How to install POP (plaster of paris) ceilling

Plaster of Paris is regarded as any type of plaster containing calcined gypsum (calcium sulfate dihydrate), sand and water. When these ingredients are combined, they result in the formation of a tough, dry product; however, plaster of Paris can be sanded to achieve a variety of looks. By following some basic guidelines, you can use plaster of Paris to mend cracks, fix dents,for ceiling, in walls and even to create artworks.
However in this case our focus is on ceiling.

POP popularly called plaster of Paris is used for a lot of purposes because it can easily be formed to any shape and it hardens quickly and is easy to operate.
To do a pop ceiling in your home, getting it done is in two ways, you can buy the materials yourself which include pop cement , yarn(sponge-like material) etc then pay the installer based on per square meter of area of coverage, or you can give it out totally as a contract.

But these are the basic steps in getting pop ceiling cast-on-site done.

Get cement, bucket, water, a very plane and smooth surface could be a table, a rectangular glass of a big size to give smooth surface for the modules that will be produced.

POP’s are casted on plane surface by placing the glass of a considerable size on an even table, support the edges by wood of the thickness you wish to cast. Make sure you clean the table from dirts.

Then mix POP cement with a concentration of approximately 7 parts water to 10 parts pop and place some portion of yarn in the mould.

Place the water in the bucket and and slowly pour the pop cement into it and continously stir with a stick or whatever handy and stir until curing. The longer is mixed the better it will become.

The yarn helps to strengthen the pop board formed, just same way iron rods helps to carry concrete.

Pour the pop into the mold of glass base and wooden stuffs by the edge, this is required to form plane straight board of pop, as you pour gently tap the molds to allow escape of bubbles in the mixture, and you have to pour enough mixture for it to be slightly overfilled, then level off the mold using a straight edged tool like a trowel, called putty knife to smooth en the top surface.

You can remove the support by the side which may be wood,iron range or anything straight by the side that can hold the mix before hardening. Gently use same putty knife to separate the glass from the hardened mix of pop cement and water after two hours so you can use same mold to form another one until you have enough boards that can cover the area you need. Place them in open air to dry the next day.

To install the boards after hardening, for a ceiling of concrete decking, the yarn is also mixed with a concentration of pop cement to form a strong adhesive (gum) between the concrete ceiling and the boards, just make sure you have a good paste of the pop and enough yarn to sustain the weight, the plaster-boards are usually light after drying anyway.
And for wooden ceiling same process can be used as above also binding wire can also be applied to tie the boards to the woods above ceiling.

When you want to place the boards, establish the edges where the pop will be placed, make sure any point you mark use range and plumb to transfer round the room to achieve very straight line round the room. Get some iron range(straight iron of about 3.6m) use them to support the boards from one side to the other, you do this by tying the range to the wood on the roof by binding wire, then in-between the range you place the boards and start joining them together on the roof with the mixture of yarn and cement and you also join the boards at the edges together by thick mix of same pop cement. Try to achieve a smooth and even surface by patching with pop paste and gradually untie the range by removing the binding wire under the boards. Fill holes left with pop pastes using putty knife to blend the surface.

For the cornice at the edges follow same process of forming the molds. However the molds container are already forms in plastics which can be bought from the market,depends on the type of design you want out of the ones available in market, get the same cement, water mixture with yarn for strength and pour into mould. When is dry you will still need the range and plumb to establish the line of the cornice, and also place just like the boards, but this time it will be along the walls.

Medallions are pop designs usually in flowery patterns that are mostly placed at the center of the room, they are also of the pop mix and you can also buy them in the market. Adding ornamental ceiling plaster around your pendant light fixtures can bring beauty and value to your home.

POP can be painted with any kind of color surprisingly 90% prefers white paint or they thought POP must come in white since that's what they’ve been seeing around.
Before you give a final paint leave the finished pop for two weeks minimum to properly dry.
POP is also used on walls to smoothen the walls and give a perfect interior when painted or when wallpapers are applied . Just use the putty knife to smoothen it.
To apply light fittings, check the size of the bulb cover and you can easily cut the POP boards to fit the lights into it.

Also consider these benefits

Benefits of POP Ceiling
# Plaster of Paris lends a smooth, matte finish to the interior ceiling.
# POP can be painted; and it can be also given a textured look.
# POP can be cast into any shape and thus can be used to create ornamented designs for ceiling.
# POP medallions are a popular way to give the interiors a classic look.
# POP designs can be successfully used to highlight ceiling light fixtures.
# POP false ceiling is a common element of contemporary interiors.
# Plaster of Paris can be used to create varied shapes of false ceiling.
# POP false ceiling can be easily adorned with recessed lighting.
# POP false ceiling can be made interesting by providing different levels in the ceiling.
# POP ceiling with cove lighting is a popular element of contemporary interiors.
# POP false ceiling is commonly used to conceal air conditioning ducts.
# POP false ceiling is also used to cover ugly beams running across the ceiling.
# Plaster of Paris can gel with other materials like glass and wood to provide you a composite ceiling.