Getting plastering done: patches, re-sheets and whole-home ceilings

What plastering involves

Plasterers hang plasterboard on framing, then set the joints — taping, coating and sanding until the surface is flat and seamless — ready for paint. New sheeting on open framing is the cheapest work per metre. Small repairs are quoted as a fixed job: fill, patch and blend a few holes or cracks so they disappear under paint.

Ceilings cost more than walls. Overhead work is slower, often needs two people or lifting equipment, and is simply harder to make flat. Removing old plaster first — stripping sheets or hard plaster and disposing of the waste — adds meaningfully to a job over sheeting a bare frame.

Finish level is the detail worth understanding. A standard finish suits most walls, but a higher-level finish for gloss paint, feature walls or strong side-light takes extra coats of setting and sanding. It's a real difference in labour, and it's where a suspiciously cheap quote is often quietly cutting coats.

How the cost works

Plastering is priced per square metre for sheeting and setting. A patch repair sits in the low hundreds, re-sheeting one room lands in the low-to-mid thousands, and replacing whole-home ceilings or replastering throughout runs into five figures. These are indicative bands; the estimate on this page adjusts for area, surface and scope.

Total area of wall and ceiling is the core driver. Ceilings, old-plaster removal and higher finish levels all add to the per-metre rate. And because the minimum charge dominates tiny jobs, it pays to bundle small repairs into one visit rather than calling a plasterer out three separate times.

Choosing the right plasterer

Plastering isn't a licensed trade in most of Australia, so judge on the finish and the quote's clarity. The single best question is what finish level is quoted — a specific answer tells you the plasterer understands there's a difference; a vague one tells you the coats may be getting trimmed.

One safety note that overrides everything else: a sagging or water-stained ceiling should be checked promptly, because a sagging ceiling can come down without much warning. A plasterer who flags that seriously, rather than just quoting to re-sheet over it, is the one to trust.

Mistakes to avoid

Plastering regrets are mostly about finish levels and cheap quotes that skimp on the coats you can't see until the light hits them.

• Not asking what finish level is quoted — cheap quotes often mean fewer setting coats
• Calling a plasterer out for one tiny patch instead of bundling small repairs into a visit
• Ignoring a sagging or water-stained ceiling that needs checking urgently
• Comparing wall and ceiling quotes as if they cost the same per metre
• Forgetting that stripping old plaster and disposing of it adds real cost
• Painting gloss over a standard finish and being surprised the wall shows every imperfection