will make it fairly easy to bend the sheet, leaving the paper layer on the other side undamaged. In addition, the risk of destruction of the canvas will be ruled out. If you are faced with the question of how to bend the drywall for the arch, then the gypsum must be broken at the next stage in the places of cuts, so that the canvas becomes as flexible as possible. If the technology has been observed, then the plasterboard will bend easily enough, this will allow to give the canvas the desired shape.

Now, align the fragment of the arch with the plane of the wall and fix the sheet with screws. In order for the results of the work to meet expectations, all operations must be performed carefully. You need to fix the sheet in increments of 5 cm. Use a screwdriver with this function, which has the function of adjusting the torque. This will allow you to tighten the screws correctly and quickly.

It is important to make sure that the metal frame is strong enough, otherwise the arch will not turn out as hard as we would like. If the arch has not found a form that meets expectations, do not make hasty conclusions. After the construction is pasted with reinforced mesh and processed with several layers of putty, it will look more attractive.

How to bend the sheet by wetting

If you want to give the plasterboard a curved shape, then you can moisten the canvas from the back of the sheet. In order to make the bend maximum, it is necessary to wet not only the rear, but also the front side. The sheets are laid on a flat concrete floor, and they can be moistened with a garden sprayer or roller. If you want to moisten the drywall strongly, then you can use even a sponge. However, excess water can damage the material, so the humidification should be gradual.

Methods of work

Before you bend the sheet of drywall for the arch, you must wait until the water is absorbed into the material. This may take about an hour. Work should be done with great care, because the wet panel can be damaged. Once you give the sheet the desired shape, you need to check the room to get rid of excess moisture.

Wet the sheet too much, otherwise the paper may tear. At the next stage, it is necessary to fix one of the edges of the sheet, then the canvas must be started bending, screwing in the screws. It is important to be careful to get a smooth curve. The distance of the screws from each other should be equal to the limit of 10 to 15 cm, otherwise the curve will turn out to be wavy. It is necessary to install self-tapping screws very carefully, otherwise you will have to spend more effort on the final leveling of the surface, applying the putty.

Tips for a wet method of flexing a drywall

A fairly common part of the interior in recent times are arches from plasterboard. A wet way to prepare material for this can be done according to the scheme described above. However, there are some nuances. For example, in order for the sheet to become impregnated better, it should be treated with a needle roller or an awl with one side that is concave. After you can begin to wet the surface of the water, you can use not only a roller or an atomizer, but also a brush.

The sheet is left for a while, you need to check it in 15 minutes - is the canvas ready for further work. It is important to exclude the moment when water soaks through the canvas. If you do not want to fasten the sheet immediately, then you can fix it on the template with scotch and leave until completely dry.

Advice of a specialist

If you are thinking about how to bend a drywall under the arch, but the bend should be impressive, on the back of the sheet you need to make cuts in 5 cm. But if you need to bend the bend only a little, then the sheet is moistened with a roller or sponge. In the beginning of work it is necessary to think over the sequence of actions, this will avoid mistakes.

Use of the frame

Quite often novice home masters are wondering how to bend the drywall for the arch. The methods of carrying out similar works are described in the article. For example, the use of a dry method is one of the solutions. It is suitable for creating a slight bend. The curvature of the part will depend on the thickness of the material. A thinner sheet will produce a smaller radius.

First you need to prepare a framework that will act as a template. This element can be made of plywood, steel profile or chipboard. One edge of the part is fixed to the template and slowly bends, it is important to apply a small effort, trying to give the sheet the shape of the frame. If you are wondering how to properly bend drywall, you should remember that as the sheet surface is adhered to the template, the sheet should be fixed with screws. For the convenience of such work, one should resort to the help of a partner.

Tips for Home Masters

If you, too, have wondered about how to bend drywall at home, it will be important to prepare a template that is executed from a U-shaped profile. On its side slats, it is necessary to make incisions to the base, the distance between which will be equal to the limit of 30 to 70 mm. The material can easily be bent, after that giving it the necessary look. If the bend should be pointed to the side, then cut the base of the profile and its shelf on one side.

Conclusion

In due time the drywall made a revolution in the area of interior decoration, simplifying and facilitating many works. Today this material is used even more widely. From him learned to make arches and different designs of curved forms. You, too, can follow the experience of the majority, using the recommendations from the article.