Thursday 23 January 2014

Plaster of Paris & Its benefits !!!


POP Texture on Wall

The lab name “Calcium sulfate dihydrate CaSO4•2H2O” is sure to confuse its most die-hard user. Simply put, Gypsum. Further simplified, Plaster of Paris- the stuff with which we make those elegant (though sometimes it is anything but elegant!) flower, petals and grand scenery on the ceiling!

If only Shahjahan knew of it. So much marble and trouble could have been saved! Imagine the Emperor and his men dipping their hands in a bucket full of POP and trying to make the Taj with it. They could have managed one, the table top variety!

Gypsum or POP then is a material aiding in the finishing of walls and ceiling. It can never replace cement and mortar, only beautify it.

Found in the earth like any other crystalline mineral, the big lumps thus dug out are ground into a fine powder and heated in special ovens to around 2000C in a process called calcining. What comes out is the base for POP, Gypsum boards and plaster.

POP/ Gypsum boards are prepared by passing the gypsum slurry between sheets of special paper on a contentious conveyor which passes through dryers. At the end of the conveyor, water evaporates from the slurry leaving a hardened layer of gypsum in predetermined size which can further be cut to sizes as required.

Its being the choice of material for various interior decoration uses stems from some obvious advantages it presents, such as :-

Ease of installation:
It is lightweight for its size which can be as much as 12 feet x 5 feet which requires less manpower to move and store it. Compared to wood or other materials, a larger area can be covered with a single seamless sheet. Its internal structure being fairly simple one can cut and paste it using everyday tools like saws, files and glues. It has reasonable holding strength and can be held in place with normal everyday fasteners like screws, nuts and bolts.

Fire resistant:
Gypsum board despite its hard exterior still retains miniscule quantities of moisture within it - despite years of use, which retards the spread of fire. When singed, it does not emit any harmful smoke. In fact, where installed in sufficient quantity, it is an effective fire retardant.
Sound isolation:
Its porosity does not aid in the sound passing through it making it an effective barrier though it should ideally be installed with known sound isolator materials.
Durability:
There is no bio-degradable material within a gypsum board and if installed properly will give years of service.

Economy & Versatility:
Easily available raw material and ease of processing makes it cheap to procure. Its properties mentioned above make its use diverse, something most interior designers love.

Interior designer and Architects in Pune have been using gypsum board and POP for years and with the spread of the city given its economies, in times to come its usage is sure to increase further. Some like Sovereign Architects have put it to use in novel ways with the whole interior of houses looking very stylish at a very economic price.

Seasoned hands using gypsum board/ POP can turn your long-held dreams of a beautiful home with silk smooth walls and ceiling can turn into reality. So, happy dreaming! 

SOURCES :-

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Please feel free to leave your comments below.
About Author :- Vaishali Kawalkar is the founder of Sovereign Architects

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