Sydney plasterboard repairs
Holes, cracks, dents and patching that has blown — cut back, filled, sanded flat and painted so the repair does not read as a repair.
Plasterboard damage photographs well, which is why we quote most of it from photos. Hold a hand or a phone next to the damage for scale — that one detail is the difference between an estimate and a real price.
Door handles, furniture corners, removed fixtures.
Filled, sanded and feathered out. Anything under roughly a 50c coin is filler work, not a patch.
Impact damage, doorknob punch-throughs, removed air conditioners.
Cut back to a square, backed and patched with new plasterboard, set in three coats.
Cornice lines, above doorways, at sheet joins.
Raked out and re-set. We will tell you if the crack is movement rather than surface — see below.
Repairs that shrank back, cracked or show through the paint.
Usually filler used where a patch was needed. It has to come out before it can be done properly.
Sagging, staining or a soft, chalky surface.
The sheet is replaced, not filled — but only once the leak that caused it is fixed.
The classic end-of-lease list.
Priced as a group, not per hole. A wall of picture hooks is one job, not thirty.
Chipped, cracked or pulled away from the wall.
Re-fixed and re-set. Full lengths replaced where the profile cannot be matched by patching.
Small round bumps or dark dots in a line.
Re-fixed to the stud and re-set. Filling over them without re-fixing brings them straight back.
Almost every "the repair is visible" complaint comes from one of three things: filler used where a plasterboard patch was needed, a patch sanded while still shrinking, or a flat finish rolled over a shiny patch of sealer.
A patch that is set properly is invisible under paint — but only if it is set flat, sealed, and the sheen matches. If a wall has already been patched badly, say so when you send the photos. It changes the method, and we would rather price it right than discover it on the day.
A hairline crack that keeps coming back, a crack wider at one end, or a crack that runs across a ceiling and down a wall is usually movement in the building, not a surface fault.
We will patch it, and it will look right — but it can return, and we will tell you that before you pay rather than after it reappears. Where it looks structural, that is a job for an engineer or a licensed builder, and we will say so. We do not hold an NSW contractor licence and we do not pretend the problem is cosmetic to keep the work.
Starting rates, not fixed prices. Plasterboard work is priced by how many separate repairs there are and whether painting is included — two holes in one wall cost far less than two holes in two rooms.
A small repair visit
A handful of holes or one small patch, filled and sanded ready for paint.
Repair and paint, per room
Patching plus painting the affected wall or the room, so the repair disappears instead of sitting under a different sheen.
Half day, up to 4 hours
Best value once there is a list — several rooms of patching before an inspection.
Full day, up to 8 hours
A whole property, or a turnover between tenants.
Setting compound needs drying time between coats. A patch done properly is often two visits, or one visit plus a return to paint — anyone quoting a large hole as one quick visit is either using filler or coming back anyway.
Send photos for a priceSee also: handyman cost in Sydney · end of lease painting.
One wide shot and one close-up, with something in frame for scale. Tell us your suburb and your inspection date if you have one.
We confirm the method, the price and whether painting is included — in writing, before anything is booked.
Cut back, patch, set and sand. Floors and furniture covered; dust is contained rather than left for you.
Sealed and painted to match. You look at it before we leave — under the room's own light, not a work lamp.
Inspection coming up?
Most wall repairs are quoted from photos the same day. Seven days a week, Sydney-wide.
