Plasterboard is the standard material for ceilings in almost every Australian home built since the early 1980s. This guide explains the different types of plasterboard, where each one's used, how installation and repair actually work, and what to expect on cost.
What is plasterboard?
Plasterboard is a paper-faced gypsum panel — a core of compressed gypsum plaster sandwiched between two layers of strong paper. It's light, strong, dimensionally stable, easy to cut, takes paint well, and is the cheapest way to create a flat, paintable surface on walls and ceilings.
In Australia, the major brands are CSR Gyprock (the dominant market leader, so widely used that "gyprock" is often used generically), Knauf, and Boral. All produce essentially the same product to the same standards.
Types of plasterboard ceiling
Standard plasterboard
The default. 10mm or 13mm thick, used on almost every internal ceiling in modern Australian residential work. White paper face for paint, slightly tougher kraft paper back.
Acoustic plasterboard ceiling
Heavier than standard, with denser gypsum core. Reduces sound transmission between floors in two-storey homes and apartments. Common product is CSR Gyprock Soundchek. Installed the same way as standard plasterboard, just heavier and slightly more expensive.
Acoustic plasterboard on a ceiling works best combined with insulation in the cavity above and, ideally, resilient channel mounting between the joists and the plasterboard. Plasterboard alone gives some improvement; the full system gives meaningful sound isolation.
Water-resistant plasterboard (wet-area board)
Green-coloured paper face, water-repellent additives in the gypsum core. Used in bathroom, laundry, and kitchen ceilings where humidity is high. Won't survive standing water, but handles steam and condensation far better than standard board.
Fire-rated plasterboard
Pink face, fire-resistant additives. Used in shared walls between apartments, between a garage and dwelling, and around service penetrations. Specified by building code in particular applications.
Suspended plasterboard ceiling
Used where the ceiling needs to drop below the structural framework above — for example, to conceal services in commercial fit-outs or to lower a residential ceiling for design reasons. A grid of metal furring channels is suspended from the structure above, and plasterboard fixes to that grid rather than directly to joists.
Suspended ceilings are common in commercial work, less common in residential, but used for renovation work where ducting, structural members, or services need concealment.
Ceiling plasterboard — how installation actually works
The standard residential install sequence:
- Framework check — ceiling joists, battens, or furring channel inspected and aligned.
- Insulation — installed in the cavity if specified.
- Sheet measurement and cutting — full sheets where possible, minimised waste, joints offset between rows.
- Fixing — screws at 200–300mm spacing along studs/joists, with construction adhesive on the contact face for added strength.
- Setting — paper tape over each joint, then three coats of setting compound (base, fill, finish), each sanded between coats.
- Cornice — installed at the wall-to-ceiling junction, set into the cornice cement, and flushed.
- Final sand — full surface sanded to a Level 4 paint-ready finish.
Plasterboard ceiling repair
Plasterboard repair options depend on the size and cause of the damage.
Patch repair
Suitable for: localised damage to a sound ceiling, small holes around removed fixtures, isolated water staining where the source has been fixed and the area fully dried.
Process: cut back to a clean square or rectangular section, install fresh plasterboard sheet to match thickness, tape and set, sand, paint-ready. Done correctly, the repair is invisible under paint.
Full sheet replacement
Suitable for: damage spanning more than half a sheet, water damage where the source isn't fully diagnosed, sagging in plasterboard older than 20+ years.
Process: remove whole sheet, inspect framing, install new sheet, set joints, sand.
Whole-room or whole-house replacement
Suitable for: multiple-area damage, sagging across rooms, age-related deterioration, plasterglass replacement (pre-1980s homes), full renovation.
Plasterboard ceiling cost
Pricing depends on: room size, ceiling height, condition of existing framework, complexity of cornice or feature work, finish level, and access. Standard ceiling replacement in a typical Australian bedroom is in the low thousands. Whole-home plasterboard replacement runs to substantial five-figure projects.
Get written quotes. Cash-deal verbal estimates almost always come with surprises later.
How long does a plasterboard ceiling last?
Properly installed plasterboard, kept dry, lasts decades. Most ceiling replacement we do isn't because the plasterboard itself failed — it's because of water damage, building movement, or older plasterglass that's reached end of life.
Frequently asked
10mm is standard for most residential ceiling applications. 13mm is used where the joist spacing is wider or where extra rigidity is wanted.
Water-resistant (green) plasterboard is appropriate for bathroom ceilings and walls outside the immediate shower zone. Inside the shower, tile-backer board is the right product.
Single-room install takes 1–2 days for sheet and set, plus drying time between coats. Larger jobs scale proportionally.
Done correctly, no. The trick is feathering the set well past the patch edge so the finished surface is flat and uniform under paint.
For replacement, yes. We strip out the old material, inspect framing, then install fresh sheets. Patching over existing damaged board doesn't work.
Need this work done in Perth?
Gyprock Repairs — specialist team by Ryan Chapman, fully insured, with a written 12-Month Warranty.
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