How much does plastering cost in Sydney?
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Gyprocking is what most Sydney searches call it, and the labour to hang and set the board is priced per square metre at $29–$75, or by the hour at $57–$140 for smaller work. Re-skimming one room comes to $690–$2,875; stripping and replacing a bedroom-sized ceiling is $920–$3,450; and a whole three-bedroom house is eight to ten of those room prices once ceilings and hallways are counted. Flats make up 30.7% of Sydney's dwellings (ABS 2021 Census), well over twice the 14.2% seen nationally, and in a flat the job is one wall or one ceiling, so the per-room and per-repair rows matter more here than the day rate. GST is in every figure.
Comparing cities, or after the Australia-wide picture? See the national guide: Plastering cost in Australia.
Detailed Pricing — Plastering Cost in Sydney 2026
| Service | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plastering (hourly rate) | $57/hr | $89 | $140 |
| Plasterboard / Gyprock, labour (per sqm) | $29/sqm | $47 | $75 |
| Patch repair (small hole) | $170per job | $265 | $320 |
| Crack repair (per crack, filled and set ready for paint) | $92per job | $195 | $345 |
| Single room re-skim (walls) | $690total | $1,375 | $2,875 |
| Ceiling replacement (single room, 12–16 m²: strip-out, new plasterboard, set ready for paint) | $920total | $2,175 | $3,450 |
| Cornice installation (per linear metre) | $12/lm | $17 | $57 |
| Water damage repair | $345per job | $805 | $1,725 |
| Skim coat (per sqm) | $17/sqm | $32 | $57 |
| New stud wall (non-load-bearing, framed, plasterboard both sides, set ready for paint; per m² of wall face) | $69/sqm | $110 | $170 |
| Acoustic / soundproof plasterboard (per sqm) | $40/sqm | $63 | $98 |
| Full day plastering | $400per day | $630 | $975 |
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Get Sydney quotes →Prices include GST. Based on Sydney metro area, October 2026. Outer suburbs may vary.
Sydney gyprock and plastering: rooms, ceilings and day rates
Cost to gyprock a room in Sydney
Gyprock is $29–$75 a square metre in our Sydney table. Replastering the walls of a single room is $690–$2,875, typically $1,375.
Cost to replace a gyprock ceiling in Sydney
Replacing the ceiling of a single room in Sydney costs $920–$3,450, typically $2,175.
Cost of gyprocking a house in Sydney
We don't publish a whole-house price. At $29–$75 a square metre, 100 square metres of gyprock comes to $2,900 to $7,500. Get a measured quote for a whole house.
Plasterer hourly and day rates in Sydney
A plasterer in Sydney charges $57–$140 an hour, typically $89, or $400–$975 for a full day.
These answers use the prices in the table on this page.
Cost of gyprocking a house in Sydney (2026): per m², per room and per day
A plasterer in Sydney charges $400–$975 a day, with $630 typical, and prices most jobs per square metre: $29–$75/m² to hang and set plasterboard (Gyprock) and $17–$57/m² for a skim coat over existing walls. As whole jobs, replastering the walls of a single room is $690–$2,875, replacing a room's ceiling $920–$3,450, patching a small hole $170–$320 and new cornice $12–$57 per metre. Painting is a separate trade and price.
| Job | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plasterboard / Gyprock (per m²) | $29/m² | $47 | $75 |
| Skim coat (per m²) | $17/m² | $32 | $57 |
| Full day plastering | $400/day | $630 | $975 |
| Single room re-skim (walls) | $690 | $1,375 | $2,875 |
| Ceiling replacement (single room, 12–16 m²: strip-out, new plasterboard, set ready for paint) | $920 | $2,175 | $3,450 |
| Patch repair (small hole) | $170 | $265 | $320 |
| Cornice installation (per m) | $12/m | $17 | $57 |
How plasterers in Sydney charge: the day rate ($400–$975) is what sits behind the per-square-metre prices; a plasterer quotes the job from the area and the finish rather than the hours. Gyprocking a whole house is the per-m² rate ($29–$75/m²) across every wall and ceiling, plus cornice; a skim coat ($17–$57/m²) is the cheaper way to get old, sound walls smooth again.
What moves a plastering quote in Sydney:
- Area and height: per-metre rates assume standard 2.4–2.7 m walls; high ceilings and stairwells need platforms.
- Finish level: a level 4 finish is the base for painting; level 5 for gloss paint or raking light costs more.
- New board or repair: hanging new plasterboard is faster per metre than patching and blending into old walls.
- Cornice and details: cornices, bulkheads and curved walls are priced per metre on top.
- Access and clearing: an empty room plasters faster than one the plasterer works around.
For a plastering quote in Sydney that compares, give the square metres of wall and ceiling, the finish level and whether the old plaster has to come off.
What Affects Plastering Costs in Sydney
Flats, stairs and small jobs
With 30.7% of Sydney dwellings in flats (ABS 2021 Census), a lot of plastering here is a single wall or ceiling reached by lift or stairwell, and carrying sheets up is charged as hours at $57–$140. A door-handle hole costs $170–$320 to patch, a settlement crack $92–$345. A stain spreading from the flat above is a strata question before it is a plastering one, so raise it with the building manager first.
Gyprocking the whole house
Separate houses are 55.8% of Sydney's stock, well under the 72.3% national figure (ABS 2021 Census), but a whole house is still the biggest ticket. It is priced on total sheet area: $29–$75 for the labour, the board supplied separately, cornice per metre at $12–$57 and a skip for the old sheet. A quote that names the days expected can be checked against $400–$975.
The wettest months stain the ceiling
At Observatory Hill the wet months are March, 131.6 mm, and June, 133.1 mm (BOM averages), and water-marked ceilings follow them. Repairing just the plaster after a leak costs $345–$1,725; a sagging or crumbling sheet means a full ceiling at $920–$3,450. Mould is treated before new board goes up, and January's warm nights, an 18.8 °C average low, slow the drying of every coat, so allow extra days in a humid week.
Licensed above $5,000
Once a NSW residential job passes $5,000 (labour plus materials, with GST) the person doing it needs a contractor licence, and dry plastering is its own licence class; a subcontractor doing the plaster on a bigger renovation needs it too. Unlicensed work carries fines of $22,000 for an individual and $110,000 for a company (NSW Government). On home building work over $20,000, check the business holds home building compensation insurance before paying anything.
Walls between neighbours and inside two-bedders
Two-bedroom dwellings are 25.7% of Sydney's homes, where the national figure is 19.1% (ABS 2021 Census), and splitting a living area for a study is the common reason to build a new wall: $69–$170 for every square metre of wall, both faces boarded and set. Where a wall is shared with a neighbour, acoustic board at $40–$98 beats standard sheet at $29–$75 for noise.
Old plaster, renters and the skim coat
In older brick houses with set hard-plaster walls, a skim coat at $17–$57 evens the surface for paint without stripping anything; a full re-skim of a room's walls is $690–$2,875. Renters occupy 35.9% of Sydney dwellings, where the country sits at 30.6% (ABS 2021 Census), so booking a $170–$320 ahead of the final inspection usually beats letting the agent put a number on the hole.
How to Save Money on Plastering Cost in Sydney
Plastering Cost in Sydney by Room Size
Say a flat's bedroom ceiling is 12 square metres and carrying the sheets up the stairwell is billed as two hours. Sheeting at $29–$75 a square metre is $348–$900, and two hours at $57–$140 an hour adds $114–$280, together $462–$1,180. The same ceiling as a single-room replacement row is $920–$3,450.
What moves a room that size in Sydney: a lift or stairwell for the sheets, a strata building where a stain from the flat above is raised with the building manager first, a shared wall that takes acoustic board at $40–$98 a square metre, and a wet March or June that leaves ceilings stained. A new study wall adds $69–$170 per square metre of face.
Plastering Cost in Sydney: What the Quote Should Include
In Sydney a lot of plastering is a single wall or ceiling in a flat, reached by lift or stairwell, so a quote should say how carrying the sheets up is charged. Ask for every line to be written out, so it can be read against the rows on this page.
- How carrying sheets up a lift or stairwell is charged, as hours at the hourly rate of $57–$140 an hour, with the hours counted written out.
- Sheets, sheeting labour and cornice written as separate lines, with the sheeting labour at $29–$75 a square metre and cornice at $12–$57 a metre.
- A door-handle hole at $170–$320 and a settlement crack at $92–$345 written as items, with the number of each stated.
- For a stain that comes from the flat above, the building manager told first, with the plaster repair left off the quote until the source is dealt with.
- After a wet March or June, the ceiling stain traced to its source, with plaster repair at $345–$1,725 shown apart from a full ceiling at $920–$3,450.
- The skip for the old sheet named as its own line, not folded into the sheeting rate.
- A new wall to split a living area for a study priced per square metre, both faces boarded and set, at $69–$170.
- Acoustic board on a wall shared with a neighbour at $40–$98 a square metre, and a skim coat over older brick-house plaster at $17–$57 a square metre.
- For a rental, small marks listed with a price each ahead of the final inspection, with dates, payment stages, GST and warranty written in.
Frequently Asked Questions — Plastering Cost in Sydney
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 →