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POP & Interior Finishing

Master POP ceilings, screeding and finishing — and earn from Nigeria's building boom

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About this course

Learn POP and interior finishing as a real trade: choosing materials and tools, designing and casting POP, installing ceilings and cornices, screeding walls, basic painting, and finishing rooms to a clean standard. You'll also learn to estimate jobs and quote properly in naira so every project pays you fairly and gets you referred.

That smooth white ceiling with its curved belt and recessed lights in every new Lekki and Gwarinpa flat? Somebody got paid well to do it. With POP and finishing skills, that somebody can be you.

Who this course is for

For artisans and school leavers who want a finishing trade that pays on every new building and renovation: plasterers, painters and general site workers who want to specialise, and anyone who has admired a POP ceiling and wondered who makes them. No experience assumed.

What you'll learn

By the end you will be able to

Pay, demand and the market in Nigeria

Nearly every new middle-class house, hotel, office, church and shop in Nigeria gets a POP ceiling, and renovations add more. In 2026 POP ceilings are priced at ₦4,500 to ₦9,000 per square metre installed depending on design and city, cornices per metre, and wall screeding at ₦1,500 to ₦3,500 per square metre — a three-bedroom flat is a ₦500,000 to ₦1.2 million job with materials around half. A crew of two or three finishing two or three rooms a week earns ₦300,000 to ₦800,000 a month between them; contractors on estates earn more. Clean edges and straight lines are what get you the next referral.

Tools and what it costs to start

Trowels, floats, a hawk, mixing buckets, a spirit level, a straight edge, a saw, moulds for casting and a step ladder or scaffold — a starter kit is about ₦50,000 to ₦120,000 in 2026. Plaster of Paris, screed cement, boards and paint are bought per job. Safety glasses and a dust mask are non-negotiable.

Course syllabus — 7 lessons

  1. The POP and finishing trade — and how Nigerians earn from it11 min
  2. Know your materials and tools13 min
  3. Designing and casting POP — ceilings and cornices13 min
  4. Installing the ceiling cleanly and safely14 min
  5. Screeding walls and the smooth-finish skill13 min
  6. Basic painting and the final clean finish12 min
  7. Estimating, quoting and running the business14 min

Your project

Complete POP and Finishing Job Plan for a Real or Sample Room

A single shared link or document containing the room design, the itemised materials list with naira costs, the ordered work steps, and a professional client quote for one room.

A complete POP and finishing job plan for one real or sample room: the design, an itemised materials list with naira costs, the ordered work steps and a professional client quote. It is graded on realistic quantities, correct sequencing and a quote a client would accept.

Certificates on Skillnaija are earned, not issued for attendance: you submit this project, it is graded against a rubric, and passing issues a certificate anyone can verify. See the full project brief, rubric and free workbook →

Frequently asked questions

Is POP & Interior Finishing free?

Yes. POP & Interior Finishing is completely free on Skillnaija. You need a free account to open the lessons, and there is no charge for the course, the project, or the certificate.

How long does POP & Interior Finishing take to complete?

5 weeks · ~4 hrs/week. There are 7 lessons, about 2 hours of material in total. You learn at your own pace and your progress is saved.

Do I need any experience to start POP & Interior Finishing?

Beginner-friendly. You can start from scratch — no prior experience is assumed.

What will I learn in POP & Interior Finishing?

You will build practical skills in POP, screed and finishing materials and tools, Designing and casting POP ceilings and cornices, Installing POP screeds and ceilings cleanly, Screeding walls smooth and ready to paint, Basic painting and clean finishing, Estimating materials and labour, Quoting jobs and running the business. Every lesson is written for a Nigerian context, with examples drawn from how the work is actually done and paid for here.

Do I get a certificate for POP & Interior Finishing?

Yes, but it has to be earned. You complete the course project — Complete POP and Finishing Job Plan for a Real or Sample Room and submit it for grading. Passing the project issues a verifiable certificate; finishing the lessons alone does not.

How much does POP ceiling cost per square metre in Nigeria in 2026?

Roughly ₦4,500 to ₦9,000 per square metre installed for standard designs, more for elaborate designs with lighting recesses, and less in smaller towns. The estimating lesson shows how to build a quote from materials, labour and margin instead of guessing.

Can I learn POP installation online?

Design, materials, sequencing, safety and pricing are fully covered in the lessons and diagrams. Casting and installation are hands-on skills that need practice; the course expects you to do your first rooms alongside an experienced installer or at a training centre.

Is POP work dangerous?

Working at height and breathing plaster dust are the main risks. The course covers safe scaffolding, ladder use, eye and dust protection and handling wet plaster, and treats them as part of doing the job properly.

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