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We wanted our daughter’s first birthday party to be a hit and decided to DIY some chiara arches as a photo backdrop. We had seen the round chiara arches and fell in love with the way they looked, but the cost to buy or even rent them was outrageous! There was no way we would pay $200+ just for one, so we set out to build our own and control the way it looked. Overall, we absolutely love how this simple arch came out, and now have it to use for future parties!
Difficulty Level: 2 out of 5
Time: Weekend project
Materials Needed:
Qty (1) - ½" Plywood 4’ x 8’ - cut to 3’ x 6’: $45
Qty (4) Hinges - $12
Qty (1) Rope Loop - $4
Qty (1) Quart Primer - $17
Qty (1) Quart Gloss Paint - $23
Sandpaper - $7
Foam Rollers and Other Paint Supplies - $10
Total Estimated Project Cost: $118
Tools Needed:
Jig Saw
Drill
Sawhorses or cutting surface
Watch our TikTok video for a visual reference:
Step 1: Decide your backdrop size and have it cut at the hardware store
When buying the materials for the project, we made sure to have the 4’ x 8’ panel we wanted cut directly at our local hardware store (major chains usually offer this service for free!). This not only saved us time at home, but also made it fit in the back of our SUV. We ultimately landed on a 3’ x 6’ panel size based on what we had seen online and to ensure it look proportional.
If you do get your 4’ x 8’ panel cut down, be sure to save the scrap that comes off to use for the feet of the arch.
Step 2: Cut the arch
Sit the panel up onto a surface and using a tape measure and straightedge, measure 18” down from the top and then straight across (for a reference line). If you chose a different size arch width, just take half that width as your center point from the top. If you’re in need of sawhorses, this two-pack has been perfect for us!
Then, using either a piece of scrap wood cut to length, or even a string, line out the arch. If you have the tools available, you can use a router and a circular guide to cut this out, however, we landed on using a jigsaw by hand to cut the arch out. It wasn’t totally perfect, but with a little sanding it turned out great!
Step 3: Cut the feet
Now use the scrap saved from cutting the 4’ x 8’ panel down to make feet. We simply made a 12” x 12” square and then cut that in half diagonally for two very simple feet.
Step 4: Attach the feet
Using more of the scrap wood, cut out (4) 3” or 4” strips to use as extra spacing to attach those legs. We wanted our party arches to store more easily, so we used hinges for the feet to fold in and out. The screws that come with many of the hinge packs will be too long, though, and you don’t want to screw through the front of the arch panel.
Before screwing anything, make sure you’re attaching the feet to the back of the panel. If you bought sanded plywood, there will be one side darker than the other and that’s the back.
Pencil out where your screws should go and then attach the hinge through the scrap wood into the back of the arch. The tricky parts here are twofold, (1) making sure you line up the bottom of the foot parallel with the bottom of the panel so it stands evenly, and (2) lining the feet up equally from the side edges. Measure a couple times just to make sure you get them as close as possible!
When the feet are attached, stand the chiara arch up to make sure it stays that way.
Step 5: Add a loop for extra stability
When we followed that last step of standing up the arch, we noticed that depending on how uneven the ground was really affected our arch’s stability. We saw some others notch out a space to add a crossbar across their feet, but we ultimately added a rope loop to the back that we could tie a weight to it. Be sure to use some additional scrap wood here as well so you don’t screw through the front panel.
Because our arches were going to be inside, we felt comfortable with the simple weight tied to it, but if this were to go outside or in a place with more risk of falling, we would have redesigned the feet to be both in the front and back for even more stability. Totally depends on your party environment.
Step 6: Prime and paint
That’s it for the construction side, so now it was time to prime and paint the face of the arch. Although our plywood was already “sanded”, we did a quick pass with some 220-grit sandpaper just to be certain and wiped any dust with a tack cloth.
Then it was two coats of primer and two coats of paint applied with foam rollers for an extremely smooth finish. We used gloss paint here for a little added protection in case anything were to be nicked or scraped. The paint color we used was Rose Colored by Sherwin Williams.
Bonus Step: Add vinyl graphics
For a little extra personalization on our chiara arch, we added some vinyl to the top to match the party invites that were made. We mocked up the graphic we wanted in our software of choice (Affinity Designer) and saved that out to the Cricut. Then cut it and transferred the graphic to the arch where we wanted it. A roll of removable vinyl is about $10, so it wasn’t too much to add that little personal touch, and it could be removed to personalize for another event!
Dress it up however you want!
Now that you have your arch, you can use a balloon garland for even more added flair, some other florals, or even leave it as is. Whichever way you choose, these simple chiara arches are sure to be a hit!
Have any questions? DM us on Instagram @OurUpstateHome
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