How to make a niche in a drywall wall with your own hands - step by step instructions, photos and videos

Such a voluminous decor element allows you to remove many household problems without destroying the base. When assembling drywall niches with wall mounting (this is a more correct definition of the essence of the work), various goals are pursued - arranging a place for storing toys (if it is for children), installing household appliances, optimizing usable space, which allows you to more rationally place furnishings in the room, additional room decoration or otherwise.

There is no need to consider all the options, since the specifics of cutting and fastening drywall (and for a niche built with your own hands, gypsum board is the best material) remains unchanged, regardless of the owner's plans being implemented. If the reader understands all the features of each technological stage, then he will be able to make a niche of drywall with his own hands without any difficulties according to his own drawings - of any size and configuration. The nuances of designing and assembling the box are the topic of this article.

Drawing up a drawing

Nobody will work “blindly”. Therefore, you need to choose a place and take all the necessary measurements, taking into account the volume of the niche and the convenience of attaching its frame to the wall, not only with your own hands, but also with the help of the tool available in the house. Especially for such a one-time job, it is hardly reasonable for the owner of a city apartment to acquire, for example, a "grinder".

The rest of the material after cutting it is, as a rule, unnecessary expenses. And whether trimming a profile, slats or small fragments of gypsum boards will be useful in the household is unknown and unlikely. All the materials needed for home making a niche are sold in the form of blanks in standard sizes.

To reduce the amount of waste, it is desirable to correlate them with the dimensions of the place where the structure is supposed to be installed, thereby optimizing costs. Consequently, the design features depend on those products (samples) that are supposed to be purchased. By the way, this particular nuance is often not taken into account if something is done in the house with your own hands.

The dimensions of the niche compartments in those places where it is supposed to install household appliances on the shelves (for example, a TV set) should be slightly larger than the dimensions of the equipment. This is due to the need for natural cooling of the equipment in the operating mode. Otherwise, overheating and equipment breakdown are inevitable.

Choice of materials

For frame

There are few options for a niche - wood or metal profiles. From the point of view of practicality, it is better not to get involved with a tree, regardless of the specifics of the room. The main reason is that it gradually dries up, and changes in humidity and temperature affect. As a result, the entire structure will "lead" over time.

And since drywall, by definition, is a rather brittle material, for a long time a niche, the frame of which is assembled from wooden slats, will not stand.

It can be different, so it is wiser to opt for aluminum - and the weight is less, and the workpieces are cheaper, and the processing is easier (since the material is soft).

For niche cladding

There are several ats on sale. One thing is certain - for a niche it is necessary to choose products of the “moisture resistant” category. But in terms of thickness, one should focus not only on the shape and dimensions of the box, but also on the purpose of the shelves. If something massive is not supposed to be put on them, then arched drywall is quite enough. Its thickness is less than that of the ceiling and wall counterparts (about 6 mm), respectively, and the cost is lower.

Niche construction procedure

Wall markings

Nothing complicated - the drawn drawing is projected onto it (taking into account the scale).

Preparation of the base

There is no need to talk about her thoroughness, since the niche will close all the flaws. But in order to evaluate the convenience of fastening in this particular place, you should attach the profile rail to the wall and see how tightly it fits, and whether there are significant distortions. If necessary, you will have to make at least partial alignment. The technique is selected depending on the size of the defect.

It is easy to knock down the bulge (chisel + hammer), seal it with mortar in the recess. In some cases, to give the profile the correct position, you can use wedges, pads, and the like during the fastening process.

Laying of electric / wiring

If it is decided to illuminate a niche, then you need to think about the method of connecting lighting devices in advance.

Recommendation - in order not to hammer the wall under the groove, you can start up the main part of the line under the skirting board. By the way, plastic products are just intended for secret laying of wired (cable) communications. Comfortable and modern.

Assembling the frame

The specifics of the work depends on the dimensions of the future niche.

If the box is small, and the base for the mount is quite flat, then it is more convenient to first assemble the frame, and then fix it on the wall.

What to consider - when assembling the skeleton of the box, one cannot do it. To check the correctness of the geometry of the niche frame, it is advisable to use a square. It is easy to make it yourself, and the length of the "rays" of this device should be commensurate with the smallest side of the mounted volumetric form. Then the total value of inevitable measurement errors will be minimized.

A niche of impressive dimensions is assembled in parts, like any prefabricated structure. Bearing profiles are attached according to the markings made. They also function as guides. The appearance of the niche and its stability under load depend on how accurately (in accordance with the drawing) and reliably they will be fixed on the wall.

Recommendation - if the niche is designed so that it reaches the floor, then you should not limit yourself to only wall mounting the slats. At the bottom, they should all be “fastened” (if possible) to the floorboards as well. This installation will give the entire assembly additional stability.

All that remains is to assemble the niche frame from individual parts (sections of the metal profile) and check its geometry and resistance to deformations.

Plasterboard sheathing

Fragments of the required dimensions and geometry are prepared in advance. Immediately after cutting, each should be tried on at the place of installation. If necessary, adjust to the required size. At the same stage, holes are drilled for self-tapping screws.

What to consider when sheathing

• The heads of the niche fasteners must be recessed into the drywall sheet. Therefore, chamfers are necessarily made with a drill of a larger diameter.
• How the niche will be finished. Proceeding from this, the necessity and method of sealing the joints of sheets at the corners are determined. There are several options for this work. Since it is unlikely that you can make an ideal cutting with your own hands, you can remove a part of the gypsum along the edges (in the form of a chamfer). After joining the fragments of the gypsum board, the seams formed on the surface of the niche can be easily filled with putty, leveled and sanded. Additionally, it is recommended to stick a serpyanka tape on top and paint over with a thin layer.

Niche finishing

If the niche is supposed to be painted to match the walls, then its surface should be prepared. Firstly, the paint on "clean" drywall will fall badly, and secondly, it will partially be absorbed into the gypsum, and the sheet will swell. Therefore, it is advisable to first treat the entire box with a finishing putty. Its difference from analogs is that all solid fractions in the mixture are microscopic. After leveling such a coating, it is sanded with the finest sandpaper.

For all other types of finishes (for example, wallpapering), all sides of the niche should be treated with a primer. It will significantly increase the adhesion of the surfaces and provide a more durable adhesion of the cladding.

If it is necessary to equip a backlight in a separate compartment of the niche, then it is more expedient to use (cords). Installing spotlights is a more complicated process. First, you will have to drill out the drywall. Secondly, calculate the optimal power of the bulbs. In addition, the tapes can be repositioned at any time, changing the lighting and design of the room. You won't be able to experiment with lamps in this way, unless you turn off one or more of them.

When using luminaires with bulbs, the circuit should be powered through a step-down Tr (36, 24 or 12 V). It is not recommended to use a higher voltage, given that the niche frame is made of metal.

When arranging a niche with your own hands, you do not need to be afraid to experiment. There is no standard for such prefabricated structures. If desired, swing-open or sliding doors can be made in separate compartments.