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Fill holes in plasterboard

Updated: 23 October 2026

The shelf has come off and the plasterboard paper is torn. Fill holes in plasterboard only works when the paste has something to press against. A screw hole in sound board is a shallow fill. A hole you can see through needs scrim or a new piece of board. A tapered joint is a jointing job, not a squeeze from a 396 g tube. The [dry fill comparison](/hub/diy-supplies/dry-fill) lists the tubs, including the 10 kg ready-mixed capture. Peter F. used Toupret's plasterboard guidance, a Knauf jointing note and B&Q's large-hole steps on 21 October 2026. This is not a laboratory test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

The shelf has come off and the plasterboard paper is torn. Fill holes in plasterboard only works when the paste has something to press against. A screw hole in sound board is a shallow fill.

Our top picks

Sika Sika One Strike

Best overall

Sika Sika One Strike
8.9/10about £7.90
View offer
Langlow Langlow fine surface filler

Best value

Langlow Langlow fine surface filler
8.8/10about £2.50
View offer
Toupret Toupret joint and skim

Alternative

Toupret Toupret joint and skim
8.1/10about £27.69
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.A screw hole in sound board
  2. 2.A hole you can see through
  3. 3.Joints are a different product
  4. 4.Before you cut, and when to stop

A screw hole in sound board

A screw hole or a small dent, with the paper face still intact, is a shallow fill in the face, not a bridge over a void. Clean the edges, press a fine interior filler in, leave it slightly proud, and sand when it is hard. Langlow's sheet still limits a layer to not more than 3 mm. The Decex bullets allow up to 10 mm on a 396 g tube. Neither claim turns that tube into a joint compound for a whole wall. Fome Flex Finish names plasterboard joints and says sand and paint after 30 minutes. It is £9.99, 4.7 from six reviews, and the volume field says 6 ml against 240 g. If the paper is only scuffed, stop before you rake a sound screw hole into a void.

A hole you can see through

Toupret's plasterboard guide puts scrim across a hole up to about 50 mm, then filler over the mesh. The mesh is the back the paste presses against. A blob with no mesh falls into the cavity. About 50 mm is Toupret's figure for that patch, and it is the figure this page uses. Larger holes need timber backing or a new piece of board. Knauf's UK note says their joint compounds comply with BS EN 13963:2014, and they do not recommend self-adhesive scrim inside that jointing system. That warning is about a new joint, not this small patch. Past about 50 mm, B&Q's outline is to find the services, cut back to something solid or add a noggin, screw a new piece in, then finish the joints. The 396 g Decex tube is not the material you joint that piece with.
Sika Sika One Strike

Testsieger

Sika Sika One Strike
8.9/10about £7.90
View offer

Joints are a different product

A tapered joint, or tape lifting on a new-build wall, wants a joint compound you can feather. In this capture that is Toupret joint and skim, a 10 kg ready-mixed paste at £27.69, 4.4 from 116 reviews. The bullets say sand and paint within 12–24 hours and limit the no-crack claim to 5 mm. The title says quick dry, so you plan for 12–24 hours. The capture does not mention BS EN 13963. A powder of a similar name is a different product. Do not copy its sheet onto this pail. Knauf's compliance line belongs to Knauf, not to this listing.

Before you cut, and when to stop

Detect cables and pipes before you cut plasterboard. B&Q's large-hole steps start with a detector, then the cut. A voltage detector is not a map of every cable. Board that is soft, brown or swollen from a leak needs the leak fixed and, usually, a new sheet. A ceiling that needs a whole panel, or a crack that keeps opening, is a plasterer or a builder. Toupret's 50 mm scrim limit is for a stable hole in sound board. The sequence on solid plaster is how to fill cracks in plaster. Which listing fits the dent or this pail is best wall filler UK.

Common questions

Can I push filler into a hole I can see through?
The paste falls into the cavity. Filler needs a face to press against. For a hole up to about 50 mm, Toupret's method is scrim across the opening, then filler over the mesh. Larger than that, you need timber backing or a new piece of board. A screw hole with the paper still intact is the only case where you fill the dent directly.
How big a hole can scrim bridge?
Toupret's plasterboard guide uses scrim for holes up to about 50 mm. That is their patch method, not a figure printed on every tub in this comparison. Beyond that, or when the edges are broken back to a stud bay, add backing or cut in a new piece. Knauf's warning against self-adhesive scrim applies to their jointing system for new joints, not to this small patch.
When do I cut in a new piece of board?
When the hole is well past about 50 mm, the paper and core are ragged, or a whole section is damaged. B&Q's outline is to locate pipes and cables, cut back to a stud or add a timber noggin, screw the new piece, then finish the joints. A dinner-plate of filler on a loose mesh will crack. Soft board from a leak wants the leak fixed and the sheet replaced, not a skim.
Is a general tube the same as a joint compound?
No. A 396 g multi-purpose tube is for hooks and small holes up to the depth on its bullets. A joint between boards is a feathered coat over tape, in a product sold for that job. In this set that is the 10 kg Toupret ready-mixed capture, with a 12–24 hour paint window and a no-crack claim up to 5 mm. Fome Flex names joints in the bullets and conflicts on pack size, with only six reviews.
Does the 10 kg Toupret capture carry BS EN 13963?
It does not state BS EN 13963 in the fields we captured. The title says quick dry. The bullets say 12–24 hours and limit the no-crack line to 5 mm. A Toupret powder with a similar name is a different product. Knauf's note that their own compounds comply with BS EN 13963:2014 does not transfer to this pail. If you need the standard, buy a product whose sheet shows it.

Related pages

Wall filler buying guide

Dry fill

Best wall filler UK: match the listing to the hole

How to fill cracks in plaster before sanding and paint

Powder filler vs ready mixed: time, depth and shrink

Sources

Public UK sources and the amazon.co.uk listings compared on this page. Updated 22 October 2026.

  1. Toupret: powder or ready-to-use filler (retrieved October 2026)
  2. Toupret Interior Filler sheet (retrieved October 2026)
  3. Toupret Quick Fill (retrieved October 2026)
  4. Sika Everbuild One Strike sheet (retrieved October 2026)
  5. Palace Langlow fine surface filler sheet (retrieved October 2026)
  6. HSE: sanding taped plasterboard joints (retrieved October 2026)
  7. DIY Guides: choosing the right filler (retrieved October 2026)
  8. Toupret: how to fix holes in plasterboard (retrieved October 2026)
  9. Consumer Rights Act 2015 (retrieved October 2026)