The Best Wall Fillers For Cracks, Holes & Gaps

From small cracks to substantial holes, our handpicked selection of wall fillers ensures a smooth and durable finish to your repair.
✅ Tried & Tested: See Our Testing ↓
Written & Tested By: Edward Bailey | Updated:
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Best Wall Filler
Edward Bailey/DIY Works
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Repairing cracks, holes or gaps in walls or ceilings is far easier than you would expect when using a high-quality decorator’s filler. Whether you use a ready mix or powder formula, both will permanently fill defects in a single application and leave behind a smooth finish. In terms of which type of filler is best, it’s a matter of personal preference because the ready mix is by far the most popular filler due to its ease of use but powder mixtures are often much cheaper.

To assist you in selecting the right filler, our handpicked selection lists top-performing fillers, chosen based on our first-hand experience filling a range of wall and ceiling defects. Our testing and up-to-date research further ensure the quality of our recommendations.

Our Top Picks At A Glance:

Everbuild One Strike Wall Filler
Best Overall: Everbuild One Strike
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Polycell Multi Purpose Polyfilla
Best For Beginners: Polycell Multi Purpose Polyfilla
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Ronseal Smooth Finish Filler
Best Value: Ronseal Smooth Finish Filler
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Polycell Deep Gap Filler For Walls
Best For Large Holes: Polycell Deep Gap Filler For Walls
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No Nonsense Instant Filler
Best Tube: No Nonsense Instant Filler
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Tetrion All Purpose Decorating Filler
Best Powder: Tetrion All Purpose Decorating Filler
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How The DIY Works Team Tests & Rates Wall Fillers

After years of repairing cracks and holes on a range of surfaces, we have plenty of experience using a variety of wall fillers. From small holes made by screws to much larger holes, we’ve tested multiple formulas to give us a smooth surface ready for paint.

best filler for plaster walls

Edward Bailey/DIY Works

During our ongoing testing, we analyse the filler’s ease of application, durability, finish, resistance to sagging, shrinking and cracking and its capability with internal and external surfaces.

To give you an idea of how easy it is to apply a wall filler, below is a video we posted on our YouTube channel that shows us testing our top recommendation (Everbuild One Strike).

As you can see in the video, it was easy to apply to the screw holes and scrape along the wall and we were able to sand it down in just 30 minutes ready for its first coat of paint.

To keep up our commitment to reviewing and testing the latest wall fillers (for this article), we are continually testing the latest offerings from top brands in the UK. As shown in the photos below, we recently tested the latest selection of fillers from the Polycell brand as well as our best-rated powder formula, which is the Tetrion All Purpose.

best filler for walls

Edward Bailey/DIY Works
best wall crack filler

Edward Bailey/DIY Works

As well as testing a range of fillers, we also based our recommendations within our roundup on the latest research and several factors. Some of the factors that we considered included their type, dry time, filling capabilities, finish, surface compatibility, ease of application and value for money.

The Best Wall Fillers

At DIY Works, our content is 100% independent and we would never recommend a product that we wouldn't use ourselves (read our editorial standards and how we test products).

1. Best Overall: Everbuild One Strike

(How We Review →)

One of the most popular decorating fillers within this article is the Everbuild One Strike and it’s designed to fill holes up to 75 mm in size. It’s a versatile formula that can be used for internal or external use and it’s able to dry to a smooth finish within just 40 minutes.

Another great bonus of this wall filler is its “on-sag” properties, which prevent it from sagging upon walls and ceilings.

Pros
  • Available in 250, 450, 1000 or 2500 ml tubs
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  • Fills gaps up to 75 mm in size
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  • Suitable for internal or external repairs
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  • During testing, we found it to be very easy to use upon plaster walls
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  • No mixing or sanding required
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  • Dries within 40 minutes
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  • Solvent free and non staining
Cons
  • Not suitable for drilling after it has dried

Overall, the Everbuild One Strike is the best wall filler on the market that’s easy to use and offers excellent value for the money. The lightweight formula and the “on-sag” properties make it far easier to spread on walls or ceilings and this is certainly what made it stand out from the alternatives during our testing.

2. Best For Beginners: Polycell Multi Purpose Polyfilla

(How We Review →)

Polycell offers a selection of decorating fillers but the Multi Purpose filler is their original formula that’s ideal for all interior repairs. It’s ready mixed in the container and is suitable for filling holes up to 10 mm in size.

Pros
  • Shrink and crack resistant
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  • Fills up to 10 mm
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  • Surface dry in 1 to 2 hours
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  • Suitable for all interior repairs
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  • Drillable once dried
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  • Available as 330g or 1KG tubs
Cons
  • Relatively expensive when compared to the alternative wall fillers

To conclude, the Polycell Multi Purpose Polyfilla is the best wall filler for DIY beginners that need to repair various holes, cracks and other defects. It really does tick all the boxes and it’s suitable for all interior repairs. The only drawbacks are that it does come with a premium price tag and it needs to be layered to fill more than 10 mm.

3. Best Value: Ronseal Smooth Finish Filler

(How We Review →)

The Ronseal Smooth Finish is another popular filler that’s ideal for repairing plaster walls, stone, concrete or wood. According to the brand, it’s suitable for filling holes up to 20 mm and it leaves a durable repair that won’t crack or shrink.

In terms of using this multi-purpose wall filler, it’s advised that you clean the surface and fill the gap until it raises above the surface. Once it has dried, you can then sand down the dried filler for a smooth finish.

Pros
  • Pre-mixed within a 900g tub
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  • Fills up to 20 mm
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  • Dries within 2 hours
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  • Fills plaster, stone, concrete and wood
Cons
  • During our testing, we found that it needed more sanding than other fillers

Overall, the Ronseal Smooth Finish is an excellent all-round wall filler that does what it sets out to do on the tin. Considering it’s a 900g tub of filler, it also offers the best value, which is another great bonus.

4. Best For Large Holes: Polycell Deep Gap Filler For Walls

(How We Review →)

Another wall filler by Polycell is their Deep Gap formula, which as the formula name suggests is designed to fill much larger gaps. Unlike the Multi-Purpose formula, this particular filler is suitable for filling gaps up to 20 mm.

According to the brand, once the filler has had time to dry, it can be easily sanded and accept nails or screws.

Pros
  • Ultra tough yet it provides a smooth finish
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  • Sag resistant formulation
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  • Fills in a single application
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  • Pot lasts for up to 18 months
Cons
  • More expensive than standard wall fillers

Although more expensive, the Polycell Deep Gap is an improved wall filler that makes filling larger gaps far easier. It’s just as easy to apply as their other formulas and provides a great dried state that’s easy to sand and paint over.

5. Best Tube: No Nonsense Instant Filler

(How We Review →)

The No Nonsense Instant Filler is a ready-mixed filler that’s ideal for filling and repairing cracks. It dries quickly and leaves a smooth finish that can be painted over with an emulsion-based paint within minutes. Unlike the alternatives, this formula is in a tube, which makes it far easier to use and also less messy.

Pros
  • Sandable once cured
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  • Dries within 2 hours
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  • Leaves behind a smooth finish
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  • Ideal for filling joints and screw holes
Cons
  • Requires a caulk gun

For filling joints or screw holes, the No Nonsense Instant Filler is a great choice that can be easily applied using a caulking gun. It isn’t the cheapest wall filler on the market but it’s fast drying and leaves a smooth finish, which can be sanded or painted over once dried.

6. Best Powder: Tetrion All Purpose Decorating Filler

(How We Review →)

Tetrion is a highly reputable brand among professionals and DIY enthusiasts and their original all-purpose filler is one of their most-rated products. It does require mixing but once you’ve mixed it up, it can be used to permanently fill a wide variety of surfaces with a tough and smooth finish.

Pros
  • Suitable for interior and exterior use
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  • Bonds and fills most household surfaces
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  • Tough and water resistant finish
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  • Supplied with two 750g sealed bags
Cons
  • Requires mixing with water (easy to mix formula)

If you are more than happy to mix the filler, the Tetrion All Purpose formula is one of the best wall fillers on the market. It comes in two sealed bags to reduce wastage and it produces a versatile filler that’s ideal for indoor or outdoor use.

Conclusion

A quality wall filler is an essential product if you intend to repair gaps, cracks or other defects. Within this article, we have listed a selection of fillers that can be used for internal or external repairs. However, to avoid disappointment, we recommend checking whether or not the filler can be used on the surfaces that you intend to repair.

If you require further information regarding any of our wall filler recommendations, feel free to get in touch and we will try to provide our assistance where possible.

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