How To Make A Balloon Arch – The Ultimate Guide


Balloon Arch

What Is A Balloon Arch

The balloon arch is one of the topmost iconic pieces of balloon decor, only third to the balloon column and the helium balloon itself. A balloon arch is a gathering and stacking of balloons, held together by either a balloon stand or a string in order to make the appearance of an arch made out of balloons. A balloon arch can be made with helium-filled balloons or air-filled balloons.

What Is A Balloon Arch Used For

A balloon arch can be used for a variety of things. With this single piece of balloon decor, a balloon arch can accent a stage, a table, or a doorway. You can draw one’s attention to a focal point. The uses are limited only by your own imagination.

How Much Do Balloon Arches Cost

There are several balloon arch kits on the market you can buy to help you build your very own balloon arch. Balloon arch kits can range from $15 – $30 for each arch, depending on where you live and where you buy from. If you decide to buy a balloon arch kit you will need to be aware that it may actually take more balloons than the kit has to reach the desired fullness of an arch. Also, the quality of the balloons may not be good depending on the balloons arch kit you purchase. (Those are the two biggest complaints I hear about balloon arch kits.)

If you choose to hire a balloon professional to make you a balloon arch they can cost between $200 and several thousand dollars, depending on size and where you buy from. Balloon professionals will often charge by the linear foot and depending on several factors (such as location, quality of balloons, the experience of the balloon professional, size of balloons, style of balloon arch, etc.) a professional balloon arch will cost between $10 – $30 a linear foot.

Types Of Balloon Arches

Spiral Balloon Arch

Spiral balloon arches, also sometimes called cluster balloon arches or traditional balloon arches, can be made by stacking balloon clusters on fishing line or more commonly by stacking balloon clusters on a stand or frame.

For more information on how to make a balloon cluster, check out my post Tie Balloons Together – Making Duplets, Balloon Quads, Balloon Clusters.

Floating Balloon Arch

A floating balloon arch, also sometimes called a String Of Pearl arch (or SOP arch), can be a beautiful addition to any balloon decorations. If you want more detailed information on how to make a floating balloon arch, check out my post How To Make A Floating Balloon Arch.

Spiral Balloon Arch With A Stand

A spiral balloon arch can be made in many different shapes and sizes. Spiral balloon arches with stands can be used as a walkway, or to guide people to a specific location. A spiral balloon arch with a stand can be used to accent a doorway or table. If you want more information on how to make a simple spiral balloon arch, check out my post How To Make A Balloon Arch The Ultimate Guide.

If you want more information about balloon stands, check out my post All About Balloon Column Stands / Bases.

Balloon Arch Without A Stand

There are two ways to make a balloon arch without a stand; either with air or with helium.

Air Filled Balloon Arch

Balloon arches can be filled with air. Air filled balloon arches are cheaper than helium filled balloon arches. Air filled balloon arches generally need either a stand or a wall to lean against. Air filled balloon arches without a stand are not recommended for outdoor use or for high traffic areas as they can fall over easily.

Helium Filled Balloon Arch

Balloon arches can also be filled with helium. Helium filled balloon arches are more expansive than air filled balloon arches. Helium filled balloon arches will need significant weights at both ends to prevent the arch from floating away. If you want more information about balloon weights check out my post Balloon Weights: How To Use, Make, And How Heavy They Need To Be.

Organic Balloon Arch

Organic balloon arch, also sometimes called an organic balloon garland,

This particular organic balloon arch is a kit offered by Shimmer and Confetti.

Linked Balloon Arch

Linked balloon arches are made with linking balloons, if you are interested in learning about different types of balloons, check out my post Types Of Balloons – Everything You Need To Know And More.

Steps To DIY A Balloon Arch – No Stand No Helium

What You Will Need:

  • 11″ or 12″ balloons (the number of balloons you need will depend on the size arch you are making)*
  • balloon hand pump or balloon inflator (you can find my personal favorite hand pump on Amazon here)
  • 2 balloon weights
  • fishing line, curling ribbon
  • scissors

*Check out the chart below to help you figure out how many balloons you will need for your arch.

Inflate, Size, And Tie Into Duplets

Inflate your balloons. Size your balloons to approximately the same size. For this example, I’m sizing my balloons to 9″. Check out my post on 3 Ways To Size A Balloon here, if you need more information about how to size a balloon.

Then tie the balloons into duplets. If you need more information on how to make a duplet, check out my post Tie Balloons How To Make A Duplet.

Wrap Balloons Into Quads

Next, wrap the duplets into quads. If you need more information about how to make a quad, check out my post Tie Balloons Together – Making Duplets, Balloon Quads, Balloon Clusters.

Tie A Weight To Your Base Quad

Cut some of your fishing line or curling ribbon (about twice as long as your finished arch) and attach it to one of your weights.

Next, set one of your quads on top of the balloon weight you just attached to one of your balloon weights and begin to wrap the fishing line or curling ribbon around the balloon quad in various directions.

Begin Stacking Quads

Begin stacking your balloon quads one at a time and wrapping your fishing line or curling ribbon around each of your newly stacked quads.

Continue Stacking Quads

Continue stacking and wrapping your quads with fishing line or curling ribbon until all of your quads have been tightly secured.

Attach The Second Balloon Weight

Attach the second balloon weight to the other end of your balloon arch.

Stand Up And Adjust

Stand your balloon arch up. You may want to lean your balloon arch up against a wall for better stability. Adjust or tighten some of the balloon quads by twisting them around each other, until your arch looks good.

Enjoy!

Large Balloon Arch No Stand No Helium Video

Steps To Make A Simple DIY Balloon Arch – With Stands

What You Will Need:

  • 11″ or 12″ balloons (the number of balloons you need will depend on the size arch you are making)*
  • balloon hand pump or balloon inflator (you can find my personal favorite hand pump on Amazon here)
  • balloon stands
  • fishing line, curling ribbon
  • scissors

*Check out the chart below to help you figure out how many balloons you will need for your arch.

Inflate, Size, And Tie Into Duplets

Inflate your balloons. Size your balloons to approximately the same size. For this example, I’m sizing my balloons to 9″. Check out my post on 3 Ways To Size A Balloon here, if you need more information about how to size a balloon.

Then tie the balloons into duplets. If you need more information on how to make a duplet, check out my post Tie Balloons Together – Making Duplets, Balloon Quads, Balloon Clusters.

Wrap Duplets Around Balloon Stand

Begin by wrapping two sets of duplets around your balloon stand.

Continue Wrapping Duplets

Continue wrapping duplets around your balloon stand until you reach the height of your stands. In this example, I used 5 sets of quads or 10 sets of duplets for each column.

Repeat Steps 3 And 4

Repeat steps 3 and 4 until you have 2 columns.

Twist Duplets Into Quads

Twist the remaining duplets into quads. If you need more instructions on how to make quads, check out my post Tie Balloons Together – Making Duplets, Balloon Quads, Balloon Clusters.

Wrap Quads With Fishing Line

Begin stacking your balloon quads one at a time and wrapping your fishing line or curling ribbon around each of your newly stacked quads making a balloon garland.

For this example, I used 7 sets of quads or 14 sets of duplets.

Attach Garland To Columns

Attach one end of the garland in step 7 to one of your balloon columns. Try to attach them as close as possible to the balloon quads at the top of your column. Next tie the other end of your balloon garland to the second balloon column, again attaching the balloon quads close together.

Adjust

Adjust or tighten some of the balloon quads by twisting them around each other, until your arch looks good.

Enjoy!

Simple Balloon Arch With Stand Video

Are DIY Balloon Arches Easy To Make?

DIY balloon arches are easy to make with a little bit of help from your favorite balloon blog, Fun With Balloons! Although not everyone is up for the challenge and that is ok too. There are plenty of amazing balloon professionals for hire if you want to go that route. If you are unsure whether you should hire a balloon professional or not check out my post To Hire (A Balloon Professional) Or Not To Hire (A Balloon Professional) – That Is The Question.

Best Balloons For A Balloon Arch

What is the best balloon for a balloon arch? That is an excellent question. The best balloons for a balloon arch are high quality balloons. For more information about what is a high quality balloon and the top balloon brands according to my research, check out my post Top Balloon Brands.

How Many Balloons For A Four Balloon Cluster Arch

Balloon
Size(s)
Approximate
Arch
Length
How Many
Balloons
(1 color)
How Many
Balloons
(2 Colors)
How Many
Balloons
(3 Colors)
How Many
Balloons
(4 Colors)
11″ or 9″
sized to 7″
42″2412 each color12 (1 color)
6 (2 colors)
6 each color
11″ or 9″
sized to 7″
49″2814 each color14 (1 color)
7 (2 colors)
7 each color
11″ or 9″
sized to 7″
56″3216 each color16 (1 color)
8 (2 colors)
8 each color
11″ or 9″
sized to 7″
63″3618 each color18 (1 color)
9 (2 colors)
9 each color
11″ or 9″
sized to 7″
70″4020 each color20 (1 color)
10 (2 colors)
10 each color
11″ or 9″
sized to 7″
77″4422 each color22 (1 color)
11 (2 colors)
11 each color
11″ or 9″
sized to 7″
84″4824 each color24 (1 color)
12 (2 colors)
12 each color
11″ sized
to 8″
48″2412 each color12 (1 color)
6 (2 colors)
6 each color
11″ sized
to 8″
56″2814 each color14 (1 color)
7 (2 colors)
7 each color
11″ sized
to 8″
64″3216 each color16 (1 color)
8 (2 colors)
8 each color
11″ sized
to 8″
72″3618 each color18 (1 color)
9 (2 colors)
9 each color
11″ sized
to 8″
80″4020 each color20 (1 color)
10 (2 colors)
10 each color
11″ sized
to 8″
88″4422 each color22 (1 color)
11 (2 colors)
11 each color
11″ sized
to 8″
96″4824 each color24 (1 color)
12 (2 colors)
12 each color
11″ sized
to 9″
54″2412 each color12 (1 color)
6 (2 colors)
6 each color
11″ sized
to 9″
63″2814 each color14 (1 color)
7 (2 colors)
7 each color
11″ sized
to 9″
72″3216 each color16 (1 color)
8 (2 colors)
8 each color
11″ sized
to 9″
81″3618 each color18 (1 color)
9 (2 colors)
9 each color
11″ sized
to 9″
90″4020 each color20 (1 color)
10 (2 colors)
10 each color
11″ sized
to 9″
99″4422 each color22 (1 color)
11 (2 colors)
11 each color
11″ sized
to 9″
108″4824 each color24 (1 color)
12 (2 colors)
12 each color
How Many Balloons For A Four Balloon Cluster Arch Chart

I hope this post brought value to your day. If it did, please consider sharing it with a friend or on your favorite social media. Thanks For Reading Fun With Balloons!

Christie @ FWB

I am the creator of the FunWithBalloons.net blog and the YouTube channel Fun With Balloons. I will show you step by step how to make different balloon decor such as; balloon columns, tabletop decor, centerpieces, and more.

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