Drywall is a universal building material. Quite often it is used to create smooth surfaces. But curvilinear objects from GKL are becoming more widespread among homeowners and designers, among them we can distinguish:
- multi-level relief ceilings;
- arches of doorways;
- niches with curved lines.
You can create such masterpieces yourself. To do this, you will need tools, materials and instructions, which you can find below. Tips on how to bend drywall for the arch will help not only finishers who deal with drywall almost every day, but also ordinary consumers who have started repairs in their house or apartment. If you want to diversify the interior with one of the above objects, then you need to learn how to bend a sheet of drywall and strengthen it.
Preparation of tools and materials
If you are considering the question of how to bend drywall for an arch, then you should prepare:
- self-tapping screws;
- square;
- roller;
- roulette wheel;
- pencil;
- knife with interchangeable blades;
- sponge or sprayer.
Before starting work, drywall must be cut to size. The operation is quite simple, for this the square should be placed along the edge of the sheet and using a knife to make a deep cut. The sheet bends along the cutting line to break the gypsum layer. At the final stage, the master will have to cut the paper layer from the opposite side.
It is important to ensure that the fragment is sized before starting to bend. To date, several methods are known that allow you to give a drywall a curved shape, among them moisturizing and applying parallel cuts should be highlighted.
The first technology is used if you need to slightly bend the canvas. The second technique will be useful when the sheet needs to be given greater curvature. You can use an alternative option in the latter case, for this two layers of drywall are used, the thickness of each of which is 6.5 mm. This material is arched drywall, as it is easier to bend. You can use one sheet of drywall with the mentioned thickness and another layer of plywood with identical parameters. Before bending drywall for the arch, you need to practice the waste. Repeat the manipulation several times, this will further eliminate errors.
Sheet bending with notches
The cuts will allow you to bend the drywall sheet when the material is planned to be used to form the door arches. In this case, you can give the sheet an impressive radius. In order to bend the sheet, notches should be made on it with a certain step, the distance between them should vary from 3 to 5 cm. The sheet must be laid on the floor and lean it against the wall.
Using a ruler or building level, parallel cuts are made on the canvas. If the paper layer is notched on one side, it will be quite easy to bend the sheet, leaving the layer of paper on the other side intact. In addition, the risk of web failure will be eliminated. If you are faced with the question of how to bend drywall for an arch, then breaking gypsum in the next step is necessary in the places of incisions, so that the canvas becomes as flexible as possible. If the technology has been followed, then the drywall will bend quite easily, this will give the canvas the desired shape.
Now you should 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. It is necessary to fix the sheet in increments of 5 cm. Use for this is necessary a screwdriver, which has the function of adjusting the torque. This will tighten the screws correctly and quickly.
It is important to make sure that the metal frame is strong enough, otherwise the arch will turn out not as stiff as we would like. If the arch does not take the form that meets expectations, do not make hasty conclusions. After the structure is pasted over with a reinforced mesh and processed with several layers of putty, it will look more attractive.
How to bend a sheet by wetting
If you want to give a drywall a curved shape, you can moisten the canvas from the back of the sheet. In order to maximize the bend, it is necessary to wet not only the back, but also the front side. The sheets are laid on a flat concrete floor, and you can moisten them with a garden sprayer or roller. If you want to moisten drywall strongly, you can even use a sponge. However, excess water can damage the material, so wetting should be gradual.
Methodology
Before bending a sheet of drywall for an arch, you must wait for the moment when the water is absorbed into the material. This may take about an hour. Work should be done with great care, because a damp panel may be damaged. As soon as you give the sheet the desired shape, you need to check the room to get rid of excess moisture.
Do not 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 sheet must begin to bend, screwing 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 be wavy. It is necessary to install the screws very carefully, because otherwise you will have to spend more effort on finishing the surface, applying putty.
Dry Wet Drywall Tips
A fairly common part of the interior in recent years are arches made of drywall. In a wet way, you can prepare the material for this according to the above scheme. However, there are some nuances. For example, in order to better impregnate the sheet, it should be treated with a needle roller or awl from one of the sides, which will be concave. After you can start wetting the surface with water, you can use for this not only a roller or spray, but also a brush.
The sheet is left for some time, you need to check it after 15 minutes - is the canvas ready for further work. It is important to exclude that moment so that the water dries the canvas through. If you do not want to fasten the sheet immediately, then you can fix it on the template with adhesive tape and leave it to dry completely.
Specialist advice
If you are thinking about how to bend drywall under an arch, but the bend should be impressive, cuts should be made on the back surface of the sheet after 5 cm. But if you need to bend the bend only a little, the sheet is moistened with a roller or sponge. At the beginning of the work, it is necessary to think over the sequence of actions, this will avoid errors.
Using wireframe
Quite often, novice home masters wonder how to bend drywall for an arch. The methods for carrying out such work are described in the article. For example, one of the solutions is the use of the dry method. It is suitable for creating slight bending. The curvature of the part will depend on the thickness of the material. A thinner sheet will allow a smaller radius.
First you need to prepare a framework that will serve 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 little effort, trying to give the sheet the shape of the frame. If you asked yourself how to flex drywall correctly, you should remember that as the surface of the sheet adheres to the template, the sheet should be fixed with self-tapping screws. For the convenience of such work, you should resort to the help of a partner.
Tips for Home Masters
If you also wondered how to bend drywall at home, then it will be important to prepare a template that is made 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 be easily bent, after which giving it the desired look. If the bend should be directed to the side, then you need to trim the base of the profile and its shelf on one side.
Conclusion
At the time, drywall made a revolution in the field of decoration, simplifying and facilitating many work. Today, this material is used even more widely. From it learned to make arches and various designs of curved shapes. You can also follow the experience of the majority, using the recommendations from the article.