How much does plastering cost in Darwin?
Darwin plasterers charge $50–$120 an hour, often close to $77, or $350–$850 to book one for the day. Hanging new plasterboard, which locals mostly search for as gyprocking, is quoted by the square metre at $25–$65 for labour, and the sheets are bought on top. Skimming one room's walls afresh is $600–$2,500, while stripping out and replacing one ceiling is $800–$3,000. A quarter of Greater Darwin dwellings are flats or apartments (25%, ABS 2021 Census), so many jobs here are patched unit walls rather than a whole house. Prices include GST.
Comparing cities, or after the Australia-wide picture? See the national guide: Plastering cost in Australia.
Detailed Pricing — Plastering Cost in Darwin 2026
| Service | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plastering (hourly rate) | $50/hr | $77 | $120 |
| Plasterboard / Gyprock, labour (per sqm) | $25/sqm | $41 | $65 |
| Patch repair (small hole) | $150per job | $230 | $280 |
| Crack repair (per crack, filled and set ready for paint) | $80per job | $170 | $300 |
| Single room re-skim (walls) | $600total | $1,200 | $2,500 |
| Ceiling replacement (single room, 12–16 m²: strip-out, new plasterboard, set ready for paint) | $800total | $1,900 | $3,000 |
| Cornice installation (per linear metre) | $10/lm | $15 | $50 |
| Water damage repair | $300per job | $700 | $1,500 |
| Skim coat (per sqm) | $15/sqm | $28 | $50 |
| New stud wall (non-load-bearing, framed, plasterboard both sides, set ready for paint; per m² of wall face) | $60/sqm | $95 | $150 |
| Acoustic / soundproof plasterboard (per sqm) | $35/sqm | $55 | $85 |
| Full day plastering | $350per day | $550 | $850 |
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Get Darwin quotes →Prices include GST. Based on Darwin metro area, October 2026. Outer suburbs may vary.
What Affects Plastering Costs in Darwin
Pricing a whole house
Greater Darwin homes are a little smaller than the national pattern: 40.9% have three bedrooms and 27.5% four or more, against 34.8% across Australia (ABS 2021 Census). As a rough guide, eight to ten rooms at the single-room rate put a full house between $4,800 and $25,000. A plasterer who has measured up will work from the wall and ceiling area to be sheeted, so ask to see the sheet count behind the total.
Wet season leaks and stained ceilings
The cyclone season runs from November to April (BOM), and January alone averages 432.1 mm of rain at Darwin Airport (BOM averages). Water that gets past a roof sheet or gutter soaks the board above it, and soaked plasterboard has to come out rather than be patched. Cutting out and replacing a stained section costs $300–$1,500; where the whole ceiling has dropped, budget for a full room at $800–$3,000.
Tropical air and drying time
Darwin sits in NCC climate zone 1, hot humid summer and warm winter, and from October to March the average overnight low stays at 24.6 °C or warmer (BOM averages). Setting compound hardens as its moisture leaves, and heavy, warm air slows that down, so each of the usual three coats may need longer before it can be sanded. A plasterer who rushes the coats in the build-up leaves joints that show through paint later.
Units, renters and small repairs
Renting is far more common here than nationally: 43.8% of Greater Darwin households rent, against 30.6% across Australia (ABS 2021 Census). End-of-lease and between-tenant jobs are mostly small: a small hole made good is $150–$280, and every crack, set smooth and paint-ready, $80–$300. Because there is usually a minimum charge, gather every mark in the property into one visit.
Cornice, new walls and quieter board
Cornice runs $10–$50 a linear metre; leave it off one quote and that quote only looks cheaper. Framing a new partition and lining both faces runs to $60–$150 per square metre of one side. In a unit or semi-detached home with a shared wall, acoustic plasterboard at $35–$85 cuts noise from next door.
The $25,000 registered builder line
In the Northern Territory, work on a house or units worth more than $25,000 is prescribed building work and must be done by a registered building contractor, who also needs a fidelity fund certificate before seeking a permit or asking you for payment. A one-room ceiling sits far below that line, but plastering folded into a renovation can cross it, and the deposit on a prescribed contract cannot exceed 5% of the contract price.
How to Save Money on Plastering Cost in Darwin
Plastering Cost in Darwin by Room Size
Say a unit bedroom in Darwin has a shared wall of 14 square metres. In standard board the labour is $350–$910 at $25–$65 a square metre, and in acoustic board at $35–$85 a square metre it is $490–$1,190. The quote should show which board the wall gets and the area behind the figure.
What moves a room that size in Darwin: water through a roof sheet or gutter that soaks the board above it, which puts water damage repair at $300–$1,500 ahead of new sheet, warm humid air that slows each coat, and a rental where the small marks are gathered into one visit at $150–$280 a hole. Cornice around the room is added by the metre.
Plastering Cost in Darwin: What the Quote Should Include
Darwin's wet season can soak a ceiling through a roof sheet or gutter, so a plastering quote there should separate the cut-out of a stained section from a whole new ceiling. Each line should be something you can read against the rows on this page.
- A stained section cut out and replaced, priced as water damage repair at $300–$1,500, apart from a full single-room ceiling at $800–$3,000.
- The roof sheet or gutter leak fixed first and the framing left to dry before new board, written on the quote as steps.
- Sheeting labour at $25–$65 a square metre, with board, screws and compound shown as supplied or not.
- Who arranges the bin or trailer for strip-out waste, and whether it sits on a verge or footpath, named before the job starts.
- For a rental, the between-tenant list gathered into one visit, with each hole at $150–$280 and each crack at $80–$300, and the minimum charge shown once.
- In a unit or semi-detached home, acoustic board on the shared wall at $35–$85 a square metre, with the wall area written down.
- Cornice in lineal metres at $10–$50 a metre, and any new partition per square metre of wall face at $60–$150, each as its own line.
- How coats are paced in warm, humid air, and whether the booking can move to the dry season, May to October, if the work can wait.
- The finish level named, with payment stages, any deposit, GST and the workmanship warranty written in, and the contractor's insurance details.
Frequently Asked Questions — Plastering Cost in Darwin
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 →