What is Selleys No More Cracks Plaster Filler, and where should you use it?

Selleys No More Cracks Plaster Filler is a ready to use, fast drying, lightweight filler for interior use only, on plaster, plasterboard and wallboard. It is white, water based, and it is sandable in 30 minutes in thin applications, which is the number the whole product is built around.

It has excellent adhesion on plaster and minimal shrinkage, so there is no need to overfill. That combination — fast, light, no overfilling — makes it a patching filler rather than a rebuilding one. It is what you reach for when a room needs twenty small repairs made good and painted the same day.

Technical specification

Property	Typical result
Technology	Water-based
Colour	White
Density	0.48
Sand / paint time	30 minutes (less than 2 mm depth)
Packaging	100 g tub and 220 g tub
Use	Interior only — plaster, plasterboard and wallboard

These are indicative data from the product's technical data sheet only, and are not intended for the preparation of specifications.

What the key numbers mean in practice

A density of 0.48 is the number that explains the rest of the product. It is well under half the density of water, which is what "lightweight" means here in concrete terms: the filler is largely low-density material rather than heavy mineral fill. That is why a 100 g tub goes further than the figure suggests, why it sands with very little effort, and why it dries as quickly as it does. It is also why it is a finishing filler rather than a structural one — there is not much substance in it, which is the trade-off you accept for the speed.

Thirty minutes to sand and paint applies to applications less than 2 mm thick, painted with water-based paints. That figure changes the shape of a job: fill, make a cup of tea, sand, paint. It is genuinely a same-morning repair, and that is the reason to choose it over a general-purpose filler.

Three things extend it, and Selleys names all three:

• Thicker applications — more than 2 mm deep needs longer.
• Cold or humid conditions — expect longer drying times.
• Solvent based paints — allow 24 hours minimum drying before painting with solvent based paint.

That last one is the trap. The 30 minute figure and the 24 hour figure are both correct; which applies depends entirely on the paint you are using. Someone who fills, sands at half an hour and rolls on an enamel is working to a schedule the product does not support.

Minimal shrinkage means you should not overfill. On a filler that shrinks, the habit is to leave a proud bead and sand it back. Here that just creates unnecessary sanding — and on lightweight filler, over-sanding takes you straight through into the plaster around the repair.

Where to use it

It is suitable for repairing holes, cracks, chips, dents and other imperfections on:

• Plaster
• Plasterboard
• Wallboard

Interior only. This is the filler for walls and ceilings before painting — picture hook holes, knocks in a hallway, hairline surface cracks, chips at a door handle line.

Selleys has a general guide to how to fill cracks and dents in walls. For larger or deeper repairs, or where a fixing is needed, look at the rest of the wall filler range — including Large Cracks & Holes and the fast-drying Spakfilla Rapid.

How to apply it

1. Make sure the surface is clean and dry, with no loose or powdery material.
2. Use a filling blade or scraper to press the filler firmly in and scrape off the excess. This minimises sanding, and on a lightweight filler minimising sanding also protects the surrounding plaster.
3. For applications less than 2 mm thick, allow 30 minutes to dry before sanding and painting with water-based paints. Allow longer for thicker applications.
4. If you are painting with solvent based paints, allow 24 hours minimum drying.
5. Apply an undercoat before your top coat for best results.

If the filler in the tub has stiffened, Selleys gives a fix: stir it with a spatula, add one teaspoon of water, and stir again. That recovers a tub that has thickened in storage. It is a teaspoon, not a splash — over-thinning a lightweight filler leaves you with something that slumps out of the repair.

Why a plaster-specific filler

The feature Selleys leads with for this product is excellent adhesion on plaster, and that is a narrower claim than a general-purpose filler makes. It is paired with a matching restriction — not recommended for plastic or metal surfaces, and interior use only — so the product is deliberately specialised rather than broadly capable.

That specialisation is worth taking advantage of when the job is what it was designed for: making good a plasterboard or plaster wall before painting. Adhesion is what stops a shallow repair lifting at the edges when it is sanded, and edge lift is the usual failure on a thin fill.

The two pack sizes — 100 g and 220 g — reflect the same thinking. These are small tubs for a filler used in small quantities over many spots, not for filling volume. If the repair in front of you needs more than a 220 g tub, it is probably the wrong product for the job rather than the wrong pack size.

Limitations — where Plaster Filler should not be used

These are the manufacturer's stated limits, and there are five of them:

• Do not use below 5°C.
• Do not nail. This follows directly from the low density — there is not enough substance in a cured lightweight filler to hold a fixing.
• For interior use only.
• Where movement occurs, use Selleys No More Gaps.
• Not recommended for plastic or metal surfaces.

The "do not nail" limitation is the one worth remembering when you are choosing a filler rather than when you are using it. If the repaired area might need a fixing later — a shelf bracket, a picture hook, a curtain track — this is not the product for that spot.

Clean up and storage

Clean up: use water before the filler sets. Cured product has to be removed by sanding and scraping.

Storage: store in a cool, dry place and keep the container closed when not in use. Given the small pack sizes and the teaspoon-of-water recovery trick above, a properly closed tub is worth the effort — it is the difference between a usable tub next month and a dried block.

Hazard classification

Classified as hazardous under Safe Work Australia GHS 7, with the signal word Warning.

• Sensitisation — Skin — Category 1. H317: may cause an allergic skin reaction.
• Eye irritation — Category 2A. H319: causes serious eye irritation.

It is not classified as Dangerous Goods under the Australian Code for the Transport of Dangerous Goods by Road & Rail or New Zealand NZS5433. Being hazardous for workplace purposes and not being dangerous goods for transport are separate questions, and this product sits on opposite sides of the two.

What is in it

Chemical entity	CAS number	Proportion (w/w)
Alcohols, C12–C14, ethoxylated, sulfates, sodium salts	68891-38-3	1–10%
2-Octyl-2H-isothiazol-3-one (OIT)	26530-20-1	<0.1%
1,2-Benzisothiazol-3(2H)-one (BIT)	2634-33-5	<0.05%
5-Chloro-2-methyl-4-isothiazolin-3-one (CMIT)	26172-55-4	<0.05%
2-Methyl-2H-isothiazol-3-one (MIT)	2682-20-4	<0.05%
Ingredients determined to be non-hazardous or below reporting limits	—	Balance

This filler carries an eye classification that several of its stablemates do not. The ready-mixed exterior wood filler and the large cracks and holes filler are classified for skin sensitisation only; this one adds H319, serious eye irritation. The one ingredient present at a percentage rather than a trace is a sodium alkyl ether sulfate — the surfactant family used in detergents and shampoos, and a chemical class known for eye irritation. The SDS does not attribute the classification to any single ingredient, so that connection is offered as chemistry rather than as a sourced fact.

What it changes is where you put your eye protection. A plaster filler is used on walls and ceilings, which means filling and then sanding above head height, with the work directly over your face. Wet filler flicked off a knife and dried filler dust both travel downwards. Safety glasses are cheap and this is the product to wear them on.

The skin classification is the slower problem. Sensitisation is not irritation: it is the immune system learning to react, it is generally permanent once acquired, it is triggered afterwards by much smaller exposures, and it is built up through repeated casual contact. Filling a room full of nail holes with a bare finger, then doing the same next weekend, is the exposure pattern that causes it. Gloves, and washing off residue rather than letting it dry on the hands, deal with it.

Protection

• Eye protection — safety glasses, and particularly for overhead work and for sanding.
• Gloves — nitrile rubber, suitable for intermittent contact per the SDS, with the user making the final assessment.
• Dust mask — when sanding the dried filler.
• Ventilation — natural ventilation is adequate under normal use conditions.
• Wash hands before eating, drinking or smoking. Wash contaminated clothing and protective equipment before storing or reusing.

First aid

Exposure	What to do
Eyes	Rinse cautiously with water for several minutes, holding the eyelids open. Remove contact lenses if present and easy to do, then keep rinsing. If eye irritation persists, get medical advice or attention.
Skin	Remove contaminated clothing and wash with plenty of water and soap. If a rash or irritation develops, including hours later, get medical advice or attention.
Inhalation	Move the person to fresh air, keep them warm and at rest until recovered. Seek medical advice if effects persist.
Swallowed	Rinse the mouth with water. Do not induce vomiting. Give a glass of water to drink and seek medical advice. Never give anything by mouth to an unconscious person.

If poisoning occurs, contact a doctor or the Poisons Information Centre — 131 126 in Australia, 0800 764 766 in New Zealand — with the container to hand. Selleys emergency line: 1800 220 770 in Australia, 0800 220 770 in New Zealand.

Common questions about Selleys No More Cracks Plaster Filler

How soon can I sand it?

30 minutes for applications less than 2 mm deep. Thicker applications, and cold or humid conditions, need longer.

How soon can I paint it?

After 30 minutes with water-based paints, on thin applications. With solvent based paints, allow 24 hours minimum.

Do I need to overfill?

No. It has minimal shrinkage, so there is no need to overfill — and overfilling only adds sanding.

What sizes does it come in?

100 g and 220 g tubs.

Can I use it outside?

No. It is for interior use only.

Can I nail into it?

No. Do not nail.

Can I use it on plastic or metal?

It is not recommended for plastic or metal surfaces.

What surfaces is it for?

Plaster, plasterboard and wallboard.

My tub has gone stiff — can I save it?

Stir it with a spatula, add one teaspoon of water and stir again.

What if the crack keeps coming back?

That indicates movement, and where movement occurs Selleys directs you to use No More Gaps instead of a filler.

What is the minimum temperature?

Do not use it below 5°C.

How do I clean up?

Water, before the filler sets. Once cured, sand or scrape it off.

Why is it described as lightweight?

Its density is 0.48 — less than half that of water. That is what makes it fast drying and very easy to sand, and also why it will not hold a nail.