Best wall filler: Make fixing little imperfections a doddle

Every house gets the odd crack or hole in the walls. Our selection of the best wall fillers will make smoothing them out an easy task
Jo Plumridge
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Published on 24 July 2023

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Wall fillers are one of those terribly useful inventions that have a variety of uses. You can use them to fill in holes caused by picture hooks, small cracks as houses shift or for repairing other types of superficial damages. Indeed, the best wall fillers are designed to cover up any blemishes in your walls and ceilings, so that youre left with a smooth surface for painting on.

There are a variety of different fillers on the market, including fine surface filler, interior filler, exterior filler and multi-purpose filler. These either come in powder form or as a ready-mixed paste. Paste is undoubtedly the easier of the two, but a powder will last longer and wont dry out like a paste eventually does.

If youve got places around the house that could do with a little TLC, weve got a great selection of the best wall fillers below and our buying guide should answer any questions or queries you have about wall filler.

What are the main different types of filler?

Lets look at the three main types of filler:

Fine surface fillers These fillers are used to cover up imperfections such as hairline cracks and scratches. Its best used on fine scratches up to a maximum depth of 2mm.

Interior fillers Interior fillers are used to fill in holes, cracks and other flaws measuring 2mm to 1cm. They can occasionally be used on larger holes if youre dealing with drill holes.

Multipurpose fillers Multipurpose (sometimes known as all-purpose) fillers can, as you might expect, be used for both fine cracks and larger gaps.

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Powder vs. ready-mixed paste

Both powder and paste have their uses when it comes to choosing a filler.

Powder filler is the most practical choice if you have a lot of surfaces to prepare. Its cheaper than ready-mixed paste and youll get a lot of filler out of one bag. The main downside is that you need to prepare it before use by mixing the powder with water. Another issue is that once youve finished with the prepared filler, you cant reuse anything thats left over as it will just dry out.

If youre filling smaller spaces or just dont want the potential mess of powder, ready-mixed paste is the best solution. Its practical and can be reused just make sure you seal it tightly after use. However, paste is more expensive than powder and will already be pre-mixed in precise ratios to a particular consistency.

All the products in our guide are ready-mixed paste for ease of use.

Specialist fillers

There are also a variety of specialist fillers on the market, such as ones suited for outdoor use. Some of the more common ones are:

  • Moisture resistant fillers Designed to cope with humid environments, such as kitchens and bathrooms.
  • Masonry repair fillers These are designed for outdoor use and have high mechanical strength, as well as coping well with the elements.
  • Wood fillers These are generally formulated with wood fibres to help make them suitable for wood repairs.

How to apply filler

Filling a wall doesnt have to be complicated. Just follow these easy steps:

  • Clean the wall with sugar soap, which will help remove any loose pieces and dust from the wall.
  • Using a filling knife, apply the filler into the cavity. Apply gradually from several directions to ensure a smooth coverage, and dont forget to check for air pockets.
  • Once filled, smooth the filler out by moving the knife over in different directions, starting from the centre of the filled area. Repeat until you have a smooth surface.
  • When its dry, you can add a second layer if you need to. Or you can sand down the filler so its perfectly smooth and paint over it for a seamless finish.

To test wall fillers properly, we use each product on any and every crack and hole we can find around our home. We first consider how easy the filler is to use, whether it goes on smoothly and is easy to apply, as well as how well it covers up damage.

We then consider the consistency of the filler, dry time, whether any reapplication is needed and how it looks once sanded. Alongside this, we award extra points to fillers that come in more than one colour and those that offer particularly good value for money.

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Price: £6.59 | Buy now from Toolstation

If you need a filler for delicate work, the Big Boy Ultra Fine filler is a seriously good find. Its particularly suited to delicate jobs such as fixing vehicle body panels, window frames or small blemishes on walls.

Be warned that this is an extremely sticky filler, which can make applying it a little more challenging. However, because its sticky, its well suited for use on metal, wood, bridging fillers and masonry, as well as some types of PVC as it will grip onto surfaces easily. The manufacturer claims it shouldnt crack under stress due to its elasticity and its also supposedly corrosion resistant.

The produce comes in two parts a tub of putty plus a tube of hardening compound so that you can achieve a highly professional result.

Key details Size: 250ml; Type: Ready-mixed paste; Use: Interior /some exterior / vehicles

Buy now from Toolstation

Price: £3.25 | Buy now from Wickes Wickes filler is incredibly good value for money at only £3.25 for a 330g tube. The filler is a nice, bright white, which makes it easy to see where youve applied it. Its also packaged in a neat squeezable tube for easy application. Another great selling point of this filler is the fact that it dries in around 15 minutes, making quick work of any small jobs around the house. Its crack and shrink resistant and sands down easily to form a smooth surface for painting or finishing.

The simple tube design and screw on cap makes it easy to keep the filler from drying out, but we did notice that its quite hard to get the filler out of the tube in the first place. As the filler is fairly thick, you really have to squeeze hard to get it out, which can be a little frustrating. We would recommend working the tube well with your fingers before you try and apply the product. Despite this, if youre on a tight budget its well worth the little extra bit of effort.

Key details Size: 330g; Type: Ready-mixed paste; Use: Interio

Buy now from Wickes

Price: £5 | Buy now from Brewers

best buy

Brewers Quick Drying filler is a ready-mixed paste thats ready to sand and paint after just 15 minutes. In fact, it dries so quickly that you cant hang around applying it. Its suitable to use on both interior and exterior surfaces, which is quite an unusual feature, as most fillers are either one or the other

Youll get coverage of 130ml per m2 at 1mm thick and it comes in a bright white for easy viewing. The product is water and humidity resistant, making it ideal for small surface repairs in the bathroom. Its also suitable to use on a wide range of substrates including, concrete, cellular concrete, cement, concrete block, brick, plaster, plasterboard, gypsum board, primed wood, stone, polystyrene, old painted substrates and fibreglass. Its definitely one of the more versatile fillers on the market. Like the Wickes filler, Brewers is in a tube, so make sure you knead it well with your fingers before use.

Key details Size: 200ml; Type: Ready-mixed paste; Use: Interior/exterior

Buy now from Brewers

Price: £9.99 | Buy now from Screwfix Ronseals filler is highly flexible, extremely lightweight and very easy to work with. Its touch-dry in just five minutes, although it takes longer to dry fully. The filler is suitable for interior use and can be used on plaster, stone, concrete and wood.

As this filler is multipurpose, it can be used to fill almost any size hole and it wont sag once its dried. It also doesnt require sanding, as it dries to an extremely smooth finish. Theres also enough in the container to cover at least two decent sized rooms with a high number of cracks and holes. We did find this filler took longer to dry completely than the packaging stated and would recommend leaving at least 24 hours for it to be fully cured.

Key details Size: 600ml; Type: Ready-mixed paste; Use: Interior

Buy now from Screwfix

Price: £8.66 | Buy now from Brewers This decorators favourite is ideal for deep cracks, holes, gaps and scratches. Theres no shrinkage or depth limit and you dont need to use primer beforehand. Touprets filler is suitable to use on a variety of substrates including, plasterboard, old painted surfaces, gypsum plaster, cement, concrete, cellular concrete, breeze blocks, bricks and stone. Its ready to paint in just three hours, making it ideal for those with a lot to do in a short amount of time. Its also ideal for last minute touch-ups due to its quick drying time.

We found that the filler needed a skim over the top before sanding but, once this was done, sanding produced a smooth finish to the surface being treated. Its also good value for money at just over £8 for 1kg of filler.

Key details Size: 1kg, 2kg and 5kg; Type: Powder; Use: Interior

Buy now from Brewers

Written by

Jo Plumridge

Jo Plumridge is a freelance writer and photographer with almost 25 years of experience writing for a variety of magazines, websites and books. She writes extensively on home and tech products, along with covering photography, interior design and all things sleep-related. Outside of work, Jo fosters cats alongside her husband for a local rescue, giving her plenty of practice in dealing with tricky subjects.

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