How much does plastering cost in Canberra?
Canberra plasterers bill $55–$130 per hour, $85 being the middle of the market, or charge by area, at $28–$72 per square metre of new Gyprock fixed and finished; the board itself is paid for separately. A fresh skim over one room's walls costs $660–$2,750, a new ceiling for a single room $880–$3,300, and a small hole is patched for $165–$310. Housing in the ACT is unusually varied: 19.4% of dwellings are flats and 17.2% semi-detached, yet 35.8% have at least four bedrooms (ABS 2021 Census). One quote might be a single townhouse wall, the next every ceiling in a large family home.
Comparing cities, or after the Australia-wide picture? See the national guide: Plastering cost in Australia.
Detailed Pricing — Plastering Cost in Canberra 2026
| Service | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plastering (hourly rate) | $55/hr | $85 | $130 |
| Plasterboard / Gyprock, labour (per sqm) | $28/sqm | $45 | $72 |
| Patch repair (small hole) | $165per job | $255 | $310 |
| Crack repair (per crack, filled and set ready for paint) | $88per job | $185 | $330 |
| Single room re-skim (walls) | $660total | $1,325 | $2,750 |
| Ceiling replacement (single room, 12–16 m²: strip-out, new plasterboard, set ready for paint) | $880total | $2,100 | $3,300 |
| Cornice installation (per linear metre) | $11/lm | $16 | $55 |
| Water damage repair | $330per job | $770 | $1,650 |
| Skim coat (per sqm) | $16/sqm | $31 | $55 |
| New stud wall (non-load-bearing, framed, plasterboard both sides, set ready for paint; per m² of wall face) | $66/sqm | $105 | $165 |
| Acoustic / soundproof plasterboard (per sqm) | $38/sqm | $61 | $94 |
| Full day plastering | $385per day | $605 | $935 |
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Get Canberra quotes →Prices include GST. Based on Canberra metro area, October 2026. Outer suburbs may vary.
Canberra plastering: walls and the ceiling of a room, acoustic board, and cracks and water damage
The walls and the ceiling of a Canberra room
Replastering the walls of a single room is $660–$2,750 in our Canberra table and replacing its ceiling $880–$3,300; walls and ceiling together come to $3,425 at the typical prices.
Acoustic plasterboard in Canberra
Standard plasterboard is $28–$72 a square metre in our Canberra table and acoustic or soundproof plasterboard $38–$94. For a 30-square-metre wall at the typical prices that is $1,350 in standard board or $1,830 in acoustic board.
Cracks and water damage in Canberra
Repairing a crack is $88–$330 in our Canberra table, so three cracks come to $555 at the typical price. Repairing water damage is $330–$1,650 a job.
These answers use the prices in the table on this page.
What Affects Plastering Costs in Canberra
Gyprocking a whole house
Plasterers measure sheet area, not bedrooms. At the typical rate, labour for each 100 square metres of new board comes to about $4,500, with sheets, cornice and compound on top. Counted room by room instead, eight new ceilings at the typical price total around $16,800. With 37.1% of ACT homes at three bedrooms (ABS 2021 Census), ask for a measured quote.
No separate licence for plastering
The ACT licenses builders, electricians, plumbers, drainers and gasfitters, and plastering is not on that list, so a plasterer hanging and setting board needs no licence of their own. The picture changes when the job needs building approval, such as reworking a structural wall: ACT Planning says work of that kind calls for a builder. For everything else, judge a plasterer on finished ceilings, references and insurance.
Frosty winters slow the coats
The NCC puts Canberra in its cool temperate band, climate zone 7, and July nights average -0.1 °C with days of 11.4 °C (BOM averages). Setting compound takes far longer to dry in a cold, unheated room, so the gap between the three coats stretches out on a winter renovation. Where the quote is by the day, at $385–$935, find out whether days spent waiting for a coat to cure are charged.
Leaks and condensation
Board that has been soaked loses its strength and is cut out, not patched. A local water damage repair runs $330–$1,650; a sagging ceiling over a whole room is a replacement. Homes shut tight and heated through a Canberra winter collect shower steam on cold ceilings, which shows as mould spots and stains. Sort out the leak, the exhaust fan or the ventilation before the new board is fixed.
Older homes and asbestos
Fibro sheeting, eaves and some older wall and ceiling linings can contain asbestos. In the ACT, removal from any premises, homes included, must be done by a licensed asbestos removalist unless it is incidental to minor routine maintenance. A business renovating your home must have a licensed assessor identify asbestos likely to be disturbed before work starts. Mention the age of the house when you ring for a price.
Party walls and noise
Townhouses and other semi-detached homes account for 17.2% of ACT dwellings, against 12.6% nationally (ABS 2021 Census), and party-wall noise often brings in a plasterer. Sound-rated board is $38–$94 per square metre; ordinary sheet, $28–$72. A new stud wall to split a room, lined both sides, is $66–$165 measured on one face.
Cornice, cracks and skim coats
Cornice is billed by the metre at $11–$55, and a quote that leaves it out will look cheaper than it is. A crack costs $88–$330 to fill and finish for painting, and a skim coat over tired plaster $16–$55 a square metre. Gather small repairs into one visit rather than several call-outs.
How to Save Money on Plastering Cost in Canberra
Plastering Cost in Canberra by Room Size
Say a Canberra family room is split with a new wall of 10 square metres of face. At $66–$165 per square metre it comes to $660–$1,650, framed, lined both sides and set ready for paint. Add a cornice run of 6 lineal metres along it at $11–$55 a metre, and that line is $66–$330.
What moves a room that size in Canberra: sound-rated board at $38–$94 a square metre where the wall is shared with a townhouse neighbour, an unheated winter room that stretches the gap between coats, and ducted heating vents that need closing before sanding. In an older house, ask about asbestos in the existing linings before the work is priced.
Plastering Cost in Canberra: What the Quote Should Include
Canberra winters are cold enough to slow each coat of compound, so a plastering quote there should say whether the day rate keeps running while a coat waits. Ask for the other lines as well, so each can be read against the rows on this page.
- Whether the day rate of $385–$935 a day keeps running while a coat waits to be sanded, or the visits are billed separately.
- The rooms listed with wall and ceiling area in square metres, priced on the sheeting rate of $28–$72 a square metre.
- For an older house, whether the existing sheeting has been checked for asbestos before anyone cuts into it, with testing and removal priced as their own line.
- A damp or marked ceiling traced to a leak or poor ventilation before new board goes up, with the repair shown at $330–$1,650.
- For a townhouse or other semi-detached home, sound-rated board on the shared wall at $38–$94 a square metre, with its area written out.
- A new partition that splits a room priced per square metre of one face on the $66–$165 row, not as a lump sum.
- The finish level named for each wall, and level 5 asked about where low winter sun rakes along it, with any skim coat shown by area at $16–$55.
- Ducted heating vents closed and doorways sealed before sanding, with the clean-up included in the price instead of added afterwards.
- A sample of the plasterer's work, such as a ceiling set under strong window light, and references and insurance details on request.
Frequently Asked Questions — Plastering Cost in Canberra
Our Methodology
These are independent estimates from public cost guides, marketplaces and industry rate data, and no tradesperson can influence them, so always get a few quotes. Last reviewed October 2026. Read our full methodology →