Add a Decorative Lattice Arbor

James Dulley
Wed, 28 Jan 2026 21:00:00 -0800
Lifestyle

Dear James: I think an arched arbor would look nice over my back door and the vines would help shade it. Are there some recommended dimensions and basic construction methods? — Mike K.

Dear Mike: An arbor with plants around a door can be very attractive and functional. Proper construction of an arched arbor is a fairly complicated project requiring power tools. If you want to make it decorative and appear professionally made, plan on using a router to prepare the slots for the sides and lattice.

It might be wise, unless you are very skilled with woodworking, to hire a carpenter or a millworker to make the top arch for you. It can be quite complicated to make it properly so it has enough strength and a uniform curve. If you try it yourself, you will probably spend more on extra lumber for all the trials and mistakes than if you had it professionally made.
Updated: Thu Jan 29, 2026

Dear James: I think an arched arbor would look nice over my back door and the vines would help shade it. Are there some recommended dimensions and basic construction methods? — Mike K.

Dear Mike: An arbor with plants around a door can be very attractive and functional. Proper construction of an arched arbor is a fairly complicated project requiring power tools. If you want to make it decorative and appear professionally made, plan on using a router to prepare the slots for the sides and lattice.

It might be wise, unless you are very skilled with woodworking, to hire a carpenter or a millworker to make the top arch for you. It can be quite complicated to make it properly so it has enough strength and a uniform curve. If you try it yourself, you will probably spend more on extra lumber for all the trials and mistakes than if you had it professionally made.

Determining the size of the arbor is your first and most important step in building one. If the proportions are off, it will have a strange appearance. It is probably wise to measure several arbors in your neighborhood and make yours to the same height and width ratios.

When planning, remember that the height of the arch will be half of its width. If it is near a door, size it to clear the door when it is opened. The type and thickness of the foliage and stems of the plants you select must also be considered when determining the door clearance.

Make the side framing using four-by-four posts with two-by-four rails. Using a router, make mortise and tenon joints for the most strength and rigidity. Assemble them with waterproof wood glue and galvanized decking screws. Countersink the screw holes for a professional appearance. The screw heads can be covered with wood putty when the arbor is completed.

Next, make the lattice panels that will be inserted into the side framing. Use one-by-two lumber or rip two-by-fours down to any size you prefer to make the channels. There are many attractive designs of lattice to use, but a woven rectangular (vertical/horizontal) pattern is probably the easiest to make.

Using the router again, rout dados (slots) into the length of the channels. Make the dados somewhat wider than the lattice materials. Nail the channels in the side frame. Carefully slide the lattice pieces into the dados until the side panels are completed filled with your pattern.

Adding a floor to the arbor will make it nicer to step through into your back door, and it will add rigidity to the entire arbor. Frame the floor with pressure-treated two-by-fours attached to the four-by-four posts. When the frame is complete, use standard decking lumber to lay the floor. Leave enough of the four-by-four posts extending down to reach below the frost line for your area.

Dig postholes and fill the bottom with a few inches of gravel. Place the arbor in the holes, level it and fill the holes with concrete. Once the concrete is set and everything is complete, take careful measurements and have the top arch made. When you receive it from the carpenter, it should fit perfectly.