POP wall design looks fantastic until it develops wall cracks – Discover how to avoid cracks on pop designs for ceilings and walls in your home renovation
POP wall designs that will not crack, ever – it’s like a dream come true. Cracks on pop design look horrible; they are like a scar on the gorgeous interior design and décor. But this is not all. Wall or ceiling cracks are a sign of more significant worry. Consider the wall cracks as a symptom of an underlying ailment. So, when you see the pop cracking on your wall or ceiling surface, register it as a red alert.
Yes, these cracks on the surface are just the tip of an iceberg. The iceberg is a structural issue in the building. Now, let’s not worry you much and look at the cracks in a more logical manner. Here, to avoid the wall cracks, we must first look at what causes the cracks to occur on a pop wall or pop ceilings.
POP wall cracks
POP designs, on walls or ceilings, tend to develop fine cracks over time. It can happen due to several reasons:
a. Poor quality of cement plaster base
b. The low grade of POP work
c. Applying paint on wet POP
Poor quality base
You know the POP layer in the top finishing layer on your wall or ceiling. This POP layer goes on top of some base layers. First in the brickwork, next is the cement slurry, plaster and then comes the pop base, followed by pop design. To ensure the final pop wall design does not crack over time; the base layers should be of good quality.
Many times, home renovations are done in old buildings. In due course of time, an old building’s construction quality begins to weaken. The paint chips off, and the plaster and tends to powder down. You can see this in buildings that are over 12 to 15 years old. Now when you apply a new pop layer on top of a weak plaster base, it tends to crack.
Low-grade work
Do you know POP work is one of the higher costs in your entire home renovation – it is and for a good reason. You see, amongst all the construction works, like brickwork, plastering, concrete works; pop work is a craft or an art. POP is the final finishing layer. The smoother the pop, the better is the paint finish. Also, there is much detailing like groove, cornices, levels and textures that are finished in this medium.
Now all of this detailing, especially the grooves and levels are made in the wet mixture prepared by mixing powdered POP with water. The ratio of water to POP is most critical. Too much water or too little water – both can develop cracks over time.
Applying paint on wet POP
POP on walls and ceiling is installed in a wet slurry mixture. Once installed on walls and ceilings, this mixture needs to dry out naturally. Now, this step of naturally drying out pop design is crucial. A typical pop layer is 1.5cm to 6cm thick, so it needs plenty of time and apt air temperature to dry consistently across its entire thickness. A good practice is to begin and complete the POP works during the summer season when the air is dry. Without proper drying, the paint will tend to crack over time.
Some homes are located in climates with high variations in air temperature and humidity. Most North Indian homes face a severe season change from 1degC in winters to 50degC in summers. Now, with good construction practices that respond to the season, this summer-winter variation should not matter. However, non-responsive construction can result in ugly looking wall cracks.
Avoiding wall cracks
Ask an architect, an interior design, or even the pop mason – there is no full-proof way to ensure there will be no cracks on the wall of your newly renovated home. However, there are certain construction tricks and methods to minimize the chances of wall cracks.
Crack-free walls
How to avoid wall cracks in pop design?
- Check the plaster
Make sure the wall or ceiling plaster is intact and holding moisture. You can do this by first removing the paint and existing pop layer. Now you will be able to see the cement plaster on your wall. Hammer a nail into the plaster, if the plaster is holding the nail tightly then it is of acceptable quality. On the other hand, the plaster is shedding into powder and dust. In this case, you need to remove and reapply the entire plaster before starting any POP works.
- Check the craft
Verify the skill of POP masons before starting work on your home. Ask the contractor to show previous home renovations completed by the same team. Make sure these homes are at least a year old. You see, cracks do not develop immediately. An installed pop wall design can take a year to develop cracks. Also, during your visit, ensure the pop wall is evenly levelled; and there is an attention to detail of edges and cornices.
- Install during summers
Plan your home renovation to ensure the finishing works such as paint and pop occur during the dry summer months. The warm season dries the POP more quickly and thoroughly.
- Wait before you paint
After applying the pop design to walls and ceilings, give it ample time to let it dry. This step is essential to ensure crack free walls. You see, when pop walls dry out, moisture evaporates into the dry air. It is not suggested to apply a paint coat or any other finishing on a wet pop surface. Over time, As the wet pop dries out, it leaves stain and cracks on the paint. So, wait, and wait some more before finishing the pop design.