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How to Remove an Arched Doorway in a Wall: Easy Steps & Video

Here’s how to remove an arched doorway in a wall with tips for how to demo, framing, and how to square off rounded arches.

How to Remove an Arched Doorway in a Wall

Hi, guys! Here’s how to remove an arched doorway in a wall with tips for demo, framing, and drywall work.

I have been planning on closing off this archway between our Foyer and Playroom for years. I’m so excited to say I finally got around to it and couldn’t be happier, guys!

You can use the tips and steps in this post to completely close off an archway on a wall or to square off an archway to give it an updated look.

Image of partially removed archway in a home. For a post about how to square and arch doorway or to square an arch opening for doors.
A look at our Arch Doorway before removing the framing to make it a square opening.

I closed mine off for 3 reasons; I wanted to make the Foyer the grand entry I knew it could be, I wanted to hide my messy Playroom away from anyone at the front door, and because of all the NOISE.

This may sound strange, but our open-concept home is a bit too open. The first floor has 6 rooms open to each other. You can see a quick look at all 6 in the video below. And, the second floor has a big landing with just a half wall separating it from the first floor Living Room and Foyer.

So, we can always hear what everyone else is doing in the house. It can get pretty loud when we have house guests. You can see in the video that our office also has 2 large doors on 2 of the walls.

Eventually, I’d love to close off one of those too. But, that’s a story for another day. 🙂

Here's how to remove an arched doorway in a wall with tips for demo, framing, and how to square off rounded arches.
Here’s a look at the arched doorway just before I started demo. You can see here that my arched doorway is bumped out on one side with extra framing. If you don’t have a bump out, that’ll make demo even easier.
Here's how to remove an arched doorway in a wall with tips for demo, framing, and how to square off rounded arches.
And, you’ll see in the How to Remove an Arched Doorway Video, this is what that opening looked like after I removed the bumped out arch.

OK, let’s have a look at how to remove an arched doorway in a wall.

Table of contents

Change An Arch Doorway To Square – Demo Time!

Demo time, guys! Whether you want to remove an arched doorway in a wall to close the opening or to just square off an archway, it starts with demo.

You should work carefully and slowly to make sure you are only removing what needs to go.

Here's how to remove an arched doorway in a wall with tips for demo, framing, and how to square off rounded arches.
I started by hanging plastic to keep the drywall dust out of the rest of the house. Then carefully started to remove the drywall. I wanted to remove it in big sections to reduce mess and dust too.

Try to avoid removing any 2×4 supports in the wall unless you are absolutely sure they are not supporting the house. I did not remove any 2×4’s because that wall does continue all the way up to my roof.

To make the arched opening that wide, there are multiple 2×4’s on each side supporting the weight of the header for that opening, and really the roof above it.

Here's how to remove an arched doorway in a wall with tips for demo, framing, and how to square off rounded arches.
I cut the 2×4 blocks between the 2 sides of the arched doorway with my reciprocating saw.

Video Showing Me Removing an Archway

Here’s a look at how to remove an arched doorway in a wall. You can see in this video how I use a box knife to carefully remove trim and drywall around the arch.

And, when I use my reciprocating saw, circular saw, hammer, and pry bar in the demo. Hopefully seeing it done can help clear up any confusion and give you the confidence to do it too.

How to Remove an Arch in Your Home - Demo an Archway To Square It Off
Here’s a look at that archway partially demo’d. One side of the bump out framing is removed and most of the drywall is gone.
Here's how to remove an arched doorway in a wall with tips for demo, framing, and how to square off rounded arches. How to Demo Arched Doors in your home.
Don’t forget to Save this DIY on Pinterest

How To Square Off Rounded Archways

Usually the arched shape of an archway is made with plywood (like on mine) or by cutting an arch in drywall with framing blocks behind each type.

If you want to square off rounded archways, carefully remove the drywall in the rounded corners to figure out the best way to remove an arched doorway in a wall.

Once you figure out how to carefully cut out the rounded drywall and how to remove the arched plywood, you basically have a square opening.

Finish squaring off the drywall and removing any other bits of the arched doorway to prep the squared off opening for the next step.

Photos After Removing the Archway

Here's how to remove an arched doorway in a wall with tips for demo, framing, and how to square off rounded arches.
Here’s the playroom side of the arch after I removed the archway and was left with a squared off opening.
And, here's the foyer side of the squared off arched doorway. How to Remove an arched Doorway.
And, here’s the foyer side.

Ways to Replace an Archway in a Home

If you want to keep your newly squared off opening, you have 3 main ways to finish it now.

You can install large doors, you can just drywall the opening, or you can install beautiful wooden trim around the opening to make it a cased opening.

If you’ll be adding wood trim, check out my tips for when to use caulk or wood filler on trim. I usually try to keep all of the trim in my home similar.

This just helps give the home a definite style and makes it feel like it was planned and custom. I think that helps with resale.

I closed off my arched doorway by framing in the doorway with 2×4’s spaced 16″ on center. Each side of the opening also gets a 2×4 nailed into the 2×4 that was already there. This post is really about how to remove an arched door in a wall. It isn’t really about how to frame in an opening. But you can see more of this framing in the 15 beginner tips to cut and hang drywall video.

How to Close off an Arched Doorway in a Wall

If you watch the video for How to Remove an Arched Doorway in a Wall (above), you’ll see that I cut the drywall back on each side to get a clean, straight edge on the drywall.

I needed that straight edge to make it easier to hang the new drywall next to it. You can find my 15 beginner tips to cut and hang drywall in a previous post. I framed in my opening with 2×4’s spaced 16″ on center, like the rest of my home.

Once the framing was in, I could hang the drywall. Next, in the foyer, I used construction adhesive and brad nails to hang 1/4″ MDF over the drywall. I wanted this foyer to have a large, grand feel.

So, adding more trim and molding seemed like the logical choice in my home that already has a lot of wainscoting, crown, and molding.

Here’s a look at how I layered the drywall, MDF, and trim onto that wall in my foyer.

Here’s a look at the MDF panels I used to cover the drywall in my foyer. I made sure that the seams between the pieces of MDF would be under the wood trim I was installing.
I used the existing trim and moulding design on my stairs as the design for this wall. I also love a grid moulding look on stairs, similar to the DIY coffered ceiling design I put in my Dining Room.
The key to getting perfect looking wood trim and moulding is getting the wood filler and caulk right before you start painting. Check out my guide for when to use wood filler and caulk on wood trim for those tips.

OK, now let’s look at what the foyer looks like after following those steps to remove the arched doorway in a wall and framing in the squared off arch.

Before and After Rebuilding the Foyer Side

First, here’s some pics of my foyer a few years ago so you can see the full makeover on this foyer over time. 🙂

Three years ago this foyer was blue with wood floors. It was before I started painting the walls in this house with a light colored paint scheme that made the whole house feel brighter and bigger.
By this point, we had installed tile in this room during our Kitchen Remodel. Hello toys in the foyer. 😉
One last look at the foyer. You can see the No Drill DIY Baby Gate Stairs Hack that kept my kids off those stairs for 4 years too.

AND, here’s the newly finished White Foyer, Stairs, and the Wood Trim I installed in there. Now, I just need to decorate that Foyer to really finish it off and give the room that grand entry look I’ve wanted.

A white foyer with traditional stairs and with wood trim finish carpentry.
Here’s our Light and Bright White Foyer now. I’m so happy with how this turned out. I still need to decorate the Foyer. Side Note: I took this picture from the Dining Room where I just finished some big DIY projects, like that DIY Long Wooden Table Runner Tray in this picture and a DIY Gray Chalk Paint Furniture Makeover on the buffet (not in picture).
A white foyer with traditional stairs and with wood trim finish carpentry.
This wall is over 7′ long. I’ll be adding a big DIY Farmhouse Console Table and some wall art to this wall soon. You can now see why I decided to remove an arched doorway in a wall here to close this entry off. Now, I have a large, usable entry. Also, check out how using a light paint color on walls in my house has been a game changer!
A white foyer with traditional stairs and with wood trim finish carpentry.
Another look at the Foyer from our Dining Room. You can see the DIY Coffered Ceiling in the top corner of this picture. The Foyer mirror I did that DIY Weathered Paint Effect on. And, the DIY Acrylic Paint Pouring Wall Art on the right.
A white foyer with traditional stairs and with wood trim finish carpentry.
One day, I’ll circle back and replace the carpeting on these stairs with something more colorful and fun. But, for now, I’m moving on to the Playroom Built-Ins.

Before and After on the Playroom Side

And, here’s a quick look at the before and after photos on the playroom side of that wall.

Here's how to remove an arched doorway in a wall with tips for demo, framing, and how to square off rounded arches.
Here’s a look at the arched doorway again just before I started demo.

Here’s a sneak peek at how this wall looks now. You can see the Before and After Family Room Makeover On A Budget pictures in another post.

Magnolia Homes by Kilz paint color Duke Grey on Bookshelves. I am LOVING this Before and After Family Room Makeover Transformation! Check out the amazing pictures and budget friendly DIY projects.
Check out The Best Paint Sheen on Ceilings to see how I use paint to brighten rooms.

You can see my tutorials for how to paint built in bookshelves and cabinets, easy DIY wood drawer fronts, or my DIY Built In playlist on YouTube for more about this room.

Check out this post about how to get rid of cable and still watch TV to see how I save $125 per month by cutting the cord.

That’s it for how to remove an arched doorway in a wall. Good luck with your project, guys! Scroll down for printable info from this tutorial.

Looking for more of my Home Remodeling Videos? Check out this DIY Home Improvement playlist on YouTube.

I love this DIY Plywood Plank Ceiling makeover. It’s cheap and not too hard.

This DIY Plywood Plank Ceiling Install is a pretty cross between shiplap and v-groove panels. Here's what it cost with the build steps and how-to video.

Check out this low profile, Simple DIY Coffered Ceiling for another great home improvement idea.

Try this Simple DIY Coffered Ceiling Design I used to give my Dining Room ceiling a beautiful new look. Includes lots of pictures and a how to video. DIY Ceiling Design Ideas. DIY Ceiling Makeover Ideas.

This DIY Board and Batten Wainscoting from Lattice Boards is another beautiful wall trim idea.

This beautiful DIY Board and Batten Wainscoting has completely updated this bedroom with a new high end designer look. And it was pretty easy. See the full tutorial and DIY tips here. #AbbottsAtHome #Wainscoting #DIYProjects #HomeRemodeling

You might also like this DIY Pine Tongue and Groove Porch Ceiling Makeover.

Modern Farmhouse DIY Pine Tongue and Groove Ceiling Tutorial that will turn your porch into that beautiful, charming spot you've always wanted. For most porches, you can have these wood planks installed in a weekend, guys! #AbbottsAtHome #PlankCeiling #PorchCeiling #TongueAndGroove

And, if it is time to Stain your Front Door, check out these steps for how I restain a front door without stripping it or removing it. 🙂

Feeling inspired? Now that you’ve read these tips for how to remove an arched doorway in a wall, you can do it too. Let me know if you have questions.

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