For the past few years, I’ve seen these huge arch backdrops used for party decorations and always thought how fun it would be to make my own. As I was prepping for our son’s first birthday party and our daughters 8th birthday, I decided I was going to make my own (and at 34 weeks pregnant!) and I’m so happy with how it turned out. It was a lot simpler than I thought it would be. But I’m warning you, this thing is massive! But it was the perfect size for what I was wanting.
Supplies you will need:
1 – 4’x8′ 1/2″ plywood (I used sande plywood)
3 – 2″x4″x8′ studs
8 – 2″ screws
10 – 2 1/2″ – 3″ screws
Skill saw or miter saw
Jigsaw
1 piece of yarn or string and a pencil
Step one:
First, I laid the 4′ x 8′ plywood up on sawhorses. I measured down from the top 2 feet and then centered that up so there was 2 feet on each side and drew a mark. Then I put a screw in that mark. I attached a string to the screw and a pencil to the opposite end of the string and made sure the string was tight and the pencil was in line with the edge of the plywood. This is very important to keep the string tight and have it start at the edge of the plywood to give you the perfect arch. You then draw your arch with the pencil and it should look something like the second diagram below. If you don’t get it right the first time (I didn’t) its no big deal, just try again until you get the proportionate arch you are happy with.
Once you are happy with the arch you drew, it’s time to cut it out. Make sure to remove the string, pencil and screw from the middle then I used my jigsaw to cut the arch out.
Once you have your arch the way you want it, it’s time to flip it over and make the stand for it to stand on it’s own.
For this, I cut one of my studs in half, so I had 2 pieces, at approximately 42″ each. I secured each of these with 3-4 2″ screws to each side of the lower back half of the arch leaving a gap of about 2-3 inches from the sides of the arch.
After these were attached, it was time to make the stand to support this whole thing. For this, I used my other studs and cut two pieces at 58″. I used my miter saw to cut one end of the piece at a 55 degree angle and the other end at a 35 degree angle. This allows for the arch to tilt slightly backward once assembled and puts the weight of it on the stand and reduces the risk of it tipping forward.
I attached the side that had the 35 degree angle to the support piece that is attached to the arch. I used 3 – 3″ screws on each side. I attached these angled supports on both sides of the arch. This next piece you will cut is the brace that goes between these two board and rests on the ground behind the arch. I would suggest measuring the distance between your two pieces as it will vary in length depending on where you mounted your supports on the arch. Once you get that measurement, cut that piece to length and secure it to the angled pieces with 2 – 3″ screws.
After these were all secured, the only thing left to do was paint and add my vinyl letters to the front. For this party, we had a surfing theme of “The Big One” and for our daughter it was her “8th wave” so we used those vinyls to decorate the front. What I love so much about this project is when I decide to use this for another party in the future, I can easily remove the vinyl and repaint if I need to and it can be fully customized to any other theme!
Is this a project you want to take on? It’s a pretty easy and beginner friendly DIY that I know you can do too! Here’s a few more of the DIY decorations I made for the party!! We had the best day celebrating our two kids! Drop a comment if you have any questions! Happy building 
