For Interest, Throw Rooms Some Curves

One of the best ways I know to add some real visual interest to any room is to throw your house a curve. Instead of the usual right-angle joint between walls, build in a nice, gentle arc.

The basic procedure is pretty simple. Cut a pair of curved top and bottom plates out of three-quarter inch plywood. Fasten these to floor and ceiling, then nail in a series of ordinary studs between them as shown in the sketch, and then cover them with drywall.

Start by planning the radius and location of the curve. You should shoot for a radius of at least three feet. If you try a tighter curve than that, you may have trouble getting your drywall to bend without breaking. If you are replacing an existing right-angle corner with a curve, your first step is to remove the old corner to make room for the new. Then lay out the position of the new wall, right on the floor and ceiling.

An easy way to do this? Cut a stick of wood a bit longer than the radius of the curve. Drill a hole near one end, and then another hole at the other end. The distance between these two holes should equal the radius of the wall to the outside of its framing. Drill a third hole 3 1/2 inches in from the second hole. This will give you the radius of the curve to the inside of the framing.

Now use this stick as a compass to draw the curved outline of your framing on the ceiling. Just use a nail or center-punch through the first hole as your center pivot, and you can slip a pencil through the other two holes to draw the inside and outside curves for the framing.

Drop a plumb bob down from the center point to the floor and repeat the process to draw the outline for the floor plate.

Now you are ready to make your top and bottom plates. Use the same compass to lay out one plate on a sheet of three-quarter inch plywood. Cut this plate out with a saber saw, and use it as a pattern to draw and cut three more identical plates. You now have four identical curved pieces used to make the two-layer plates shown in the sketch.

Next, double these pieces up and nail them in position of floor and ceiling, using the lines you drew earlier as your guides. Make sure your nails penetrate into the floor and ceiling joists.

The studs come next. Cut these to be a snug fit between the top and bottom plate, and toe nail them in place. Those in the curved section of wall should be spaced eight inches apart. That’s half the normal distance for a straight wall, but it helps assure a good smooth bend.

Now you are just about ready to put up the drywall. There are a few tricks to this, however. First of all, don’t try running any vertical seams in the curved section of wall. To avoid vertical seams, you’ll have to install your drywall horizontally, and you may need to use 12-foot sheets to run all the way around the curve without a break.

Before you put the drywall up, you will have to prebend it. To do this, dampen both faces with a sponge. Then slowly, over a period of hours, bend the drywall into a gentle arc. One way to do this is to stand the drywall on end and lean it against a wall. Start with the bottom edge of the sheet about a foot from the wall, and brace it there to keep it from skidding. Slowly, the drywall will begin to sag under its own weight. In half an hour or so, move the bottom of the sheet a little further from the wall and let it sag some more. Keep this up and be patient.

When the drywall has reached an approximation of the curve you are after, you are ready to put it up. You can use nails if you like, but drywall screws and an electric drill with a driver bit will do a better job.

Start with the inside surface of the wall first. This is the harder surface to cover, and if you do it first, you’ll be able to check from the other side of the framing to make sure the drywall is pulling up tight against the studs.

You’ll probably need a pair of helpers to hold the sheet up and press it firmly in place while you fasten it to the studs. Start at one end of the sheet and then work toward the other, one stud at a time. Use plenty of screws. Do the top half of the wall first, then the bottom.

After covering the inside of the wall, do the outside. Let the damp drywall dry out overnight, then tape the seams and finish off as usual. Always work with your drywall knife horizontal and it will follow the curve of the wall without problems.