By Jude Njoku

Many Nigerians are familiar with the beautiful ‘Plaster of Paris’ (P.O.P.) building material used for wall and ceiling finishes in banks and exotic buildings. According to Arc David Adio who teaches in the Department of Architecture, University of Lagos, Akoka P.O.P. is a relatively inexpensive building material used to achieve a perfect finish. According to him, using P.O.P. indoors (e.g. ceilings) away from harsh weather will help to preserve its beauty. He advised those intending to use POP for their ceilings to always engage the services of professionals in the building industry like Architects.

POP cellings

Indeed, the popularity of POP ceilings cannot be debated. As Arc Adio pointed out, POP ceilings are suited for all types of buildings. They are widely adopted for homes, offices, restaurants, hotels, malls, hospitals. The extensive use of POP ceilings can be attributed to the versatility of Plaster of Paris. POP can be easily moulded into any shape and this advantage allows the creation of beautiful designs and patterns on the ceiling. An online writeup published in http://www.designyourinteriors.com noted that there are a number of ways in which you can design the ceiling using POP. “The POP ceiling design can be concentrated around the ceiling elements like lighting fixtures. For example, if you have a chandelier or a decorative light fixture which you wish to highlight; using a POP ceiling medallion is the ideal way to achieve it. The POP medallion supplements the beauty of the light fixture and draws attention to it. POP medallions are most suited for living room, dining and bedroom. Also, if you want to lend a classic look to your interiors, the perfect choice for your interior ceiling is POP medallion. Apart from medallions, POP can also be used for minimal ceiling decor. POP ceiling skirting can be provided to frame the ceiling and demarcate it from the walls. Ornamental borders created with POP can significantly add to the interior decor”.

Plaster of Paris is a popular material for false ceilings. False ceilings constructed with POP can take any shape and this allows for a lot of experimentation. The use of POP false ceilings opens up a wide variety of lighting options for the interiors. You can opt for a recessed ceiling with the central part of the ceiling recessed and have soffit lighting along the ceiling edges. Another popular option is cove lighting. POP false ceiling with cove lighting is an extremely common and contemporary way to adorn interior ceilings. The popularity of POP false ceilings can also be attributed to the fact that it hides the A/C ducts and electrical wiring; giving a neat ceiling.

Plaster of Paris is also a very adaptive material. As it can be given any colour and texture, POP goes well with other materials used for ceiling.

Apart from the numerous advantages which users of POP ceilings enjoy, Arc Adio warned about some safety issues.

“The chemical reaction that occurs when plaster is mixed with water is exothermic in nature and can therefore cause severe burns. The potential dangers were demonstrated in January 2007, when a 16-year-old girl suffered third-degree burns after encasing her hands in a bucket of plaster as part of a school art project in Lincolnshire, England. The burns were so severe that she subsequently had both thumbs and six of her fingers amputated. For this reason only thin layers of plaster should be used, with time to cool between layers, or strips of cloth in plaster laid-up in the method used by the medical field. In place of plaster, alginate can safely be used for casting body parts. Special cleanup methods should be used with plaster products, as they can interfere with the flow of plumbing systems downstream of the disposal area. The residue of these products will often solidify underwater and plug up drains, stain gutters and sidewalks and spoil planting areas,” he warned.